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?
