First time I’ve posted for a while we have been back in cold wet England now for 6 month I’ve put together a log of our time sailing Greece for the 2021 season with Google earth links to all the ports and anchorages we stayed at and some details of milage and costs. We have flights booked this year on 18/4/22 and are looking forward to this year’s adventures.

2021 Sailing season in greece

40 passages
Total nautical miles 748mile
109 hours  553 mile on engine and sail
110lts fuel used av 0.96 ltr per hour
€156 diesel
195 mile sailing without engine
Cost of Moorings for season
Poros €10  1 night
Zante €20 4 nights
Katakolo €8 1 night
Galaxidi €5 5 nights
Total for mooring fees €43  
Total for Moorings and diesel €199
2021 season 6/6/21 – 15/8/21

Arrived Greece 6/6/21 stayed at Dimitra Apartment Nydri 5 nights €175 while working on boat in yard

Departed Nydri 12/6/21
12/6/21
Nydri (Lefkada)-Sarasiniko (Ithaka)
19 nm 5h 54m avg 3.2 knts 1 night anchored
Sarasiniko https://earth.app.goo.gl/Sg9iwn

13/6/21
Sarasiniko-Poros (Kefalonia)
14.2 nm 4h 41m avg 3 knts 3 nights on town quay free
Poros https://earth.app.goo.gl/vPCB4r

16/6/21
Poros-Katakolo (Pelopenese)
43.1 nm 9h 02m avg 4.8knts 2 nights on town quay €8 went on trip to Olympia
Katakolo https://earth.app.goo.gl/QE2PGv

18/6/21
Katakolo-Kiparissia (Pelopenese)
29.6 nm 8h avg 3.7knts 3 nights town quay free
Kiparissia https://earth.app.goo.gl/fu3kPw

21/6/21
Kiparissia-Proti (Pelopenese)
23.1nm 6h 36m avg 3.5knts 2 nights anchored
Proti https://earth.app.goo.gl/eGndZK

23/6/21 pylos
Proti- Pylos (Pelopenese)
14nm 4h 17m avg 3.3knt 2 nights town quay free
Pylos https://earth.app.goo.gl/Gh5ihK

25/6/21
Pilos-Gialova (Pelopenese)
5nm 2h 01m avg 2.5knts 3 nights anchored
Gialova https://earth.app.goo.gl/dPs33w

28/6/21
Gialova-Methoni (Pelopenese)
10.7nm 2h 45m avg 3.9knts 2 nights anchored
Methoni https://earth.app.goo.gl/5ksxte

30/6/21 kiparissia
Methoni-Kiparissia (Pelopenese)
32.4nm 5h 50m avg 4.5knts 1 night town quay free
Kiparassia https://earth.app.goo.gl/9q5Kxm

1/7/21
Kiparissia-Zakinthos(Zante)
49.7nm 10h 07m avg 4.9 5 nights town quay €20
Zante https://earth.app.goo.gl/wo9uB6

5/7/21
Zakinthos-Poros (Kefalonia)
24.9nm 6h 25m 3.9knts 1 night town quay €10
Poros https://earth.app.goo.gl/hAJZ9G

6/7/21
Poros-Ay-Euffemia (Kefalonia)
17nm  4h 41m 3.6knts 1 night town quay free
Ay-Euffemia https://earth.app.goo.gl/ijqTD2

7/7/21
Ay Euffemia-Nydri (Lefkada)
27nm 6h 01m avg 4.6knts 2 nights anchored
Nydri https://earth.app.goo.gl/a5j8iZ

9/7/21
Nydri-Goat bay (Kastos)
16.9 6h 37m avg 2.4knts 1 night anchored           

Goat bay Kastos https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.55516146,20.90015942,-0.04710474a,270.10597172d,35y,348.10736173h,0t,0r

10/7/21
Goat bay-Kioni(Ithaca)
13.1nm 3h 37m avg 3.6knts 1 nights town quay free
Kioni https://earth.app.goo.gl/Ptur5w

11/7/21
Kioni-Nydri Lefkada)
18nm 5h 23m avg 3.4knts 3 nights anchored

14/7/21
28.9nm 6h 53m avg 4.2knts 1 night anchored
Nydri-Petalas (Greece mainland)
Petalas https://earth.app.goo.gl/cbqs3w

15/7/21
Petalas-Trizonia (Corinth) 
56nm 11h 36m avg 4.2knts    4 nights in marina free             https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.36954616,22.07350415,6.83018579a,5861.96235666d,35y,257.15080972h,0t,0r

19/7/21
Trizonia-Galaxidi (Corinth)
20.2nm 4h 37m avg 4.4knts 4 nights town quay free
Galaxidi https://earth.app.goo.gl/oQxPn6

22/7/21
Galaxidi and back (rough sea) set off had to return to port
3.2nm 54m avg 3.5knts 1 night town quay €5

23/7/21
Galaxidi-Trizonia
19.9nm 5h 46m avg 3.4knts 1 night marina free
Trizoni from mainland https://earth.app.goo.gl/y7yqfD

24/7/21
Trizonia-Kryoneri (Patras)
25.5nm 7h 06m avg 3.6knts 1night town quay free
Krioeri https://earth.app.goo.gl/u2LKqE

25/7/21
Kryoneri-Petalas
33nm 7h 42m avg 4.3knts anchored

26/7/21
Petalas-Astakos
11.3nm 3h 36m avg 3.1knts day stop
Astakos https://earth.app.goo.gl/PwQia4

26/7/21
Astakos-Port Leoni (Kalamos)
14.4nm 3h 45m avg 3.8knts 2 nights anchored
Port Leoni https://earth.app.goo.gl/6J1N63

