Greece - Northern Ionian Islands
Corfu
Órmos Garítsas 304nm, 50hrs 45min, sailed 12hrs then motored/motor sailed the rest of the way
Sunday June 2 - Wednesday 5
Anchored - no fee
New cruising tax €102 (~AUD$164)
Port Authority fee €30 (~AUD$48)
Customs fee €15 (~AUD$24)
Sunday June 2 - Wednesday 5
Anchored - no fee
New cruising tax €102 (~AUD$164)
Port Authority fee €30 (~AUD$48)
Customs fee €15 (~AUD$24)
Colin and I agree on most things, but the definition of 'smooth sailing' is not one of them. The conditions for the first 12 hours sailing out of Split were nothing short of horrid - lots of rock and roll and we had a very hairy, scary time dropping the main while the jib was still up, turned into the wind with me on the helm trying to control the boat and Colin up on deck trying to bring the main down without getting whipped by the jib sheets! Very dangerous in my humble opinion, though the captain maintains it was all very safe and under control. I kept my calm until the job was done then lost it somewhat from the sheer fright of it.
I don’t know what made me think it would be warmer overnight just because we were travelling to Greece, but I did. Rude awakening once the sun went down, and out came the wet weather gear purely for warmth. The radar once again proved its worth, making our watches much safer and easier. During the early morning a cruise liner passed us going 25kts and coming within 0.3nm of us, and it was 2nm away before we even felt the wash. Those things can move! We did two hour shifts through the night and into the morning until arriving in Corfu around 1530hrs local time.
Monday morning we tackled Customs and the Port Authority check-in, which turned out to be as baffling as last time in the round about way things occur. Once again we went from the Port Authority to the Customs office and back again, only this year we had a new cruising tax to pay. Most curious of all is there are no signs in the building we were directed to, and we only knew from last year that hidden behind the wall were two small offices for passport control and customs. I knocked randomly on doors until one of them opened and we were led through to the right place. Bizarre.
Following that we sorted out our internet then made our way back through the old town. Last year when we did all this it was 100 degrees and felt like 100% humidity, and while we were grateful for cooler weather this year we were starting to get rather damp from the ongoing drizzle, and then it REALLY started raining. I had to laugh...be careful what you wish for! By the time we got back to the boat we were soaked through, but happily able to put on dry warm clothes and the heater and settle in to listen to the rain. The intense precipitation might explain my lack of photos of the beautiful old town.
Tuesday was cloudy but mostly dry and we did a few more chores in the old town plus some window shopping and stopped for a custard pie and espresso freddo, two of my favourite treats from last year. Colin jokes with me that I'm a pastry hoover, travelling through Europe on mission to devour as many pastries as possible. Well, I figure there are worse things to be.
Click images to enlarge
I don’t know what made me think it would be warmer overnight just because we were travelling to Greece, but I did. Rude awakening once the sun went down, and out came the wet weather gear purely for warmth. The radar once again proved its worth, making our watches much safer and easier. During the early morning a cruise liner passed us going 25kts and coming within 0.3nm of us, and it was 2nm away before we even felt the wash. Those things can move! We did two hour shifts through the night and into the morning until arriving in Corfu around 1530hrs local time.
Monday morning we tackled Customs and the Port Authority check-in, which turned out to be as baffling as last time in the round about way things occur. Once again we went from the Port Authority to the Customs office and back again, only this year we had a new cruising tax to pay. Most curious of all is there are no signs in the building we were directed to, and we only knew from last year that hidden behind the wall were two small offices for passport control and customs. I knocked randomly on doors until one of them opened and we were led through to the right place. Bizarre.
Following that we sorted out our internet then made our way back through the old town. Last year when we did all this it was 100 degrees and felt like 100% humidity, and while we were grateful for cooler weather this year we were starting to get rather damp from the ongoing drizzle, and then it REALLY started raining. I had to laugh...be careful what you wish for! By the time we got back to the boat we were soaked through, but happily able to put on dry warm clothes and the heater and settle in to listen to the rain. The intense precipitation might explain my lack of photos of the beautiful old town.
Tuesday was cloudy but mostly dry and we did a few more chores in the old town plus some window shopping and stopped for a custard pie and espresso freddo, two of my favourite treats from last year. Colin jokes with me that I'm a pastry hoover, travelling through Europe on mission to devour as many pastries as possible. Well, I figure there are worse things to be.
