Zakinthos to Corfu

Well, we left you with a lovely couple of days in Aghios Nikolos at the North end of Zakinthos...
And then night fell. The forecast was predicting strong North Easterlies out at sea but only light ones at Ag Nik. So we, along with 10 other yachts hoped for the best and settled down to sleep. Around midnight, the swell suddenly arrived and rapidly turned into a very dangerous surge. We had prepared for a quick exit just in case and so we put the plan into action. Sadly, in the darkness, I failed to notice that the wheel was still lashed to port to prevent the rudder banging around and we hit the bow of the boat on our port side, demolishing his and our navigation lights. We shouted phone numbers and then after a few passes in the pitch dark in the shelter of the small island to sort out ropes, fenders, dinghy, etc we set off into the open sea.

Dawn at last!

At first there was little wind and just a swell but after a couple of hours we were battling into heavy seas and gale force winds on our way to Kefalonia. After a couple of failed plans, we headed for the lea provided by the South East corner of Kefalonia and mooched about outside the bay there until dawn broke. And lucky we did. The whole place is strewn with uncharted rocks and reefs. In good daylight, they were easily seen and we found a good anchorage but at night we would have come to serious grief.
We put the hook down and crashed for a few hours than did the few miles to Poros in the afternoon. It was now the Saturday before the Greek Election. We walked into town needing cash (to pay for the nav lights) only to find the solitary ATM empty.
The Dutch boat we had agreed to give €140 for the light couldn't easily catch us up so instead of going to Eufemia on Kefalonia as planned, we diverted to Vathi on Ithaca as his sister was there on a flotilla. Luckily the ATMs in Vathi were working so we got out the cash, handed some of it over and headed up to Kioni on Ithaca for lunch with Mike and Gilly and then on to Abeliki on Meganisi.
We arrived at about 6.00 to find it already crowded. We tried 3 times to anchor but only succeeded on the fourth. We had a good night in the pleasant surroundings we remember although it was tarnished a bit by the large number of wasps.

Vlicho bay on Levkas

Motored over to Vlicho next day and anchored in the wonderful enclosed bay. We met Miles & Karen - who's yacht Stella Maris was badly damaged in the storm last year - and drank good Cretan Raki into the small hours. Vlicho Yacht club hosted a quiz night on Thursday so we ate there and then rested (and worked) on the Friday.
Next day we motored up to Levkas and moored on the Town Quay. Its a familiar, busy place with loas of chandleries and other services. We got most things we needed including a clever engineer from Contract Yacht Services who managed to remove a bolt from my alternator that I had been trying to get undone for two years!
We are now heavily into planning for Kieran, Nicky & the girlies to visit us next month. We had hoped that there would be some sensible and economic way of getting between Levkas and Igoumenitsa( the main ferry port for Corfu) but no such luck. There are only 3 buses a week and those are at silly time. Taxis cost a fortune and minibuses only run if they have flotilla customers and even then charge over €100! They can't tell you until a day or so beforehand if they will have any spaces. What a way to run a country!
So off to Preveza. Buses are more hopeful but still infrequent and long. In the end we decided to hire a car and take them up to Igoumenitsa ourselves. Cheaper and a lot less hassle.
Nicky is a bit worried about seasickness when we pick them up in Corfu and then run down to Preveza so we investigated lots of alternatives for her to go by ferry and bus. This included the possibilty of going from Corfu to Parga (shielded by the swell) then taking a bus to Preveza. Unfortunately, Parga is not at all comfortable. Lots of swell and even more waves from water sports, fishermen and tripper boats. Looks like its going to be travel sickness pills and an overnighter.
And so to Lakka on Paxos - one of our favourite places in the whole world. We stayed there for a few days just enjoying it. Getting onto the quay for a cope of hours from 10.00 was a really good idea. The fuel man was there with his mini tanker filling up some of the tripper boats. The travel info place sells water at €7.00 per 1/2 hour with the hose which is a bit steep if like us you have small tanks and could only take 200L. They were prepared to pro-rate it though so we were happy with €2.50 for 10 minutes.
On Wednesday we made the short hop to Petriti sailing most of the way to my surprise. The last hour was a gentle but very pleasurable beat to windward. Petriti turned out to be a thoroughly nice little village. It has a bakery, a good minimarket and some nice little tavernas where they charge proper Greek prices. The harbour is crowded and although there were 11 yachts on the mole, there wasn't a lot of movement so I suspect some of them are based there. No matter, the anchorage just outside the harbour is good (excellent holding on mud and weed) and reasonably sheltered (bit of swell if the wind has a bit of East in it). We stayed for 2 days thn ran up to Corfu town and anchored off the mouth of NAOK just under the castle. We took the dinghy through the inshore passage to IOK yacht club and booked in for Friday-Sunday to await the Family.

