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.

Made it to Katakolon

We put the Spinnaker up in the vain hope of getting a sail but it wasn't to be. We motored gently on a flat sea all the way to Killini and passed a turtle gently swimming on the surface. The only highlight after that was dodging a couple of ferry's that didn't come within a couple of Miles!
Killini is pretty full of fishing boats and large trawlers so we decided to anchor. You can anchor just outside the port with good holding and plenty of shelter but the bottom comes up very quickly and very unevenly - in particular there is a 1M patch just outside the harbor entrance. The water isn't clear so you can't see the bottom. We followed contours for half an hour until we were sure of the shape of the seabed then dropped the hook in a nice wide (but invisible) bay. Meanderer arrived as we were settling down.

Next day we left them there as they were picking up their friends in a couple of days and headed off down to Katakolon. The voyage was much lumpier than we expected and poor Lucifer had a dreadful time. We even spotted a couple of incipient twisters forming which scared me enough to drop the sails. Fortunately, they didn't touch down and just faded away!

Katakolon is a large harbor primarily for huge cruise liners - some days three at a time. The harbor master, Leon, is incredibly helpful but can be a bit touchy. He got very cross with some dutch people who didn't notice (or possibly just ignored) the instructions to call on VHF12.
He offers mooring (including port fees) electricity, showers, clean toilets, water (although rather brown and not attractive for putting in tanks) all for €10 per night. He also has a washing machine for only €2.50 a load. The port police are far too busy with cruise ships to bother with yachts so they seem to delegate everything to Leon.
Katakolon is a strange place. It has a couple of small supermarkets, a good bakery, etc but almost all the shops are shut until a cruise ship comes in. Then suddenly everything and everyone wakes up, all the tourist shops hustle for business for a few hours until the ship sails and everyone shuts up and goes back to sleep.
We made friends with a lovely Australian Pete and his friend Lyn. They have a lovely little boat which they have nearly finished doing up and then are off the slow way back to Aus. We took them out for a short sail to see how the autopilot works and they invited us up for a barby.

The reason the cruise ships (and we) were in Katakolon was to visit Olympia. This is possible by train (amazingly cheap and comfortable), by bus, by taxi or by hire car. We took a car because we also wanted to shop and pick up our guests in nearby Pirgos. We were charged €35 for an almost new Panda by Christos which is pretty reasonable. unfortunately, he has a stupidly small milage (€0.22 per km after the first 120km). That is only enough to go to Pirgos once and then straight to Olympia and back. We ran up €8.80 although he did reduce it to €5.00 when I complained. Avis does unlimited milage for €40 which would have been better as we would not have felt constrained and could have made a side trip or two.
Olympia was lovely - a very peaceful and atmospheric place (at least if you get there before the Cruise ship parties arrive). I did a bit of sketching while the others yomped all around the site.




By Monday all the Rally participants had arrived. See next weeks blog... 

Gulfs of Corinth and Patras

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.

To the Corinth Canal

Next day we headed up to Porto Heli. Unfortunately, there was no useful wind most of the way although we did get a couple of hours sail at the end. We had our usual excellent anchorage and were able to relax and have a good nights sleep.
We planned to go to Hydra the next day and - being so small and crowded, wanted to get there early so we had a crack of dawn start. We were there by 11.00, all tied up and looking forward to a day there culminating in a good dinner at a taverna. Hydra is a charming little town on a steep and sparsely populated island - with no motorised land transport - just donkeys and hand carts. The harbour is very small and crowded and unfortunately was too difficult for Meandrer who, after a valiant attempt, bailed out and headed for Poros. We we untied and headed there too. We ended up having an excellent meal at the Posidonia taverna so all was well. We stayed Sunday too as Alex and Emma had to get back home via Athens - I took the opportunity to draw and paint the Taverna.
The next day was Monday and off we went to the excellent chandler - the best I know in the Aegean. He managed to get an open cell domestic battery for David and new mooring warps for us from Athens that evening. We spent the day and night in Russian bay - just taking Rosa in to the quay in Poros for a few minutes to pick up the goods. We were moored next to a lovely little wooden yacht and I took another opportunity to paint - which came out surprisingly well.

