Michael Caroll sailed into the Sporades islands (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos, & Skyros) in the late 1960’s. It was a time well before much tourism, & certainly before mass tourism. His stories of life then are collected in two books. I read “Gates of the Wind” frequently, as it reminds me of life here on the islands when I first arrived.
Scattered in a crescent in the sparkling waters of the Aegean, the islands of the Sporades are known to Greek fishermen as ‘the gates of the wind’. It was to this unspoilt archipelago that Michael Carroll sailed Astarte, a boat of sleek mahogany with wine-red sails, named after the Phoenician goddess of the moon and the sea.
But his dream of travelling where the wind took him, rootless and free, changed when he landed on Skopelos. There, a chance meeting with the charismatic Vangeli led to him buying a piece of land on a remote cove, once the site of an ancient city and the perfect harbour for Astarte. So unfolds the story of Carroll’s growing attachment to Skopelos as he sets down roots and makes it his home.
Engaging and vividly described, An Island in Greece is a sun-drenched tale of a life full of simple pleasures, governed by the seasons, the tides and the wind; the story of a traveller who finally arrived and a unique homage to the island that harboured him.
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Actually the same book as the above, slightly updated.
Possibly cheaper to buy!!
Prices, & Post & Packaging vary from country to country.
Amazon UK – Click here
Amazon US – Click here