After a short stop in Nafplion, our neighbours Andrea and Axel join us on board for a week. We sailed with them once before in 2022, back then in the Northern Sporades. Once again, we can see that all the sails are perfectly trimmed when we’re out on the water with them. We’re heading south from Nafplion in the Argolic Gulf. The sailing involves everything from tacking into the southerly wind to focused steering with a tailwind and a storm jib on the mainsail. We don’t have long distances to cover and need to make little headway before we reach Monemvasia in a week’s time. This means we can make the most of almost every breeze.
Back to Astros, where we’d already been a few days ago with our previous guests. Then on to Kilada Bay. Of course Andrea and Axel also take a trip to the Franchthi Cave in the dinghy. Then across the gulf to the west, to Leonidi. We’d spent a restless night here a few years ago, moored alongside, with plenty of swell. Experience makes you wiser. This time we’re moored with the bow anchor and stern to the pier. The lady from the tavern welcomes us with a bag full of fruit. In the evening we go there for dinner and enjoy the rustic, delicious food.
Next destination: Kiparissi. We’re also familiar with this well-sheltered bay and its charming little village from previous years. The bay is full of boats, including large motor yachts (one with a helicopter). We’re amazed at how busy it is here. This isn’t the Kiparissi we’re used to know. We drop anchor in Chapel Cove. It’s relatively quiet here. There’s little light, so in the evening we can admire a magnificent starry sky. The clear water is tempting for a swim. The next day, we decide to see what’s going on in the village, so we row the dinghy to the small jetty by the chapel and walk along a lovely path with plenty of views of our boat. It’s Sunday and siesta time, so there’s nothing going on.
So we treat ourselves to another lovely evening under the starry sky and set off the next morning further south along the coast into Gerakas Fjord. Another lovely day’s sailing before we moor at the small jetty in Gerakas Port. There’s plenty going on here too. We buy wine on tap and sit right by the jetty for dinner, so close that we have to be careful not to fall into the water when we get up.
A light tailwind pushes us towards the rock of Monemvasia the next day. We know Mateo from previous visits here. We’d written to him to say we were coming and sent a photo of the boat as a memento. So there he is, standing on the pier, taking our stern lines. A lovely reunion. Here too, the harbour is full and many boats are anchored off it. Here, too, the harbour is full and many boats are anchoring outside. As the Corinth Canal has been closed since October 2025 due to extensive renovation work, boats wishing to travel from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea – and vice versa – have to sail around the Peloponnese.
In the evening, we walk along the rock to the lower town and, invited by Andrea and Axel, enjoy a delicious dinner with a view of the sea. It was their last day of sailing with us for this year. A wonderful time for us!
But we still have a special final day as a foursome: we drive through the mountains in a hire car to Sparta and a little further on to the Byzantine medieval town of Mystras. We’d never seen such a large complex, built so steeply built into the mountainside, before. Climbing the steep paths costs us a lot of sweat. But we wouldn’t have missed this visit with so many fantastic views, including of the valley and the mountains. In Sparta, it’s time to say, “Adios, Andrea and Axel, it was lovely having you with us! We’ll see you again soon back at home.” The two of them are taking the bus to Athens the next day. We’re back in Monemvasia, resting a bit, doing our laundry and getting ready for the next stages of our journey to Kalamata.
Pictures of Mystras