On Tuesday May 1st, we motored round to Palaia Epidavros (not a breath of wind). We initially went on the quay and were met by the port police who asked us to report to them after 1700. We then found that the amphitheater wasn't open (a May 1st strike apparently) and since it was hot and a bit sticky, we joined Meanderer in the anchorage - a very good move as it was cooler and we could swim.
After lunch we were joined by a small charter yacht who laid their anchor to the bitter end which then plopped into the sea and disappeared! It seems that the charter company hadn't bothered to tie it on. They needed a hands so we tied their boat onto Rosa then all spent a happy two hours dredging his chain up with dinghy anchors - a surprisingly difficult task when the chain is too deep to see. In the evening we went off to the port police and to my great surprise were charged for swinging at our own anchor. Only €3.81 but stuck in the craw a bit.
Early next morning, we left for the short run to Korfos - yet again no wind. We swung at anchor with the idea of getting off early next day to go through the canal. After a peaceful night, we weighed anchor at 0700 only to find that it was heavily encased in a fisherman's net. It took an hour to cut it free all the time alternately drifting close to shore and motoring backwards (dragging the net) to get into deep water - with heart in mouth in case we got the damned thing round the prop. With hind-sight, I should have dropped the kedge after the first motoring session.
The canal passage was smooth and efficient although expensive. We were lucky that huge floating crane completed its passage and came out just as we got there or else we would have been waiting for hours.

That evening, together with Gilly and David, we had been invited to dinner with some very posh friends of theirs so we pulled into Corinth. We rafted up on the only hammerhead and hired a car for only €30 from a nice greek car hire company.

We had dinner with Nicolas Egon who is a famous artist (This is one of his pictures) and his wife Matty who owns a major Greek shipping company. Both were delightful company and we had a really memorable evening. Nicholas uses a technique of water color overlaid with pastel to give detail and brightness. I'm definitely going to give it a go.

Along the top of Crete

We had originally intended to head for Dhia and then straight for Milos. In the event, we would have been battling into a head wind for two days which was not a very appetizing prospect. So we changed plans and instead hopped along the northern coast of Crete in company with Meanderer.
After a long motor against wind and swell, our first stop was Dhia - an uninhabited island just north of the capital, Heraklion. Poor Lucifer (our newly acquired ship's cat) was seasick most of the way and looked very sorry for himself. With the strong westerlies we were expecting, we heard rumors that the most easterly bay would be best. We tried but nothing we did would make the anchor stick. So instead we tucked ourselves into the head of the dog-leg bay next to the west. It was a lovely peaceful spot despite some fierce gusts and the anchor was absolutely solid. I was a bit worried about a fishing net that seemed to be draped around the bay below us - but it seemed to be well below the keel so I didn't pay it much heed.
Next morning we were up with the dawn for the long haul against a head wind to Rethymno. Unfortunately, the net was all tangled up in the anchor chain and I had to cut it free - feeling rather guilty about some poor fisherman's livelihood as I did so. The voyage was spectacular on a sparkling blue sea with cliffs towering above us backed by the snow-capped White Mountain. The only disappointment was that we had to motor-sail all the way. L had got a tranquilizer down the cat but he still looked pretty miserable and mostly hid down below. We stopped for lunch ar Biali - another beautiful bay.
Gilly on Meanderer had broken her teeth and we had to find a dentist on Monday Morning so we had several hours to explore Rethymno which is lovely. The marina seems very safe and is very cheap (seems to be standard Greek port charges with a little optional extra for water and/or electricity). The town seems to have plenty of supplies, and a lovely old-town around the Venetian harbor and Castle. Fresh fish are sold by the fishermen on stalls beside the harbor.
After Gilly got her smile back we did a short hop to Palaiosoudha - a pretty little bay under Akrotiri. We watched the sun go down on a perfect evening with geese swimming around - Lucifer found them fascinating.
And so to Gramvousa on the far northwest corner of Crete. We wanted to get there in time for a nice walk up to the castle so we set of in the dark. We got a little sailing in but again mostly motored into light headwinds. Cat seems to be getting his sea-legs as he wasn't anywhere near so miserable. Gramvouse is spectacular - a sandy lagoon, completely isolated (not even a road) surrounded by high cliffs and mountains. Well worth a repeat visit for longer. The only catch being that there is no cellphone signal so we can't get weather forecasts.

Sadly, on the way, the toilet pump blocked so instead of strolling around the bay, I spent three hours upside down in toilet plumbing. Yummy!

Next day (Wednesday) the winds were forecast to be strongish but from the south so we should get a good sail up to Kithera. As it turned out we never saw the southerly but still had a nice beam wind all the way. Typically it started to get uncomfortably strong with a nasty swell as we approached our chosen destination - Avelomonas. It looked untenable so we diverted to Diakofti a few miles to the north. We're there as I write being blown all over the place but (touch wood) safe and with no driven waves. On the way in, we passed a spectacular wreck where a cargo ship seems to have tried to do a James Bond over a small island.
Lucifer seems to have found his sea-legs and is getting a lot more adventurous. The boom now seems to be a favorite place where he either perches on top or worms his way under the mainsail cover becoming completely invisible and panicking L who thought he had gone overboard! Now all we have to do is to stop him jumping up on the solar panels and decapitating himself in the wind-generator blades!
After a windy but safe night, we headed for Monemvasia on the Peloponnese.....