Greece 2009

Made it to Messolonghi for the winter

2009-10-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

We dropped Marion and Hugh off at Levkas to catch their plane and then rushed off down to Vlicho bar near Nidri as we knew a storm was coming through that night. Vlicho is an enormous, land-locked bay with a wonderful mud bottom - superb holding for an anchor.
In the event we we were very glad that we did as we clocked 45 knots overnight and that was in a well sheltered location. Heaven knows what would have hit us on Levkas town quay!
We met up with Otti and Rosi - a lovely German couple we first met in Sami and shared a couple of vry pleasant evenings with them - one at the 'yacht club' which provides superb services and good food to yachties in the bay.

We waited 3 days for nicer weather and then set off on Wednesday. We started early, but had got no more than a mile when the engine cooling water packed up - it turned out to be a sucked-up jellyfish. It took a lot of getting out and the poor thing was distinctly the worse for wear!

We motored past Abeliki on Meganissi and then turned south for a wonderful long spinaker run almost down to Nisos Petalas - near the turn into the Gulf of Petalas. At the last minute, a gust blew up and turned almost 100 degrees - almost wrapping the sail around the mast. We started the engine - which unusually was very hard to get going. We were so busy getting the sail down before we got too close to the fish-farm just down-wind that I didn't think much about it.

We motored the short distance to the anchorage at Petalas, put the anchor down, ate a quick supper and went to bed.

The forecast for the next couple of days was miserable so we decided to stay put so I started the engine to charge the batteries - and again it didn't want to start but eventually limped into life. I couldn't figure it out. Then luckily I looked at the battery charging monitor and notied that the alternator was putting out 200amps! Panic! The batteries, the electronics or the alternator could fry at any second so shut everything down.
After a lot of head-scratching and general cussing, I spotted some chafe on small wire at the back of the alternator. Wrapping it resolved the problem! It was the field coil connection which was shorting to earth and bypassing both the original and the smart regulators.

Once fixed, all the problems went away - except a new one that the oil pressure light is flashing on intermittently. I'm nearly certain it is an electrical fault but we set of on Saturday early under sail just in case. All went well until Nisos Oxia where the wind died completely. We had no choice but to motor the remaining 10 miles to Messolonghi - fortunately without incident!

So here we are, and here Rosa will remain, for the next 5 or 6 months. The marina has come on a great deal since we were here in spring. They have showers, toilets, a yachtie club-house, water and electricity and many tailed moorings are in place. They'll have WiFi soon and more toilets and showers.

That's all for this year. I'll start blogging again when we return in March.

Back up to Levkas

2009-09-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

We're picking up Marion and Hugh at Levkas on the 27th of September and have a couple of chores to do while we're there so we've come up in just 3 hops - Nissos Petalas, Spartahori and Levkas. It should have been pretty simple, we had fair winds (Easterlies and Southerlies). Nothing strong amd mostly not too light either.
In the event - our old friend - cooling water failure has surfaced again. Coming through the canals, we had several mysterious episodes where the engine cooling water suddenly stopped - only to clear again if I disturbed the pipes. In Paris, and several times since, I stripped and flushed everything I could find but it still kept happeneing. Then suddenly it stopped and we've had no more trouble for 18 months. Last week, for no apparent reason, it started again.
We ended up doing the last 4 miles to Petalas at 1.5Knots under sail so as not to use the engine and we anchored under sail - just to prove we still could. Actually it was rather nice - but would have been better if we didn't have the stress of not knowing when the engine would fail again.
It went again on the way to Spartahori - but again the winds played nicely and we had a gorgeous sail up around Meganissi.

We had never been to Spartahori before although several people have said it's lovely. So we decided to give it a try. The village on the hill is truly beautiful with tiny winding paved streets running between pastel-painted houses often covered in Vines and creepers with brilliant pink flowers.
The village was rather odd though - there were almost no people and certainly no smiles to be seen. The only people seemed to be black-clad ancient widdows creeping silently about their business. It seemed like a "local village for local people". Most un-Greek.
Mooring was strange and not all that pleasant too. We were met and directed to a place by a chap on the quay who we took to be official. He shouted streams of orders and got us in bows-to with a lot of stress and hurry and definitely not how we would have done it ourselves. It all got a bit fraught in the end and he took umbrage as we didn't quite want all of his help.
It later turned out that he isn't official - just officious - he's the local taverna owner. After going up to the town we came back and had a beer in the taverna but the staff were surly and it wasn't a pleasant experience. We won't go back there again.

The final journey up to Levkas went without a hitch and we moored exactly where we wanted to after waiting 1/2 hour for a boat to leave. Most of it was under Spinaker although, discretion being the best part of valour, we motored up the canal.

We had one incident 1/2 way between Petalas and Meganissi which could have been a disaster but which we got away with by the skin our teeth. There was a chain of small islands in our path which are aurrounded by extensive fish farms. We set course for the largest gap and sailed gently towards it for an hour. As we got to about 1/2 hour away, a substantial vessel with a crane on it and two small speedboats started working on the farm closest to where we would pass. They completely ignored us but as we got level with them, the vessel gave two toots. Several people were working or wacthing us as we gave 150M berth. We thought they were being friendly and gave a cheery wave. Nobody waved back.
Suddenly, I spotted a large submerged rope right across our path and about 20 yards ahead. There was no time to react and we went straight over it. I expected any second to feel it tightening around the keel or the rudders but somehow we carried straight on. I think the keel - which slants backwards at 45 degrees - must have pushed it down far enough that the rudders managed to clear it by inches. You expect to have nets and fishing gear around fishing boats and to give them a wide berth - you don't expect fish-farms to have huge un-marked nets stretching out 300 meters away from them. A very scary experience!

On the way up, I had noticed what I thought was an oil leak - so we reported it to CYS who had done the service two weeks before. They sent an engineer and it turned out to be a fuel leak from a badly fitted filter. Not too impressive - but they did make good and 'Pip' the second engineer was excellent. I'll happily have him on Rosa again if we're near Levkas when the next service is due.

Paxos, Levkas, Kefalonia and Messalonghi

2009-09-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

It seems a long time since I wrote and quite a lot of water has gone under the keel.

