Sailing Aglaya

We have now set off from the south of the island of Lefkas heading north.  Because the bridge at Lefkada is out of order, this meant that we had to sail west around the outside of the island of Lefkas towards Preveza, a relatively long stretch with no bays or harbors. Initially, a strong northerly wind was forecast on our way north - from the front. We first weathered it off on the east side of Lefkas in the now well-known and beautiful Dhésimou Bay, at anchor, even with a few nice swims.

But the wind was so strong that we stayed there for three days, partly because there was no space available on any of the many piers in Sivota in the south of Lefkas - everybody was waiting for the wind to turn for sailing north.

Finally we found “The Cove”, a jetty in Sivota, which was not only very reasonably priced (no need to go out to eat anywhere), but also wonderfully well-maintained and with the best service, Dimitris was always present, very nice. We stayed three nights, enjoyed the good draught beer at Stavros and took long walks around the bay with breathtaking views of Ithaca, Kefallonia, Oxia, Meganisi, Atokos, Arkoudi and many other islands.  

Then we had to set off after all - 10 miles west around Cape Doukatou, then 25 miles north along the spectacular west coast of Lefkas with its white vertical cliffs. We had already sailed here from north to south in early summer and spent a night at anchor. No wind, but lots of swell. Rollercoaster with engine ... long, annoying rocking until Preveza. Once there, it was cloudy and rainy again and we anchored in the large bay behind the town, with the Ambracian Gulf in front of us. Until we got too close to our Irish neighbor - the anchor slipped. So we looked for a new anchorage in drizzling rain and strong winds and after two attempts, the anchor was in place - for a day and a night full of thunderstorms, rain and strong winds. At least - ouzo, wine and a good meal from the pantry were still available.

The next day, we left the bay of Preveza for Paxos. Gray weather, wind from the front, heavy swell, heavy fiddling, that's what they call this roller coaster course. Not nice! In Gaios on Paxos - the St. Tropez of the Ionian Sea! - we moored at the well-known floating dock with the horrible mooring lines, but next to two incredibly funny Brits, next to whom we had already moored in Preveza - a bit Monty Python, nice. In the evening we enjoyed a delicious meal in a good fish restaurant, excellent - it was a must.

The next day, on the way to Corfu, 13 miles to the beautiful Sivota on the mainland, which we have known for a long time, again in incredibly heavy swell, again too little wind, again violin course, again flying back and forth below deck ... then finally calm and sun in the harbor, Petros welcomed us, all is good.

Today we went straight to Kerkyra Town. Now we moor in the beautiful Mandraki Marina below the old fortress and are looking forward to the visit of Gisela‘s nephew Felix. He comes tomorrow.

… says the Kurpfälzer or the Kurpfälzerin.  This means something like “first of all, things turn out differently...”. That's what's happening to us at the moment: the northern and southern Ionian Islands are separated by the island of Lefkas. A canal leads to this island from the south, over which there is a floating bridge, the only car connection to the island and the only way to get north or south by boat. The bridge opens once every hour so that boats can pass through without having to drive around the outside of the island, which is spectacularly scenic but inconvenient. There are no safe anchorages on the route, it is open sea and Italy is opposite.

Suddenly we are informed that the bridge's safety certificate has expired, that the bridge has to go into dry dock and that the passage is now closed to boats until further notice. Nobody knows for how long. Dozens to hundreds of charter sailors who were travelling north or south and have to drop off their boats on time now have a 60-mile detour ahead of them, and many will not arrive in time.

For us it's just inconvenient, a detour, but we still have enough time before we pick up our guest Felix in Kerkyra.

This is Greece - after all, Christmas always comes unexpectedly and unexpectedly ......

After spending six days in the cozy port of Agia Eufemia (Kefallonia island) - first at anchor and then at the pier - we headed north.

We already knew the neighboring island, Ithaca, the island of Odysseus, but not yet the north coast. So, with the weather still very changeable, we sailed into Avales Bay, a beautiful bay open to the north at the northern tip of Ithaca. We anchored here and lay calm and safe - until the storm came. With stormy gusts and downpours. Of course, we had once again forgotten the tarpaulin that seals our slightly leaky hatch above the sleeping berth. What to do in the downpour? Walter undressed stark naked and ran on deck, put the tarpaulin over the hatch and weighed it down. Better than having a wet bed.

