Checking out of Turkey we made our way to the first port in the EU where we needed to check-in. From Bozburun, the going was pretty choppy and we made slow progress. Trying to sail for the first time we tried furling the main to reduce sail and arghhh the continuous furling line popped out. No bueno! Not wanting to force it back in the mast winch, I had to go to the mast as one of the boys steered and manually furled it.
We had to get an Agent to check us in as there are a lot of formalities to officially receive a boat and its crew into the EU for the first time, and our agent who knew everyone made that a relatively simple task. He also managed to get us the last stern to mooring directly onto the city quay. Perfect Place!
The nightlife was great, the food was great, the boys and Sarah went for a long hike up the hills. Symi is definitely a favorite of ours.
Symi: Our first taste of Greece.
The island, along with the rest of the Dodecanese, changed hands several times in the 20th century: in 1912 the Dodecanese declared independence from the Ottomans as the Federation of the Dodecanese Islands, though they were almost immediately occupied by Italy. The island was formally ceded to Italy in 1923, and on 12 October 1943 it was occupied by the Nazis. At the end of World War II, the surrender of German forces in the region took place on Symi to the British and the island was subject to three years of occupation by them as a result. Symi was finally rejoined with Greece in 1948.