We had a great couple of days in Paxos with Maria (Michael's daughter) and then Micheal himself. We managed to pack two potential disasters into a single 24 hours although we managed to get away with both - more or less unscathed.
Firstly, in Lakka, we anchored with long lines ashore. Unfortunately, while using the engine to back up towards the shore (taking the pressure off the rope) we managed to let it go slack and round the prop it went. Jammed Solid! And the rope cutter didn't chop through it - in fact it made things worse by jamming the rope in its teeth and making it impossible to unwind without cutting it. I found yet another reason to bless Rosa's designer who put the prop well towards the stern and only a couple of feet down. Relatively easy to dive on. The lesson learned is to take the long line in the dinghy (easily done as the reel fits snugly), attach it to the shore, and then unwind it towards the boat (which can then freely motor astern to help) but without taking a risk with the prop.

Next day we sailed the spectacular Western side of Paxos, enjoying the enormous Northern cave and then anchoring by the middle set for lunch. After some lovely swimming in crystal water and exploring the caves by dinghy, we got back on board and pulled the anchor up - stuck solid under a rock in 10M of water with no diver within 20 miles. We tried pulling backwards, pulling up and pulling forwards. Nothing shifted it. L came up with the idea of using the bow thruster to give it a hard jerk sideways and amazingly it came free in one piece. We were very lucky! Lesson learned: rig a trip line if there are rocks where you're anchoring - particularly if it's too deep to free dive.

After putting Maria and Michael on the ferry in Gaios, we set off for Levkas where we had the engine serviced (serious ouch) and finally figured out what had been wrong with the batteries for 2 weeks (a cell in the new one had gone short-circuit.

We then spent a night in Vlicho (amid loads of jellyfish)then two nights on the Nielson pontoon in Nidhri. The charge an extremely reasonable €10 for a night including water and electricity. Their staff were helpful and friendly and the only slight disadvantage is that you act as a target-to-miss for all the first-time sailors they are teaching. Lindsay managed to get all her washing and shopping done in the two days without having to flog around in the dinghy and without having to do it all by hand.

We met Ian, Sue, John and Carol - friends from Malta - and had a couple of raucous nights of shared dinners and late-night drinking.

After Nidhri, we spent a night in Abeliki on Meganissi then had a great sail over to Fiscardo. It was crowded even this late in the season (mid September) at 1500. Luckily with our shallow draft, we were able to go stern too on the quay to the right of the pontoon. By the way - the pontoon is now fixed and operational again. We thoroughly enjoyed the tiny museum but the rest of Fiscardo is not quite as we remember it from 8 years ago. The tavernas and tat shops have expanded, the Captains table has disappeared and the high-class boutiques are being squeezed out. Nevertheless, it's still a nice place to visit.

With the weather closing in on Monday, we went down to Sami on Saturday and met up with John and Carol again. We made a dogs dinner of stern-to mooring including a rather public dispute between L and myself as to which rings we should tie on to. She was right - dammit!

L then contrived to get on the gang plank just as the end of it was slipping off the quay - and fell backwards into the drink. Luckily she didn't hit anything on the way down and the water was clean!

In the afternoon, we crazily set off on an impromptu hike to the Acropolis - flip-flops, no water, and stuff in a shopping bag. After an hour of hard climbing we had got about half way up the steep, rocky path through the woods - and after a rest, said "sod this for a game of soldiers" and came down again much faster than we went up. I was knackered!

After a late night session with John and Carol (sadly the later parts without L who was sightly the worse for wear) we set off early in the morning for the 8 hour slog to Messolonghi. The wind was light and on the nose so we motored until we entered the Gulf of Patras - where it was heavy and on the nose with two Meter waves very close together. Most uncomfortable! We arrived in late afternoon to find the Marina (still free) much improved from our last visit. There are toilets, showers and water - electricity now on-site and promised in the next few days. We signed our winter contract and are now hunkered down for the promised storms tomorrow.

Drifting south where the wind blows

2009-08-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

We've spent a couple of days in Corfu, catching up with washing, shopping, boat maintenance and work. After visiting friends for lunch today we're setting off South tomorrow. Weather permitting, we will reach Lakka tomorrow and Preveza on Saturday and Nidri on Sunday. After a bit more heavy washing and shopping, we will then meander around as the fancy takes us in the Southern Ionian.
More when we start on new territory again.

Family Visit

2009-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

We spent the past week with Kieran, Nicki, Morgan and Madison - mostly in and around Paxos. It could have ended in tears with so many cooped up together in a small boat. In the event though it was a wonderful week and Rosa feels rather empty without them.
Here's hoping for another visit next year!

We decided to stay the week in Paxos as it has wonderful beaches, safe anchorages, fascinating caves and scenery and all in a short distance so those less than accustomed to gointg to sea in a small boat would not get any nasty frights!

We collected everybody via a 10 minute taxi ride to NAOK. We were unable to secure a berth in August so we anchored by the entrance of the Marina, under the Fort, and nobody objected to the taxi arriving and everyone trooping across the little bridges to the dinghy moored right on the corner of the pool. There was strong objection and lots of shouting to someone else who parked a dinghy beside the swimming pool.

We lazed and walked around the fort, got an early bed and sea-sickness tablets to those needing them and set of at 0200 to Lakka on Paxos. The idea was that the seasick could kip and avoid the worst then wake up in Lakka. It almost worked except for the swell in the last 5 miles.

After Lakka, we went down to Mongonissi and stayed a couple of days. Its a lovely safe anchorage with a sandy beach for the children (very rare), nice tavernas and even pedaloes. Everyone had a great time swimming, paddling, greek dancing, eating and generally doing holiday things. Morgan particularly went from a fairly tentative sea-swimmer to jumping in and out with gay abandon and she even learned to snorkel.
So did Kieran and Nicki!

Greek dancing was enjoyed by all the womenfolk. Kieran and I were too wimpish to join in.

We were all entertained as much by Morgan and Madison as they were by us. Magic!

Visiting Father Michael

2009-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

We met Michael in Messalonghi and D enjoyed a bike ride with him round the sights of the town. He invited us to look him up when we came to Corfu. Sadly we managed to lose the contact details - turned the boat upside down looking for the card but not to be found.

Fortunately, he sent an e-mail when we were chilling out in Lakka. We shot up to NAOK (corfu town).

His charming son Gabriel met us and took us to see St. Spiridon paraded through the streets - very spectacular. Bands, Priests, bishops, monks and half the population following a huge bier supporting most of what remains of the saint and a priest carrying his right hand in a silver casket. All very alien to us. Apparently this is not usual in Greece, but Corfu picked up the processional tradition from the Venetians.