In the meantime, the weather became a little more stable and calmer, not so many thunderstorm cells, not so many dense clouds. So we weighed anchor and sailed a few miles to the north, sometimes with a good wind, into the deep bay of Sivota in the south of the island of Lefkas. We were already familiar with Iannis' pontoon, where you moor at the jetty of the Taverna Delfinia and get electricity and water if you eat there - a real win-win situation. There is still a lot of building activity in Sivota, with vacation apartments and villas being built on the steep slopes. There are wonderful views of the islands of Arkoudi, Atokos, Meganisi, Draghonera and Ochia to the south, and of course the high mountains on the mainland. The scenery is like a huge inland sea with lots of mountain peaks on the horizon.

Iannis had space for us for two nights, then the next flotillas arrived. Enough time for a big wash and a short hike. Then we continued northeast, past the islands of Kastos and Kalamos into the large, wide bay of Mytikas. The weather remained calm, so we were able to anchor quietly and safely next to the (always crowded and too hectic) harbor.

The next day: Kastos, a tiny village on the island of the same name, which is highly praised for its idyllic setting and its windmill converted into a bar - but that's precisely why: The small harbor filled to capacity with sailboats, the semicircular beach in front of the village packed tightly with boats tied up with shore lines, not a place we like.

So we anchored free in front of the small beach next to the harbor, a nice spot, but in front of a rock face, and the wind was supposed to shift. In the meantime, there were about 10 boats moored next to us that hadn't found a place either. Bathing and swimming among countless small fish - wonderful.

The anchor held, the wind shifted at two in the morning and brought a swell that made it hard for us to sleep peacefully because of all the rocking, we rolled back and forth in bed.

Then we weighed anchor and sailed halfway around the island in a north-easterly direction. Our destination was the island of Meganisi, where we found a small bay, Karnagio. The bays on Meganisi are all narrow, deeply cut, like fjords, you anchor close to the shore with a bow anchor and shore line, but we weren't comfortable with that. Karnagio is a restaurant that has built a long catwalk on the shore. There, as in Sivota, you have electricity, water, showers - and you can eat.

Karnagio is a pure idyll with a small shady beach in front of the restaurant, crystal-clear water, trees directly behind the jetty - you get the impression you're in the forest.

What's more, the village of Vathy is just a short walk away - it's beautiful here.

So we stayed for two days and enjoyed swimming, walking, eating and the scenery.

Kefallonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands, it also has the highest mountain of the islands, Ainos, 1628m. Last year we were in the main town of Argostoli and spent several days there in a deserted marina, taking the bus across the island - beautiful.

Now we've been here in Agia Eufemia for 6 days, 2 of them at anchor, then at the pier. The weather is very changeable, so we prefer the pier with its many tavernas and stores.

We hired a car for a day and went to see the places we hadn't seen before - simply amazing.

We first went along the large bay of Sami to the Melissani karst spring. Like many other tourists, we let ourselves be rowed through the crystal clear water, looked up into the sky and laughed at our rower's jokes. The water that collects there flows underground to the south for 14 days. After about 30 km it arrives at Argostoli. Last year we had seen where it comes to the surface again.

Melissani karst spring

Then we went up high into the national park on the Ainos peak with its huge forests of Kefallonia pines, which got their name from here. A bit like the Allgäu, but with indescribable views of Argostoli, the sea and the southernmost of the islands, Zakynthos. The western side is extremely steep, so that we look directly down to the turquoise sea 1600 m below us.

Ainos National Park

We continue through karstified, sometimes desert-like mountains down to Argostoli, then back up onto the road, which is cut into the steep slope high above the west coast, with views of bays with vertical rock faces.

Then a highlight: a tiny narrow road down to Myrtos Beach, said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. And it's true. Incredible turquoise, a huge white beach in front of vertical white cliffs with caves and grottos.

Myrtos Beach

As we were in the Northwest of the Island already we visited Assos, a spectacular village situated on a headland between two bays, with a Byzantine fortress. Car-free. Colourful little houses, a fishing port, beautiful tavernas - also wonderful. The return journey then takes us through rather lovely green valleys with palm trees, yuccas and cypresses, and is of course also extremely winding.

Assos

At the end of the trip, we returned to the taverna Palazzo al Mare, where we enjoyed excellent food and good wine - then we had to digest all our experiences with an ouzo on board.

We stayed two more days, because Poros is a nice little cozy town in the southeast of Kefalonia, 12 km from the southern tip. One day we went on a wonderful hike along the coast.