North to the Ionian

We spent a few days relaxing Kalamata - Marion and Hugh left on the early bus to Athens on Sunday and then we shopped in the amazing AB supermarket. They deliver free within a couple of hours if you spend more than €60 which isn't hard to do! They have lots of things that are very hard to come by in Greece such as Lea and Perrins, Branston Pickle, suchi ginger, wasabi and papadoms!
We had a final dinner and a sad farewell to David and Jilly. We've been sailing in company with Meanderer for two months but they have to stay in Kalamata and lay up the boat while we have to make our way to the Ionian for the summer.
At 9.00 on Tuesday, we sailed off to Kioni. We had to motor most of the way but picked up enough wind to sail the last few miles, intending to anchor then see the town. We put the anchor down 3 times on the eastern side of the harbour but on each occasion, the ground had no strength and we just pulled through it. We call this stuff "toothpaste". We tried on the Western side and seemed to get a good bite. After lunch, I snorkeled over the anchor to find that it had dragged 20M in a light wind! So we reluctantly decided to move on. Our initial plan was Porto Longo but the wind insisted on Finikounda so we bowed to the inevitable and spent a nice peaceful night there.
Next day we braved a stiff wind and a nasty swell to slide over the few miles to Porto Longo.
on the almost uninhabited island of Sapientza. The original plan had been to go for the North East anchorage but the wind wouldn't let us. We saw the other anchorage next day and were very glad we hadn't stopped there. Porto Longo was superb shelter with a large area of excellent holding. The other one was much more exposed and we would have had a sleepless night.
Next day we had a fast though lumpy sail up to Navarino Bay, anchored in the North West corner and had a lovely warm drowsy afternoon and night.

Navarino Bay

Next day we had decided to try to get through the, very shallow, Northern passage and save ourselves 10 miles (a couple of hours) off the journey. So we did our usual checks including testing the bow-thruster when suddenly all electrical power disappeared. No thruster, no instruments, no anchor windlass  not even the engine starter motor. Panic! It took me 10 minutes to track it down to the Sterling battery monitor shunt that measures the total current going into or out of the batteries. It had failed open circuit. I pushed it with a finger and it sparked and seemed to work but one touch on the bow thruster and it was open circuit again. More panic! I dismantled it all and decided there was a dry and possible corroded joint. Hopefully some contact spray and a few good whacks with a hammer have sorted it out!
So off we went to the shallow passage. I had already sounded it out when we were here during the rally so I knew that most of was 1.2M of water over sand. No problem for us. The tricky bits were a few rocks scattered around on the sand and a rocky ledge right at the seaward side of the passage. The first were easily seen and avoided but the ledge was more of a problem as its depth varies from 0.6M (too shallow for us) and 1.5M (no problem at all). Luckily some locals had made a buoy out of a few plastic bottles tied together, a bit of string and something heavy on the bottom and had placed it by one of the larger deep bits. So off we went and made easy if slow progress over the sand. It was too shallow for our ultrasonic depth sounder so Lindsay did it the old fashioned way and dangled a weight on a bit of knotted string over the bow and called out the depth. We spotted the buoy and headed for it. It was only when we passed it that I realised it had moved and was no longer on the ledge! We approached very gingerly and with great trepidation went over a patch of 1M depth and just tipped the keel on the ground. and then, with one bound, we were free! A 6 hour sail and motor got us to Kiparissi.
On the way down there had been loads of space but this time most of the space was taken up by a huge trawler and a couple of smaller fishing boats. Luckily, we spotted Mike and Gilly on Eos of Mersey who kindly let us come alongside.

