Cruising to Greece and back.

Judy and I returned to Greece on 27th June 2012, flying in to Athens and then catching the bus down to Kalamata which took about four hours from the Peleponnese bus station. It was noticeably much hotter (30 deg C during the day) than when we left about four weeks earlier. And it grew hotter by the day as July progressed. I read somewhere recently that the temperatures were about 10 degrees hotter than the historical average. I can believe it! It was extremely hot by August.

After spending the first day settling in and stocking up the boat, we hired a car for a few days to explore the southern Peleponnese and Mani Peninsular. The ancient site of Messene was visited on Friday morning. It is a beautiful peaceful location and a visitor can easily see the layout from the well maintained site. Refer http://www.civilisation.org.uk/greece/messene.htm and http://www.ancientgreecejourney.co.uk/places/messene.HTM


Open air forum at Messene
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

After a leisurely lunch we drove over the wild mountain range on the Mani Penisular to Mystras, a Byzantium hilltop city.

Walled hill city of Mystras.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

For further information, refer http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/511 and http://www.astoriatravel.gr/en/services/mystras.htm

We arrived to find that the site had closed at 15:00hrs even though the guide stated that it was open until 20:00hrs. After a few cold beers under the shade of the trees down in Mystras town square, we decide to stay the night in the Mystras Inn and do the tourist bit next day. We had an evening meal in a tavern up the road towards the old city. The view across the valley towards Sparta was fantastic; which is more than we could say about the food!

Saturday morning we had a good meander (or climb as it is on the side of a mountain) around the site eventually making it to the citadel at the summit at an elevation of 590 metres. We returned to the boat in Kalamata Marina by 15:30hrs and eventually retired to the lovely cool verandah of the yacht club and the soothing comfort of cold beer.

On Sunday, we drove 80 km (2 hours) south down the Mani to the Diros Caves. This was an unforgettable experience, being punted along an underground river for over 1,500 metres. Rather than me trying to describe the caves, refer http://www.insidemani.gr/2011/05/diros-caves/ or watch this video. It is a bit long but shows the extent of the caves. http://www.youtube.com/embed/rZcna5CuYeM?feature=player_detailpage%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowfullscreen

That evening we went to the tavern just next to the marina entrance where we were establishing ourselves almost as regulars with the extremely efficient Greek waitress. We watched the European Cup final where the Spanish team dispatched Italy 4 - 0 with their usual brilliance and flair. It bought back memories from 2010 when we were in Galicia watching Spain win the World Cup.

After returning the car to Kalamata Airport, we spent a couple of days on maintenance. We found a local refrigeration engineer who charged up the ice-box compressor. I had replaced the old 25 year old hoses and for the first time in a couple of years the ice-box was cooling properly. And it was needed as it was very hot on the boat inside the marina.

On Tuesday 03 July Charlotte and her friend Laura arrived at 22:00hrs on the bus from Athens. Next morning we left at 10:00hrs and motored for 6 hours in hot conditions before anchoring at Methoni.


Venetian fort at Methoni
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

We were one of twelve sailboats in the large anchorage. http://www.fortified-places.com/methoni/
Over the next few days we toured the old Venetian Fort, visited Finnakouda and O.Kitries and returned to Kalamata Marina by 19:15hrs on Saturday 07 July. Over the next couple of days the girls departed back to London, Judy and I did some more maintenance and stocked up the boat prior to departing south east towards Kithera.
We had a couple of overnight stops - firstly at Koroni and then Porto Kayio


Sheltered anchorage at Porto Kayio.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.
before reaching Kapsali harbour in southern Kithera. This is a beautiful harbor set under the guard of the Chora at Kithera high on the overlooking hilltop.


Kapsali Harbour under the Chora at Kithera.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

After a couple of days in Kapsali and then in Avelmona, a warning of a pending Meltemi wind sent us scurrying out of Avelmona at 06:30hrs to get around Cape Maleas before the winds set in. For those unfamiliar with the Aegean, a Meltemi is the fresh to strong northerly wind which can blow for up to ten days at a time and can create very unpleasant sailing conditions around exposed headlands such as Cape Maleas. Even the name, Cape Maleas, causes butterflies in sailors tummies! Ref http://www.sailingissues.com/meltemi.html

As it turned out we motored past the Cape in calm conditions and were safely tucked up in Monemvasia Marina by 12:30hrs. Later that day we were joined by an Italian boat we spoke to in Avelmona and a friendly Greek boat from Kapsali. I was now back in my old stomping ground having first visited Monemvasia in 1974. There was no marina there then and it was very exposed in a Meltemi.


Walled city at Monomvasia with the Citadel high on the hill top in the upper town.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

Monday 16 July was the hottest day of the year and of course it was the day Jude and I picked to explore the upper town in Monemvasia. Ref http://www.monemvasia.com/

By 08:00hrs next day the wind was gusting 25 kts from the north and causing pandemonium for the 3 or 4 badly moored yachts on the outer wall of the marina. It is absolutely amazing how little consideration some charterers have for other boats as they try to barge in and don't care who they inconvenience. By the time the Meltemi blew itself out, it was Friday before we moved up the Gulf to Leonidrion for the night. When I told the lady from the taverna that we used to visit her father's taverna in 1974, she immediately presented us with a bag of fresh vegetables from her garden.


Taverna by harbour at Leonidrion.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

It was quite exciting on Saturday 21 July when Tobin Bronze dropped anchor among the fishing boats at Tolo (Tolon). I spent two summers in 1973 and 1974 living on a sail boat, Whimbrel, based there. It was in Tolo in 1974 where I met Judy.


Villa Otto courtyard.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

Unfortunately, Tolo has changed dramatically since then. Mass tourism has drastically altered the town. It used to be a lovely unspoilt fishing village but no longer ... even the beach has been eroded away to less than a quarter of its width. It was nice to have a few beers with Stavros and Yannis and reminisce about old times.


Stavros, Yanni & Peter drinking beer where the Paradosis Taverna used to be.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

After a couple of nights, we moved on to Nauplion which we also knew quite well. Judy departed to Athens and Wiltshire on Tuesday while I stayed on with the intention of doing maintenace. But it was so hot, 35 to 40 deg every day that I gave up and had TB lifted out of the water in Koilada for the winter.


Bourtzi in Nauplion harbour.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'July 2012'.

We would not be going back to Greece in 2012 as Ben was getting married in Montpellier in September.
On 02 August, I caught the hydrofoil from Ermioni to Athens and flew back to London. We had cruised 614 nM during the summer with 77 nights onboard.