28/7/21
Port Leoni-Formacoula
3.3nm 1h 43m avg 1.9knts day stop
Formacoula https://earth.app.goo.gl/cbrczq

28/7/21
Formacoula-Paleros(Greek mainland)
14.7nm 4h 24m avg 3.3knts 3 nights anchored
Paleros https://earth.app.goo.gl/tj4zCL

30/7/21
Paleros-Nydri
9.5nm 3h 10m avg 3knts 1 night anchored

31/7/21
Nydri-Vonitsa
25.5nm 7h 12m avg 3.5knts 2 nights town quay free
Vonitsa https://earth.app.goo.gl/L55q1E

2/8/21
Vonitsa-Paleros
27.9nm 6h 37m avg 4.2knts 1 night anchored

3/8/21
Paleros-Port Leoni (Kalamos)
15.8nm 3h 51m avg 4.1knts 1 night anchored

4/8/21
Port Leoni-Kioni (Ithaca)
13.6nm 2h 56m avg 4.6knts 1 night town quay free

5/8/21
Kioni-Port Atheni (Maganissi)
15.6nm 4h 4m avg 3.8 1 night anchored
Port Atheni https://earth.app.goo.gl/9UEaBd
6/8/21
Port Atheni-Nydri
7.1nm 2h 01m avg 3.5

9/8/21
Nydri-Church Bay (Mainland Greece)
7.3nm 2h 11m avg3.4 1 night anchored
Church bay https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.77658426,20.82346967,4.05750908a,293.5891909d,35y,343.43461115h,0t,0r

10/8/21
Church Bay-Mytika (Mainland Greece)
9.6nm 2h 32m avg3.8 1 night anchored
Mytika https://earth.app.goo.gl/oLXGvB

11/8/21
Mytika-Nydri
11.9nm 2h 45m avg 4.3knts 1 night anchored

12/8/21
Nydri-Port Spillia ( Meganissi)
4.3nm 1h 39m avg 2.9knts day trip
Port Spillia https://earth.app.goo.gl/Ww3xUE

12/8/21
Port Spillia-Nydri
4.3nm 1h 18m avg 3.3knts 2 nights anchored

End of season lifted into yard
14/8/2021 flew home 15/8/2021

The preparation started in Palairos waiting for 2 hours at the launderette  for a washing machine in 30 + heat and getting the boat spick and span for Annes arrival.   The captain decided to pick her up in Vonitsa wich was just 15 mins from Preveza airport we had heard there was a traditional Greek concert on at the castle which we could see and hear from the boat in the harbour. We watched Annes plane fly over Vonitsa to Prevesa Airport and within half an hour she arrived in a taxi we were all so excited xxx

A few words from our new crew Anne

Sailing on Lesanda August 2021
So, how happy was I to rejoin the Lesanda crew for a week of spending time with the fabulous Lords,
sailing round the gorgeous Greek islands, having a great break in the sunshine!
From the moment I arrived at the harbour in Vonitsa and saw Gary and Clur, the fun began. ‘Fancy a beer
Anne?’

When the skipper told me you wanted me to write a little blog, I was looking forward to it, but now I
actually sit down to write it, I’m not sure where to start, there are so many great memories of the
week. What fun we had, what good chats we had in the saloon on getting back to Lesanda after our
nights out, the dancing to The Blues Brothers and the Doors while the Mediterranean raged around us!
The Greek music on my 1st night in Vonitsa, followed by a live Greek singer on my 2nd night anchored in the bay of Palairos,

followed by our
friend Dave on guitar while Clur accompanied him singing on the 3rd night, fantastic!

• 

Each island we sailed to was prettier than the last, the beautiful blue Sea so cooling in the 100° heat,
the salads prepared by Clur at lunchtime getting better + more colourful by the day!

The tiny villages you took me to were so interesting and traditional, each different from the last, the
Greeks so friendly and generous, and it was super to meet your friends of all nationalities.
The days flew by, so much so that we didn’t even get the chance to check our flag knowledge,
though it made it to the list most days. The background noise of crickets was ever present, and we
even saw a giant yellow one in The Reggae Reggae Bar,

One of the many highlights was being pulled along in the Mediterranean by Lesanda, holding on to
the steps, just out of this world.

Thank you both for a fantastic week, you really are the host and hostess with the most and the
mostess.

Thank you Anne for that it means a lot to skipper and me I will add some more to our journey.

Anne arrived and as she said the castle in Vonitsa was full of lights and a greek recital was in full force what an arrival to Greece we went for a beer and then back to Lesanda to show Anne the ropes   etc ….

We set off on our journey with new crew Anne on board bit of a tricky one avoiding a rock in the harbour but we did it phew!!!

Great sail to Palairos  then to the beach and shower ready to go out to the yacht club.

Delicious meal we shared 2 pizzas and a salad and then back to the boat for a live laser show from the boat. Dave came to join us flipping amazing it did go on till 3am so not much sleep for me but Anne and the Skipper slept well. Fabulous watching a Greek singer from the boat on a beautiful warm night all for free you can’t beat it no tickets required.

Next day off to Port Leoni had a sail for about 2 hours and then the wind went crazy bumpy ride but we danced and laughed all the way like Anne said to the Blues brothers. Anne has adapted well to boat life and we all had plenty of belly laughs and great stories to share .

Great swimming and snorkeling then after skippers chorizo pasta Dave joined us for a guitar and singing session marvellous.