Marathonissi -  island in Lagana bay

We stayed there for two days, shopping and socialising and then set off for Katakolon and after an uneventful night at anchor, sailed for Limni Keriou on Zakinthos. This tiny port is part of the Marine park protecting the turtle nesting grounds of Lagana bay. However it's in Area C which permits navigation below 6knots and permits anchoring. We were needlessly worried that regulations might have changed etc. In the event, there appears to be little or no enforcement even in areas A and B whioch prohibit navigation. Power boats large, small and day-hired were zipping about everywhere and several sails were skirting the (prohibited) coast. Still, since it is all about protecting rare turtles, we stuck by the rules and wished others would do the same.

Keriou from the taverna above

Limni Keriou turned out to be a little gem. Small, friendly, green and rugged with crystal clear water and excellent holding. We stayed there for two days, swimming, walking and doing a bit of work.

Zante Port

Next stop was Zante - the main port for Zakinthos. It's a huge commercial and ferry port with not a lot to recommend it. We were met by "Robbing Bob" who we had been warned about (thanks Anne). He is unofficial but makes like a harbour master. Takes lines, gives water and electricity, takes down boat details and then take papers and returns them stamped by the Port Police. He then charges upwards of €25 - all without explaining that its all off his own bat. The only real charges are the normal port-police taxes of €8-12 depending on size. We said we would do our own papers and didn't need water or electricity and he slouched off in a huff. The port police turned out to be miles away at the opposite corner of the harbour beside the big church so maybe the service is not that bad value. I just don't like being charged for stuff as if it is an official fee when actually I am paying for an optional service.

The blue cave near Aghios Nikolos - Zakinthos

Aghios Nikolos harbour

We only stayed a night in Zante and then headed up to Aghios Nikolos on the north east tip of the island. It's a lovely spot with an incredibly helpful local family (Dimitros). They offer free water, electricity and even showers and don't even require you to eat in their restaurant. I have to say though that I would feel guilty not doing so at least once. They also run the garage right above the dock and are delighted to either fill cans or run their tanker down to the boat. We bought 66L of diesel. They also run boat trips up the coast to the blue grotto (similar to,  although a lot smaller than, the one in Capri). We took the trip and were very glad we had. Trying to do it in our own boat would have been very difficult, someone would have had to stay on the boat and it was only €7 each.

CA Pelponnese 2012 Rally

CA Cruise from Katakolon to Kalamata

Katakolon

By the afternoon of Monday 21 April, the last couple of boats had arrived in Katakolon and everyone who was going to, had already visited Olympia. The holding was excellent and Leon, the harbour master made us all very welcome with free electricity, rather brown water, free showers & toilets and a very reasonably priced washing machine. Katakolon has a nasty reputation in a South Easterly and unfortunately, there was a prediction of a couple of hours of SE4 in the afternoon and another overnight. We brought the initial Skippers meeting forward to 1600 so as to decide what to do. We decided to go ahead with the Drinks and Nibbles at 1800 and then our planned taverna meal but to keep a weather-eye open.
The party went off well, but no sooner was it finished than up came the predicted wind and shortly afterwards a nasty 1/2 Meter chop. Some boats were rocking up and down violently by over a Meter right next to the quay. A few brave souls stayed on the Quay and went for the meal but over half the boats cast off and anchored round the corner.

Namutoni and the rest of the fleet overtaking Rosa

West winds had persisted for several days beforehand so when we set off next morning for Kiparissi, we had a lumpy passage with the swell and wind over the quarter. It was a relief to all to get into the safe,  sheltered harbour of Kiparissi where we all moored side-to. The port police arrived a couple of hours after we arrived and to our amazement, offered to ferry skippers up to their offices above the harbour. They were very efficient and pleasant and had us all processed in an hour from start to finish.
Kiparissi has excellent shopping although it is a bit of a trek up the hill from the port. We divided into 4 groups for a "pot luck" supper. One group decided to go out for the meal but the rest shared cooking and ate excellent home-cooked food.
On Thursday 24th, most of us decided to sail down to Navarino bay as planned despite predictions of Force 5 winds and considerable residual lumpiness from previous days. Two opted to stay until early the next morning to get a calmer passage and we said goodbye to Charles Reed who had to get back North.

