Sailing Aglaya

Yes, in Pylos you can also get the Poros-Syndrome. We stayed there for a few days. Had a visit on board from our friends Jürgen and Gisela, had a nice dinner together. We visited the Nestor Palace in rainy weather. Impressive, what was built there in Mycenaean times - the buildings, but also the social structures and the social life.

There was only one local bus to go there there. Back we got on the bus of a French tour group. We were just lucky again. To say goodbye we anchored again nicely in the bay and admired the magnificent starry sky.

Then we took aim at the bizarre rocks that border the bay to the west and sailed through the narrows. Under sail this was too risky for us. But that's what we have our Nannidiesel for in the basement. 

Next stop: Kiparissia. We already know the place and the harbour quite well from two previous visits. We could observe seven big sea turtles in the harbour basin. The climb to the castle ruins above the village was worth it - because of the great view and because of the bar, where we had so enjoyed sitting during our first visit in 2020. We discovered "The Old Watermill" in the hinterland. In the past, there were several water-powered mills in the fertile valley near Kiparissia. One is still in operation. Here grain is grounded and processed into delicious savory and sweet cakes, which we of course tried.

Then: Cast off and continue north along the west coast of the Peloponnese. Light wind sailing with half wind. An acquaintance of ours calls this "ladies sailing". With our 16-tonner we make only slow progress in such a light wind (max. 13 knots) despite all sail up. Next port: Katakolon. From here we took the small train to ancient Olympia in 2020. We did not plan to do that this time. That was a good decision. The harbour was packed, there was only a small gap left, but we could not get into it backwards with a crosswind. So anchor up again and out into the bay. But before that we had to do a little extra task and get rid of the anchor chain of another boat that we had fished up with our anchor. We have already gained some experience with this, especially last year in the Aegean. It was done quickly. Reward: a nice quiet night at anchor in the bay and no anchor mess the next morning, when we wanted to leave to sail further north. Destination: the port of Kyllini in the northwest.

Again beautiful light wind sailing between the Peloponnese, over which the thunderclouds piled up every day as in the last days, and the island of Zakynthos. And in Kyllini we find a gap at the pier. Here we take a rest day - no a work day: Boat washed, us washed, food supplies procured. And of course fish for Dinner bought. 

And where to go tomorrow? From Kylinni there are many options to sail to the Ionian Islands. We will ask our wind and weatherfrogs tonight, make a decision, knowing full well, what our friend Mats from Messolonghi advised us, "Don't trust an app." Let's see where the wind blows us.

Sometimes Walter has the Poros syndrome. Poros is an enchantingly beautiful island in the Saronic Gulf, almost a suburb of Athens, there are fast ferries, so of course it is very touristy there. But the island is beautiful and diverse: many small bays with turquoise clear water, forested hills, a small town almost like the Choras on the Aegean islands up the mountain, a beautiful monastery. We stayed there for a whole week three years ago, hiked a lot, swam, enjoyed the tavern life. 

And then Walter realized that we would have to leave at some point, otherwise we would never be able to get off this island. We were helped by the fact that one evening a new bar opened up directly opposite our boat, and there was hip-hop all night long at maximum volume. We were happy to be able to continue our journey without too much melancholy. 

But the Poros syndrome is stubborn, it comes again and again, when a port, an island, an anchorage is particularly beautiful.........

In Kalamata we stayed a few days. Three bags of laundry were perfectly washed and ironed for us by the Laundry Service, since the washing machine in the marina was broken. Kostas, the electrician of the marina, found out how to reprogram our depth gauge. From now on we can do that ourselves in case we accidentally jam it again. The rear bilge pump, which did‘t take water out anymore, got a new membrane, which was ordered in Athens. Well equipped for the onward journey, we cast off under somewhat difficult conditions, because there was very little space to maneuver and right next to us were murings of other boats going shallow into the water. It happened from time to time that boats got the muring of another boat in the propeller, told us the Palatines, who have their Reinke for years in Kalamata. But it worked out fine and without stress. We sailed southwest across the Messenian Gulf to Koroni. The harbor of Koroni is too shallow to moor at the pier. Therefore we wanted to anchor. But when we arrived, there was strong wind and swell into the harbor bay. So we anchored on the other side of the fortress in front of the beach. There we could wave to our friends Jürgen and Gisela, who are vacationing in an apartment there.

The next day we continued towards Methoni. There you can anchor in calm weather, with a view of the impressive fortress. We would have liked to do that, but the wind and swell would have made for us a restless night. It just doesn't sleep very well when you roll back and forth in your bunk.

So we added another seven nautical miles, around the southwest tip of the Peloponnese to Pylos. Here there was a lot of activity. The pier of the city port on one side with a small cruise ship occupied, on the other side with sailboats. In the marina also all full, quiet a lot of rotten permanent boats, but also guest boats, some alongside, some with bow anchor, all crisscross. Not inviting, but there was no more room for us anyway. So we anchored pleasantly and quietly in the beautiful Navarino Bay.