Next stop Kioni the jewel of the Ionian anchored and longlined in the harbour in a quiet spot but later it was manic busy everybody wanted to stay in Kioni. A big catamaran came next to us  then a greek boat tried to squeeze in between the Catamaran and Lesanda it was a tight squeeze poor Lesanda was being  very squashed gulp Skipper immediately left the taverna where we were having a chilled beer to rescue his ship and was protecting Lesanda he was shouting  at the Greek skipper boat to go away as there wasn’t enough room a few choice words were said but I won’t mention on the blog but I guess you get the gist.   Anne and I were in the taverna watching the drama  but after an hour all was good and the skippers were shaking hands Bravo.

Next day we went to Port Atheni and anchored overnight we spent the day on the beach and a drink in the Reggae bar  and at night we walked into the local village which was very traditional Greece fabulous.

Next day back to Nidri for Annes covid test and to have a few days shopping  and chilling on the beach and by the pool.

Annes final night the full crew got into Alice and we went to Ellena’s a beautiful taverna in Vliho on the sea front you could nearly paddle in the sea with a great view of the mountains and we enjoyed calamari and mussels seafood time flipping marvellous.

Annes last day we hired a car went to Desemi beach and then up the windy mountain roads to Engouvila and to Lefakada for Annes first ever Gyros the time to take Anne to the airport what a fab week with a great crew member Happy Times. Sharing our journey makes it even more special Thank you Anne xxxx

The quest complete we were enlightened and it was getting really hot we needed to move, so we turned the boat and headed west, we followed the route we had taken there and the wind pushed us all the way stopping off at Trizonia then under the Rion bridge we stopped overnight at a spectacular beach anchorage a small village called Kryoneri with 1000 mtr vertical cliffs towering above it. We were the only boat on the quay it was a magnificent setting we went to the local bar for a beer and food and felt the first drops of rain since entering Greece it felt great👍 and lasted for 15 mins then sunshine again.

From there it was a great sail to Petalas where we anchored overnight got up early morning to row to the church but vastly underestimated how far it was and ended up not getting there but we both got sore arms and hands from rowing

leaving Petalas we headed for Astakos for shelter from the forecast strong winds we moored up on the town quay and went shopping stopped off at a bar and got the best free meze of our trip so far

We had stocked up on food and beer the wind wasn’t that bad so we left Astokos and headed to Port Leoni on the island of Kalamos where we met up with our friend Dave we got anchored had a few beers and a night singing to Dave playing guitar. The next morning we decided to walk to the main town of Kalamos or the only town on Kalamos, we set off as normal with a bottle of water and an orange didnt even get half way because I vastly underestimated the heat and altitude so another unsuccessful mission.

We left Port Leoni and headed for Palearos Dave on his boat us on ours and decided to sail whatever the wind bad idea!! there was no wind! We were going that slow we could not tell who was going forward and who was going backwards, after 3 hours in 39°c heat we were all hot and bored thats when Dave spotted a plume of black smoke coming from the sea

This gave us an excuse to drop the sails and put the engine on and rush full speed to rescue. When we got there the occupants of the speedboat had been pulled out of the water by a passing yacht leaving us to look round for booty

The only booty being a charred fender we left it and headed on to Palairos where we met up with Chris and Stan and had a few beers and chatted while we ate the free meze of cheese pie with the first pint and meatballs with the second. Stan entertained us with his tails of doing the northern club circuits as a musical entertainer. A great night then the next morning we headed back to Nydri a more spiritually enlightened ship……….. The next episode of the blog adventure will be a joint effort from Claire and our friend Anne

Not being a big football fan I’ve been carried along over the last few week by our Claire, and there is a limit on how much football and partying I can take I bought the boat to explore and thats what we needed to do

After we got beat by the Ities and I woke up with another hangover it was time to move!! the forecast was westerly winds so that meant we needed to head east so out with the chart and the only place east was the Gulf of Patras and the Gulf of Corinth so thats where we headed we needed our own goal so we decided it would be to visit the Temple of Apollo at Delphi . Last year we headed east towards the Corinth but we were beaten back by the wind. This year would be different we wanted to visit the Temple of Apollo and ask questions to the Oracle and no wind was going to stop us!

We left Nydri a determined ship and headed south east to the island of Patalas following the same route as last year, we arrived on the east side of Patalas and got the anchor dug in just minutes before the 30knts gusts of wind which stuck with us for almost 8hrs. In a boat on anchor being hit with gusts sends the boat one way until the anchor stops it then it comes to an abrupt stop and swings in the opposite direction its like when you was a kid and your dad held your hands and spun you round but stopping dead then spinning the opposite direction and stopping dead again. Haha you can feel the G force as you lie in bed . After a night of spinning

it was a 5am start for a 55 mile voyage to the small island of Trizonia we intentionally missed out the shorter leg to Messalonghi to keep away from the skeleton warriors and zombies we encountered last year😁

When leaving Petalas we passed the mountanous island of Oxia where our friend Neptune held up the  rocks for us to pass through (see last years blog) we then sailed into  the Gulf of Patras where the wind went crazy and turned from a westerly to an easterly which meant that we were fighting into a 20knt headwind

The gulf of Patras is separated from the Gulf of Corinth by the Rion-Antirion bridge which at 2 mile span is the longest csble stay suspension bridge in the world. To pass under it you need permission from the bridge master, you have to radio in when you are approaching to ask permission to transit, telling them your mast height boat length and direction of travel they radio back telling you which section of the bridge to pass under.  I’m always nervous when using the VHF radio so babbled the mast height and direction but didn’t understand the reply so I asked Claire what he said and she said “I wasn’t listening” oh no we were approaching one of the worlds most expensive bridges at 5kts into 20knts of wind and didnt know which of the 5 sections to go through!! I did the only thing a good skipper could do and handed over control of the boat to Claire.

