I should first start by explaining why
there has been such a long break between this post and the last. It
was always planned that I would return to UK at the end of this leg
to visit elderly relatives (in their 90s') and attend the wedding of
the daughter of lifelong friends. Sadly whilst I was in UK my mother
passed away and so a short stay had to be extended to cope with all
the organisation that surrounds such an event. A planned 10 day stay
became a 24 day one. The blog that was going to be written in spare
time in the UK simply never got written, until now!
Enough sadness.
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| Zakynthos Harbour from above the town |
Tim was originally due to join me in Ayios Nikolaos, on the north east corner of Zakynthos. Despite visiting the bus station and trying all means I knew to get a taxi at a sensible price a journey from airport to Ayios Nikolaos was destined to be upwards of €60. It was evidently €50 cheaper for me to motor back to Zakynthos town and pick him up. It was flat calm anyway!
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| Wreck Beach, Zakynthos |
With Tim safely onboard we set off on a
clockwise circumnavigation of Zakynthos, stopping overnight at Ornos
Keri, in the Bay of Laganas (famous as a turtle breeding beach
amongst other things!), a night in Wreck Bay on the NW corner (most
photographed beach in Greece!). This proved to be an uncomfortable
night due to the wind getting up from the north for a brief period,
just long enough to create a sea, but worth it to have the beach to
ourselves in the early morning; a rare treat. We ended with a final
night in Zakynthos in Ayios Nikolaos tied back to the rocks in front
of the tavernas. The taverna owners are expert at getting you tied
back somehow, swimming out to take your lines.
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| Kurukulla anchored Sarakiniko, Ithaca |
On the 2nd of July we set
off northwards to Cephalonia, anchoring off the long sandy beach at
Ornos Katelios, near the southern tip of the island, for the night
before heading on up the east coast to the island of Ithaca and the
anchorage at Ormos Sarakiniko. The final stages of the sail were
challenging, with two reefs in the main and the Genoa well reefed,
hence we were glad to reach the shelter of the anchorage. Space was
tight. Locals had laid a random selection of buoys fouling the
available anchorage area and declared a swimming area closer in.
Yachts wishing to anchor there were obviously not a consideration!
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| One House Bay, Atokos |
We
were first in the anchorage and chose the only really tenable
position in this small bay. We watched later, with interest, as two
other boats tried several times to find a second suitable spot but
without complete success. Both spent a nervous night swinging close
to the rocks. The bay was delightful and fairly well sheltered but
only if you were first in!
Next morning we set off for a gentle
sail to Atokos island and anchored in “One House Bay”. This
almost deserted island (it has one house and a chapel on it) is
delightful but popular! By day the bay is full of boats visiting for
the day but by the evening we were able to get a good anchorage spot,
on sand, and anchor near the beach.
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| Chapel at one House Bay, Atokos |
That night only three of us
stayed and we had by far the best spot again.
From Atokos we sailed back to the north
of Ithika, to Frikes, finding a delightful bay just to the north of
he main harbour in which to anchor and tie back for the rest of the
day and the following night.
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| Windsurf Beach, Frikes, Ithaca |
On the beach were the remains of
someone’s dream, an old motorboat, previously used as a windsurf
school base, still bearing graffiti from the last instructors who
worked there some 20 years back. Next morning we moved into Frikes
harbour itself to see the town and get some fresh victuals.
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| Frikes, Ithaca |
After an
enjoyable afternoon in Frikes we set sail across the straights toOrnos Doluicha where we spent the night before heading on to
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| Ornos Doulicha, Kefalonia |
Fiskardho, a much much more commercial town then Frikes but also easier to get to
from the airport in Cephalonia for our two new joiners, Stephen and
Andrew. On our arrival the only available berth was one tied back to
the jetty but 10m from it. With some assistance from our neighbours
either side we opened the gap, slotted in, and Tim swam the lines
ashore. Some six hours later, just before midnight our two new guests
arrived.
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| Fiskardho |
Next morning we set off north towards
Levkas, enjoying a very pleasant sail in moderate winds. With no
overnight stop destination in mind we simply cruised the east coast
until something took our fancy. In the end it was a small beach just
south of Ormos Dessimou that took our fancy and we tied back to the
rocks and settled in for the night.
Next day we headed to Meganisi for a
quiet day at anchor and then the day after we headed north through
the Levkas Canal spending the night in Levkas Marina (very expensive)
and enjoying a meal ashore in Levkas town.
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| Supper at Ey Zyn (Good Life) Levkas |
From here it was to
Preveza where I had promised to check out a friends boat ashore in
the Aktio Marina, and to remove and despatch the life-raft for
servicing so that it would be ready for a planned launch date in a
few weeks time.
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| Approaching Levkas swing bridge |
After a night at anchor off Preveza town we
re-anchored off Aktio Marina and the crew went for a tour of Preveza
whilst I got on with the tasks ashore. By mid afternoon we were
reunited and sailed east up the inland sea to Vonitsa where we spent
a very pleasant night at anchor. The only downside of the inland sea
here is the green water, a product of a mixture of salt and fresh
water plus excessive quantities of fish food from the fish farms and
nitrates from the farms around and about.
Next day we sailed out of Preveza
channel and northwards towards Corfu. A night in Gaios, Paxos
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| Gaios, Paxos |
was followed by Nisos Sivota
/ Ay Nikolaos just off Mourtos where we stopped for a day of swimming
and later in the day anchored between the two islands for an evening
BBQ on the sand spit that prevents passage between the islands.
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| Anchoring off Mourtos Island |
The
following day it was lunch in Mourtos followed by a night at anchor
Ornos Valtou, a wonderfully protected anchorage in 3m of water and
protected from all sides.
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| Gouvia Bay, Corfu |
From here it was onwards to Corfu, a
meal ashore in a taverna and then into Gouvia Marina to say goodbye
to the friends onboard and to await the arrival of Nigel and Sarah,
plus Giles and Fi. All long-standing friends of mine who wee to use
Kurukulla whilst I was back in UK visiting relations and attending a
wedding in France. In the event, as stated above, my stay was to be
prolonged by 10 days due to the death of my mother, a blessed release
but traumatic all the same.
Following the funeral etc. I finally
headed back to Corfu some 10 days later than planned and set about
catching up on the programme.
More of the next leg in the next
edition.......
