20/07/11 We clear Andikiron and head off out of the large bay and around a point to the next bay at the head of which is Galaxidi, a sail of some 20 miles. Notable along the way was a low level flyby of a couple of jet fighter planes. We did not hear them until they were right overhead going low and fast straight for the large mountain that we were going around. They kept going low right until we all caught our breath thinking they could not possibly gain enough height to clear the obstruction. At the last moment there was a puff of black smoke and they went almost vertical up the cliff faces to drop out of sight on the other side. All very spectacular.

On a pass between two small islands we find a little bay to our port revealing Galaxidi hemmed in amongst pine covered slopes, a quaint beautiful Greek seaside town. In the late 18th Century and the beginning of the 19th it was a predominant port until it became occupied by the Turks who captured their fleet of ships.
Once the Turks were defeated and thrown out the port never again returned to its importance as a trading centre.



That is Elixir on the end beyond the roof.
We go stern to the main pier and amused ourselves for the first half hour watching a rather gruff looking man who, it became obvious, was the town drunk. Actually we found out later that this town is too small for its own drunk so they share this one with the town just a little bit further in the bay. Anyway this man had set himself up with a good little business ordering Yachts where they should moor and giving them access to water and electricity. He would then pick up tips and strut around full of importance. Trouble was he had no authority at all and seemed to have little understanding about mooring yachts and their requirements. By the time the target yacht found out the truth it had tied up and hooked up to the facilities and paid his tip. Then the man would suddenly disappear as the Port Police would walk by telling everyone that they had to shift to another spot and moor differently. Once the Police left he would be back on the scene for any other poor unsuspecting new arrivals. We count ourselves lucky that we did not fall prey as he just happened not to be there at the time we arrived.



Off to find the town square and the bus stop.



The very obvious Bus stop- Not!

One of the things one does at Galaxidi is go by bus or rental car up into the mountains to visit Delphi, known as the navel of the earth. Well, the navel according to ancient Greeks who believed it to be so. It is said the Zeus released two eagles, one at each end of the earth and they flew towards each other and met at Delphi. History records the various stories surrounding the Oracles of Delphi and many a nobleman or wealthy trader would visit Delphi to glean the wisdom of the Oracle. Just so did Alexander the Great, who wished to know how his fortunes would fare in his conquest of the world. The most famous of the Oracles of the time, a woman, would not give him a straight answer. Alexander chased her into her cave and dragged the poor wretch out by her hair, the woman screaming all the time telling him he was the greatest and was undefeatable, whereupon he released her telling his followers that he had got the answer that he was looking for! I understand no assault and battery charges were laid!



We visited by bus and enjoyed the ride first through thousands of acres of olive plantations then up the mountainsides to disembark at the beginning of the town of Delphi.

A walk through the town brought us to the ruins. I thought I had been ruined-out by now but these were fantastic. It was almost a spiritual experience, high on a mountain top with panoramic views over mountains and hills to the sea. All around us was evidence of a past civilization complete with aqueducts, stadiums and of course the mandatory amphitheatre.















The temple, now in ruins, of Apollo commandeered the most imposing and spectacular of sites around which was built the treasury houses and the homes of the notorious. Even in the 36 deg heat one could not help but be taken aback by the scale of the city that must have been.

We returned to the bus for the trip down the mountainside and I sat there, white knuckled, hoping the brakes had been checked as we passed many a little roadside monument, built in the image of churches in country letterbox sizes.



The girls suffered badly from the heat and needed instant happy hour moisture to revive their spirits!

Back to Elixir and I am off to the officials to clear away the legals for an early departure next day. Pleased we had locked up from the town drunk as he was well and truly in his cups by this time of the evening. The town is so small that they do not need a drunk of their own so just share him with the neighbouring towns. Just saying.

22/07/11 04:00





we idle away from the quay and make our quiet way motoring into the new day. Our goal this day is to make it all the way to Patras 40 miles away passing under the Rion Bridge.
A bit of a buz of excitement around the yacht as we anticipate picking up son Chris at Patras who will be joining us for about 5 days as we make our way up the Ionian. 5 Miles out of Galaxidi and we encounter 25 knot head winds and a very lumpy and uncomfortable cross sea. We bash our way to the southern side of the Gulf of Corinth where we get a good lift from the wind being bent down the coast and make good a further 15 miles to windward than anticipated. We snuck in close to the shore and found a little nook offering some shelter from the wind and anchored in 4 metres for a welcome rest and a good lunch. After our half hour respite we hoisted the main only and used the motor to force our way a further 10 miles to windward and under the Rion Bridge.

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Great Sailing conditions as we battle to windward towards the great Rion bridge. We pass under the big bridge for the second time in our voyaging.





Only then were we able to lay off a bit as we made the last five miles to the yacht basin in Patris. The entrance was hard to find and not at all like that shown in the Pilot book, however, using no1 eyeball x 2 x 4 we finally spotted the 30 metre wide gap right alongside the shipping terminal and fired into it dropping the main at the same time. The first thing that struck one was the smell of the water in the basin it was the same stink that we had come across in the town basin in Kos so we decided this was not going to take any longer than necessary. The main thing worrying me at this time is that we had not heard from Chris since he left London and I do not have any idea if he got my text to say we were picking him up in Patras. He had arrived in Corfu got the ferry to the mainland and caught a bus to Rion, his phone would not work so, he was unable to contact us. He did however have his little satellite hiking transmitter that he set off and the satellite gave us a fix that he was at the Rion bridge. From that I deduced that he must have got my earlier text and that he would show up in due course. I did not know that all the taxis in Patras were in strike! Chris got off the bus in Rion as it was to go on East to Athens and Patras was further West. He found a bus going in the right direction and got on that. Our afternoon turned into evening and then into night, still no sign of him. After dark I got a txt that he was in a hotel about a mile from where we were. After I replied to his text he turned up at the yacht. All was well and nerves put to rest.
07:00 23/07/11 out of Patris we go sailing now with fair wind for several hours before it dropped out completely.


Chris taking a close up look at a lonely turtle.



Chris explaining to the, highly sceptical, boys how a wild turtle bite scar was going to impress the London girls! He was disappointed that we remained unimpressed, indeed we could not even see it!


We sailed passed Missalonghi on the northern side of the Gulf of Patras and up the coast before tacking North East to keep a small but high and steep island to port.

We stopped for a swim at a small off-lying low island and then moved on to a quiet and safe anchorage for the night inside a headland called Petralis.



Jenny and Elizabeth put together a beautiful dish of moussaka that disappeared in an instant washed down with a cheeky little local red and all crew happy and off to bed.



A little girl who has found the heat, distance and the length of the day very tiring.

I lay in my bunk and reflected on the miles that we had covered since leaving the Corinth Canal and on the time that we had taken to cover it, I was well pleased with our little crew. I had really enjoyed today motoring along in the hot sun for a few hours with David, Elizabeth and Jenny going about their reading exercises while Chris and I caught up on family news and philosophised about the future prospects for the world..... zzzzzz.. oink...zzzzz.



Next morning and we move out at 06:00.



24/07/11 07:30 and we motor out of Petralis and make our quiet way over to Nisos Atokas for a swim in a lovely little lagoon on the leeward side.