We then took Gabriel for a short voyage to his home in Nisaki right across the bay. The village has a tiny harbour where there was just room for one yacht. Well almost - we had a run-in with as small tripper boat who thought we were outstaying our welcome. Filipos and Michael were incensed (he's not even a local) and told us to stand our ground and stay put - so we did.

We stayed there for three days meeting Michael's family, eating at the Tavernas where the children work, visting some lovely churches, villages and the monastery af Pantokrator - and talking a lot of theology and philosophy. Haven't enjoyed myself so much for years! They will be coming for a voyage in early September we hope.

We had to leave on Friday as we needed to tank up with water at Saiyadah and then to NAOK again to get the boat ready for the onslaught of children and grandchildren next week. We're going to go and hang around Paxos for a week with them so I will be taking a weeks blogging holiday.
When we pulled into the anchorage, to our surprise there was Penguin V with Phil and Maria. Had a lovely long chat about old times and recent experiences over G&Ts on cat called Nine Lives.
Next step is to set off south to see Kefalonia and Zakinthos.

Drifting around the Northern Ionian Islands

2009-08-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

After Leaving Corfu, we've spent several weeks just drifting around. We were warned that in July and particularly August, it's too hot and too crowded (particularly with Italian motor yachts).
In the event, those problems, while they exist, seemed to us to be much exaggerated. The heat is easily manageable by mostly anchoring, and falling off the back of the boat whenever we start to sweat. A boom tent is a great help - particularly a silvered one like ours which reflects most of the heat back into the sky.
Italians, and particularly those in motor yachts, are gregarious things so they tend to congregate in obvious places with lots of shops, tavernas and quay-side moorings. If you avoid those places (or get there early in the morning - around 11.00) then all you are left with is a lot of smaller yachts which are usually very pleasant.

We've been to some beautiful anchorages Erikoussa (North of Corfu)

Kalami (NE Corfu), Sivota (on the Mainland) and everywhere on Paxos / Antipaxos spring particularly to mind. Paxos is as close to Heaven on Earth that we have found so far.
The quick-fried prawns in Saiyadah are still there (although they now use much larger prawns and no longer have a half oil drum of boiling olive oil).

Mourtos harbour extension is now having water and electricity points installed - should be operational from August 2009.

Avoid the bay North of Igoumenitsa unless very tired - The holding is great and there's nobody else there. Even the ferry wash is reasonable as they go slowly in and out. BUT there is a loud heavy metal disco behind the radar structure which goes on till 0430!

Corfu was disappointing. There is very little useful infrastructure for yachts and a great deal of (sometimes offensive) tourist development. The only place in Greece where we've seen this so far. This also means that useful quiet anchorages are also few and far between as beaches are buoyed off for swimmers and the sea is churned by all manner of noisy motorised water sports. I guess we should just be grateful that it is mostly concentrated on one island - and avoid it. The best place we've found to anchor is between the entrance of NAOK and the fortress of Mandraki. It can be noisy but it's usually clean, and you can moor the dinghy and get a beer ar the yacht club.

North to Corfu

2009-07-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

We approached this voyage with some trepidation as many people have told us that the Northern Ionian in July and August is too hot and too crowded to be enjoyable. So in the event we have been pleasantly surprised. We were never unable to get in where we wanted to and although it has been quite warm, the cool sea is just a few feet away and Rosa provides plenty of shade. Because of the expected crowding, we have generally tried to arrive at ports in the morning and that has worked well. Mosquitoes seem to be everywhere but only appear as the sun sets. They even seem to go away while it is dark. But while they are there, they are voracious.

From Preveza, we set off just before 0800 and had a 6 hour, uneventful motor to Mongonisi on the south of Paxos. It was just as we remembered it: a safe anchorage with a free quay and taverna tucked in under the island. There seems to be a new cafe down at the end of the bay, but the waiter said it had always been there. We chose to anchor and had several nice cool swims during the afternoon.

Next day we headed down to Emerald bay. It had looked packed as we went past the previous day, so we resolved to get there early. The central bay is unspoiled and lovely. Clear turquoise water (L swears its green, but I don't see it that way) over soft sand. We took a line ashore and stayed for two days. It gets pretty manic between 1100 and 1600 while the tripper boats are there, offloading loads of grockle to scream and swim. But in the morning and evening it's tranquil and heavenly. Despite the Pilot saying that overnight stays are 'discouraged', we saw no sign of any discouragement and there were plenty of other boats there too.

We then did he short hop to Gaios in a couple of hours and took one of about 5 available spaces. It's a pretty little town with good shopping and with water and Diesel for sale from very active tankers. Prices not unreasonable at €1.08 per liter of Diesel and €6 for a fill of water.

On Friday we set off to Lakka on the north of Paxos via the long way round. The scenery on the western side is stunning. Great white cliffs, deep ravines and huge caves. One of them took a full-size ferry as it showed it off to its passengers and even Rosa with her tall mast could get into the entrance!

We got to Lakka at midday and anchored out in the bay. It is all soft white sand (pretty good holding) and unbelievably clear water. When there is no wind ruffling the surface, the water is almost invisible and the boats seem to be flying above the sand. The town is very small but very pretty, with a couple of shops and a several tavernas. The tourist office on the quay manages a free and thoroughly excellent book swap - well worth a visit.

We were expecting strong winds on Sunday and Monday so we re-anchored in the NorthWest corner of the bay, well tucked in with long lines ashore. We then sat there smugly, rocking gently, while the poor souls out in the open bay were thrown around all night.
We stayed three days - two waiting out force 6-7 winds and then another in anticipation of a light Southerly to blow us up to Curfu. Wednesday dawned and no such luck - we had light northerlies and had to motor yet again. We checked out Kavos harbour (basic but tenable) and the Levkimi Canal (too shallow even for us at less than a Meter).

We then went on to NOAK by Curfu Town. It's pretty safe, and at €30 per night including potable water and electricity, pretty good value. Unfortunately they are chokka the whole of August so cannot accomodate us when family arrives and departs from the Airport. There might be a last minute space, but we will probably have to anchor off and then moor temporarily at the far end of the quay while we get the grandchildren and luggage on board before going off and anchoring again.