At first, we had to bash our way into a force 4 head wind and a nasty 1.5 Meter swell. By Nissos Proti we were mostly sailing with a beam wind and a quartering sea. Behind N. Proti, we saw gusts above 25Knots which caused some rapid reefing. We were all glad to relax in the shelter of North West Navarino bay - an excellent sandy anchorage, excellent holding and thoroughly sheltered from North and West.

Safe in Navarino

Friday dawned calm and warm - perfect weather for the Olympics organised by the crew of Meanderer. After a morning of preparation organised with military precision by David, the afternoon went off without a hitch. We had Egg tossing, Yacht racing, Dinghy racing, Welly-Wanging, and a Dinghy tug war - all great fun and no heart attacks!

Egg Tossing

Jim Welly Wanging

David pretending its a discus

Yacht Racing

Karen dancing

The original plan had been to have a Barbecue on the beach in the evening.  Sadly it was not to be due to the Greek ban on open fires so instead we took the yachts over to Yialova at the North East corner of the bay and had an excellent meal in Taverna Mylas. The anchorage was adequate - good holding between the weed and occasional flat rocks - but the prevailing West wind threw up enough of a chop to give us a rather rolly night. Early on Saturday morning, after shopping in the surprisingly well stocked village, we all went back to the West side of bay for a calmer sea.

The Spartans among us went for a scramble up to the castle and back via Voidokilia beach organised by Jim. It was challenging for most but very enjoyable with glorious views and a swim at beautiful Voidokilia beach. In the evening Souris Rose ( a lovely CA motor cruiser who met us on their way North) invited us to drinks and nibbles. A few of us went on the prearranged bird watching walk but most of us joined Souris Rose - and what a spread! Jill must have worked all day to make the so-called "nibbles" and the wine was wonderful.
On Sunday, we had a lovely calm sail, with little or no swell for the 15 miles to Methoni where everyone anchored off in lovely firm sand. Even Lucifer the cat seemed to enjoy it! We had a nice relaxing afternoon and evening all doing our own thing. Many visited the magnificent (and free) castle either on Sunday afternoon or Monday.
Monday night was Quiz night organised by Janika Lycka. They found an excellent and very friendly taverna called Palia Istoria (ancient history) in town and we interspersed rounds of quiz with courses of the meal. The level was pitched just right so no team got close to full marks and nobody was left floundering.

On Tuesday we had a late start and VHF skippers meeting and then the made the short passage round to Finikounda. No room in the tiny harbour, but the anchorage is good (unless there is a Southerly) so everyone dropped the hook. We were desperate for water so we temporarily tied alongside a friendly fishing boat so that we get our hose to the only tap in the middle of the southern quay. Jim had arranged an informal talk from Ilias, the owner of Eleni's - the large taverna overlooking the harbour. He turned out to be a fascinating chap and gave us a most interesting insight into the changes he has seen in the village where he has lived all his life (and also some of his excellent olive oil). Afterwards, most people stayed for a slap-up meal and Greek dancing.

After a long leisurely day at anchor, we all went up to Jim's house for a wine tasting. We were presented with 4 white wines and 4 reds in anonymous bottles. Some of the wines were from Greece and some from other countries. I think everyone was surprised when the names were revealed - most people did not choose the most expensive wines as the ones they liked best and Greek wines did well against far more expensive French ones.
Thursday dawned gorgeous. Bright and sunny but not too hot and with just enough wind for a tranquil sail all the way round to Kalamata. The marina was very efficient and most of us were put together on the same pontoon.
Friday was the last day. We all dressed ship partly as the end of the rally and partly in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. Lots of merriment when one unfortunate skipper managed to lose his halyard up the mast and then had to wave two boathooks and a fishing rod (all lashed end to end) around for half an hour trying to catch a dangling, wind-blown flag.

Eos of Mersey hosted a drinks and nibbles party on board where all 24 of us lined up on the starboard side to get a group photo and heeled her over by 30 degrees. and then on to the final dinner in a very Greek Taverna (virtually no English spoken). We had an excellent meal for only €11 per head during which we had a few words, a toast to the Queen and the final of the photo competition.
And what a competition it was  - we had 27 entries on the them of boats all of a high standard and many truly excellent. The winner was this stunning shot of Second Star under the bows of a Cruise Ship in Katakolon.