When I last wrote, my family had just been to visit and we were preparing to meet our friends, Jim and Lynda, the following week. However, the weather forecast (yes, you’ve guessed it) wasn’t looking good. Storms forecast for Thursday and Friday when we were meant to be heading ‘down island’ to meet them in Sami on the island of Cephalonia. Our route would take us from Nidri, down the Meganisi Channel, across the open channel that divides Lefkada and Cephalonia, over to the north tip of Cephalonia and down the channel to Sami, approximately 30-35 miles, 5-6 hours. As forecasted, the storms arrived Thursday and Friday, but we would have a ‘weather window’ on Saturday. However, we suggested to Jim and Lynda that they find out about a hotel room ‘just in case’.
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| Ithaca Cephalonia Channel in the calm |
We left Nidri; all was calm right
up to the end of the Meganisi Channel, which was our ‘deciding point’. If it
looked too bad, we would duck out and into Sivota,...but it looked fine. However,
halfway across the open water the seas started to kick up in that horrible ‘double
swell on the rear quarter’ kind of way. We changed direction and decided to go
down the east side of Ithaca (a slightly smaller island than Cephalonia and in
the lea of the Force 7s coming in through the channel). I texted our friend ‘planned arrival approx 5pm’. Thirty
minutes later, as the seas became more confused I texted our friends ‘sorry, bugging out, ducking into Kioni, will pick you up tomorrow’. Feeling quite bad
about letting our friends down, we prepared to enter the harbour...when we
received a text from Lynda ‘not a
problem, ferry from Sami to Ithaca leaves in 45 mins, will get a taxi and find
you in Kioni’. Yeah!
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| Palearos on the nose |
We had a great week with Jim and
Lynda. Not quite as much sailing as Jim would have liked (almost no wind all
week), but we tried to show them the delights of the southern half of the
Ionian Islands. On Sunday we went from Kioni to Kalamos (excellent lunch and
great cocktail bar later), on Monday northeast to Abelike (on Meganisi), where
we met up with more friends, and dinner. Then on Tuesday we headed northeast to
Palearos on the mainland (great chill out bar on the beach).
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| Georges - Little Vathi |
Wednesday back to
Meganisi but to a different bay, Georges in Little Vathi (great kittens). On
Thursday, we had arranged to leave the boat in Nidri and to take a taxi to the
Southern Ionian Regatta Party.
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| Cute kittens |
Finally,
on Friday, we repeated our journey from the previous Saturday and took Jim and
Lynda back to Fiscado on Cephalonia (which is notoriously difficult to get a
spot on the quay, but we managed to get the most perfect spot, just ahead of
three other boats – that never happens to us). The following morning we said
our farewells and sailed (motored) back to Nidri where we had arranged to meet
friends to go and see a live band that night – phew!
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| Fiscado - Cephalonia |
The fun didn’t stop then, it was
a friend’s birthday the following Tuesday and we had arranged, along with a
whole bunch of people, to have a beach BBQ in Port Atheni on Meganisi...but the
weather was forecast to be stormy for Sunday (again!). We decided to go over
the Port Atheni early, get ourselves safely tied onto the town quay, which we
knew was safe, and stay there until Tuesday. The storm came as forecast, the
lightening show was amazing and the rain torrential. It was even reported on
the Greek news as the weather over the whole of Greece was reported as
phenomenal. However, come Tuesday the weather had settled, the sun came out and
we had a marvellous time at the BBQ by all 12 people, one dog and a stray cat
who thought it would be fun to join us.
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| Rain...rain...and more rain |
We had planned to leave Port
Atheni on Wednesday and come back to Messolonghi early – more storms forecast,
what’s the point of hanging around in all this bad weather?... Well we got a
call from our favourite bar owner, Angie, who said they were having one last
live music night and then closing for the season...so we had to stay just one
more night, which ended up being three more nights as the weather was still bad.
We finally made it to Messolonghi on Sunday 27th September, having
made the 45-mile journey in one hit.
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| Messolonghi Marina at dusk |
And here we have been ever since,
watching each day as more and more of our marina friends arrive to prepare
their boats for winter, before heading back to their own family and friends.
Living in a working boatyard is very interesting, as a myriad of things are
going on all around you all the time. Boats lifted out, people having ‘one last
party’ before going home, boats being power washed at 3am. Yes, 3am! It’s a
long story and one that I will not bore you with, but do ask if you’re
interested!
So that’s it, the end of 2015
sailing season. All 810 miles of it – doesn’t sound much when you say it
quickly, but 542 of that was circumnavigating the Peloponnese which took 46
days, and the remainder was meandering around the Ionian islands once more. By
the time we leave on Messolonghi on Friday we will have been on board Alhambra
186 days this year. We have visited 20 new towns/harbours and been back to old
haunts many times. We have, as usual, met up with old sailing friends, and made
new ones. I have become a cat lover, having foster two kittens at the beginning
of the season.
For those who are interested, for
the whole of the season the overall cost of staying on docks, in harbours or
marinas worked out at €7.20 per day (including power and water). The most
expensive was just under €20 per night, the cheapest free, and the quirkiest €5
and an old pair of deck shoes to a gypsy girl who took our lines! We have seen
more dolphins and turtles this year than ever before – which can only be a good
thing. We visited ancient towns, cities and villages we’ve not been to before
and had dinner in restaurants, cafes, on boats and on beaches. We have been
rained on more than ever before and been in more thunderstorms that I care to
remember!
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| Alhambra's winter home |
And so Alhambra now sits in her
winter cradle...which may well be her summer cradle as well. As some of you may
know, we are off on an exciting trip next year to celebrate major birthdays and
anniversaries. We will get to visit Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and
the Gilli Islands (just off Lombok). We are also moving back into our own house
when we get home, after four years of staying with family and friends over
winter months. Our tenants have moved out and we have the arduous task of
taking all our furniture and possessions out of their storage places and
finding places for them again in our home. I am very much looking forward to
moving home after such a long time away.
We don’t know what 2016 holds for
us, which is why we have no plans set in stone with regard to Alhambra for next
season. It does mean however, that next year’s blog will start early and hopefully
be about some really exciting places and experiences. I have set myself a few
challenges for the year ahead and hope that I will be able to accomplish most
of what I wish to do – some are fun and for me, some are for other
people/organisations who I wish to help. All I can say is that we are both
looking forward to 2016 immensely and hope we can spend some of our time with
as many family and friends as we can.
Thanks for reading. Take care and
see some of you soon.
Michele and Dave
about to leave Alhambra...see you next year!