Phew we were through with inches to spare and our mast still vertical  well done Claire! into the Gulf of Corinth our next stop the small  island of Trizonia about 3 hours away. After 3 hours of punching into a 20knt headwind we entered the harbour windswept and tired it had taken us 12 hours we got moored up and had a beer.  https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.3704512,22.06999762,27.64869758a,3547.06902617d,35y,30.321035h,0t,0r

Trizonia is a strange place, an island with about 60 full time inhabitants 7 taveras  a church and an abandoned marina but no shop,  being only half a mile from the mainland it is connected by a ferry that runs back and forth non stop all day, the marina in the natural harbour is unfinished and not owned by anyone so it is free to stay its possible to moor your boat there and live on it for nothing all year. Its a bit on the rough side but its free. The wind was still blowing strong and had swung back round 180° now from the west and was forcast to be strong for the next few days

We had good shelter 7 tavernas and unlimited free water, we weren’t  bothered. Over the next 3 days we explored the island on foot finding hiking tracks secluded beaches to swim and chill and taking the ferry to do bits of shopping on the mainland

The island is a main tourist attraction for the locals on the mainland and over the weekend the bars were full, the ferry that  probably holds about 12 people normally, makes the crossing pact with about 30 people  sat on the roof and hanging on the sides like one of those Indian trains. 

The last day we spent climbing a mountain on the mainland because I spotted a church on top of it and wanted spiritual guidance to find the Temple of Apollo we got the ferry across and just climbed and climbed up a zigzag track, we got to 2000ft got lost and I had to give in we were only half way there, it was 2pm 35°c no shade and we were knackerd

we got back down had a beer then back on to the ferry I told the ferryman of our failed mission to the church for guidance to the temple. He replied “just sail east for 20mile to Galaxidi and get the bus to the temple” could it be that simple? The evening was spent sat in a bar watching guests arrive on the ferry for a wedding in the little church

We left Trizonia in strong westerly winds unfurled the genoa and set course east for Galaxidi we sailed well and it wasn’t long until we rounded the headland and made our way between 2 small islets right into the heart of the village where we moored up on the town quay.

Galaxidi is the most authentic small fishing village I’ve visited yet in Greece a fishing harbour although on the mainland it was only accessible by sea until in the 1960s when they built a road through the mountains, steep narrow pebble streets tiny shuttered shops with no window displays making it impossible to guess what they sell until you step inside

traditional tavernas peppered about with just a couple of tables outside. This is a place I could quite easily lay my hat. And I found our perfect house. We were now getting closer to our quest tomorrow we would be speaking with the Oracle in the temple of Apollo.

For the heathens among my 10 followers a few words to help you understand our quest. Delphi is an ancient city built on the side of a mountain in the centre of 2 geological faults it was a place surrounded by volcanoes and prone to the odd earthquake all this action meant the locals beleived it was a powerful place where the gods battled, they believed it to be the most sacred place on the planet and built a sanctuary to the main man Apollo they also employed a godess named Pythia who was so knowledgeable  she was known as the Oracle, kings came from all of the lands to ask for the answers to there questions and for guidence, as a thank you they gave her gifts of precious metals  built great monuments statues and coloseums the city thrived and became very wealthy.

We woke up early excited of the prospect of going up the mountain to Delphi. After breakfast we set off to find the bus stop and to get a couple of butties for our dinner, through the narrow cobbled streets we got to the village square found a baker for the butties, and for some unexplained reason I said to Claire I’m going to have a greek coffee I have never drunk coffee of any type in my life. We found a cafe sat down and ordered then an old man came up and asked if we wanted a bus ticket, strange how would he know, we said “yes 2 to Delphi” he smiled and disappeared the coffees came Claire had cappuccino, I had what can only be described as a thimble full of mud I took a sip of this vile slutch and don’t remember much more, the shaman smiled, he knew

The journey on the bus felt like an acid trip I was in a trance it must have been the coffee we climbed up and up with the most amazing views I’ve ever seen hairpin after hairpin we glided up it felt like it could be a trip to heaven higher and higher my ears popped

We arrived in Delphi and I floated  in a trace like dtate into the museum first we would then have better understanding of the archeological site, like Olympia we visited a month earlier it is uncomprehensable the amount of work that goes into building these places half a rock mountain had to be removed before any building work started and this was 2500 years ago all done with hand tools literally 10,000 men chipping away day after day for years. After all that work centuries later it was destroyed by the barbarians then rebuilt by the Romans helped by Hadrian of the wall fame after centuries of wars

the city had been buried under ground for 2000 years and the town of Delphi had been built on top of the ruins until in the 1950s the French archaeologists got permission to re house all the inhabitants of the town and started to unearth the ancient site bit by bit they dug up buildings and treasures. Infact if your interested watch this https://youtu.be/wBnOs8GmYHk

Enough writing here are a few pics of our quest

Breathtaking is an cliche that is over used I was literally panting for breath unless it was the come down from the coffee, We were there with a question each for Pythia the most learned Oracle in the world, she was sat there on a tripod long flowing hair and silk gown I went first I bowed nervously before her and asked “What must I do to get eternal happiness” she replied cryptically ” My son you must follow the Nike add” I had it, the answer !!!😁 Claire was next in front of the great Oracle she bowed and said ” Will Burnley win the Premier league next season” a smile came across the face of the Oracle which turned into a laugh then she was rolling around the floor in uncontrolable hysterics. We turned to leave then I remembered a favour a friend asked, just before I go Oh great Oracle my mate Dave wants to know saturdays lottery numbers…..

The bus ride back was just as amazing as the journey there, and to end the night we found a little french/greek restraunt up a small alley called O Bebeils where we had stuffed onions and mushrooms cooked in red wine mmmm while listening to French accordion music played by a man in a beret and an upturned pencil moustache.

