Day 135

5/6/2014
This time of the year the Aegean usually has north winds.  I don't remember the last time I had a north wind, probably on the east coast of Italy.  Today the north wind blew.
I made three crossings and paddled alongside four major islands and countless minor ones.  On the island of Laki I passed an enormous fortress that overlooked a town.
While I looked up at it on a mountain peek, a McDonald's size motor yacht came at me.  I paddled out of its path, and it turned towards me.  I accelerated to the fastest fear inspired sprint I know, and aimed at the cliffs where it could not follow.
The captain veered off.  I think he just wanted a closer look at me and didn’t realize how scary the sight of his racing behemoth looked from my seat.
Arki did not have whole grain bread, except for forever toast.*  My stomach was not pleased. I ate less and my energy ran low.
Rock climbers ascended the cliffs of Kalimnos high above me.  I waved but they weren't looking down.
By the time I was near Vathi, my destination, I ached.  The village was in one of the narrow inlets up ahead, but which one?  I called out to a fisherman on an oncoming boat.
"Vathi?" I asked.
He didn't understand my accent.  I tried a couple more times before he gave up and zoomed away.
I found it up a 1.3 kilometer fjord.  I paddled 33 nautical miles over 10 hours, mostly with a tail wind.  That last stretch was the hardest.  I fought for every inch against a brutal tireless headwind, amongst the strongest I have ever faced.

* Toast sold in a plastic bag with no expiration date.

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Current location: 36.974774,27.026815