On May 27 we left Rineia for Syros. The sail was comparable to our sail from Patmos to Mykonos. The winds were from the same Northerly direction but not as strong, resulting in lower waves, making the sail more comfortable and more enjoyable.
We dropped the hook in the big anchorage of Finikas, a village in the SW corner of the island. There are large sandy patches giving good hold to the anchor in 7 meters of water. In the SE corner of the bay is the naval port of Poseidhonia.
Safely at anchor as indicated by the arrow. It was a very pleasant spot, away from the tourist trail, and we decided to stay for a while.
“Poseidonia – Pheonix”, according to the sculptor Aristides Patsoglos, placed on Finikas Square.
The Mediterranean sun is very strong and although it was not really warm yet, we decided to make shades for the skylights in the cockpit. This time of year it was already uncomfortably hot under those skylights, so Frits took to the sewing machine. We recycled the canvas that came available when we changed the factory installed bimini over the bridge to a hard-top.
It really makes a difference down below!
Although the island of Syros is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssee and although the island was also the home of the philosopher Pherecydes, the teacher of Pythagoras, the island did not play an important role in antiquity.
This changed during the Greek War of Independence (1821 – 1829) after which Greece became independent from the Ottoman empire. Syros stayed neutral at the beginning of the revolution and due to its location became a shelter for refugees. These refugees built Ermoupoli. The town quickly became the leading port of Greece.
We hopped on the bus to see Ermoupoli ourselves.
The newcomers, mainly mariners and tradesmen, gave the island a new dynamic, and turned it into the administrative and cultural centre of the Cyclades. The island’s economy doesn’t shut down during winter as it is not driven by the tourist cycle.
Most public buildings, churches, schools, stadiums and many mansions were built in an elegant and neoclassical style, making Ermoupoli a modern city with a unique character. As a result, Syros changed from a rather quiet island into a vigorous centre of crafts, industry and production. Also, due to its large port of Ermoupoli, it turned into a major centre for ship building and refitting.
We visit the Ermoupoli Industrial Museum housed in restored industrial buildings. The Museum is easy to recognise on the cooling tower of the former Aneroussis Lead Shot Factory (1889). Droplets of molten lead would fall from the top of the tower down in a water basin.
The lower buildings were once used by the Katsimanis Dyeworks (1888), the Kornilakis- Dendrinos Tannery and the Velissaropoulos Textile Factory (early 20th century). The Museum has pieces of equipment from all industrial activity that took place in Ermoupoli.
Syros could not escape the economic recession that hit much of the Western world in the 1970s. Many factories closed and the Syrosians had to look for work elsewhere. Many of those who worked in the shipbuilding industry went to Korea.
As the Neorion Shipyard was looking for ways to survive the 1970s recession, it started producing the Enfield 8000 electric car.
The Enfield 8000 is a two-seater battery-electric city car, introduced in 1973 and developed in the UK by Enfield Automotive, owned by Greek millionaire Giannis Goulandris. 120 Cars were produced in total and all were sold to the British Electrical Company.
Early morning the next day we bought fresh fish off the fishermen in Finikas, before setting sail for the next destination, but that is for another post.
Thank you for reading our stories. Warm regards, Liza and Frits.