The inland sea (Gulf of Amvrika)

2009-07-12T08:55:00.001-07:00

We have thoroughly enjoyed the Gulf – sometimes called the Inland Sea. It’s safe, beautiful, warm and un-crowded.
When we arrived at Preveza, our first thought was to stay on the quay. In the event, the swell looked unpleasant so we anchored in the bay on the North side of the harbour. Holding and shelter are excellent – a good decision.
Early next day we set off for Vonitsa aiming to get there early so as to be sure of a space. We remember it from our flotilla days as one of our favourites and still is lovely. The (free) marina is very well sheltered, has lazy lines and free water. Most of the spaces are occupied by live-aboards who don’t appear to move very often so the few vacant spaces go quickly. There are alternative moorings on the town quay and a good anchorage behind the island to the east of the town.

Vonitsa town is thoroughly Greek with plenty of tavernas and supplies and a fabulous Venitian Castle. The first Taverna you come to is called Remezzo – and goes out of its way to help visiting yachts. They have showers, will freeze bottles of water, know everything about the local area and also provide good food with a much better menu than your run-of-the-mill taverna. We stayed a couple of days.

On the way over to Vouvalos, we saw several large pods of Dolfins all busily fishing. We tried to get in among them but they just quietly moved off 100 yards or so and resumed fishing so we left them in peace.

Later that day I fulfilled a boyhood dream. I had my own desert island all to myself! We anchored off Vouvalos in the bay to the north East. Shelter from the evening westerly was good (with a little swell creeping round). You need a shallow draft to get tucked in far enough (no more than 1.5 M). We had the whole archipelago to ourselves for two days with only seagulls, Dolfins and Turtles for company. The middle of the island has a salt-water lagoon/lake and the beaches are accessible. The emerald green islets though would need to be explored with a machete.

We finished our exploration by anchoring in the bay by Nikopolis and trecking up to the ruins – about a mile. It’s a huge Roman city, founded by Augustus Caesar (nee Octavian) to celebrate his victory over Mark Anthony a Cleopatra. There is a huge stadium, a great Amphitheatre and the remains of a great monument/temple to Augustus. L though it was yet another collection of old rocks – with some justification as there is little or no excavation or explanation. Impressive though.
Finally we went back to Preveza to vittle up for our forthcoming foray into the Northern Ionian. We moored on the quay and only later realised that we were right by a sewage outfall and a Disco that would run till 4.00 in the morning. So after picking up fuel, water (free) food and drink, we decamped and went round to the anchorage again. Knowing that there is a gale coming next night, we tucked ourselves well in to the shore. Unknown to us, the small tavern with yellow parasols turned uout to be nothing of the sort – it was a disco that went on till 0400 in the morning!
We moved further out on Sunday morning and will stay here for a couple of days till the wind drop.

Round Levkas to Vonitsa

2009-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

After dropping M & V L shopped for stores in Nidri while D worked and watched out for the water man. The water was good but the shopping was seriously expensive.
We spent the next 2 days anchored in the large gulf south of Nidri. D was able to do a couple of days work and L caught up with the chores. Both of us fell in the water whenever we got hot.
Our final rendezvous with Rick & the Swiss Roll crowd was in Vathi (Meganissi) where we had another excellent meal at the Rose-Garden. Thoroughly recommended.
We decided to go to Preveza round the outside of Levkas – largely because we could and hadn’t ever seen it. Charter boats are generally prohibited from there. We decided to do a one-day hop to Sivota or Vassiliki and then go round next day.

On the way we passed this extraordinary vessel. No idea what it was

In the event, we couldn’t get our anchor to hold in Sivota in the strong winds. We thought about Vassiliki but with its reputation for vicious gusts decided to head for Fiscardo instead. Bad move!
We got there at 1830 to find, not surprisingly, that the quay was full. There still seemed to be some space for long lines by the wall so we started an anchor run between an English and an Italian boat. The English started shouting we were over their anchor (I’m pretty sure we weren’t) but we aborted and tried again. This time the Italians started jumping up and down and jabbering. Lindsay was so put off that although the anchor was in the right place, she stopped letting the chain out and sure enough we did then drag our anchor over theirs which turned out to be a large and complex arrangement of main and two kedges with three ropes. Presumably that’s what they were trying to tell me – but my Italian was nowhere near good enough to understand and they didn’t speak English or French.
It was hugely embarrassing and they came out to help in a dinghy (with a woman in it shouting and shaking her fist all the time) while I did my best to hold Rosa still so as not to dislodge any of their anchors and stop the strong wind from pushing us onto several other boats nearby. Eventually we got free and slunk off to find a bay.
We were completely unable to get the anchor to hold in two bays due to weed and ended up tying off to a large steel construction that was derelict but strong enough to hold us. Altogether, one of the worst and most stressful days we’ve had – G & Ts were well deserved when we finally had Rosa tucked up.

Early Saturday morning we set off and motored then sailed round Levkas – passing the huge cliff where the love-lorn Poetess Sapho threw herself off in 600BC. The coast is spectacularly wild and mountainous particularly in the southern half. In the northern part there are some surprisingly beautiful sandy beaches interspersed with mountainous headlands. Well worth a look.
Finally, on the way into Preveza, we were close to a Jibe on the Port tack and a yacht coming from Paxos was crossing us under ½ rolled gennoa on Starboard tack. We were pretty sure he was motoring but couldn’t be sure so when he completely ignored us and looked as if we were going to collide, I tried to give way by turning 20 degrees to Port. He did the same and we were still on a collision course and getting very close. I probably should have Jibed but the time taken to get it together would probably have taken too long. I also should have sounded the horn or shouted. Suddenly he noticed us and swung hard to starboard and passed behind us. He probably hadn’t seen us under his sail and he studiously looked straight ahead as he passed single-handing. All very scary and definite lessons learned.
We decided against the town quay in Preveza – there was a nasty sideways swell reminiscent of Siracusa - so we went round to the anchorage behind the harbour and had a secure and pleasant night. We set of for Vonitsa in the morning and after a lovely swim by a deserted island and passing a pod of Dolphins, arrived to a friendly welcome from a large number of live-aboards. Vonitsa is still as nice and friendly as we remember and we will probably stay here for a few days.