A great end to an amazing journey and perfect end to the day our quest was over we had the answer and we would leave Galaxidi a very happy ship…..

We weighed the anchor at 6am for the next passage back to Kaparissia 32 mile about 8 hours sailing we got moored then went to local taverna for our tea. An early night ready for a 4am start for a 50 mile crossing to Zakynthos

Covid agh agh keep away! One of the requirements of Greece to allow yachts to go from island to island is that each person on board has to keep a personal health record consisting of daily blood oxygen level and temperature monitoring also if you travel from mainland Greece to one of the islands you have to have a lateral flow test so en route Claire puts her nurses uniform on and converts the saloon into a surgery

Negative😁

A 50 mile crossing could take upto about 12 hours depending on wind speed and direction if we go less than 4knts by sail I have to put the engine on or face the consequences of the strict matron 😁 we keep ourselves busy doing maintenance jobs on the boat and washing our clothes

We entered the port of Zakynthos being chased by a ferry as usual, the main town quay was closed for repairs so there was limited room on the breakwater we managed to squeeze into a space just big enough for a lolly stick. As we reversed into the tiniest gap possible the woman on the next boat was running up and down like a jack russell barking  shouting “watch my boat you won’t fit” well I did fit and she calmed down so we all had an anchor beer and made friends

The guy that help you onto the quay worked for an agency who take a share of the mooring fees, he tried to charge €20 a night but I said that was to expensive  and I would go and anchor out he agreed I think he felt sorry for us  with such a little boat told me to pay the port authorities direct I did and got 4 nights for €20 he was from Ukraine and we got on well until we beat his team 4-0 in the quarter final. We walked round the town and did a bit of shopping then headed to the castle

We returned from the castle and looked for a bar that had the match on with English commentary but there wasn’t one so we watched it on the boat

We won 4-0 after 4 days in Zante our next stop was Kefalonia to meet some friends we had a great sail north using just the wind  and no noisy engine. Robin and Kirsty met us on the quay and we went for a few beers in our favourite bar where we met Robins son and his girlfriend while chatting they said they would like to try sailing so I offered to take them the next day for a day sail to Sami about 15 mile up the coast where Robin could pick them up in his car. We went out the following day had a great day showing them the ropes with a nice wind to sail the wind gradually got stronger until we had to put the sails away it was blowing 20knts from the north so we couldn’t get into Sami we had to go to plan  B use the more sheltered port of Eu Effimia about 5mile across the bay our guests loved it and Adam was a natural on the helm. There are no certainties in sailing so every plan you make has to have a plan B and plan C

We said goodbye to our friends and decided to stay in Ey Effimia for the night the next day we will be heading north to our base Nydri to watch the semi final of the Euros. After a great sail north to Lefkada we anchored in tranquil Bay and replenished supplies filling the boat with food beer and diesel. We had arranged to meet Dave and Helen to go and watch the match then met up with a few more friends in the Cafe de Paris england won and we partied till 3am. The day after we did nothing at all apart from arrange to have a beach bbq with Dave and Helen on the island of Kastos we sailed down stopping off at Formicula to snorkel then headed to a great bay with a beach and dropped anchor fought off hundreds of wasps then rowed to the beach built a fire and had a bbq with pork chops, chicken kebabs and pork ribs

A quiet night on anchor then an early morning swim then set sail off to the next island Ithaca and the small port of Kioni for Saturday night we dined out then went to the jazz bar for some good music and a few nightcaps tomorrow would be cup final day we would be playing Italy. We were kept up until 4am by the boat next door who were partying they were Italian we needed our revenge. We headed back to Nidri to watch the final anchored back in the bay had an afternoon siesta before the match. Back to Cafe de Paris which had as many Italians as English in, we got sat in front of the big screen and the battle commenced. This is when Claire decided to take over the job of England coach and stood up pointing in all direction shouting “wing it wing it , mark him mark him, pass pass” . England scored first and we all stood up the Italians sat down then they scored and stood up we sat down this went on until they stood up more times than us which meant we were beat😔 Italy won 5-3 on penalties, but we still partied on 🤣🤣……

We had been in Pylos 2 days stocked up on water, fuel, food and olive oil decided to make a move across the bay to Gialova there was some strong winds coming and it would give us much better shelter from the forcasted northwesterly wind

On the way across the bay  we anchored off at a small island in the bay and went ashore to read the monument erected to the British who lost their lives at the battle of Navarinou

We anchored off the small village of Gialova https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4036.92504485,21.70233883,-3.00424617a,12646.91012101d,35y,-32.61394052h,60.06765824t,0r about 100meters off a beautiful sandy beach we had an anchor beer as usual then a swim then another beer and got in  Alice and went ashore to explore the village

Gialova is only small but quite exclusive with quaint little tavernas along the beach a 5 star hotel and spa and a couple of campsites mainly filled with motorhomes. We had a wander round then returned to Lesanda to sit out  the forecasted wind which arrived on schedule at about 2 pm and lasted about 4 hours blew up to 30knts but Bertha our anchor was well dug in and Lesanda never moved, we spent the evening on the boat with tuna salad and a bottle of red. The following morning I was up at 6am so decided to research the area on my telephone and found yet another castle about 3 mile away the Old Castle Navarino so I dragged Claire out of bed to  find it with me. We set off at 7am and walked along the beach for about 3 mile passing 2 or 3 super yachts anchored just off  the beach eventually we reached the bottom of the 300mtr climb up to the castle

Following the small track uphill we had to tread carefully to avoid killing the mass exodus of ants carrying pieces of straw 100 times there body size down the path. As usual we were not dressed for climbing just flip flops so the thought of a foot full of ants kept them alive and us tiptoeing, as well as  the ants we have the tree spiders about the size of a cockroach he spins his web from tree to tree right across the footpath at face height when you walk into one of them you stretch the web until it snaps then it tangles all its prey of mosquitoes around your head like a burkh you spend the next 5 mins spitting and pulling dead mossies and web out of your mouth and hoping the giant spider hasn’t gone down your back

We got up to the castle and the view into Gialova lagoon was breathtaking

The way back was much easier because we had broken all the spiders webs on the way up 😁 by the time we were back to the beach the sun had got up and it was hot hot hot we decided to walk back the road and ran from tree to bush to telegraph pole just to get away from the seering  sun. We came across a bar to have a chill then it was back to Gialova for a bacon sausage and 3 egg breakfast

We got back to Lesanda about 12.30pm just time for a swim before the wind hit us again An evening meal out with our friends and plan our next destination Methoni.

