Ios, The Disney World of Hedonism

By Scott Dodgson

We took a vote on which island to stop for a night before pushing onto Ios the Disney World of Hedonism. We crossed the Ionian Sea with fair winds and smooth seas. I opted to sail below the Peloponnesian coast as there were reports that the Corinthian canal was closed for repairs. With my schedule a day ahead schedule and my new mates occupied with sunning themselves I finally had a little latitude. Ios lies between Santorini and Naxos. A thirty mile deviation from my direct rhomb line to Rhodes Greece was acceptable since the weather report was calling for fifteen to twenty mile an hour from the Northeast winds for the next week. The Cyclades can be the windiest section of the Aegean Sea imaginable this was good news and should have calmed me down except for the fact that Laura seemed aloof. During the crossing Laura and I split the watches so we had little time alone. I shared the first half of the watch with Beth, the paralegal from LA and the second half with Val, the Canadian Law Student. Standing watch through the night can be pretty boring so there was plenty of time to talk with both girls. Nancy had no desire to work on the yacht and didn’t seem a factor in Laura’s plot to replace herself. I liked both girls but I was quick to dismiss Beth. She got upset when someone, me I think, ate one of her yogurts. Since I had loaded the fridge with food, and let the girls drink as much as they wanted I was surprised by her selfishness. This wasn’t going to work for me. Val on the other hand was a joy to be with. She was smart and excellent conversationalist. I learned the reason she was traveling during a break from law school. She had breast cancer. She had a mastectomy done on both breasts. The stress and the fear of dying had lead her to so the world. Luckily for her the cancer was completely gone. We talked a lot about the psychological effects. She was open, honest and very brave. I admired her greatly. On an unspoken level she seemed to revel in the sexual energy that passed between us. It was apparent to everyone on board. We made Ios in the morning. The entrance to the harbor can easily be missed as it is a small opening between rather tall rocky hills. We anchored off the beach careful not to be anywhere near the ferry dock. Greek ferries will run you over without a thought or an apology. I launched the dinghy off the foredeck for the first time since Trinidad. That evening we all went to Ios. Ios is a backpacker heaven. The little town on top of the mountain is filled with bars. It is perpetual frat party. There were bodies of drunken college students everywhere. Sun tanned boys and girls dancing to techo rock. Plenty of public love making, shirtless boys and girls and everything you could imagine. The only one of our group that seemed to really enjoy herself was Beth. I think Ios was her Disney World. Boys flocked to her one after another and sometimes three and four at a time. We pushed through the crowds past the white washed walls back down to the harbor. It was two o’clock in the morning and Beth was upset we were calling it a night. Val and Laura were relieved to be out of the chaos. Nancy was coy.