Since we wanted to have visitors on board in the next few days, we anchored at the pier in the city harbor the next day. The cruise ship was gone and there was space. A friendly harbormaster greeted us and the Port Authority meticulously checked all our papers. "TEPAI OK?" was their first question. The Greek cruising tax certainly contributes to economic growth. We had already paid it online in Germany.

Today there are elections in Greece. It will be exciting, because the previous president Mitsotakis will probably not get the absolute majority. And the question will be whether a coalition of the left (Syriza and Pasok) will manage a majority. We will witness that here in Pylos, because we will stay a few more days. Our friends Jürgen and Gisela come to visit. The weather is very unsettled with lots of rain and thunderstorms. We want to continue north. A schedule that forces us to go, we have fortunately not. 😊

At some point you have to leave even the most beautiful anchorage. The sails want to be hoisted and a new destination is needed. So we pull up the mainsail and the mizzen already before anchoring in the bay of Elafonisos and then slowly motor out of Ormos Sarakiniko with destination Porto Kagio. Now it goes over the Laconian Gulf. Laconic means "short tempered" or " briefly said" (King of Macedonia: "When I have defeated you, your houses will burn, your cities will be in flames and your wives will become widows." To which the Spartans replied, "If!"). For us today, in short, and fortunately not at all warlike, "Did we have a fair wind right away?" "No!" So patience in the search for the sailing wind is needed. But soon we can also roll out the genoa and sail as if on rails between anchored cargo ships with full sail towards the Mani peninsula. How beautiful!

In front of the bay of Porto Kagio we hoist the sails and anchor alone in front of the small village, where there are almost more motorhomes than sailors. Later some more boats come. Actually, we wanted to go ashore here, because our food supplies are gradually running out. But we are not sure if the anchor will hold with the gusts of wind from the mountains. So tomato sauce with rice. At night the wind turns to the east and there are heavy gusts. We get quite close to the shore with our stern, although the anchor holds. A small buoy knocking on our stern then wakes us up finally. Because of the narrowness in the bay and the neighbouring boats we could not pull out much chain, so we can't catch up any chain now. So to be on the safe side we place the anchor again. This works well in the dark. Then everything is OK and the next morning we can comfortably drink our coffee in the cockpit, look at the beautiful surrounding with Mani village, rock caves and mountains and then sail off again.

In front of the bay of Porto Kagio we can set the sails right away. Since we want to sail around Cape Tenaro and don't know how the wind will be behind it ("Don't trust an App!", quote from our friend Mats from Messolonghi) we only pull up the genoa and the mizzen. And the fact that we didn't pull up the mainsail turns out to be a good decision a little bit later. We sail around the cape, thinking that we can sail comfortably to the selected anchorage "Ormos Limeni". But shortly north of the village Gerolimenias at the steep rocks of Cape Lipoula the wind suddenly blows up strongly and it costs despite reefed genoa real strength to keep our windward-greedy boat on course. East wind whizzing down over the high mountains. Shortly before our chosen anchorage for the night we are in gusts of 40 knots, which continue to blow in the bay. We can't imagine a reasonably calm night here. Don't trust an app, how true! Such an app cannot predict regional conditions. It says that we will have a maximum of 23 knots of gusty wind overnight. We've spent the night here with that much wind before. OK. But 40 knots! That's not necessary. So we add another two hours, further north.

There we find a little paradise. Anchoring in the bay of Kardamili in front of the rocks and the beach of Kalamitsa. Calm, quiet, clear water, red rocks, green hillsides overgrown with cypresses. And after the second attempt to place the anchor so that it doesn't get stuck under a rock or the anchor chain gets wrapped around the rocks while swinging, we have found the right spot of sand and fall blissfully asleep after the last meal from our supplies.

And then again Kalamata. We are heading under sails to this place the next day. Here Aglaya spent the winter before last on land and the underwater hull got a refit. We moore in the marina for a few days, can take a really nice warm shower, wash clothes, clean the boat, meet old friends again, buy delicious things for cooking. And let's see: Maybe we will find someone to get our depth gauge going again. And of course we say hello to our mechanic from the winter before last, Mr. Vardakas, who is as old as we are and doesn't want to stop working because he just loves doing it. What a great „Saying hello“ again!

Our boom foresail is often in our way on the foreship, but it is an extremely practical sail. Being in the way mainly means that we have to furl our genoa on every tack so that it can get past the forestay of the boom foresail. In very light winds, we can also dispense with furling and carry the genoa across in front of the boom foresail forestay. In strong winds, however, the boom foresail is very helpful because the sail is much smaller than the genoa and it tacks automatically. So in strong winds we can sail well with the boom foresail and mizzen without to have someone out of the cockpit to handle the sails. 

Walter has been busy with the boom foresail since we started sailing our boat. Even during the winter break at home. He probably dreams about her at times. Why? We don't manage to tension the leech optimally. The line that is supposed to tension the leech is passed through the boom. In the front of the boom is a clamp that is supposed to hold the line when the leech is pulled tight. However, the clamp does not do what it is supposed to do. It does not clamp. So the leech has always been not in tension so far. Install a new clamp? Difficult without special tools. Walter had already taken the line for tensioning out of service last year and instead always tensioned the leech with a belt. Also not optimal. That sounds like a never-ending story.