Click images to enlarge
Mainland Greece
Órmos Ioánnou 33nm, 7hrs 10min, mostly sailing, tacking southward
Wednesday June 5 - Thursday 6
Anchored - no fee
Wednesday June 5 - Thursday 6
Anchored - no fee
An overnight stop on our way to Preveza and our first morning swim for the season! We had glorious sunshine and turquoise waters, but the conditions were less than idyllic overnight with a lot of rock and rolling. Between that and continuously waking myself up sleep-talking through an OT home assessment, I didn't get much sleep. Colin should be a full bottle on the subject now.
The bay has a fresh water spring welling up in the middle and the surface was so flat as we left that we could see the outline of the spring like a big rippling circle on the water. I searched and searched for that spring last year but the bay was never calm enough to see it. It has to be like glass.
Click images to enlarge
The bay has a fresh water spring welling up in the middle and the surface was so flat as we left that we could see the outline of the spring like a big rippling circle on the water. I searched and searched for that spring last year but the bay was never calm enough to see it. It has to be like glass.
Click images to enlarge
Preveza 28nm, 4hrs 40min, motored and motor sailed
Thursday June 6 - Saturday 8
Anchored - no fee
Thursday June 6 - Saturday 8
Anchored - no fee
Preveza was a laundry and provisioning stop. We arrived in the afternoon, dropped the washing in town, and later went back in for a casual dinner - gyros and Greek salad followed by an ice-cream. I got kataifi-flavoured with chunks of kataifi in it. Kataifi, for those who have never had it, looks like shredded wheat but tastes like baclava.
Wandering down the main street we passed a shopfront laden with goodies and could hear chirping from within. On entering we were greeted by a lovely man who was happy to have a chat about his canaries and their lovely song. He made such an effort to tell us the story of his birds, even though English did not come easily for him, so the next day we returned to buy nuts and seeds from the shop.
Click images to enlarge
Wandering down the main street we passed a shopfront laden with goodies and could hear chirping from within. On entering we were greeted by a lovely man who was happy to have a chat about his canaries and their lovely song. He made such an effort to tell us the story of his birds, even though English did not come easily for him, so the next day we returned to buy nuts and seeds from the shop.
Click images to enlarge
Meganisi
Órmos Abelike via Lefkas Canal 21nm, 4hrs, motored
Saturday June 8 - Tuesday 11
Anchored - no fee
Saturday June 8 - Tuesday 11
Anchored - no fee
Leaving Preveza we headed south to rendezvous with friends who we first met in Croatia two seasons ago, and turned out to live less than a mile from us at home! We timed our departure to be at the Lefkas canal for the 10am opening, then made our way to Meganisi. We couldn't have timed it better. As we were anchoring in the middle of the bay Sea Smith were going stern to near the jetty at the eastern end. We got the 'sugar bowl' from a catamaran as we looked for place to anchor. It's the 'hands on hips' position our mate Brad uses to deter boats from anchoring near him given how much chain he has out. We got the message and made sure we didn't lay anchor over his.
We had a gorgeous time and a great laugh hanging out with the crew - Deb, Geoff, Tchoumi and Hof - and had dinner together and a wander over to Vathi on Sunday. Geoff informed us of a Tim Minchin song about 'gingers' (redheads) and introduced me to a new term - 'Fanta Pants'. Being a ginger himself he immediately got dubbed with the nickname. Thank you Geoff for that little gem. Deb became 'Pressie Pants' because she bore gifts of chia seeds and colloidal silver, not to mention serving us bacon and eggs Sunday morning! Tchoumi was 'Pants Down' (there's quite a story to go with that), and Hof, he who can tie a bow line one handed by swinging the rope, well he became 'Clever Pants'. Sadly we had to bid them all goodbye on Monday morning as they headed off to Nidri on Lefkas to pick up a Gypsy. If only we could have picked up a Hookah there as well we'd have been laughing! (For the uninitiated a Gypsy is the cog that pulls an anchor chain up.)
