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When Harry met
the Greek islands
An incurable “nissomaniac”, Harry Bucknall wrote
a book about (what else?) his epic journey in the
Greek islands. | Αθεράπευτος «νησομανής»,
ο Harry Bucknall έγραψε ένα βιβλίο για (τι άλλο;)
το επικό ταξίδι του στα ελληνικά νησιά.
Interview by Elena Siampou
Folegandros I t took him 183 days and 316 hours of non- journey down a bit, as otherwise the manuscript
Lesvos stop travel in order to visit 36 islands (and would have been so large, people would have been
every island chain), using a total of 57 sea paying excess baggage for the book alone.
passages on 35 ferries, 4 landing craft, 3 Of course I would do it again; the islands are the most
hydrofoils, a fishing caïque, plus travel by special places in the world—so full of history, mar-
sea plane, a twin prop aircraft, 11 buses, 2 trains, vellous people and wonderful scenery. I visit Greece
an open top Land Rover and a duck-egg blue 1961 every year and the moment I land in Athens it feels
Morris Oxford! Harry Bucknall’s chronicle of his as if I am home, there is a strange magnetism that
epic Greek island hopping, entitled “In the Dol- continually draws me back. I get a child-like pleas-
phin’s Wake”, is a true story. Its release this forth- ure boarding the ferry and heading out of Piraeus
coming May is just in time for you to plan your and into the Aegean. I think my main regret was not
own summer escape. being able to linger longer on many islands—one
If you choose to follow in his footsteps, be pre- was Amorgos, that great looming mass that floats
pared for a veritable logistical challenge, which he magically at the far end of the Cyclades; I have never
nevertheless considers a fundamental part of this had the time to explore her properly, and it is such a
journey’s appeal: “My journey did require a lot of beautiful spot. There are some which I missed too;
planning, a lot of it on the hoof, and I did seem Kastelorizo fascinates me because of its size and re-
to spend an inordinate amount of time with my moteness, Folegandros looks so beguiling as I stare
head in endless guide books, checking this sailing at it regularly from a friend’s terrace on Sifnos and
and that ferry. I learnt to be better at sailing sched- Ikaria constantly seems to evade me as I sail past her
ules than the travel agents and taught them a trick in the dead of night on the slow boat to Samos. It’s
or two in the process. But to island hop on a yacht important to have a to-do list!”
with a skipper would never be the same. The logis- Today, almost five years after the iconic journey
tics—the sleek high speeds, the sick inducing hy- that inspired his book, Harry Bucknall is still hav-
drofoils (never again, please) and the caïques that ing a hard time choosing his favourite island: “It’s an
claim to leave at such a time but sail an hour ear- impossible question, there is no one island for me;
ly—are so much a part of island life. If I sailed on a there are islands! In the Ionian, it has to be Cephalo-
yacht, I would never have met half the characters nia—such magnificent scenery, I call her Scotland
I did, or been able to have had so much adventure on Sea. Then in the Dodecanese, Rhodes—there is
and fun. Ships and shipping are at the very core of so much variety and the Old City has such history.
the Greek psyche and to have sailed by yacht would In the Cyclades it is Paros—Naoussa is such a pretty
have been like visiting Athens and not even look- port and the Medusa in the Archaeological Muse-
ing up at the Acropolis!” um just captivates me. Skyros in the Sporades is the
Behind the veneer of a typical British writer hides perfect tonic for anyone wanting to get away from it
a contemporary Odysseus, willing to perpetually all, Lesbos has the most rugged countryside, excel-
postpone his return journey home. He did it once lent ouzo and great jazz scene and finally Samoth-
before and would probably do it again: “As I am a raki, which is a wondrous island, with that mystical
bit of a nissomaniac, I have visited 42 islands and Sanctuary of the Great Gods and Mt Fengari rising
still would like to visit more. In the book I cut the up so majestically from its heart.”
77
the Greek islands
An incurable “nissomaniac”, Harry Bucknall wrote
a book about (what else?) his epic journey in the
Greek islands. | Αθεράπευτος «νησομανής»,
ο Harry Bucknall έγραψε ένα βιβλίο για (τι άλλο;)
το επικό ταξίδι του στα ελληνικά νησιά.
Interview by Elena Siampou
Folegandros I t took him 183 days and 316 hours of non- journey down a bit, as otherwise the manuscript
Lesvos stop travel in order to visit 36 islands (and would have been so large, people would have been
every island chain), using a total of 57 sea paying excess baggage for the book alone.
passages on 35 ferries, 4 landing craft, 3 Of course I would do it again; the islands are the most
hydrofoils, a fishing caïque, plus travel by special places in the world—so full of history, mar-
sea plane, a twin prop aircraft, 11 buses, 2 trains, vellous people and wonderful scenery. I visit Greece
an open top Land Rover and a duck-egg blue 1961 every year and the moment I land in Athens it feels
Morris Oxford! Harry Bucknall’s chronicle of his as if I am home, there is a strange magnetism that
epic Greek island hopping, entitled “In the Dol- continually draws me back. I get a child-like pleas-
phin’s Wake”, is a true story. Its release this forth- ure boarding the ferry and heading out of Piraeus
coming May is just in time for you to plan your and into the Aegean. I think my main regret was not
own summer escape. being able to linger longer on many islands—one
If you choose to follow in his footsteps, be pre- was Amorgos, that great looming mass that floats
pared for a veritable logistical challenge, which he magically at the far end of the Cyclades; I have never
nevertheless considers a fundamental part of this had the time to explore her properly, and it is such a
journey’s appeal: “My journey did require a lot of beautiful spot. There are some which I missed too;
planning, a lot of it on the hoof, and I did seem Kastelorizo fascinates me because of its size and re-
to spend an inordinate amount of time with my moteness, Folegandros looks so beguiling as I stare
head in endless guide books, checking this sailing at it regularly from a friend’s terrace on Sifnos and
and that ferry. I learnt to be better at sailing sched- Ikaria constantly seems to evade me as I sail past her
ules than the travel agents and taught them a trick in the dead of night on the slow boat to Samos. It’s
or two in the process. But to island hop on a yacht important to have a to-do list!”
with a skipper would never be the same. The logis- Today, almost five years after the iconic journey
tics—the sleek high speeds, the sick inducing hy- that inspired his book, Harry Bucknall is still hav-
drofoils (never again, please) and the caïques that ing a hard time choosing his favourite island: “It’s an
claim to leave at such a time but sail an hour ear- impossible question, there is no one island for me;
ly—are so much a part of island life. If I sailed on a there are islands! In the Ionian, it has to be Cephalo-
yacht, I would never have met half the characters nia—such magnificent scenery, I call her Scotland
I did, or been able to have had so much adventure on Sea. Then in the Dodecanese, Rhodes—there is
and fun. Ships and shipping are at the very core of so much variety and the Old City has such history.
the Greek psyche and to have sailed by yacht would In the Cyclades it is Paros—Naoussa is such a pretty
have been like visiting Athens and not even look- port and the Medusa in the Archaeological Muse-
ing up at the Acropolis!” um just captivates me. Skyros in the Sporades is the
Behind the veneer of a typical British writer hides perfect tonic for anyone wanting to get away from it
a contemporary Odysseus, willing to perpetually all, Lesbos has the most rugged countryside, excel-
postpone his return journey home. He did it once lent ouzo and great jazz scene and finally Samoth-
before and would probably do it again: “As I am a raki, which is a wondrous island, with that mystical
bit of a nissomaniac, I have visited 42 islands and Sanctuary of the Great Gods and Mt Fengari rising
still would like to visit more. In the book I cut the up so majestically from its heart.”
77
