Express Skopelitis in the Small Cyclades

Express Skopelitis is a boat to love or hate. There seems to be no middle ground. She was built in 1986 in Thessaloniki and then named M/S Eresos II. In the same year, she was sold to Small Cyclades Lines and was then renamed Express Scopelitis with a C, although I, and many with me, always spell with a K.

The fact that Express Skopelitis has a bad reputation is due to the fact that it runs in almost any weather, and that sometimes you have no choice but to go with Skopelitis. So even if the storm blows and the waves run high, Skopelitis still treads his route. Before today's boat, there was another ferry that went the same route as today's boat. It was just called Scopelitis, and was even worse than today's Express Skopelitis.

Old Scopelitis on the way to the port of Katapola on Amorgos. The picture is from 1994.

We went with old Scopelitis once, and that was in August 1994. The trip was from Naxos town to Katapola on Amorgos. As it was August, there were an awful lot of people on board. We had bad seats, behind the chimney. Not fun to sit there, I can assure you.

Express Scopelitis with C, but all spells with K, so Express Skopelitis.

The journey took forever and we were completely exhausted when we finally arrived at Katapola. It was then around ten in the evening. We were tired. We were hungry. We were sweaty. We stank of chimney smoke. We had no room booked. Probably no one had. At this time, rooms were not booked in advance. The internet did not exist and mobile phones were rare. You simply had to hope that there were room rental companies in the port, or look for it yourself.

Express Skopelitis is small, it is slow, it rarely keeps time and it is - as I said - not the most fun boat in the archipelago to travel with when it is very windy. But, and this is important, it's wonderful to ride when it's not windy, then the small car ferry calmly glides between the islands in the Small Cyclades, you sit close to the waterline and it feels like you're out sailing your own boat in the archipelago.

When it's this calm, it's a joy to ride Express Skopelitis.

However, we have been part of some terrible trips, which were not at all like a trip in the archipelago. Mainly a trip that went from Koufonissi to Katapola, via Donoussa.

It can also be this wonderful to travel with Express Skopelitis.

Traveling with Express Skopelitis can also be this pleasant.

Express Skopelitis services Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonissi, Donoussa and Amorgos. She doesn't always go into Donoussa, only a few times a week. On some Sundays she services Santorini and Ios from Amorgos. The journey between Naxos and Amorgos takes about five hours, longer if she is going to Donoussa and even longer if it is windy. In high season Express Skopelitis runs six days a week, in low season three to four times a week. Home port is Katapola on Amorgos, but she also serves Egiali, which is Amorgos' second port.

Express Skopelitis services Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonissi, Donoussa and Amorgos.

Express Skopelitis on its way to the port of Donoussa.

Express Skopelitis leaves the port at Donoussa.

Express Skopelitis in the port of Iraklia.

Express Skopelitis in the port of Schinoussa.

Skopelitis is, and always has been, a lifeline for everyone living in the Small Cyclades. Without Express Skopelitis, there would not be as many people living in Iraklia, Schinoussa, Donoussa, Koufonissi and Amorgos.

Express Skopelitis on its way to the port of Katapola on Amorgos.

Express Skopelitis leaves the port of Katapola early in the morning.

Upper deck on Skopelitis. Here on its to the port of Koufonissi.

Express Skopelitis under the white arrow in the port of Koufonissi..

Express Skopelitis in the port of Naxos when the letters were painted red.

When we celebrated Easter on Amorgos a few years ago, a procession of priests and islanders went to Express Skopelitis, which was docked in Katapola, and when they arrived at Skopelitis, the priests blessed the boat and wished her good luck for the rest of the year. That says something about the importance of Skopelitis for the islands of the Small Cyclades.

Procession of priests and islanders in Katapola has just blessed Express Skopelitis.

Express Skopelitis is blessed and can continue for another year.

Skopelitis started serving the Small Cyclades in 1956 and has never stopped since. The captains have never feared rough seas. When regular ferries cannot go due to severe weather, Express Skopelitis steps up. The first captain was Dimitris Skopelitis, also called Captain Mitsos, and the current captain is Giannis Fostieris.

Captain Giannis Fostieris on the left and Captain Mitsos on the right.

Captain Giannis Fostieris.

In the 1990s, tickets were bought on Express Skopelitis car deck.

Express Skopelitis is no ordinary boat, regardless of what you think of her. There is even a song dedicated to the boat. The chorus goes like this:

“The weather is stormy, the waves are getting fierce, all the ships are moored, but one is at still sea. That one is Skopelitis, immune to the waves, and it has as its captain always you, Gianni.”

Not only that, there is even a 40-minute documentary on Youtube about Express Skopelitis, and there is a large Facebook group for fans of Skopelitis.

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