Photos by Nic and Colin. Click images to enlarge
We had a gorgeous time and a great laugh hanging out with the crew - Deb, Geoff, Tchoumi and Hof - and had dinner together and a wander over to Vathi on Sunday. Geoff informed us of a Tim Minchin song about 'gingers' (redheads) and introduced me to a new term - 'Fanta Pants'. Being a ginger himself he immediately got dubbed with the nickname. Thank you Geoff for that little gem. Deb became 'Pressie Pants' because she bore gifts of chia seeds and colloidal silver, not to mention serving us bacon and eggs Sunday morning! Tchoumi was 'Pants Down' (there's quite a story to go with that), and Hof, he who can tie a bow line one handed by swinging the rope, well he became 'Clever Pants'. Sadly we had to bid them all goodbye on Monday morning as they headed off to Nidri on Lefkas to pick up a Gypsy. If only we could have picked up a Hookah there as well we'd have been laughing! (For the uninitiated a Gypsy is the cog that pulls an anchor chain up.)
Photos by Nic and Colin. Click images to enlarge
Lefkas
Nidri 6nm, 1hr, motored
Tuesday June 11 - Friday 21
Hotel Armonia pontoon €17/night (~AUD$27/night), Tuesday June 11 - Friday 14
Hotel Athos pontoon €19.50/night (~AUD$31/night), Friday June 14 - Friday 21
Tuesday June 11 - Friday 21
Hotel Armonia pontoon €17/night (~AUD$27/night), Tuesday June 11 - Friday 14
Hotel Athos pontoon €19.50/night (~AUD$31/night), Friday June 14 - Friday 21
Almost as soon as Sea Smith got to Nidri Deb started taunting us with photos of the poolside bar they where they were hanging out, and imploring us to come over. The Hotel Armonia bar and pool and other facilities were available to guests staying on their pontoon, and Deb dubbed it 'Greek Bali'. She became the Torturous Temptress, luring us over with pictures and descriptions of poolside fun and frivolity.
Colin had been keeping an eye on the motor for the past week and noticing the coolant level in the expansion tank was increasing instead of remaining constant, which he thought might be due to a leak in the gasket. Hof agreed but didn't have the tools to fix it so we booked into a mechanic in Nidri but were waiting for a call back to see when they could fit us in. As luck had it we got a booking for Friday so decided to join Sea Smith in Nidri and do some land travel with them. Leaving Meganisi soon after the crack of dawn, following a glorious swim in the glassed off bay, we arrived at the jetty around 0830hrs with the Sea Smith crew standing ready to help us moor up. They had rented a mini-van for the day trip but the 1000hr departure time was somewhat delayed by the boys doing a 'quick' run into Lefkas town to pick up the Gypsy. Meanwhile the girls drank espresso freddos by the pool and got some local tips from Con (the Australian born Greek owner) about where to spend the day.
Underway by 1130ish we headed to the NW of the island for eating, swimming and sight seeing. At Agios Nikitas Tchoumi and I stopped at a cafe to ask about their bar sign that read "Falling cats". The story goes that their cat made a regular journey from chair to roof to front awning then dropped down over the bar, and soon other cats followed. Hence at certain times of the day there would be cats 'falling' from the eaves, patrons beware as they may spill your drink. After a swim at Kavalikefta beach we cut across the middle of the island to return to Nidri via the spectacular Fly Me Sun & Stars Bar in Exanthia, a popular place for paragliding and sunset views amongst the clouds. As the roads were very hairy we decided not to risk driving in darkness so missed the sunset in favour of drinks by the pool back in Nidri and dinner in town. On the way our passage was arrested by a herd of goats with a goat herder in tow. The girls were desperate to get out of the van and take photos but someone in the car was a little bit scared of goats (not naming any names Fanta Pants) and told us it was too dangerous. He won't be living that down for a while! Many thanks to Hof for handling all those windy cliffside roads with such aplomb to get us to glorious beaches and lofty heights. We had a wonderful time and a lot of laughs, topped off by Geoff doing ice-cream shots after dinner, on the house.
Sadly on Wednesday we had to say our farewells to Sea Smith again, this time for real. We bid them safe journey and consoled ourselves poolside with freddo cappuccinos and free wi-fi. On Thursday Con suggested we go to the waterfalls so we made the 10km return trek (mostly a flat walk through the village) and swam in the icy waters under the falls. Glorious!