Methoni looked a great anchorage surrounded by 2 small islands. When we arrived we were not disappointed andOn the approach from the North the first thing you see is the island of Sapientza then as you get closer you can make out yet another castle this  one is at sea level and not at the top of a mountain  the pilot book says give the headland a wide birth due to shallows and rocks so we did then turned into a stunning bay with white sandy beaches and islands with mountains in the background and the biggest castle you have seen https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4036.81714672,21.70720473,3.31425523a,0d,50.18419161y,142.71727481h,79.80020523t,0r%2fdata%3dIjAKLEFGMVFpcFBSUFh3YUdzeXpLaW56NGoyVElVREJYajByQUlMeTQ5MlFJdGlhEAU⁰ I said to Claire “this is where I want to spend the rest of my life” well maybe a week would be ok. Anchor down, swim cold beer, explore. We decided to save exploring the castle until the next day so found a supermarket then a taverna had a few beers with our friends then got a takeaway of stuffed peppers and took it back to Lesanda.

Up early and excited to see another castle this one was the size of a small town. First we said goodbye to our good friends who we had travelled with for the last 14 days they were carrying on south we had decided to go back north. One of the great things about sailing is the people you meet along your journey and we have met some of the friendliest funniest and helpful people ever, you meet then say goodbye not knowing if you’ll ever meet again but with social media you can always stay in touch. Adios Amegios

We walked to the castle gate only to find it closed! Open everyday but Tuesday not to be beaten we got back in Alice and stormed it from the sea

The castle stormed and Turks beaten we had one last big battle before bedtime and that was to beat the Germans at football in the euros just to rub salt in there wounds from brexit we needed to show them we could not be bullied anymore. We got back to Lesanda just in time for kick off quick snack and a few cans feet up tablet switched on to BBC let the battle commence

We all know the outcome now but being the only English boat in the anchorage of mainly French, German and Italian boats I had to let them discreetly know we were happy ( we won 2-0 )

We went to bed tired of battle but content we were heading back north in the morning and we have a very happy ship…..

As we arrived in Kyparassia’s empty harbour we were surrounded by massive turtles at least a metre in length swimming all around us it was like being in the middle of a game of Whack a Mole we just needed a big mallet. We got moored up right next to an old wreck of a trawler and got the mainsail out of the cabin and folded neatly on the harbour wall, we inspected the sail and it was in great condition so it must be the furling mechanism that jammed up

A couple of hours and the main sail was back up and running it was a bolt that had unscrewed itself and was catching the inside of the mast. Thanks Steve for spotting it👍

Now time for a beer and explore the town, from our mooring the town looked a bit rundown all boarded up tavernas along the harbour front but walk quarter a mile up hill and there was a beautiful thriving town square surrounded by cafes and bars. In the evening we were invited onto our friends Steve and Andrea boat for a BBQ of homemade feta cheese stuffed burgers and chicken on skewers 😋 delicious

The following day I dragged Claire out of bed about 6am to hike up to Kyparissia Castle built high above the town with great views down onto the town and harbour it was a great walk and the castle was very impressive being built around 1205 there is still plenty to see

We left the castle and carried on climbing the hill  for some strange reason I get pleasure in going uphill and can’t stop until it starts decending, sometimes I feel sorry for Claire as she will ask “where are we going now” my answer is always the same “up there” anyway we got to the top of the hill found a bit of shade  had an orange then set off down again

It was time to leave Kyparassia we had been in harbours for the last 3 stopovers it was time to find a secluded bay to drop anchor. We headed  for the small uninhabited island of Proti https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4037.05065194,21.55092425,44.95360178a,9877.9546396d,35y,355.57616959h,0t,0r%2fdata%3dChIaEAoKL20vMDUxemxzdxgBIAE there are 2 safe places to anchor from a northwest wind the north east bay which has an old monastery and the southeast bay which has a sunken boat in it. First we tried the south bay because it had a idyllic beach we dropped the anchor in 5metre I then dived off the boat with mask and snorkel to check the anchor had dug in and was horrified to see a 80 mtr ship just below the surface and we were only 5 mtr away from it

The size of the sunken ship in the south bay 🥺

We quickly and carefully pulled up the anchor and left for  monastery bay in the north we got there dropped anchor and went for a swim then went to explore the smugglers caves.

We had the whole bay to ourselves and after a chorizo omelette and beans we spent the night in the cockpit listening to tunes and sipping wine

The next morning we took Alice the tender round to the bay with the shipwreck  and dived and snorkeled round it. It was a world war 2 supply vessel that  sunk in 1942 sheltering from a storm, with it being only a few metres deep you could see it clearly it felt eerie to swim around it and image it being tossed onto the jagged rocks in a stormy sea with all the crew abandoning ship and swimming ashore. I couldn’t get any photos of it because I broke my waterproof camera

We liked the island so much we decided to stay on the anchorage for 2 nights Steve and Andrea met us there the next day and we went back to snorkel the wreck and went a walk round the monastery

We then decided to go to the next port which was Pylos it is in a sort of big lagoon called Navarinou bay https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4036.92661055,21.68572548,-2.95467454a,17445.98300097d,35y,355.57616744h,0t,0r  it was the scene of a famous naval battle  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Navarino

and what a spectacular entrance it was

We needed to go to Pylos to provision and do a bit of boat maintenance there was a supermarket and a chandlers, water and diesel. We moored side to the quay tied the boat up and went into the town.

