Greece - Ionian Sea

IONIAN SEA

Preveza

5 July 2015

After leaving Malta we made our way to Greece sailing via Sicily.  Our first stop was Syracusa – a magical city on the south eastern side of Sicily, unfortunately the winds were favourable so we had to keep moving also we did not want to come under the scrutiny of the Port Police, we wanted to leave “checking in” to the EU as long as possible – their 90 day visa allocation seems to disappear in an instant.  

We decided on Preveza as our first landfall in Greece – Corfu was popular amongst friends but we are not into party islands,  also Corfu was further North which is difficult at this time of year with the northerly meltemi winds firmly in place for the season.   Preveza is situated in a protected bay with all facilities.  Checking into Greece was a solemn affair.  No one seemed to know quite what to do and people just looked sad and worried – the vote on the bailout was in 2 days. 

We were a little concerned about visiting Greece after all the stories we had heard about high cruising fees, no money in ATM’s and the likelihood of civil unrest with the bailout vote in a few days.  As we have found in the past the media hype and worry was for nothing, in the outer western Ionian islands there was little to indicate any problems.  In saying that the locals had it tough in some areas and ATM’s were definitely out of cash for a while.

I am ashamed to admit that I have not learnt any words in the Greek language – we usually make an attempt to learn the basics but Greek is a language unto itself and rather confusing to me.  It doesn’t help that the alphabet is different from our latin script ;   ‘ ΜΠΑΡ’   =  ‘ Bar’ ; sometimes also spelt  as  'Mπάρ'.  This gives shopping a sense of adventure.   Luckily, road signs are repeated in Latin script.  Transliterations from Greek (a highly phonetic language) to English (anything but) leave a lot of room for entertainment as well as puzzlement.  Also confusing is the several different spellings and pronunciations for the same island or place – and there are many places named “Vathy” in Greece !

One of our earlier experiences …. never rely on sound signals made by vessels around  small  ports.  Any sound may mean “hello”, “goodbye”, “get out of my way”, “I’m going to turn”, “I’m not going to turn” or “hi guys” or maybe “do you like my new horn”.

The islands on the eastern side of Greece are known as the Ionian Islands – very popular with sail boats because of the unlimited islands each with spectacular anchorages, steady winds and sunshine.  We wove in, out and around the islands stopping for a day here and a day there.  

Lefkas Canal

 9 July 2015

Levkas is an island only because of the canal which separates it from the mainland.   The cut is through a salt marsh allowing passage for boats down the east coast of the island and quite an exciting journey as part of the narrow shallow channel is not marked.

Friends from Tunisia were in the area so we sailed across to Palairos where “SV Yamma” was docked.  A beer and chat in the local outdoor pub, dinner by the waters edge while watching the sunset were a perfect end to a lovely day.   SV Britican was also anchored in the bay – for the first and only time SV White Rose 1 looked larger than SV Britican (in the photo). 

White Rose & Britican - Pairos

From Palairos (10 July 2015) we sailed to Meganisi (13 July 2015) – we decided during the trip we would use sails the entire way – roaring along at a speedy 2 knots was very relaxing – the short trip would have taken us all day so the iron sail was put into service yet again.  Winds around the islands are very finicky – they see which way the boat is pointing then hit it on the nose – you could turn 360 degrees and still the wind would be firmly attached to the bow sprit.  Meganisi is a popular anchorage mainly because it is spectacularly beautiful, peaceful and quiet (that is subject to your neighbours not playing loud music).  Anchoring in the Greek islands is achieved by laying out your anchor in deep water, reversing up to the land as close as you dare then grabbing a long line and swimming it ashore (or use a dinghy for wimps).  This is the general rule as the waters are usually too deep to free anchor and also it allows for many boats to be fringed around the bay side by side.  I must admit we hated this type of anchoring, swinging on our anchor with 360 degree space is much preferred. 

Having read about the monasteries perched high on the mountains in Meteora we looked for somewhere to leave the boat while we travelled to the area.  The tear drop shaped bay of Ormos Vlikho is very protected and roomy and sounded like the ideal spot to leave White Rose 1 while we travelled.  Steve and Louise from SV Yamma were heading to the same area, a wonderful bonus to have two such great people to share our time in such a magical place. 

METEORA

20 July 2015

Taking a walk along the touristy pathway in Nidri we stumbled upon a car hire run by an elderly emphysemic  man.  His cars were old, tired and expensive by our standards but cheaper than the popular Nidri Car Hire.  We almost booked through Nidri car hire until we accidentally found out their "good price" was not as a result of my sexy smile rather restricted to the island only – “unlimited kilometres” providing you do not go off the island and travel less than 100 km in one day – typical Greek logic.   Our vehicle was slow, the air-conditioner made an attempt to work which was much appreciated by us as the temperature at this time of year is hot, hot and hotter.

The word “Meterora” means suspended in the air. The gigantic rocks of Meteora are perched above the town of Kalambaka, at a maximum height of 400 m (1200 ft). The most interesting summits are decorated with historical monasteries, included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Only 6 of them have made it through the centuries, 2 of which are nunneries, from an initial estimated number of 24.

The Orthodox monks started to populate Meteora over 1200 years ago, initially seeking quietness, peace for prayer and meditation.  They were living in caves like hermits.  Around the 12th Century they began to congregate and build the first monasteries on the top of rocky peaks.  An inhospitable place to live, it offered protection from the outside world and amazing views.

The original entrance to the Monasteries was via ladders or ropes connected to nets used to lift people and goods.  Legends say that the ropes were changed only “when the Lord let them break”.  Of course the ropes were easily lifted to prevent invasion.

Kefalonia

27 July 2015

With our minds still in awe of the beauty of Meteora we decided to head to the island of Kefalonia  where loggerhead turtles are found.  These are the only marine turtles nesting in Greece and the Mediterranean.  An adult loggerhead grows to a length of 1.0 – 1.2m, weighs between 100-350kg and can live for around 65 years.  Our next destination was the Gulf of Patras which includes the Corinth Canal.

Gulf of Patras

30 July 2015

The Corinth Canal is the narrow connection between the Ionian and Aegean Seas, it is 3.2 miles long, 25 m wide and maximum permitted draft is 6.5m.  The limestone from which is cut rises to 79m above sea level – spectacular and on many boaties bucket list. 

We spent a few days tied to the wharf in Mesolonghi (a land locked basin) while we purchased a new alternator and Don fitted it.  We were in email contact with a few other boats in the area who reported up to 54knot katabatic winds at night in the bays leading up to the Canal – that really didn’t appeal to us, nor the fee for transiting the Canal – one of the most expensive canals per mile in the world.  With that in mind we turned around and began our sail through the area of Greece known as Peloponnisos – the land mass the Canal cuts off from Greece proper.  It was beautiful in that area and best of all it was quiet.  The Greek islands are a very popular sailing destination which means crowds – lots of boats.  Sailing down and around the bottom gave us breathing space from the crowds and unlimited bays to ourselves – much more our style.