Colin had been keeping an eye on the motor for the past week and noticing the coolant level in the expansion tank was increasing instead of remaining constant, which he thought might be due to a leak in the gasket. Hof agreed but didn't have the tools to fix it so we booked into a mechanic in Nidri but were waiting for a call back to see when they could fit us in. As luck had it we got a booking for Friday so decided to join Sea Smith in Nidri and do some land travel with them. Leaving Meganisi soon after the crack of dawn, following a glorious swim in the glassed off bay, we arrived at the jetty around 0830hrs with the Sea Smith crew standing ready to help us moor up. They had rented a mini-van for the day trip but the 1000hr departure time was somewhat delayed by the boys doing a 'quick' run into Lefkas town to pick up the Gypsy. Meanwhile the girls drank espresso freddos by the pool and got some local tips from Con (the Australian born Greek owner) about where to spend the day.
Underway by 1130ish we headed to the NW of the island for eating, swimming and sight seeing. At Agios Nikitas Tchoumi and I stopped at a cafe to ask about their bar sign that read "Falling cats". The story goes that their cat made a regular journey from chair to roof to front awning then dropped down over the bar, and soon other cats followed. Hence at certain times of the day there would be cats 'falling' from the eaves, patrons beware as they may spill your drink. After a swim at Kavalikefta beach we cut across the middle of the island to return to Nidri via the spectacular Fly Me Sun & Stars Bar in Exanthia, a popular place for paragliding and sunset views amongst the clouds. As the roads were very hairy we decided not to risk driving in darkness so missed the sunset in favour of drinks by the pool back in Nidri and dinner in town. On the way our passage was arrested by a herd of goats with a goat herder in tow. The girls were desperate to get out of the van and take photos but someone in the car was a little bit scared of goats (not naming any names Fanta Pants) and told us it was too dangerous. He won't be living that down for a while! Many thanks to Hof for handling all those windy cliffside roads with such aplomb to get us to glorious beaches and lofty heights. We had a wonderful time and a lot of laughs, topped off by Geoff doing ice-cream shots after dinner, on the house.
Sadly on Wednesday we had to say our farewells to Sea Smith again, this time for real. We bid them safe journey and consoled ourselves poolside with freddo cappuccinos and free wi-fi. On Thursday Con suggested we go to the waterfalls so we made the 10km return trek (mostly a flat walk through the village) and swam in the icy waters under the falls. Glorious!
Hotel Athos pontoon
Tuesday June 11 - Friday 21
Tuesday June 11 - Friday 21
Friday we squeezed between two yachts (barely) on the IBA pontoon (Ionian Boat Assistance) and got chatting to a lovely British couple next to us, Caroline and John, who had come up to fend off if required. The space was so tight I had to lift our fenders on the port side so there was only only one set between us and the next boat. The mechanic, Paul, said he thought the problem was the water heater and went off to order parts. Looks like we'll be here until at least Monday. Luckily we're able to stay on the pontoon until then. We checked out the Athos Hotel facilities - pool, toilets, freddo cappuchinos - all passed the test.
Update: Parts might take longer than anticipated to arrive, and then it's an 8 - 10 hour job. Looks like we'll be here until at least Friday. Meanwhile we've been taking advantage of the hotel amenities. Saturday we sat poolside sipping freddo cappuccinos and inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine whilst using the free wi-fi to watch the Dockers beat Port Adelaide in a nail bitingly close match. We also have daily chats with others on the pontoon. It seems there's quite a community of English sailors in this area and on Friday twenty five of the twenty eight boats moored up bore the British ensign.
Colin finally got the right flour for a bread starter after finishing the stuff from last year and trying unsuccessfully with other flours ever since. He's also started a new project sewing covers for the SUPs. Clever captain.
