Launch day |
So we are finally on our way.
Much of the last six weeks was taken up with the usual fixing things, getting
the boat ready to go in the water and waving farewell to those who were setting
off before us.
The morning our friends Steve and Jenny on Lilla left, we received
an early morning phone call from them saying that they were towing another boat
back to the marina, as it had broken down a few miles outside the canal
entrance, and could we come and take their lines, which of course we did. It
turns out that Mervyn and Sandra on Gitano had left bright and early that
morning, only to be left wallowing around in the sea, hoping that another boat
would come and help them. After a couple of days of investigation, it appears
that Gitano’s heat exchanger and failed. Fortunately for Mervyn and Sandra they
have a car here in Greece and, in order to alleviate the boredom, (and to get
the parts he needed), we all took a road trip to Athens – 3 ½ hours there, 40
minutes to park the car, 45 minutes in the Yanmar shop, and 3 ½ hours back – a day
well spent. In truth it was actually quite fun, that’s what we keep telling ourselves.
Living the dream now!
Steve and Jenny on Lilla |
Anyway, I digress, as always. We
were actually waiting for Steve and Jenny to return from Lefkas (where they
were having many new toys fitted to their new boat, the same make as Alhambra)
before we would set sail, in tandem, around the Peloponnese. We were to meet
them in Ay Nicholas, on the north east corner of Zakynthos, an island we have
not visited before. The weather looked favourable for the next couple of days
and we agreed to meet on Tuesday 2nd June.
However, the day before, we
received an e-mail to say that Steve and Jenny had a problem and that they were
stuck in Poros on Cephalonia...what sort of problem? Well, without going into
too much detail, the 1st June was a full moon, which means high
tides, which normally in the Med does not cause a problem...but in Poros...
there is a shallow area in front of the town quay, which normally does not
cause a depth problem, but today it did for Steve and Jenny. They were stuck
behind the shallows. So after much effort on their part to lighten their boat,
and wait for high tide, they finally managed to ‘escape’, and their planned
departure was back on schedule. It’s something you get out of the habit of
thinking about – tidal heights, especially us, as we only draw 1.45m, we wouldn’t
get stuck anywhere...or would we?
Leaving Messolonghi Canal |
And so, as planned, we left
Messolonghi Marina on Tuesday morning, within 10 minutes of our planned
departure time! Having wintered in Messolonghi for a few years now, we are very
familiar with the exit canal and the buoys, and so I went below to finish a few
things, and note our departure time, when suddenly the boat rocked, I assumed
caused by a wake of something going past, but nothing that had gone past. I
came back up on deck to investigate...we had gone aground! Whilst leaving the
lagoon, David was listening to the engine to make sure all was OK, and his mind
had slipped back into the Caribbean buoyage system, which is opposite to
European system, and we were now on the wrong side of the buoy!!! Needless to
say we removed ourselves from the mud and got back on the right track –
hopefully these will be the worst of our incidents as we start our
circumnavigation of the Peloponnese.
For those of you who are
unfamiliar with Greece’s geography, the Peloponnese lies at the southern end of
mainland Greece, almost a huge island itself, attached at the point of the
Corinth Canal (which we passed through last year). Along its north coast are
the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth respectively, to its east are the islands of
the Cyclades, to the south east is the island of Crete, Africa on its west
coast, and Italy on its north west coast. The centre of the Peloponnese is
mountainous, but two principal mountains ranges, the Taiyetos and the Parnon running
south, ending in Cape Matapan and Cape Malea respectively. Our Greek Waters
Pilot guide continues to tell us,
‘like the mountains, the peoples of this
country have been rugged and tough. It was known in ancient times as the Island
of Pelops, hence Peloponnese...around 2000BC it was invaded by the first Greek-speaking peoples, a warrior
race from whom the heroes Perseus and Pericles were probably derived. Later
came the Mycenaeans and later the Spartans. Then came the Free Laconian League,
whose descendants acquired the name Maniotes, who were the fiercest race. They
lived in clans and feuds were commonplace. Families built towers to shelter
from reprisals and these strange structures still exist on the Mani peninsula...
