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Autor: Gisela Wuerfel

Veröffentlicht am Hinterlasse einen Kommentar zu Schöne Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!

Wir wünschen allen Freunden an Land und auf See schöne Weihnachten und ein glückliches Jahr 2024!

Einen kleinen Rückblick auf unser vergangenes Jahr findet ihr hier.

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Veröffentlicht am 2 Kommentare zu Nette kleine Häfen, tolle Ankerbuchten – Ob wir jemals noch aus Griechenland herauskommen? 

Heute haben wir uns von Aglaya im Vliho Boatyard auf Lefkas verabschiedet. Entgegen dem ersten Eindruck bei unserer Ankunft wissen wir nun, dass wir einen guten Platz für die Winterpause gefunden haben. Die Leute vom Boatyard sind sehr nett, es gibt für alles Hilfe und Rat. Für zwei Tage hatten wir zudem Besuch von einem Freund, der im Februar einige Arbeiten auf dem Boot machen will.

Es ist gut gelaufen in dieser Saison. Gestartet am Südostzipfel des Peloponnes hatten wir zwar im April und Mai sehr unbeständiges Wetter, aber dafür wurden wir im Oktober und bis in den November mit schönem warmen Spätsommerwetter belohnt.

Und wo sind wir überall gewesen? Manchmal müssen wir ins Logbuch schauen, um uns unsere genaue Route vor Augen zu führen. Vom Peloponnes zuerst nach Kreta. Gut, dass wir Kreta nicht ausgelassen haben. Es ist schon eine besondere Insel. Dann wieder zurück zum südlichen Peloponnes und an der Westseite nach Norden bis in die Ionischen Inseln. Die meisten Häfen und Ankerbuchten, die wir am Peloponnes aufgesucht haben, kannten wir schon von unserer Umrundung im Jahr 2020. Ja, es ist auch schön, Orte, die man schon kennt, noch einmal aufzusuchen. 

Dass wir im Juli und August wieder eine Sommerpause gemacht haben, war eine gute Entscheidung. Schon gegen Ende Juni waren alle Häfen und Buchten voll mit Charterbooten und Flottillen. Aber auf Zakynthos, Kefalonia und Ithaka haben wir trotzdem immer noch einen Platz gefunden. Kefalonia hat uns besonders gut gefallen. In Messolonghi, dem Sommerliegeplatz fürs Boot, konnten wir mit befreundeten Seglern und der Mannschaft von der Marinabar Wiedersehen feiern. Das war sehr nett und wie ein Nach-Hause-Kommen.   

Im September ging’s erst einmal recht flott nach Korfu, um Besuch an Bord zu nehmen. Ab dann gab es aber immer kleine Etappen, zuerst entlang der Ostseite von Korfu, dann rüber zum Festland, dann zum Ankern nach Paxos, dann wieder zum Festland, und schließlich mit einem Abstecher in den Ambrakischen Golf nach Preveza. Ab dort waren wir wieder zu zweit unterwegs. Mit viel Zeit erkundeten wir die Ostseite von Lefkas, den Norden von Meganisi und die Insel Kalamos. Einen neuen Lieblingshafen haben wir auch gefunden, Palairos an der Festlandsküste. Manchmal sind wir mehrere Tage an einem Ort geblieben, um unserer anderen Lieblingsbeschäftigung nachzugehen: Orte und die Landschaft zu Fuß erkunden. 

Nach dem Landfall in Vliho haben wir das Gefühl, dass wir hier im Ionischen noch viel entdecken können. Es gibt so viele nette kleine Häfen und unzählige tolle Buchten. Und wie gesagt: manche Ort besuchen wir gerne noch einmal. Ob wir wohl jemals noch aus Griechenland herauskommen?

Veröffentlicht am Hinterlasse einen Kommentar zu Nice little harbours, great anchor bays – will we ever get out of Greece? 

Today we said goodbye to Aglaya at Vliho Boatyard on Lefkas. Contrary to our first impression when we arrived, we now know that we have found a good place for our winter break. The people at the boatyard are very friendly and there is help and advice for everything. For two days we also had a visit from a friend, who wants to do some work on the boat in February.

It went well this season. Starting at the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese, we had very unsettled weather in April and May, but we were rewarded with beautiful, warm late summer weather in October and into November.