The jetty, or pontoon as many called it, appeared to be a go to place for Brits on holiday. As West Aussies go to Bali for holidays so too it seems Brits go to the Ionians. One night on the pontoon I counted 28 yachts, 25 bearing British ensigns! And not only do they all come to this pontoon but they all recommend and frequent the same two restaurants - Familia and The Barrel. No complaints from us though, they were both fabulous restaurants and I myself recommended the Moroccan Tagline Mutton at Familia to anyone who would listen. Two such people were John and Ros from Curlew, a boat moored opposite us for a night. A lovely couple who got chatting to us then invited us over for a drink, and whose boys all sail, one of them being an Olympic gold medalist. Naturally they were very proud, but especially so because he'd beaten an Aussie. They had only recently been in Perth and Fremantle, probably walking through the the magical ‘Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak’ in Kings Park in January at the same time we were! John said I could easily be taken for Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) with my big sunglasses and sun visor, and I decided that must be why people stare at me, and not because I have a small clapping monkey on my head as Colin had said. In reality people probably stare because I have a huge smear of white zinc on my right cheek keeping the sun off a recently acquired scar.
Wednesday we were happy to see the parts had arrived and Thursday we were decamped poolside while Paul installed new parts and serviced others. Nothing is as joyous as a lounge version of Nirvanas's "Come as you are", a freddo cappuccino and watching the birds diving to pick up bugs off the pool surface. Everyone we spoke to gave glowing reports of Paul's work and one man told us he is secretly called "sweetie" on the pontoon, though never in the shop or in front of his colleagues. He worked all day on our boat and finally finished around 5pm. We were surprised to see him return a while later asking if he'd dropped 50 euros. We said we hadn't found it, though we are from convict stock, to which he replied that was alright, he was from Manchester!
We stayed Thursday night as the bill wasn't going to be ready until the following day and it was late, and got to have a lovely catch up with John and Carolin, our neighbours on Lou Lou Ditsi. The name means "Little Flower" in Greek. It turned out Caroline worked in the mental health field as well so we had much to talk about. I'm not sure what the men were talking about but it probably involved boats. They knew loads of people coming and going on the pontoon and were quite the social butterflies, and the following day while Colin waited for Paul to check the bow thruster batteries and I lounged by the pool I got to meet some more friends of theirs, Chris and Jenny, who gave me a master class on the whole Brexit fiasco. Really complicated and very enlightening.
Photos by Nic and Colin. Click images to enlarge
Update: Parts might take longer than anticipated to arrive, and then it's an 8 - 10 hour job. Looks like we'll be here until at least Friday. Meanwhile we've been taking advantage of the hotel amenities. Saturday we sat poolside sipping freddo cappuccinos and inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine whilst using the free wi-fi to watch the Dockers beat Port Adelaide in a nail bitingly close match. We also have daily chats with others on the pontoon. It seems there's quite a community of English sailors in this area and on Friday twenty five of the twenty eight boats moored up bore the British ensign.
Colin finally got the right flour for a bread starter after finishing the stuff from last year and trying unsuccessfully with other flours ever since. He's also started a new project sewing covers for the SUPs. Clever captain.
The jetty, or pontoon as many called it, appeared to be a go to place for Brits on holiday. As West Aussies go to Bali for holidays so too it seems Brits go to the Ionians. One night on the pontoon I counted 28 yachts, 25 bearing British ensigns! And not only do they all come to this pontoon but they all recommend and frequent the same two restaurants - Familia and The Barrel. No complaints from us though, they were both fabulous restaurants and I myself recommended the Moroccan Tagline Mutton at Familia to anyone who would listen. Two such people were John and Ros from Curlew, a boat moored opposite us for a night. A lovely couple who got chatting to us then invited us over for a drink, and whose boys all sail, one of them being an Olympic gold medalist. Naturally they were very proud, but especially so because he'd beaten an Aussie. They had only recently been in Perth and Fremantle, probably walking through the the magical ‘Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak’ in Kings Park in January at the same time we were! John said I could easily be taken for Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) with my big sunglasses and sun visor, and I decided that must be why people stare at me, and not because I have a small clapping monkey on my head as Colin had said. In reality people probably stare because I have a huge smear of white zinc on my right cheek keeping the sun off a recently acquired scar.
Wednesday we were happy to see the parts had arrived and Thursday we were decamped poolside while Paul installed new parts and serviced others. Nothing is as joyous as a lounge version of Nirvanas's "Come as you are", a freddo cappuccino and watching the birds diving to pick up bugs off the pool surface. Everyone we spoke to gave glowing reports of Paul's work and one man told us he is secretly called "sweetie" on the pontoon, though never in the shop or in front of his colleagues. He worked all day on our boat and finally finished around 5pm. We were surprised to see him return a while later asking if he'd dropped 50 euros. We said we hadn't found it, though we are from convict stock, to which he replied that was alright, he was from Manchester!
