Amorgos - the island of "The big Blue"

Amorgos is close to the heart of the Cyclades. The distance to Paros and Naxos is about 30 nm, and these 2 islands have connections with many ferryboats in the summertime every day, as well as there are flights from Athens and direct from the european cities. The island stretches from SW to NE and has high mountains and steep cliffs falling to the often windy and rough cycladic sea.
The southside is nearly without any interesting place, except the famous Monastery of Hozoviotissa. The northern part has some nice bays and hosts the maintown called Katapola and another small village named Aigiali with the village above it called Potamos in the NE.

Katapola is the harbour and maintown which has some Tavernas and bars, a (modern) bakery, and a relaxed summerly touristical life. Mooring is on the most inner part of the big quai, which is used by the big Ferries. The wind is coming from N or NW with many waves and that causes swell. By that reason, smaller boats mostly moore behind the Ferryboat´s quai, there is space for about 15-20 boats.
Unfortunately, the dayboats block several places, marked with yellow painting on the quai. The very left part of the quai is shallow, and one should be familiar with his boat´s movements especially on Meltemi days, when the wind blows strongly inside the bay. Your boat can touch ground or stuck in the mud, if one is not free fast enough, that can cause damages on the boat and as well pulling out by another boat or fisherman is not for free.

In the high season, middle of July to middle of August, the mooring-places at the quai are full, and there is always a big trouble to be expected (in the afternoons at arrival and mornings at departure of charterboats and others) from chain-disorders either by neighbourhood boats or the ferryboat, that drops it´s chain 250m at least cross all the other boat´s chains... if someone wants to leave early in the morning, it is recommended not to stay on the quai, or drop only a short anchor or leave the quai before the ferryboat arrives.

Water and electricity is available, there is a greek guy coming in the evenings. Diesel is available but be careful: sometimes Diesel or Gasoline is offered and transported from old big canisters, surely there is rust and other engine-endangering soil in the Diesel...it is very recommended to use a filter before and while filling the tank!!!
The gas station itself is halfway up the hill to Chorio. There is as well (in the first big curve) a shipchandler and fishingshop.

The Port Police is exactly on the opposite in the building on the corner on the first floor, and they see everything. The officers there are very sensitive about environmental soil, which is surely a good idea, but why is this only recognized and pointed to non-greek Captains, while greek captains can leave their waste water, run their engine and aircondition noisy all night without any reproach from Port Police?
We don´t understand that, however, it happens unfortunately on more islands, just here, we saw it several times, and even greek boatowners, who complained against other greek captains about sewage, were ignored, while tourist captains were blamed and threatened with high penalty payments, if....
To ask responsibility is correct, and of course, we would be happy to see activities against non-sensitive people from wherever they come from, without respect of their nationality,even, if it´s a captain from their own country, and even, when the boat is big and the owner/captain seems to be a rich man!

The famous Monastery of Amorgos was built in the cliff 300m above the sea and offers an incredible view to the southern aegaean sea with the island of Astipalaiia in the distance (about 40 nm). One wonders, how people did come to the idea and how they solved that propblem to built a big building like that without modern techniques in former days! It´s a miracle.Every tourist goes there, of course. The monks ask for appropriate clothing, and because there is no "rental" for that there, one should bring it with himself: men in long trousers and women no longer skirts and shoulders covered - so shorts, no swimsuits, no Bikinis or T-Shirts allowed (especially not, if transparent...)   There is a bus in the season going from and to Katapola every 90 minutes, and below the church, there are 2 big rocks which are famous from a french movie called "The big blue" (F: Le grande bleu) by Luc Besson with the famous french actor Jean Reno, which tells the story of an APNOE-diver. This movie was filmed here, and every french visiting the cyclades visits this "mustsee". There is a little beach, and of course it is packed every day. People come here for walking through that really unspoiled countryside, the normal sailor and tourist takes a car and travels from Chorio along the coastal road on the north side of the island. There is a very nice beach behind the island of Nikouria, that prevents a little from the northern winds, and created a natural shallow bay with turquois waters and good winds for windsurfers. Perfect conditions: nearly no waves, good winds, safe area!
Sailors on their way to the NE or E might sail to Aigiali, a little fishermen´s port with space for some boats. It is deep enough for pleasureboats, but only alive in the summertime. Off season visitors can walk up to Potamos. There is a big chain in the middle of the harbour, so either take care with the anchor or, what we did, take a long rope, and use it as a mooring.The water has only 3-4m, so it´s easy to dive down and turn the rope around the chain - that´s even better, than the anchor, of course.
	Aigiali has a nice sandy beach, and several Tavernas. There are some nice bars on the harbourside, and it is packed in the evenings with young people from all nations. In the daytime, we enjoyed lunch in the Taverna directly on the beach. The food was very good, the waiter fast and friendly and the prices acceptable.
Next door from the Taverna, there is a very beautiful decorated beachbar, which we unfortunately could not visit, but to sit there in the evening watching the sunset with a refreshing drink is surely beautiful!

Choose your next destination

From Amorgos, you can sail to the "Small Cyclades" named Karos, Schinousa, Irakleia (10-15 nm NW), the small island of Donousa (23 nm N) or to Naxos (south coast 22 nm, Naxos-City 33 nm NW).
Sailing to the east, there is Levitha (33 nm from Amorgos-Katapola).
Astipalaiia is 43 nm SE, and Thira Santorini is the same distance SW.
Sailing W, there is the island of Ios (25 nm to the eastcoast, 33 nm to Ios-City)