And where have we been? Sometimes we have to look into the logbook to visualise our exact route. From the Peloponnese to Crete first. It's a good thing, we didn't skip Crete. It's a very special island. Then back to the southern Peloponnese and northwards on the west side to the Ionian Islands. We already knew most of the harbours and anchorages we visited in the Peloponnese from our circumnavigation in 2020. Yes, it's also nice to revisit places you already know.

The fact that we took summer break again in July and August was a good decision. Towards the end of June, all the harbours and bays were already full of charter boats and flotillas. But we still managed to find a place in Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Ithaca. We particularly liked Kefalonia. In Messolonghi, the summer berth for the boat, we were able to celebrate reunions with sailor friends and the crew from the marina bar. It was very nice and felt like coming home.   

In September, we first travelled quite quickly to Corfu to take visitors on board. From then on, however, there were always small stages, first along the east side of Corfu, then over to the mainland, then to Paxos to anchor, then back to the mainland, and finally with an dexcursion into the Ambracian Gulf to Preveza. From there, only the two of us were travelling again. We had plenty of time to explore the east side of Lefkas, the north of Meganisi and the island of Kalamos. We also found a new favourite port, Palairos on the mainland coast. Sometimes we stayed in one place for several days to pursue our other favourite pastime: Exploring places and the landscape on foot. 

After the landfall in Vliho, we have the feeling that we still have a lot to discover here in the Ionian. There are so many lovely little harbours and countless great bays. And as already said: We'd love to visit some places again. Will we ever get out of Greece?

Veröffentlicht am Hinterlasse einen Kommentar zu The end of the season is coming

Gradually we realize that the end of the season has come. When we moored at the floating jetty of Taverna Delfini in Sivota, in the very south-east of Lefkas, there was a lot of space around us. Several charter companies and flotillas have their bases here. The boats are moored at the jetties, the sails are taken down and packed away, and many people are busy preparing the boats for winter storage. Many boats are then transferred to Aktio near Preveza and put ashore there.

We still have a few days until our boat comes ashore. In the bay of Sivota we are hiking again and see how the landscape here is being destroyed by brisk construction activity on the beautiful mountain slopes. But there are also beautiful paths. With the scent of the many sage plants in our noses, we walk through olive groves and look south towards Ithaca, Kefallonia (we definitely want to go there again) and the mainland.

Pictures from Sivota

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A nice light wind then pushes our boat north again, between the islands of Lefkas and Meganisi. Actually, we didn't want to go far, just into a beautiful anchorage again. But then it sails so beautifully and the wind now brings us to Palairos on the mainland coast for the third time. Yes, some places attract us like a magnet. Palairos is one of them. We anchor in front of the harbour and again admire the high mountains with alpenglow. And a baroque evening sky. The next day Christos has a place for us in the harbour. Here we prepare a little for the end of our season. Washing day, tidying up, cleaning. And Walter has an appointment with the hairdresser. The weather is nice and warm, just right for a swim in the sea in the late afternoon. And then a cool beer. Unfortunately no more from the tap. End of season.

Pictures from Palairos

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And then comes the last day of sailing, which unfortunately doesn't turn out to be one. First we wait the whole morning for wind. Everything is as smooth as glass. Then the wind comes and we set off. We want to go to Vliho Bay on the island of Lefkas. But we can't even get there by cruising. What a pity! We have to motor. Fortunately only 11 nautical miles.

We reach Vliho Bay for the first time. It is a beautiful, well protected bay. Many boats spend the winter here, many of them in the water. With a little effort we find the small floating jetty of the Vliho Boatyard. Here we are allowed to moor overnight, to be pulled ashore the next morning. The slip is shallow. Our depth gauge shows 0.00 for a short time. But we pull our boat in such a way that we still have the proverbial hand's breadth of water under our keel.

The next morning the somewhat exciting landfall takes place, with tractor and hydraulic trailer. We've never had that before. We had asked beforehand if they could manage to bring our 16-ton lady ashore. "No problem" was the answer. A little uneasily we stand on our boat, which is already half pulled out of the slip. But the tractor alone can't do it. So the men from the boatyard have to add a winch. But then it works.

Pictures from Vliho Boaryard

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Now we are standing in the boatyard, which is full of boats. Our boat is fixed, but we still have the rocking in us. A few days of work now await us before we start our journey home.