With a lot of iron wind and a little help from Eolo, we arrived in a beautiful bay of the lush isle of Skiathos on Saturday the 14th without incident. 
The picturesque bay proved quite a challenge with anchoring and on our 3rd attempt, Travis announced that we had half of the seabed on the end of the chain. The anchor set on the 4th attempt, much to the crew’s delight. It wasn’t long before the swim ladder was attached and the team were cooling off in the splendor of the azure waters. 
The following day we went around the headland to the town of Skiathos. 
The sweltering heat kept explorers at bay until it cooled enough in the evening. Then the whole village came alive after dark. Turning right after exploring the dock front takes the traveler into a labyrinth of cobblestone lanes filled with small shops and an abundance of car and scooter rental places. Skiathos is known in this region for its beautiful beaches and a vehicle of some sort is required for exploring them.
So that’s what various members of the crew did. Italo and Silvana hired a quad bike to explore the island and Gaylyn and Luigi hired a jeep. Each party set off to explore the suggested tourist destinations. 
There is an old castle on the other side of Skiathos that housed the occupants of the island during some violent years of pirate raids from the1600s until independence in 1829. 
All that is left is the front entrance where a wooden drawbridge was the only connection with the outside world, a few stone walls from various churches and a mosque. Another ‘must see’ is an old monastery up on a hill. Very quaint and selling wines and stronger homemade liquor. There was a certain peacefulness there. 
The crew members crossed paths at the fork in the road that lead to the castle
and decided to join each other for lunch. Luigi and Gaylyn headed down a steep winding path until they reached a sign that said four wheel drives only. Promptly putting the jeep into four wheel drive they continued on their way. Unfortunately, the quad bike spun around and didn’t take to the downhill run. 
Italo and Silvana opted for a panoramic view at a mountain top restaurant and Gaylyn and Luigi had a delightful lunch at the ‘small’ paradise at the bottom of the hill. 
A small beach was there with quite a surf happening. It was very entertaining watching the swimmers delight in the waves. Gaylyn and Luigi went on to explore the beaches at the other end of the island. There is a lot of forest on the island and there is a smoking ban throughout the wooded areas.
We also noticed large blue barrels along the way. These were filled with water and were on hand in the event of a fire. Not much water but maybe enough to douse the beginnings of a bushfire.
A wonderful risotto by Silvana completed a busy day.