‘...Along the coastline the forts and
castles at strategic points tell of the importance of the Peloponnese as part
of the trade route between the Aegean and Europe. Until the Corinth Canal was
cut, most of the trade between east and west passed around this lonely stretch
of coast. Whoever controlled this route controlled the flow of spices...’
Ay Nicholas |
However, as I have already mentioned,
before we even get to the Peloponnese, we are first visiting Zakynthos. Ay
Nicholas is a tiny fishing port/village, which is situated very close to the
Blue Caves of Zakynthos (although there are in fact three sets of Blue Caves on
Zakynthos), and Shipwreck Beach. Steve and Jenny are already tied on the quay
when we arrived, and had managed to save us the last spot.
Alhambra at Ay Nicholas |
Dimitri, an
enterprising young man who runs the fuel station, a restaurant, and many
tripper boats (Theodores Cruises), takes care of making sure everyone can get
on the town quay, in a calm and polite fashion. As it is a town quay, he cannot,
and does not expect you to use any of his businesses, but knows that a helping
hand will always be richly rewarded, and I can vouch for his fresh BBQ fish and
rabbit stew. We also decided that a visit to the Blue Caves and Shipwreck Bay
would be easier on his tripper boat.
Shipwreck... |
Shipwreck Bay is so named because,
yes you’ve guessed it, there is a shipwreck in it and the story goes that... (http://www.zanteguru.com - this website is
one that I found gave the most useful information on Zakynthos).
‘In 1980, a freighter was pursued by the
Greek Navy. The crew were suspected of smuggling contraband and the navy chased
the ship through the Ionian Sea.
Allegedly there was 'wine, tobacco and women'
on board and the chase came to an abrupt end when the ship ran aground in
stormy weather on the coast to the north of the island at Porto Vromi.
Hoards of tourists |
The beach is stunning,
overshadowed by 600ft cliffs on all sides, but the sea entrance. There are no
roads to the beach, access is only by boat. There are no facilities (toilets,
drinks vendors, beach chairs or umbrellas), the only shade from the mid-day
sun, is in the shadow of the shipwreck.
The rusting wreck sits peacefully, as
thousands of people wander around is decaying structure, writing their names
and general graffiti across its hulls. There are no fences or wires to stop you
from going anywhere you wish. For me, it was a reminder of what nature’s storms
can do, even to a ship that size.
Dimitri in his boat |
An hour later, Dimitri collects us and we
return along the same coastal route, but this time much closer to the cliffs.
If I were a geologist I would be able to elaborate more eloquently about the
astonishing rock formations that we past, as we sped along on our tripper boat.
A few minutes later we arrived at a cave, the Blue Caves. We looked at the entrance,
and then we looked at the size of our boat, it looked at bit like a child’s
puzzle...no, surely this boat will not fit in that cave...yes it did.
Dimitri expertly manoeuvred the tripper boat right up inside the cave. He gave everyone time to take photos and somehow turned 180 degrees around and allowed us time to take photos on the other side. All four of us sailors were very impressed. He continued along the coast a little way, until we reached the Blue Arches, and again adeptly took the boat through the centre, always pointing out interesting facts. Our final treat was a swim into a cave. I have to admit the water was, how shall we say, blooming cold, but the swell helped you along and into the expanse beyond the cave entrance. The water was a stunning shade of blue reflecting up onto the ceiling – shame I didn’t have an underwater camera.
The town harbour is a big
commercial harbour with enormous ferries coming and going all day, but you
almost don’t notice them as they are on the opposite side of the harbour. The mooring
for small boats and yachts is along the sea wall, and along the main street.
The Town Council has not allowed music bars and discos along the main street,
these are further out of town, along with most of the hotels and beach resorts,
so in a sense it still has a very Greek feel about it, especially if you go
along the back streets and find the real Greece.