Week with Malcolm and Val plus Rick, Blue & Swiss Roll

2009-06-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely lazy week while our friends Malcolm and Val were here. We only did 60 miles the whole week and some of the places we went to (such as Meganissi) were repeats - but beautiful nevertheless.
A couple of nights we chose wild anchorages – far away from everything. Both were magical although the bay just outside Vathi (Ithaca) was quite hairy. It took 4 goes to get the anchor to hold and although it seemed firm, it didn’t inspire confidence. M and L took 2 lines ashore from the stern which seemed ok until the wind started blowing hard, broadside on putting a nasty strain on the anchor. We decided to put another line ashore from the bow to an up-wind rock on the edge of the bay. After a windy but secure night, the rock we were attached to exploded into fragments. We were safe, but I’m glad it didn’t happen in the dark or continuous anchor-watches would have been necessary.

We also stayed a more peaceful night in One House Bay on uninhabited Astakos - Lovely clear cool water and nobody for miles except for 2 other small boats in the same bay. In the morning, a herd of goats, complete with bells, delicately picked their way over the beach and along the steep cliffs. A kid got separated from his mother and when she finally answered his frantic bleating ran at break-neck speed across rocks and cliffs to get to her. Terrifying to watch and we all heaved a sigh of relief when he made it.
The other places we visited were places that M & V wanted to revisit when they were last here a few years ago on a charter. Vathi on Ithaca had reasonable shopping and a safe harbour with loads of space to moor and to anchor but a bit swelly.

Kioni a short hop north was just lovely. It’s a classical village with amazingly clear water, lovely tavernas and friendly bread and veg vans. We had breakfast under a Gum tree.

We finished up at Nidri. Had a wonderful Dinner ant Elena's courtesy of M & V. Next day we went up to the Town Quay early in the morning and lurked till someone left. The hoped-for bus connection to Preveza Airport didn’t materialise so a taxi had to be organised at short notice – very stressful as changeover for the huge flotilla fleet is Sunday too. Book your taxi ahead if you are planning the same.
Despite the taxi, Nidri is a much more convenient and congenial place for meeting planes. The anchorage is enormous and completely safe. The quay is lumpy with ferry wash but safe enough with excellent holding for the anchor. It’s very crowded but if you anchor the night before then lurk off the quay next morning till someone leaves, it is easy enough to get a space. Water is good quality and 5 Euros a fill.

We met up with Rick, Blue and the Swiss Roll crowd for another excellent meal in the Rose Garden in Vathi (Meganissi) and then sadly waved goodbye as they set off for home and we continued our journey to nowhere in particular.

Aigina to Levkas

2009-06-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

`Rob & L arrived on the 11.00 ferry from Athens. After a bit of light shopping, we set of for Korfos. This was surprisingly nice – a huge bay with good safe anchoring. Great for winding down and a cooling dip. After dinner we took the dinghy over to Georges tavern for a drink and some “Mesethes” (greek appetisers). The octopus was truly excellent, prices good and the service was friendly and quick – definitely a place to come back to.

Next morning it was through the canal – The wind just kept on heading us so we had to motor half of the way and just got a close reach for the few miles up to the canal. We were through (and lighter of pocket by 135 euro) by 2.30 – being chased by a large ship behind, held up by a slow Dutch yacht ahead and dive-bombed by bungee jumpers above.

After leaving the canal, we had a cracking sail over to teh Alkionithes islands. This tme we really found the Monastery. It was most interesting and obviously being renovated. Whether it is to become a monastery again – or perhaps a hotel or a house was not clear. The church is clearly still consecrated and functional – complete with monks buried in the garden.
We left at 8.00 after a refreshing sea-shower and had a cracking sail with easterly winds almost all the way to Galaxidi. We were able to anchor temporarily under the islands by the entrance to the port in beautiful turquoise water for a swim. To our surprise, the Canadian Show barge we had met in May was still there. Their show is apparently spectacular and we are hoping to catch up with them again in the Ionian later in the year. We ate in the Taverna on the quay – spectacular views and fair to middling food.
As we still had a long way to go to Levkas, we had to make progress and just passed through Trizonia on the way to Navpaktos. It’s very picturesque and quiet and looks like a great place to return to later.
Unlike our previous visit, the visitors places in Navpaktos had now been dredged and 4 yachts could get in there at a pinch with a further 2 or 3 on the town steps. Rob and Lindsay went up to the castle.

Next stop was Missalonghion. We had expected this to be rather dull and flat but were pleasantly surprised. The 3 mile canal up to the harbour is lined with picturesque fishermans houses on stilts. The marina is now under active construction but visitors are being encouraged and both mooring and water are free. Electricity and tailed lines will be installed in July and then a modest charge may be made. The town is lively and has excellent provisions.

The ‘Garden of Heros” is well worth a visit with fascinating monuments to people and nations who assisted Greece in her struggle for independence from Turks. Byron is there among many others.

We met up with Mike and Raija at Nisos Petalas – an empty but excellent anchorage just out of the Gulf of Patras. There must have been a lot of fresh water flowing in as there was a very cold layer on the surface which was sliding fast over the deeper water. You could float upright, remaining almost static, while the surface water skimmed past your nose at a couple of knots. Very wierd!

The final stop before Levkas was at Abeliki on Meganisi. This is one of our favourites from chartering years ago. There is no significant development around the huge safe bay system – just a couple of inoffensive tavernas. Rob liked it so much that we stayed there swimming, snoozing and eating for two days.
Levkas was its usual busy self. We stayed in the Marina because of dropping Rob at the bus station and picking up Val and Malcolm later in the day. It was horribly expensive (€50) but did have free water and electricity. Rip-off pricess for WiFi and showers did not endear it however and in future we will anchor or use the Town Quay when possible.

To Aigina and then wait

2009-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I’ve been rather lazy with blogging as we are retracing our steps across the Saronic Gulf. I’ll fill in quickly on progress so far.

After a night in Poros, we anchored in Russian bay just to the west for a couple of days. It’s one of our favourite spots with calm blue water, good sand to anchor in and just a few other boats to let you know people exist.
On Saturday, the tiny chapel on the island burst into life as a full scale wedding took place there.

Arnie took some nice pictures of us leaving.

Then it was off to Methana - an interesting place underneath a dormant volcano that sends sulphurous streams down into the harbour. The place has obviously been grand in the past but has now fallen on much harder times. Seems to be a place where old live-aboards come to quietly rust away. Nevertheless, it’s a friendly and reasonably priced place.
We then went to Aiginia via one of our favourite anchorages from long ago between Angistri and the tiny island to the south.
D stayed for 7 days sweltering and fretting about people dredging up our anchor (which happened 3 times). I made several friends while L was swanning around the UK. Rob and L came back on the ferry and we set of in the afternoon on the way to Levkas to drop Rob and pick up Val and Malcolm.

