Author: Gisela Wuerfel

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.

From our little paradise on Kalamos, we didn't have far to go to the summer mooring for our boat in Vliho Bay on Lefkas. Aglaya had already spent the winter here, on land. Now she's staying in the water, because we'll be back at the end of August and want to continue sailing in the Ionian Islands.

There is no marina in Vliho Bay (fortunately!) and no harbour either. Many boats are anchored here or moored close to the shore with mooring lines. Two such lines hold Aglaya firmly in place. The bay is sheltered, but often there is a strong wind, especially in the afternoon.

It's always a little painful to say goodbye when we leave our boat to go home. It was the same this time. But we are also looking forward to being home, to family and friends, music, cycling tours and walks in the beautiful Palatinate.

After the hustle and bustle of hundreds of sailors and surfers in Syvota and Vasiliki, we remembered the island of Kalamos. We've been there before, but in Kalamos Port and Porto Leone on the southside. At the northern coast, opposite Mytikas, there is a tiny village called Episkopi. It has a very small harbour, 5 sailing boats fit in and several fishing boats.

We actually found a place, right next to the jetty of the small ferry that comes twice a day, with never more than three people getting on or off. The village has 60 inhabitants and two tavernas, one of which is beautifully situated right on the beach, you sit under old trees 10 metres from the water: Varka, "the art of greek family cooking". That's right. The other looks more like a corrugated iron hut, but there are plenty of mezzes to go with the beer. Some sailors stay here for a fortnight. No electricity, no water, but no mooring fees either. The island is 12 kilometres long and four kilometres wide and is home to 600 people.

In Homer's time, Kalamos equipped ships for the Trojan War and was therefore prosperous.  Later, in the 13th or 14th century, a rather imposing Venetian fortress was built, now in ruins of course, with old olive trees in the courtyard between the thick arches of the walls. And in the 19th century, when the Turks expelled many Greeks from the mainland, 120000 people lived here!

We took long walks, high above the sea with breathtaking views of the high bare mountains of Epirus and the village of Mytikas, which lies on a promontory opposite. We climbed around the ruined fortress and tried the beer in the two tavernas, as well as the food.

Complete peace, deep relaxation and idyll. This was not even disturbed when a Dutch boat moored right next to us, with six adults and five children aged between three years and two months on board. They were obviously relaxed too.

Sailing with light wind: Video

Calm, stable weather is the forecast. So on 20th June we set off from Preveza to the west coast of Lefkas. There are no harbours or sheltered bays here. Instead, there are endless cliffs and long white sandy beaches with turquoise-coloured clear water. Paradise! Some beaches can only be reached by boat or on foot via a steep staircase with almost 300 steps. 

We particularly like the long beach at Egremni. Should we spend the night here at anchor? There isn't supposed to be much wind overnight, but the swell coming in from the open sea will rock us a lot. The anchor drops and we decide to stay.

We swim in the wonderfully clear water, watch how the colours of the rocks change as the sun goes down towards evening and how the few people leave the beach after watching the sun set over the sea. Then we are all alone on the shortest night of the year. 

Pictures of Egremni Beach

The swell rocks us more than we like it, but Walter still manages to cook dinner below deck. A challenge with our cooker, which is not gimballed. To be on the safe side, Gisela sleeps on deck. No problem, it's very warm. After the hot days, the land is obviously very hot, because during the night there are suddenly strong gusts of wind from the mountains, a hot, dry wind.

After all the rocking, we are longing for a place without swell. So we head further south along the coast, past Katsiki Beach with the rock from which, according to the legend, the poet Sappho threw herself to her death out of lovesickness. Then around Cape Doukato, the most south-westerly point of Lefkas, into the large bay of Vasiliki.

Pictures of Katsiki and Cape Doukato

We moor at the outer pier in the small harbour of Vasiliki. Here we can also watch the many windsurfers who come and go in the bay every afternoon in the constant strong wind.

Pictures of Vasiliki

A few years ago, a fairly large marina was built in front of the old harbour with EU funding. We estimate that it could accommodate up to 200 boats. But the floating jetties, which are illuminated at night, are all cordoned off. The marina is finished, but is not in operation. We had already heard about that. But what is the reason? Is there no operator? Do the locals not want the marina? One thing is clear: If it goes into operation, it will massively change the character of this lovely little harbour town. 

We enjoy the cosy atmosphere and hope that the temperatures will drop again.   

A short sail south-west from the Greek mainland to the island of Paxos brings us to Gaios, the island's main town. It is beautifully situated and very well sheltered by an island directly in front of it on the east side. After mooring at the newly constructed floating dock in the northern part, we feel like we are in a fjord. Everything is green and the seagulls are circling and calling above our boat. The new facility is a little unusual, as the murings are not positioned in line with the lack of bollards and are far too long. We stay here for three days and pull in metres of mooring line every day until our boat is reasonably straight again. However, the new floating dock was urgently needed. Even now, in June, the harbour is full from midday and the race for the very last places begins. When we arrive, the jetty is almost empty; when we leave, it is full. Further in at the harbour pier, it is always full, with excursion boats and yachts coming and going, lots of swell and often a mess of anchors when casting off. We have a much quieter spot a little further out. Gaios is known as the Saint Tropez of the Ionian Islands. That's true.

Pictures of Gaios

We move ashore again during our time in Gaios, feel the need to walk and make two day trips on foot. Our first destination is Mongonisi, an anchorage and bathing bay. We walk along the coast to get there. We've been here twice before by boat, most recently at the beginning of May, when it wasn't yet the season and it was pretty empty. Now it's very busy and we're glad that we don't have to look for an anchorage here today.

Pictures of Mongonisi

We walk and climb to the southern tip of Paxos, a wild rocky landscape with caves and a beautiful view of the nearby smaller Antipaxos.

The second hike takes us to the small harbour town of Longos. We would have been interested in visiting this place by boat. However, the harbour is too shallow for our boat and there are no really sheltered anchorages. The village is beautiful and cosy, although tourism is starting to boom here too. The old olive oil factory is currently being converted into flat blocks.

Pictures of Longos

In the meantime we have taken another long ride to the south-east and are moored in Preveza on the town pier. It's 35 degrees, the second heatwave in a short space of time. There's no wind and it's set to get even hotter. The sweat is pouring off us.

We are on the Greek mainland in Sivota. Once again, the wind is blowing from the south or not at all. The heat coming over from North Africa lies over Greece. What do we do if it doesn't make much sense to make our way south under sail? We hire a car for a day and explore the country.

First we head south to the mountain village of Perdika with a magnificent view of the Sivota Islands and Corfu.

Then we continue along the coast past the tourist town of Parga. We anchored here last year. And then we look down on the Arachtos estuary delta from above and are totally impressed by this unusual green water landscape.

We continue further inland to the Ambracian Gulf via a long causeway to Koronisia. Here in this shallow lagoon landscape, we feel like we are at the end of the world. No tourists, everything is very quiet.

And then we find the perfect place for a cool drink, because it's been over 30 degrees all day. A few parasols, tables and chairs and a mixture of kiosk and bar, that's "Bohème". Everything is very relaxed. Only a few locals refresh themselves in the water here.

Later we make a detour to Arta to see the old bridge over the Arachtos. It is described as the most beautiful and most famous bridge in Greece and was already mentioned in ancient times. In its current form, it was built from 1612 in the Ottoman architectural style. A real eye-catcher!

We then drive back through the mountains towards Sivota and make a stop in Plataría to take a look at the large, cosy harbour. It would also be a good place for our boat. Before we return the car, we have a nice view of Sivota from above.