First we found the supermarket and did a big shop we filled a rucksack each with groceries then back to the boat empty the bags into fridge and lockers then walk back for the beer and wine another rucksack each back to boat.

Next to get water we found a tap across the road so I made about 5 trips with a 20ltr containet to top the boat tank then fill 10 2ltr water bottles for drinking plus our 3 20 ltr containers this is all in 38° heat I then have to start emptying the beer supply😁 after a few beers to cool me down and soften the blow of our next trip to the local chandlers who ends up a great local character before you speak to him he sits you down with orange juice and ice water and gives you a bottle of olive oil each, we ordered the part for the boat it would arrive the following day. I then got on with the ongoing problem of my solar panels after spending  an hour with the multi meter it was the plug in connectors that were faulty so back to the friendly chandlers who didn’t have any but I still came out of the shop with the orange juice another bottle of olive oil his life story and a roll of insulation tape

With the solar pannels temporary fixed the fridge able to keep our beers cold and the windlass part ordered we celebrated by dining out on giros and mythos 😁 and planning an extra virgin olive oil wholesale business…

We had planned to get away from the crowds for a few week having explored the north and south Ionian Islands we decided the head down the west coast of the Peloponnese which is southern mainland Greece

After launching in Nydri our first overnight stop was the island of Ithaca and a beautiful anchorage off Sarakiniko beach https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.36489825,20.73689959,-0.18860317a,720.63958808d,35y,344.31688993h,0t,0r just trying this link if it worked thats where we anchored if not this is what it looked like.

We had a very peaceful night on anchor after a few cans of Mythos and a few glasses of  wine to complement our meal of tuna pasta we slept like logs. In the morning a refreshing dive into the crystal clear water and a swim ashore then back to the boat for breakfast and to plan our next passage. South of us was the island of Kefalonia so we decided to head to Poros on the south Eastern side of the island a harbour we knew well and liked. The sail down was uneventful with the standard no wind then wind but in the wrong direction then wind in the right direction it keeps us busy adjusting sails in the 4 hour passage. Once on the town quay in Poros we were entertained by watching the people on 40ft+ charter boats  and catamarans trying to  moor stern too and making a complete mess of it. We ended up staying in Poros for 3 days because the weather was not favourable, just a bit too much wind. Early next morning as I was emptying our rubbish in the skip I noticed a big bright yellow plastic sunflower smiling at me someone had thrown out so I decided to rescue her and enlist her as crew we call her Polly

Over the next few days  we explored the local hills and beaches and went for a hike to the “spectacular Potisti waterfall” which was very well hidden, We had to hack our way through spiky cactus style plants through wasp infested bright lilac flowers and fight off snakes we eventually got to a hole in the ground where the plunge pool should be and a dry vertical rock face where the waterfall used to be.

In the evenings we spent either chilling on board planning routes or go to our favourite chill bar Maistrali https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2f%4038.14720375,20.77897348,3.61151099a,0d,36.90158026y,258.063302h,84.84664126t,0r%2fdata%3dIhoKFkRyNmpfT2QxREx0WHUtRFpMVl9yRUEQAg if that link works should take you to the bar (have an ice cold beer)   and met up with some ex pats and entertained them with our tales of travels and ocean crossings, while we were there some friends we had met last year on another boat got in touch they heard we were on our way south so we decided to go meet them and give Zante a miss they were in Katakolo on the Pelopenese a 42mile southeast passage taking us about 9 hours. We weighed anchor at 06.45 and left Kefalonia heading south easy to the Peloponese

After all the work I had done on the engine and drive, the boat runs like a sewing machine so smooth and quiet we were able to take here up to 6.5 knts and still hear our music. Nine hours passage soon passes especially for Claire who keeps herself busy sun bathing, singing,  drinking and dancing while I’m on hands and knees scrubbing the decks and polishing the steelwork like Cinders. Tim our autohelm steers the boat but has a tendency to wander a bit so we need to keep an eye on him and Polly attracts wasps. As we entered Katakolo we could see the huge cruise liner in the habour its only a small town with a big harbour built just for cruise ships to stop over and bus hundreds of passengers a day to the ancient ruins of Olympia where the Olympic games started in 800 years BC almost 3000 years ago

We got to the town quay and were helped in by our friends Steve and Andrea who then invited us on board for a few drinks in the evening we had a great catch up meal in a local taverna. As we were so close to Olympia we decided to hire a car and visit the famous archaeological site and put a bit of culture in our trip. Early next morning we packed some butties and set off in the hire car on the 25mile trip to Olympia after getting lost and ending up going up the steepest road in greece we started to  think we might have put Mount Olympus in Google maps

I had read that you can hire virtual reality goggles so as you walk through the ruins you can see and hear the site as it was 3000 years ago with people taking part in the games and the crowds of spectators it was an unbelievable experience