The harbor is not very big, there is a pier and a pontoon, a floating dock. Actually, only catamarans are supposed to moor alongside the pontoon, so that there is more space for monohulls on the pier. We arrived and the harbour master was nowhere in sight, so we moored up on the floating dock next to a beautiful old-style boat similar to ours. When the harbour master arrived, he got angry, because we hadn't paid attention to the pylons that were supposed to emphasize the mooring ban.

On the boat opposite, a tiny hysterical dog barked quite loudly and for a long time. “Its 2000 euros for the noise” said Spyros, the harbor master. He not only speaks fluent English like many Greeks, but also excellent German, a little Polish and Spanish too. Depending on the flag, he speaks to the sailors in their own language and is very funny. “Do you want the papers?” “No. I'm only interested in money”.

Tirelessly, from morning to night, Spyros helps the boats to moor, and because heavy weather was forecast, the harbor was packed and Spyros was ready to go.

We got into a good conversation, Spyros is very nice and humorous. He also visited us on our boat and was impressed by all the wood below deck.  We asked him what he does in winter when it's not the season and there are no boats. He then explained to us that he is actually a baker by trade. And in winter, he has a bread stand at the Christmas market at the Rotes Rathaus in Berlin. Maybe we'll see each other in Berlin or Heidelberg.

The small town of Palairos on the mainland with its harbour is cosy. We spent a few days here last year. We bring fresh fish and delicious shrimps on board for dinner. 

The weather is still very hot and unstable and surprises us one evening with a heavy thunderstorm. With 44 knots of wind in the harbour, we take another close look at our fenders and lines. Some of the boats anchored in front of the harbour are drifting. Good if someone is on board. This is not the case with one boat. It drifts slowly towards the harbour wall with its anchor dragging. We fear an accident because there are stones in front of the wall. But some people bravely help out with an inflatable boat, get on board and bring the boat into the harbour. It's good to have the key for the engine stuck.

The beautiful anchorage Dhésimou is our next destination. Clear water, well protected, starry night, everything is wonderful when we drop anchor there. But the next morning we discover that the remote control for our anchor winch is not working. Batteries flat. The spare batteries don't help either, they are too old and also flat. So we haul in our heavy anchor by hand. Against the wind, it's a strenuous one-hour workout! So: we are quite fit after all.

We motor back to the bay of Vliho, get new batteries and have the electrics of the engine checked, as it hadn't always started immediately in the last few days. Everything is OK. We can set off again. Another beautiful sailing day with up to 7 bft. Wind brings us to the Odysseus island of Ithaca. We drop anchor in the bay of Vathy - and stay on board. It continues to blow tirelessly at 5-6 bft for most of the night. But there are no wind shifts. So we can sleep peacefully.

A new day, a new island: Kefalonia. In the small harbour of Poros on the east coast, we moor at the floating dock and are completely blocked by catamarans. Not so nice. We definitely stay two nights, because a big storm front with lots of wind and rain is forecast for the next day and the following night. The harbour becomes overcrowded, everyone seeks shelter from the weather. In the end, there are two more boats in the packet next to our boat. And the fit and humorous harbour master Spyros is busy all day and into the evening.

We wait for the heavy weather that is due to arrive in the evening, stay on board and cook. Walter's new playlist for stormy weather helps while we wait. It includes everything from “Waiting for the Hurricane” to “Stormy Weather”. Then it's not bad at all during the night: lots of rain, but not much wind. So we slept well.

A few more sentences about the weather: The weather information shows that the “heat dome” over southern Europe is now collapsing as a major cold front is on its way. This leads to the formation of lows, which intensify into massive thunderstorm fronts (hopefully not a Medicane). We fared well in Poros, but further north and south it was a sleepless night for many sailors. We must continue to expect unsettled weather and remain cautious.

On August 29, we picked up Aglaya from her mooring in front of the Vliho Boatyard on Lefkas. At Rabitt's pontoon we were able to install the new compass, clean a blocked bilge pipe and get our boat ready for another two months of sailing.

We anchored in the large Vliho Bay for two nights to settle in, ideal for minor renovation and maintenance work. With our new dinghy, we went shopping in the evening and had a keg beer at the Vliho Yacht Club. Hot, thundery and little wind - that sums up the weather these days.

Of course, we followed the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. We had expected the results. Nevertheless, we are naturally very worried about them.

On September 2, we started the second half of our sailing season. A moderate southerly wind brought us to Palairos on the Greek mainland coast. A beautiful first day of sailing.