We stayed Thursday night as the bill wasn't going to be ready until the following day and it was late, and got to have a lovely catch up with John and Carolin, our neighbours on Lou Lou Ditsi. The name means "Little Flower" in Greek. It turned out Caroline worked in the mental health field as well so we had much to talk about. I'm not sure what the men were talking about but it probably involved boats. They knew loads of people coming and going on the pontoon and were quite the social butterflies, and the following day while Colin waited for Paul to check the bow thruster batteries and I lounged by the pool I got to meet some more friends of theirs, Chris and Jenny, who gave me a master class on the whole Brexit fiasco. Really complicated and very enlightening.
Photos by Nic and Colin. Click images to enlarge
Sivota 8nm, 1hr 15min, motored
Friday June 21 - Saturday 22
Free anchorage
Friday June 21 - Saturday 22
Free anchorage
Friday we finally got to leave the pontoon and sail to Sivota, a mere 6nm away. We were happy to be able to swim off the boat again (not recommended from the jetty in Nidri) and use our own toilet. I don't want to get too graphic (though those who know me might contest that) but the toilets at the Athens Hotel have the narrowest, most uncomfortable seats I've ever encountered, not at all conducive to what one is there for. Perhaps that's the idea, make them uncomfortable so people don't settle in with a magazine for their morning ablutions.
We anchored in the middle of the bay and in the morning paddled in on the SUPs to have breakfast at the bakery. On John and Ros's recommendation we ordered Lemon Pie (with vanilla ice cream) and fresh lemonade, and oh my word they were delicous! We threw in a freddo espresso for good measure and enjoyed watching the small nesting birds that had made homes above the wall art. In fact I enjoyed them so much that we paddled back to the boat for my camera so I could take photos of them. Our waiter was delightful and more than happy for me to do that.
Click images to enlarge
We anchored in the middle of the bay and in the morning paddled in on the SUPs to have breakfast at the bakery. On John and Ros's recommendation we ordered Lemon Pie (with vanilla ice cream) and fresh lemonade, and oh my word they were delicous! We threw in a freddo espresso for good measure and enjoyed watching the small nesting birds that had made homes above the wall art. In fact I enjoyed them so much that we paddled back to the boat for my camera so I could take photos of them. Our waiter was delightful and more than happy for me to do that.
Click images to enlarge
Ithaca
Vathi 16nm, 3hrs 10min, sailed for 2hrs then motored
Saturday June 22 - Sunday 23
Free anchorage
Saturday June 22 - Sunday 23
Free anchorage
Leaving Lefkas we travelled onwards to Vathi on Ithaca where Deb said we could buy some inexpensive sheets. That we did, and then dined at our favourite restaurant from last year that uses produce (including the animals) from their own farm. We were in for a real treat when we ordered feta with honey and fig marmalade and the traditional onion pie. Fantastic!
Click images to enlarge
Click images to enlarge
Filiatro 6nm, 1hr 30min, motored
Sunday June 23 - Monday June 24
Free anchorage
Sunday June 23 - Monday June 24
Free anchorage
Highly recommended by Sea Smith crew we anchored in this pristine bay and took advantage of the calm clear waters to swim and snorkle. I was interested in an odd looking thing on the sea floor that on closer inspection looked a bit like a tangled line of floats from a fishing net or some such thing.
Colin baked bread and the wasps loved it with honey. I didn't mind it either.
Click images to enlarge
Colin baked bread and the wasps loved it with honey. I didn't mind it either.
Click images to enlarge
Mainland Greece
Órmos Oxiás 23nm, 4hrs, motored
Monday June 24 - Tuesday 25
Free anchorage
Monday June 24 - Tuesday 25
Free anchorage
We checked out the only anchorage on the east coast of Nisís Oxiá but it was deep and small and would have required going stern to. I'm not sure if it was our concerns about safety or pure laziness that drove our decision to go to the mainland. The breeze built throughout the day and by the time we anchored in Órmos Oxiás (the bay on the mainland opposite Nisís Oxiá) it was quite strong. Colin thought we'd only get wind but we ended up with swell all night too, so not an altogether comfortable night.
Click images to enlarge
Click images to enlarge