We left Katakolo and headed south across a 20 mile bay to Kyparissia with  not much wind we had to motor most of the way, the wind in the Ionian picks up in the late afternoon  so you either wait most of the day to sail or use the engine first then sail when the wind picks up, after motoring for a few hours  i got bored so up with the sail in about 5 to 6 knts of wind whi as the wind got up I decided to reef the main sail with the in mast furller but the mechanism jammed and I could not get the sail in after frantic attempts I could not shift it the only thing I could do was to take the sail off completely whild under way we put the engine on and furlled in the head sail Claire pointed the boat into the wind and I began removing the sail not an easy task especially when the wind was blowing aboutb 10knts eventually with much tugging and flapping the whole sail came off, we just stuffed it in the cabin and headed for Kyparassia a relieved and happy boat👍

The last post of  last years blog we were living in an apartment in Vliho we stayed until 12 December enjoying living the simple Greek life although we were in lockdown we could go out for exercise and shopping .We then flew back to the UK into full covid lock down and had to isolate for 10 days which took us to Christmas. After the Christmas break I picked up a bit of work and Claire joined the local vaccination team and went back working full time giving jabs and saving peoples lives

We booked to return to Lesanda in Greece on the 24th April and planned to sail to Crete as we should have done last year. Boris had other plans for us! Yet again for the second year running he did all in his power to stop us reuniting with Lesanda this time he got Easyjet to help and they cancelled every flight we booked for 2 months! 7 flights in total from 3 diferant greek airports. But we were determined to beat them both. They tried a traffic light system and took out the green light so every European country was on amber. That didn’t stop us so then they brought out the Indian variant which was surrounding us, to the north Nelson , Blackburn to the west ,Bradford the east with Bolton attacking from  the south we were almost beaten but we dodged them all determined as we were to see Lesanda and escaped from the UK.🌞

The plane was only a third full We arrived at Corfu Airport with our hands full of papers with barcodes printed on, god knows what information those little black and white squares hold but without them we could not travel, we also had passport and Greek residency card  immigration didnt  stamp our passport which means we were not limited to  the 90 day stay limit 😁 We got through passport control jumped into taxi to Corfu port to catch the empty  ferry  to Igoumenitsa where we were met by our friends Alan and Hazel who kindly drove us all the way to Nydri😁

We had booked an Demitra studio apartments in Nydri just behind the Bikini bar our favourite bar so Claire could lounge around the pool drinking cocktails and chatting to the locals all day while I grafted in the hot dusty rat infested boat yard working on the boat all  week 😄

After a week grafting on Lesanda she was ready to launch

We launched Friday 11 June with no major issues apart from no windless which is the big electric motor which winds the anchor up and down. With no working anchor we had to stay on a pontoon for the night until I could fix it. A couple of hours tracing wires and connections and contorting my body into spaces only a 3 year old could fit and it was fixed. So on the 12th of June we set off on another adventure! We were heading south down the west Peloponnese

After being on the boat for 3 months I have to admit life on land has its bonuses our appartment is very small but compared to the boat its palacial. We have a propper double bed, a shower, unlimited water and electric even a T.V. although its all greek channels. There is a great community in the village with the local yacht club being the hub of it. Our days are spent either working on boat or exploring the Island on foot and bikes. I already have a regular morning exercise route to the church with a couple of mates a big climb with fantastic views all the way up and down. Claire goes running and does yoga so we are keeping fit

Today we set off on  circular walk up the mountain behind our appartment. setting off we headed for Charadiatika a beatifull village at the foot of the mountains. Then we climbed steeply on a dirt track

Heading up to the church of Ag Demitrios We stopped for a rest and admire the surroundings on the way up we saw snakes and sat down to have our butties with a praying mantis a 6 inch high insect….. here is an interesting fact about the female

Ouch!!! Strange world after saying goodbye to the canibal insect we carried on upwards until we reached the caves which had been formed by the water gushing down the mountains as we climbed we had a great view of surrounding islands.

The walk came out at the church that I cycle up to in the mornings so we knew it was all downhill from here great walk with pint in one of our local bars Mimikos

Very few bars are open now the season is over in Nidri there is a couple on the quay still open and the prices have dropped a euro a drink so that saves us a couple of bob plus it’s about 40 minutes walk into Nidri from Vliho and its getting dark earlier so we tend to just go a couple of times a week

Ride to the highest church on Lefkada

From the town we can just make out a white dot on top of one of the mountains above Nydri someone told us it was the highest church on the island 3350ft so we decided to cycle up to it after all Claire likes the  churches I like the mountains so we packed a couple of bananas and a drink in our baskets and set off on our €6 a week hire bicycles

Steeply uphill sll the way our first stop was Vafkeri a small village at 1700ft we were ready for a banana and a breather.  The road got smaller and steeper as we gained altitude the next stop would be Englouvi the highest village on the island at 2450ft it was small and very traditional with tightly built houses on the slopes, by this time we were starving and was lucky to find a little cafe with a few elderly greek men sat outside we sat down and tried to order but the old lady could not understand a word of English so we signed by pointing at our mouths and panting with our tongues she nodded and left us wondering what was coming. We must have looked hungry she turned up 16 mins later with 2 plates of egg and chips and a extra plate of chips.

It didn’t take long to eat the egg and chips then we went to explore the village it had spectacular views down into the valley below but looking high above us we could see how far we still had to ride and it looked very steep.

The ride out of the village steepened on rough concrete tracks still snaking left hairpin then right hairpin up up up! Now above the clouds the landscape changed and became rocky and arid we passed an old derelict army base with massive radar dishes the road looked impossible to cycle but we just kept going.

The last 200mts felt vertical as the tires struggled for grip on our shopping bikes. 3340ft and we had peddled it the whole way. We were ecstatic punching our fists in the air we celebrated with half an orange and 2 biscuits the old lady in the cafe gave us for our trip

We couldn’t get any higher so we jumped on our bikes and rode all the way back down again. We entered Vliho an exhausted and happy couple apart from the sore arses.😁😁