We set off from Corinth bound for Galaxidi - the best port from which to get to Delphi. As predicted, the wind near Corinth was light but further North and West it was 5 gusting 6 and on the nose, We had forgotten just how nasty that can be - and Lucifer found it even worse - a picture of misery huddled under the navigation seat.
We gave up and went into Kato. We are indebted to Sarah and Beanie on Rozinante who told us about the place describing it as a Hurricane Hole. Spot on! It's a huge but sparsely used commercial harbor where you tie up alongside a huge wall with bollards suitable only for huge ships. There is no water or electricity either but the shelter is superb and it seems to be completely free. We waited out the afternoon gales for 3 days before setting off for a dead-calm motor all the way.
Galaxidhi is as picturesque as we remember it - an exquisite village set around an excellent harbor with all facilities and only standard Greek port fees (€8.11 for us). Both water and electricity are free. Even David and Jilly tied up side too on the short jetty with no trouble. We were met by a rather strange bloke called Tammi who shouted a lot, tried to direct us and took our lines. He then tried to get us to take water for €5 but then asked for €2 when we said we didn't need it yet. I gave him €1 as charity (much to L's disgust) and he seemed to be my best friend which was not entirely a good thing. Later, the harbor master came round and told everyone not to give him anything as it just encourages him and he is defrauding the visitors.
Next day David, Jilly and I hired a car and drove up to Delphi. They went round the site and Museum (which L & I had done a couple of years before) and I spent a very happy 3 hours sketching the beautiful temple of Athena just below the main site and completely free to access. We had lunch in Arachova (alpine ski village on the shoulder of Mt Parnassos) and then drove back.
David & Jilly's boat, Meanderer, had been moved from the side to the head of the Jetty and slightly damaged! David was all for berating the German boat that was now in his place but luckily Jilly calmed him down as it turned out to have been moved by Tammi who "thought a ferry was coming" even though they haven't been here for years. The man is definitely loopy - L calls him the village idiot. The port police were very interested and will be having serious words with Mr T about not touching other people's boats.
Next day we pottered up to Trizonia having hoisted the Spinnaker more in hope than expectation. D managed to fly it in 4 Knots of wind for half an hour much to L's annoyance and then had to take it down again before it collapsed as the wind dropped further. Even Lucifer seemed to tolerate it.
Trizonia is a lovely little island with an effective but unfinished Marina - although we chose to anchor off. Lots of thick weed but enough patches of mud to give excellent holding with care. We went over to the tiny village for a drink but ended up being tempted to a meal. We were just finishing when a large thunder storm made its appearance over the mountains and was clearly heading straight for us. We dashed to the Dinghy and just got back on board before the heavens opened and the sea fried with Lightning.
The next day we had the best sail of the year. After about 2 hours motoring in calm, the wind came up from behind. L, who was at the helm, noticed and actually suggested deploying the Spinnaker and we had a glorious run through the beautiful Rio-Antirio bridge and on almost to Missolonghi. We did the last 5 miles with conventional sails as the wind strengthened and backed a bit too much. The good news is that the repair seems to be holding.
Not only was the wind excellent but we found someone to sail with - a little Swedish Ketch called Johanna. We screamed past them with the spinnaker but once we were on main and jib, it was much more even. We both took pictures of the other boat and swapped them when we got to the marina.
So now we're resting in Missolonghi Marina for 3 days. Very reasonable price (€19 per night) and they have made huge progress since we were here 3 years ago. There are excellent facilities now and hundreds of boats both in and out of the water. They even have several washing machines and dryers! A supermarket and Chandlers are both scheduled to open in the next few days which will save on the long treks into town.
Next day David, Jilly and I hired a car and drove up to Delphi. They went round the site and Museum (which L & I had done a couple of years before) and I spent a very happy 3 hours sketching the beautiful temple of Athena just below the main site and completely free to access. We had lunch in Arachova (alpine ski village on the shoulder of Mt Parnassos) and then drove back.
David & Jilly's boat, Meanderer, had been moved from the side to the head of the Jetty and slightly damaged! David was all for berating the German boat that was now in his place but luckily Jilly calmed him down as it turned out to have been moved by Tammi who "thought a ferry was coming" even though they haven't been here for years. The man is definitely loopy - L calls him the village idiot. The port police were very interested and will be having serious words with Mr T about not touching other people's boats.
Next day we pottered up to Trizonia having hoisted the Spinnaker more in hope than expectation. D managed to fly it in 4 Knots of wind for half an hour much to L's annoyance and then had to take it down again before it collapsed as the wind dropped further. Even Lucifer seemed to tolerate it.
The next day we had the best sail of the year. After about 2 hours motoring in calm, the wind came up from behind. L, who was at the helm, noticed and actually suggested deploying the Spinnaker and we had a glorious run through the beautiful Rio-Antirio bridge and on almost to Missolonghi. We did the last 5 miles with conventional sails as the wind strengthened and backed a bit too much. The good news is that the repair seems to be holding.
Not only was the wind excellent but we found someone to sail with - a little Swedish Ketch called Johanna. We screamed past them with the spinnaker but once we were on main and jib, it was much more even. We both took pictures of the other boat and swapped them when we got to the marina.So now we're resting in Missolonghi Marina for 3 days. Very reasonable price (€19 per night) and they have made huge progress since we were here 3 years ago. There are excellent facilities now and hundreds of boats both in and out of the water. They even have several washing machines and dryers! A supermarket and Chandlers are both scheduled to open in the next few days which will save on the long treks into town.
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