North West through the Cyclades

2009-05-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Our journey back to the Saronic Gulf for Athens has been very restful. We’ve mostly done short hops of 4 to 6 hours and anchored in beautiful, often virtually deserted bays. We have been lucky with the weather – clear skies, sunshine and mostly warm air although at sea it can still be chilly. The winds have occasionally been a little playful but that is only to be expected in these windy islands and is far from the worst they can do.

Manganari on Ios was amazingly blue and almost deserted. It was so beautiful we stayed for two days just chilling and falling in the warm water.

We then anchored between the small island of Andiparos and an even smaller one called Despotiko (odd name but we didn’t discover why). Excellent shelter, very wild and excellent swimming in cool but crystal clear water.
Next day we had a cracking sail to Sifnos on Spinaker and anchored in Vathi. This had a small and low key tourist presence with mostly Greek clients. It has a couple of nice little Tavernas right in the beach and a couple of surprisingly good mini-markets where we got a few provisions.
Serifos was the plan next day. We motored into a head-wind and anchored most of the day in a deserted bay called Ormos Koutala. The hills are pock marked with iron workings and there are a few ruins of the industry but no current activity. While we were anchored in the bay, a youngish man on two crutches drove up to one end of the bay, painfully and very slowly worked himself the whole length of the pebble beach (about 1Km), stripped off and crawled into the sea for a swim. He must have had something like Muscular Distrophy as his legs were able to do very little. It was an amazing display of courage and determination! Very humbling.
From Serifos, we motored, sailed, then motored again to a tiny port called Loutra for supplies. Hardly anybody spoke English (it really isn’t a tourist island) so my rudimentary Greek was very useful. We were made very warmly welcome – particularly in the first Taverna as you leave the port and at a small but very efficient supermarket up the hill. After lunch we made what we expected to be a short hop round the top of the island to Ormos Kolona where there is a wild beach with a hot spring on it. In the event, we found ourselves motoring into the teeth of a force 7 with heavy seas and were very glad to get there after 3 hours. It was more crowded than we hoped – a French live-aboard and a Swiss Charter were aleady there. The anchorage is not big so we were forced to anchor closer to rocks than I was comfortable with. We got away with it as the wind stayed steady. I really should have put out a kedge.

The spring was already full when we got there so we went over at dawn before anyone else was up and had a wonderful open-air hot bath. Thoroughly recommended! We were on the water by 7.00 and sailed almost all of the way to Poros on the Peloponnese. The wind got up to 25 Knots a few times with heavy beam-seas which wasn’t comfortable.

There were ships everywhere too. When it looked as if the wind hat set solidly into the 20s, we put in a reef – whereupon of course, it immediately dropped to 12 knots and then died over the next hour.

Almost at Poros, we went right by a Turtle. It didn’t dive and looked as if one flipper wasn’t working properly – looked as if it might have been injured – poor thing. We wrote up Poros on the way out so I won’t repeat myself here.

Back throught the Cyclades to Athens

2009-05-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

Via Andiparos, Sifnos, Serifos, Kifnos, Poros, to Aigina.

Santorini (Thera)

2009-05-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

We stayed 4 days in Santorini, partly because we wanted to explore it and partly because of strong northerly winds which would have made sailing uncomfortable.

The harbour at Vlikatha turned out to be excellent. The shelter was good in all directions of wind – including an Easterly which we though would throw in swell - it didn’t. For 20 euros per night, we had water, electricity, fast wifi, showers and very helpful staff. They were able to tell us about busses, arrange car hire, fix problems, arrange fuel delivery etc.
The port is a bit isolated – the bus service is comfortable and cheap but only runs 2 buses a day (10.30 from Vlikatha and starts back from Fira at 1400). If you miss it, a taxi costs 15 euros. However car hire was only 30 euros for 24 hours delivered and retrieved from the quay – and with the least paperwork & hassle I’ve ever seen!

Ios at the far north of the island is like a picture postcard come to life. It has to be seen. Unfortunately, like Fira, it is almost entirely given over to relieving tourists of their money – but in a low key, tastefull sort of way.
I had wanted to get a better idea of the history and geology of the place but they don’t go big on this (not enough money in it I suspect). The Museum was a poor joke. A collection of nice-enough pots but with no explanation or story and the only person to ask being a guard who spoke no English and din’t know much anyway. The digs at ‘Ancient Thera’ and Akrotiri were both shut.

The west side was much less developed with a lot of agriculture particularly vines and figs. We came upon a development that seemed to consist almost entirely of Greek Windmills. We both agreed that if we were ever to settle here, we’d want one!

We left early in the morning and went up close to the new volcano in the centre of the caldera. This consists of two islands separated by a narrow channel – Nea Kameni and Pala Kameni. Both are active, with Nea more so.

To my amazement, there is a small fishing harbour on Pala Kameni.

Santorini or bust

2009-05-18T11:21:00.001-07:00

Ever since I read J V Luce's theory that the eruption of Santorini (Thera) in pre-classical times was the origin of the legend of Atlantis, I have wanted to visit the island. We tried three years ago when we chartered a yacht in Athens, but the winds were too strong and we were defeated. So we made it a goal of our first venturing out into the Aegean to get there. Since L has to be in Athens by 3 June, we didn't have long so we decided to give it some welly and get there as quickly as reasonably possible and then, weather permitting, to meander back.

First stop through the canal was Aigina - a large and populous island south of Athens. The harbour is charming but noisy. We needed supplies and it was a great place to get them. We left for Poros at noon and had a nice gentle sail all the way across.

We anchored in Russian Bay on the previous trip and loved it. It hasn't lost any of its charm. An evening swim was wonderful but sadly we had to set of early next morning to get to Idra.

Idra is a wonderful place. No motor vehicles of any sort. Just donkeys and hand carts. We'd been there before but both loved it so we decided to spend a day. We got there at 10.00 (its usually chokka) and nipped into a just-vacated spot. Spent the rest of the day in port-bureaucracy, shopping, tavernas and generally relaxing for the long slog next day. Later, as the tiny harbour filled up a huge millionaire monster came in and the later another that almost blocked us in.