The following day started with overcast skies and drizzle, so we decided to go south to visit Turtle Bay; a bay supposedly protecting nesting turtles, with very few places to anchor. However, on route we spotted a Lidl – quick shop stop! By the time we had finished shopping, the rain had stopped. However, stopping at Turtle Bay allowed us to make up our minds not to take the boat there the following day. It is a very open bay and given the forecast it would make for a very rolly night (later confirmed by friends who did stop there overnight). Also, looking at the number of little motor boats for hire, I’m not sure how much protection the turtles are actually getting.
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Blue arches |
Dimitri expertly manoeuvred the tripper boat right up inside the cave. He gave everyone time to take photos and somehow turned 180 degrees around and allowed us time to take photos on the other side. All four of us sailors were very impressed. He continued along the coast a little way, until we reached the Blue Arches, and again adeptly took the boat through the centre, always pointing out interesting facts. Our final treat was a swim into a cave. I have to admit the water was, how shall we say, blooming cold, but the swell helped you along and into the expanse beyond the cave entrance. The water was a stunning shade of blue reflecting up onto the ceiling – shame I didn’t have an underwater camera.
Alhambra - sailing! |
The following day, we said our
farewells to Dimitri and his family and headed 14 miles south to Zante town. We
were a little dubious of going to Zante Town, as the reports we had heard were
not all that favourable. Unfortunately for Zakynthos, it is another island that
suffered tremendously in the 1953 earthquake, and almost all of its Venetian buildings
were lost, and the rebuild has not been to the same standards. But I would
imagine if you are trying to re-house a whole island, you primary concern is not
aesthetics, but homes, hospitals and schools, and trying to rebuild businesses.
Personally we liked it.
Zante Town Harbour |
As we arrived, a very nice man,
Marinos, showed us where to dock; he arranged all our port police paperwork and
sorted out the power and water. He also arranged a car the following day for
us, delivered to our boat – never had that before.
Many boats at Turtle Bay |
The following day started with overcast skies and drizzle, so we decided to go south to visit Turtle Bay; a bay supposedly protecting nesting turtles, with very few places to anchor. However, on route we spotted a Lidl – quick shop stop! By the time we had finished shopping, the rain had stopped. However, stopping at Turtle Bay allowed us to make up our minds not to take the boat there the following day. It is a very open bay and given the forecast it would make for a very rolly night (later confirmed by friends who did stop there overnight). Also, looking at the number of little motor boats for hire, I’m not sure how much protection the turtles are actually getting.
View from Kampi, west coast |
We continued around the island
and decided to stop at Kampi for lunch, a small village in the middle of the
west coast, set high on the cliffs, where there is a large white cross, made of
white stone and stands in memory of all those who lost their lives during the
years of occupation on the island. The views are stunning, and lunch wasn’t bad
either. Next stop, Shipwreck Bay, from above.
View of Shipwreck Bay from above |
After continuing along the west coast,
we found the road to Navagio Bay, AKA Shipwreck Bay, where the enterprising
Greeks have made a car park, a viewing platform and there are a couple of merchants
selling oil and honey. Unfortunately there were so many people there, I couldn’t
get to the right place on the viewing platform to actually see the shipwreck
from above – but the water did look very blue. We ended the day back at Ay
Nicholas and Dimitri for a milkshake and a coffee, before heading back to Zante
town.
With plans for dinner agreed we
had one last trip to make in the car, and that was for pre-dinner drinks in the
ancient town of Bohali, a small village and castle, nestling in trees above
Zante town. The setting provides a stunning view of the harbour and town. Time
for dinner!
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Zante town and harbour from Bohali |
The following morning Steve and
Jenny left for Katakolon, but were unfortunately delayed by not one crossed
anchor, but two boats had laid their chain across theirs. It didn’t take long
to sort out, but it’s never the best way to start the day. They have two friends
arriving, who will be staying with them for a month, while we circumnavigate
the Peloponnese.
We hung around in Zante Town for
another day and then had a very pleasant motor across to the mainland and into
Katakolon. From here, we will take a train up to Ancient Olympia...but that’s
all for next time.
As always, stay in touch; let us
know what’s going on in your lives.
Michele and Dave
On board Alhambra – Katakolon,
Peloponnese, Greece
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