It is said that Elafonisos is the Greek Ibiza. We couldn't find out, at least as far as pubs and discos etc. are concerned. But the beaches and bays are fantastic, fine sand, turquoise sea, picturesque rocks in the background. We spent two days and nights in one of these bays, went swimming from the boat and enjoyed ourselves. However, with a small downer: The bays are mostly open to the southwest, and the swell, the swell that forms during the day due to the constant wind, runs straight into the bay. With the result that the boat rocks, especially when the wave is quite big: always up and down, because it lies at anchor across the waves. That was a bit uncomfortable, one could not sleep so calmly. But because there is almost no light from houses or villages in the bays at night, the starry sky was incredibly beautiful.
Then we wanted to go to Neapoli, opposite Elafonisos on the mainland. But there it was impossible to go ashore: a very small pier was already occupied by Coast Guard and High Speed Ferry, and the open spaces were too shallow, even though we had a draft of 1.68 m. A slight panic broke out, because we didn't want to be anchored so restlessly again.
2 km east of Neapoli there is the tiny port of Palaiokastro, which looks more like a ship graveyard, at least as far as a few bumbling sailboats are concerned, partly lying on the land and already tipped over. At the much too short pier there was a somewhat rusty, but still functional working ship, estimated to be 20 m long. Two men were fishing and we asked if We Couleur fix our boat at this workboat. Yes yes, was the answer, in two hours another ship would come, but that would be fine. So we moored ourselves to this steel colossus and, although a bit grotesque in appearance, we were all the safer and calmer. The working ship came and maneuvered up to 5cm towards us - the captain was a real professional. Suddenly the owner of the ship we had moored to came and asked when we wanted to leave, we said after one or two nights. No problem was the answer, but he had to go out tomorrow at noon. So it was clear: we would stay one night.
We have hardly ever had a berth before that was as exotic, but also as quiet as the one between the truck and the work ship.