I had stuck a sign on our bow saying "Leaving at 0500. Do Not Block please". Nevertheless, I was feeling a bit guilty that we might wake people up as we scraped past. In the event, they rolled back to their boat, drunk, at 0200, turned the music up, and partied until 0400, keeping the whole harbour awake. So we hoped we woke a few as we went!

And so to Santorini................................

After an hour, dawn broke to give us a fabulous view of the first island of the Cyclades on the horizon and of Idra fading behind us. There wasn't a breath of wind all day so we motored to Sifnos.

We anchored off a charming port called Kamares. It looks well worth a return visit but we had a poor weather forecast for 1800 the next day so we wanted to get to Santorini before it broke - meaning another 0500 start. So we ate, turned in and slept like logs.

The voyage to Santorini started calm but by 1000, we had a good beam wind and sailed a lot of the way. Two hours out of Santorini, the wind rose up to 25 Knots and we needed to put a reef in. That was when we discovered that I had got the reefing lines crossed when we put the sail back on in Malta so we had to drop it and motor. Doh!
We sailed through the caldera and round to the only marina at Vlikatha. I was wary about getting into a tiny space in a high wind and sea but in the event it was a doddle. It's much bigger than it looks in the Pilot, has excellent shelter and facilities and is all-in for €20 per day. Excellent value.

Next day we went into the capital Fira by bus. What a stunningly beautiful place and at this time of year not crowded. Had a beer with stunning views then set off to find the Archaeological museum. Unfortunately, it is shut on Mondays but we're here for a few days so we'll go back.

Many cruise ships arrive in the port (so called) and the tourists (and locals) are carried up the huge hill on donkeys (or cable car). We chose to walk down and take the cable car up as L was sorry for the Donkeys.

Through the Gulf of Corinth

2009-05-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

We’ve just finished passing through the Gulf of Corinth and the Corinth Canal and are now in Aigina just south of Athens. The Gulf is amazing - brilliant blue, warm waters surrounded by huge mountains, many of which were still snowcapped in May.

We passed through the Rian bridge which is said to be the longest cable suspension bridge in the world. It’s certainly impressive and very beautiful! Despite the magnificent bridge, a car ferry still operates underneath it.

Our first stop was a little medieval town called Navpaktos. It has little windy streets and stems behing a tiny gem of a medieval harbour all nestling under a huge Venetian castle. The visitors quay is very silted up but a kindly fisherman waved us into a good spot right under the taverna. We got ‘reminded’ to see the port police and after ½ hour searching and another ½ hour filling in paperwork, we were legal for the princely sum of €7. Unfortunately, the rookie policewoman forgot to stamp our cruising permit – but hopefully no problem as we have the receipt.
We spent the morning exploring the castle (totally free, no “don’t do this” signs and no safety railings). What a refreshing change from the UK! L discovered an underground cistern down a hole which I crawled into to take photographs. Unfortunately, I knocked a switch and started a pump. Tried to set it back but no idea where it was supposed to be so hopeufully it didn’t all explode after we left.
Next stop was a small port called Galaxidhi. It’s a nice little place in its own right – the town quay is now finished to a very high standard. A very nice chap called Angelos helped us in, gave us info, arranged a hire car next day for us to get to Delfi - all for a modest tip. Excellent value and an absolute pleasure to talk to. We stayed for 2 days in Galaxidhi while we visited Delfi with Sally and Arnie Chestnut – two lovely Canadians we met while in Argostolli.

Delfi was the center (the navel) of the ancient world and despite 2000 years of organised looting starting with the emperor Hadrian, then Nero, then Constantine and continuing through the Turks to the French and British – it is still a truly impressive place. The setting is stunning, perched high on mount Parnassos between two huge rocks. Very well worth a visit if you are passing.

We continued on up the mountain after Delfi and eventually, after meeting a couple of flocks of goats on the road,

ended up above the snow line at the ski centre where we had a snowball fight!

We took the long way back and stumbled upon a local celebration with street races, Greek fighters in costume and closed roads.

After the long slog from Siracusa, we decided to spend a few days at anchor in some
tiny, uninhabited islands called the Alkionidhes near the end of the Gulf. The
anchorage is excellent and thoroughly sheltered, overlooked by an abandoned monastery and thousands of nesting seagulls. The gulls made fascinating, if quarrelsome neighbours who reacted very negatively to any attempt to explore the islands on foot. The wild flowers on the island were wonderful!
As we left Galaxidhi, Angelos had given us a present of a huge bag of fish which I turned into Bouillebaise on the Monday night and invited Sally and Arnie. It tasted good but was far too bony – I’ll do it differently next time. S & N invited us over for a great birthday meal on the Sunday night and we shared a movie on Tuesday night. And now we’ve left and passed through the canal, leaving them to carry on doing chores for a couple of days. This is a strange life we’ve chosen – it’s much easier than normal to strike up friendships – but after a few days, you go your separate ways again, hoping to meet up sometime.

It took 3 hours to get to the canal from the islands, we waited 1½ hours for the canal to open then after a further 2 hours transiting, mooring, doing paperwork and paying we were on our way to Aigina on the Aegean side of Greece. The canal is very impressive and obviously takes a great deal of work to maintain. Nevertheless, it is incredibly expensive. It cost us €134 for 3 miles which compares to €180 to cross 1000miles of France on the VNF system.
After a gentle and uneventful sail & motor for 4 hours we arrived at Aigina and will probably stay here a day then hop though Idra to the Cyclades and Santorini.

Kephalonia

2009-05-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Argostoli it was May day. Little did we know but there are huge celebrations in the island - everywhere except Argostoli. So not only were there very few visitors, but there were'nt any natives either! We spent the day relaxing and dozing after the long crossing. On Saturday the town came alive and we wandered around getting stores and trying to arrange Internet - to be told that it wasn't possible because of new policies. I called Customer Support and - is is, but it'll have to wait till Monday.
Monday dawned and I was off to the tax office to pay for our permit. Next stop Vodafone to get them to call their own support line to verify that we can have our SIM. An hour later, I have to provide proof that I am in the marina. Luckily the Permit process (another hour) provides that and back I toddle. 4 visits and 6 hours later, I am finally the proud posessor of a SIM. Well Greece (in the form of Byzantium) invented Byzantine Bureaucracy so I guess its not surprising.