If you are anchored in peace and quiet, but can't go for a nice swim because the water is still so terribly cold and the wind is blowing, you get lots of ideas. So does Walter with the boom forersail. Now he has a pulley attached to the boom. Looks a bit unconventional, but one pull and the leech is taut.

We are curious. Is this the good solution now? Or does the story with Walter and the boom foresail go on? We will report.

You might think we had fled - from the black wall of clouds over Crete and the rumble of thunder. It was not like that. We had been on Crete for twelve days, had made beautiful excursions, had met our friends Ursula and Norbert, who have been living on Crete for years and had just moved into their new house in the green hills above the bay of Chania, had celebrated Walter's birthday there. Now there was a wind forecast that it should go at least one or two days without a strong north wind before the Meltemi would really start to blow. So off we went! On May 4th we left Kolimbari, where we had been so well protected. Course to the north-northwest to the island of Kythira. 

The rain from Crete did not catch us, but a very strong swell in the bay of Avlemonas did. Thanks to the anchor claw, our windlass did not suffer, but we did, because all the time we needed both hands to hold on and rolled back and forth in the bunk during the night. Even the beautiful evening sky could not really lift the mood.

Who wants that two nights in a row and what do you do in such a swell at anchor during the day when everything slides back and forth? A really well protected place on Kythira further north was not available either. So again 20 nautical miles to the north to the Peloponnese - unfortunately against with much engine.

Already on the passage between Kythira and the bay of Neapoli at the Peloponnese we could see the rain wall, which moved exactly there, where we wanted to go: into the small port of Paleokastro. Since visibility was poor and we weren't sure if the ferry that normally docks in Neapoli would go to Paleokastro instead in over 30 knots of wind and then there would be no room for boats, we changed our course to the west to the small island of Elafonisos. On the way there the rain wall reached us after all. Soaking wet we carefully sailed into the beautiful bay of Sarakiniko (still without a working depth gauge) and dropped the anchor in front of the beach. 

When the weather is nice, this place has a Caribbean flair. But that evening we could just see where the few other sailors were moored in the bay. A beautiful sunset and a quiet night was our reward.

In the sun the next day we could dry our wet clothes and take it easy. All is well again!  

Yesterday was not only the 1st of May, it was also the first day of the year when the Samariá Gorge was open to hikers. We actually didn't have it on the plan at all, because we thought, so early in the year it is not yet possible to hike through it.

Furthermore we are moored with Aglaya in the harbour of Kolimbari, quiet and safe. So we decide to join a tour organized by Mystical Crete. Fits well: Out for the first of May!

This impressive gorge is 14.3 kilometers long. You climb down 1100 meters of altitude and then it's another 2 kilometers to the small harbor of Agia Roumeli. Early in the morning at 6:20 a.m. the bus picks us up. It first drives towards Chania to collect more gorge hikers. Already the drive up to the plain of Omalos is impressive. But when we reach the entrance to the gorge, it is raining heavily. We wait a bit and then we start walking in the drizzle. About three kilometers we go down very steeply. The stones are slippery from the rain. Despite our good walking shoes we have to concentrate very hard not to slip. 

Again and again we stop to enjoy the magnificent view: into the high mountains of the Lefka Ori (the White Mountains), eleven peaks in this mountain range are over 2000m high. Particularly imposing is the rugged Gíngios. We look down into the gorge and admire the many different large old trees.  Our group disperses, each hiking at their own pace. Our guide Alice follows one hour later to make sure no one is left behind alone.

Gisela has already hiked through the gorge with Greek friends 46 years ago in summer. At that time we spent the night in the deserted village of Samariá, when it was still exceptionally allowed. At that time we were the only hikers. Today, already on the first day of the season, there are more than a hundred people with us. Unimaginable how it will be in summer.

The gorge used to be inhabited by woodcutters and fishermen (probably descendants of the Dorians) who lived here according to their own laws. In 1962 the gorge became a national park. Since then it has been uninhabited. Only a few resting places with toilets are located along the trail.

The tree population changes the deeper we descend. First cypresses and pines, then more and more deciduous trees, almost at the bottom then a lot of oleander. Everything is green and colourful. Beautiful! And also the rocks change, first gray, then more and more red.

On a part of the track the water has disappeared, seeping into the calcareous rock. It's easy to walk there. But then we hear it rushing again. The many crossings of the stream are a challenge for our sense of balance.

At the narrowest point, the gorge is only three meters wide. This, of course, is a photo spot for everyone. 

After five and a half hours we arrived at the end of the gorge. Our feet and legs are tired and we are thirsty for beer. In Agia Roumeli (which can only be reached by boat) we have a great Mythos on tap while we look out over the Libyan Sea and wait for the boat that will take us to Sougia. Here our bus is waiting. Our group is together again. Our guide praises us ("Whoever has walked the Samariá Gorge is a Cretan."). We enjoy the return trip through the impressive mountain landscape. Tired and satisfied, we get on our boat after a long, exhausting and very impressive day.