What could possibly happen?

It was late when we landed and a little before midnight before we got out of the airport and found our Airbnb host in the center of Athens. 

The next day we strolled around Plaka – the old town of Athens with the many monuments from ancient Greece. Watched life in the narrow streets and enjoyed the spring sun and warmth that was finally coming to Greece. 

We took our time the next morning. Had breakfast at the tavern across from the property where we had been staying and then drove out to Piraeus, the big port of Athens, and took the ferry to Aegina, which is a dozen kilometers to the south in the Saronic Gulf.

The island is the largest of the Saronic islands and has just under 13.000 inhabitants, half of whom live in the main city, which is also called Aegina. 

But even though the town has only 6.000 inhabitants, it seems more like a big city when you arrive on one of the many ferry connections and are met by taxis, shops, taverns, scooters, ATVs, cars and ornate horse-drawn carriages driving tourists along it busy waterfront.

What could possibly happen? 

In a building by the harbor front, car rentals were advertised. We went over and up the stairs to the first floor, where a narrow corridor led into a small office with a window facing the harbour. 

Oh yes they had a car. Yes, we could rent it for three days and no, it was no problem to drop it off at the boatyard, explained a young girl behind one of the two desks.

"€103" she replied when Pia asked about the price.

"Does that include insurance?"

"Yes, Yes," answered the girl. 

"Is that full coverage?"

"No. We don't use something like that' she replied, took a breath and then asked with a slightly knowing look, "What could possibly happen?"

…Well. 

We were on an island. So theft would probably not be an issue and we didn't have to drive very much either.

…Soohhh 

Pia signed the contract, which the girl pushed over to her and then got the key, after which we went back to the port. 

A young man met us and showed us to the car. With great care, he took a lot of photos with his mobile phone, while occasionally looking up at us with a meaningful look. Somewhat pretentious, as the little car had so many dents and scratches that a few more hardly mattered. 

When he was finished we got in, started the engine and were out of town in no time. 

Worlds best 

There are 10 kilometers from south to north on Aegina and a little longer at the widest point from east to west. 

The island consists of volcanic rocks as well as sandstone and limestone. To the south is a group of mountains, the highest of which is over 500 meters above sea level. To the north are clearingns where wine, olives, citrus fruits and pistachios are grown. 

Cultivation of the latter started with the establishment of a plantation in the 1950s. Over the years, more were planted and the cultivation method developed. At the end of the 1990s, a cooperative was established. Today it has 350 participants and produces annually  600-800 tonnes of the world's finest pistachios. This constitutes 10% of Greece's production of pistachios, which is also one of the largest in Europe. 

Overnight at Aegina

In the autumn we had needed an overnight stay on Aegina before continuing to Athens. On booking.com we had booked a night in a place on the seaside..

We had driven out there, but the closer we got, the more empty and shut down it had become. 

We had come close to turning around, but had continued, and by the time we had reached it, it had become dark.

"I've been waiting for you," the man at the reception had said. 

"Are we the only guests?"

"No, there's another couple" he had replied and added "It's the end of the season, but the tavern next door is open"

"The tavern?" 

Google Maps, set to the shortest path algorithm, had loyally bypassed it. 

And yes. 

The tavern was only a few steps away and the kitchen was still open, even though it was getting late.

The photos on booking.com had not lied. 

The rooms were apartments with an entrance hall, bedroom, dining kitchen, toilet with bath and a small veranda. From there there was access to the beach, where a cliff out in the water formed a small lagoon towards the shore and on the horizon the mountains of Attica rose above the huge area of ​​low white houses that make up Athens. 

"It was a short stay" the landlady had said when we checked out the next morning. 

"Well, we'll come back in the spring" we had assured. 

Now we were on our way out there again. 

This time it was neither deserted nor closed down and it was only afternoon when we arrived. The place was completely as we remembered, and we had been lucky to get an apartment because it was fully booked, said the man who had also received us in the autumn. 

Side by side 

In 1910, John Asprakis settled on Aegina and established the island's first shipyard. At that time, the yard built wooden boats, primarily for fishing. But when boat building became industrialized and leisure sailing became widespread, the yard began to store pleasure boats and offer repairs, which, of course, are ordered from the yard, but which are carried out by a network of independent craftsmen.

With the next generations, the yard became three. The three yards are side by side. Each with its own name and its own facilities for handling boats and serving customers. But all three are still owned and operated by descendants of John Asprakis.

Heron had spent the winter at one of the three yards – Aspraki's Boatyard, whose name left no doubt as to its affiliation with the founder. It had gone well. The shipyard's two employees – the boss Panagiotis and his nephew Spiros – had been quick to reply on Whatsapp and had also sent photos of the repairs that had been made. 

We had been somewhat skeptical that the shipyard used wooden poles to support the boats. Wrongly, it turned out. The balancing was still fine and there were no traces of rainwater, which there had been some of during the winter. Replaced spare parts were neatly laid out next to the keel and the new coat of bottom paint was still fresh. Below deck it was was just as clean as when we left 7 months earlier. Well, except for a moldy stain that had appeared on the blanket in the aft berth because a window had not been closed carefully enough. 

"Yes we are ready" we answered the boss when he stopped by us on his bike and asked if we were ready to launch. 

"How about Thursday afternoon?" he continued.

"That is not very good. Then there are no vacancies in the marina' 

"No problem. I'll launch you as the last and then you can rig up and spend the night in the dock,' he replied. 

That was how it was to be. 

Launch late Thursday afternoon. It gave us a few days to prepare and also time to see a bit more of the island. 

A bit more 

One afternoon we drove up to the Temple of Aphaia. It is believed to have been built around 500 BC. in honor of the goddess Aphaia. It is said that she was worshipped only on Aegina. Perhaps that is why she is one of the lesser-known figures in Greek mythology. 

Here, a few hundred meters up, there was a wide view over the northern part of the island and the village of Agia Marina, where a new marina was under construction. But the marina was not yet finished. There is a lack of water and electricity, but the Faeros tavern is good, read one of the reviews on Navily – our favorite digitized harbor pilot. 

We also managed to swim in the cool crystal clear water outside the small lagoon and talk to the owner Lizzy, who had rented the place a few years ago and moved here from her busy life in Holland. In the afternoon she sang with the man whose name was Aris and who had received us. Aris was also a skilled guitarist and songwriter and had released an album of his own songs during the winter. (At the time of writing, two of the tracks from the album have reached the semi-finals of the "UK International Songwriting Contest")

Launch 

After three days it was time to launch and at the end of the afternoon we drove over to Asprakis. 

Spiros was already putting Heron on the lift. The space was tight. So tight that it was probably necessary to move the neighboring boat. But Spiros was persistent and with gestures from Panagiotis he got Heron out with a hair's breadth from the neighboring boat. 

Then he drove the tractor with the lift onto the road, turned right after a few hundred meters into the boatyard and out to the dock. Panagiotis put a pair of harnesses on Heron, lifted her 6,5 tons off the lift with the crane and lowered her carefully into the small dock. 

"You can stay here tonight" he said reassuringly and when a few swells caused Heron to chop in her short moorings, he added thoughtfully "and if it gets too rough you just leave"

Links 

Aspraki's Boatyard

What can happen