Tuesday we sailed round the southern edge of the Island to Poros. This si a delightful little harbour with a sleepy little town next to it. After a stroll and a beer in a nice little restaurant overlooking the bay, we turned in - then off at the crack of dawn to the Gulf of Patras - leading to the Corinth Canal.

Long haul to Greece

2009-05-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

We took on water by the fuel quay in Syracuse and Pipo the water man said we would be OK to stay there the night - so we did. Big mistake!
The swell went on all night grinding us hard into the concrete quay and threatening to chafe through all of our nice new mooring warps. We took an hour to get it safe enough including using our canal plank outside the fenders to help protect the boat.
We then attempted to sleep with the idea of getting up at 0330 to sail by 0400. In the end the grinding and crashing had us both awake at o200 and we said sod-it and got up so we were away by 0300.
We had a pretty uneventful passage with mostly nice gentle Easterly tail winds all the way. The strong winds the previous day gave us a reasonably severe shaking for several hours once we left the shelter of Sicily but it all calmed down by evening. We saw no land for two days and at night, the stars and the phosphorescence were breathtaking. We both saw several shooting stars. Several pods of Dolphins visited us and played around the bows and in the middle of the sea, 100 miles from land an small yellow bird landed, took a few crumbs from Lindsay and then disappeared off over the sea again. Hope he made it!
When dawn broke on the Friday, Kefalonia was clearly vivble on the horizon but it took another few hours to reach it. On the way we swerved to avoid a floating 100 gallon Diesel drum - glad it wasn't night time, as we would have had no chance of seeing it.

Argostoli is lovely - a nice, low-rise town set in a beutiful bay under green mountains. The customs man was very nice but as it was May day when we arrived, the tax office wasn't open. so we couldn't pay for our cruising permit and he couldn't ceck us in. He was appologetic but we would have to wait till Monday. Fortunately, not a problem for us as we don't plan to leave till Tuesday anyway.
Tried to get a 3G data SIM but it appears that all the companies have changed the rules this year. No more pay as you go and you have to have a greek address, landline number and tax number to get a contract! Luickily I rang Vodafone headquarters and got a different story - there is an exception for yachtsmen. So now I have to go back to the shops and explain their own rules to them on Monday. Wish me luck!

Siracusa

2009-04-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well thursday looked ok so we got up with the lark (well sparrows - I don't think they have larks in Malta) and just after 6.00 we were ready to slip lines. Mike andRaija gout up to see us off so after a lot of hugging and a few tears we slipped lines and motored off into the sunrise. It was cold but looked nice and other than leaving a country we have grown to love, it was great to be on our way again.
The forecasts disagreed with each other and we expected anything between light variable winds and a steady force 5. In the event, we have nothing sailable and had to motor the whole way across to Porto Pallo on the South East corner of Sicily. It started bright but a couple of hours into the trip, we got close to some heavy rain - but thankfully passed between two storms. But it got overcast and cold - really cold - for the rest of the 8 hour passage. We had two other storms narrowly miss us and a couple of large ships within half a mile but we lead a charmed life all the way over.
As usual, the quay was chokka with trawlers so we anchored at 1800 with some difficulty - we had to try three different spots and brought a small cable up with the anchor on the first try. A thunder storm passed close but that was the end of the weather and we had a good nights sleep.
We started late for us the next day at 0800 and had a glorious gentle sail under spinaker all the way up to Siracuse apart from an hour when the wind swapped from land to sea breeze.

We got to Siracuse in the afternoon and just as we were putting the sail away, up came a large fast Guardia Finanza boat. I thought we were in trouble but they were friendly enough and told us to call Campamare Siracusa (whover that was). He answered but was so weak we couldn't hear him so we went slowly, under escort, into the harbour to try again. And he then refused to answer. We were now met by a police boat, an naval warship and a flotilla of customs boats all pointing and waving at us. Very worrying! In the end we figured out that they wanted us to keep well clear of a tripper boat that was skirting the old town, full of suits.
We were then escorted a mile across the harbour and watched while we anchored. I fully expected to be boarded and turned over - but off he went to intercept another sailing boat that had appeared in the entrance. We assumed that someone like Berlesconi must be in town.

On Sunday we met some friends from Malta who had been here a few days. It turned out that we had caught the tail end of the G8 conference - and we were lucky. If we had arrived in the previous 3 days, we woudl probably been denied entrance, and if 4 days previous would have been locked in the harbour and not even allowed ashore in the dinghy to shop!

We spent Monday and Tuesday shopping and nosing around. There was an amazing statue called "the Awakening" that had been installed for the G8 Environmental summit. The Duomo is impressive, the old town has charming backstreets and the Font of Arethusa is beutiful. the last is a large freshwater spring that comes up inside the fortifications of the old town and is one of the things that made ancient Siracuse so powerful as it could resist sieges.
The ancient ruins though were either closed or covered over in wood for a fashion show - and there is very little in the modern town to remind you that this was one of the most powerful city-states of the ancient world - until it was foolish enough to pick a quarrel with Rome that is.

Setting Off

2009-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful winter in Malta, we've been planning our departure for the past couple of weeks. On Saturday there was a final Barbeque on the breakwater by the Black Pearl. Ted & Trish are selling Rumb Line and going back to the USA so they had a ship-clearing jumble sale too. Both were unmissable. We've been saying goodbye to many new friends and it will be quite a wrench to leave - but that's the life we've chosen. Hopefully we will meet up from time to time.

The weather was set to be fairly nasty on Monday and Tuesday but Wednesday looked OK for a quick dash to Gozo. Then no wind Thursday (when we planned a nice lazy sunny day at anchor in the Blue Lagoon) and a nice Easterly breeze on Friday to waft us over to Sicily.
No such luck!
Wednesday (today) turned out to be showery and very windy and Thursday now is predicted to have a nice Easterly breeze so we've changed plans and we're off tomorrow (Thursday 22nd April) to Porto Pallo on the South East corner of Sicily and then do the remaining 30 miles up to Syracuse on Friday 23rd. It'll probably be a bit lumpy but it's time to get back to sea.
We're as ready as we can be, all jobs done, well stocked with food and materials. Syracuse should provide the missing ingredient - booze.
We plan to stay in Syracuse for a few days and then set off on the long treck to Cefalonia in Greece as soon as there is a reasonable weather window.