Tuesday 13th September (continue)
Back on Clio again with our new crew Nemyra and Lansing it was time for some last minute shopping, Cosmote shop for the Lansing’s SIM card (still no spare WiFi modem for Clio), and the fruit shop for the girls, with a slight detour to the gelato shop to sample the unique kumquat ice-cream of Corfu.

We then said farewell to Korfu and made our way back to Sivota stopping in Blue Lagoon or Paradise Beach. We adorned our inflatable Cloe with the 6HP power source and went for a ride along the shore inspecting the caves (top-right). Nemyra, Lansing and Chris went for a swim to have a look at the amazing critters that populate the cave walls, like the many species of coloured sponges and various red and green macro algae (seaweeds). As the swell began to pick up we moved around to the other side of the island to anchor for the night.

Wednesday 14th September
This morning Chris tried to winch up the anchor, but it seem to be stuck. After some forward and backward maneuvering in the hope to free it, it came up bit by bit and proved to be stuck under a fairly heavy chain. After some help from our big hook we were able to free our anchor from the chain, but not a very nice start of the day. It still is a mystery what that chain was doing there. Anyway, after this morning’s exercise we motored back to Blue Lagoon beach for more snorkeling and swimming. Francis took 80 macro photos in the hope to get a more detailed image of his polyps, but they all failed, as it turned out. We decided to stay the night and moved Clio onto the town quay in Mourtos/Vela, again right in front of the bamboo cafe. We were soon ashore and enjoying coffee and free Kahlua from the lovely and fun Andreas, the fastest waiter in Greece. Then off to find gyros for lunch.

After lunch, time for the girls to do the shopping and the boys to have their mandatory afternoon nap. After Chris and Nemyra unloaded and stowed the supplies it was time for a nice cool swim at the beach.
Hmmmm, Spanokopita for dinner tonight and then a good night’s sleep.

Thursday 15th September
After a leisurely start today, on our way to Lakka on the island of Paxos, under sail in a very gentle breeze. After a swim in the beautiful clear water it was time for sundowners, followed by a delicious chicken cacciatore made by Nemyra, thank you. Francis and Lansing stayed up talking well into the night and around midnight skipper asked the Austrians on a very nearby yacht, to re-anchor a safer distance away. They kindly obliged, but got very close to a French boat, but nobody complained so that was that. It is still a popular anchorage this late in the season, but not as crowded as a couple of weeks ago.

Friday 16th September
After spending some time ashore enjoying coffee while Nemyra explored the village and us shopping for band aids and bananas. After the successful shopping trip we got back to Clio to move a bit further south on Paxos to the village of Gaios. As the channel that leads to the quay has many shallows and the water looked quite unattractive, we anchored off the tiny island of Panayia. Lansing and Nemyra enjoyed more snorkeling and later in the afternoon we watched a wedding party and their guests being delivered to the island on small Greek wooden boats. Francis joined in the cheering of the bride’s arrival by tooting our fog horn. A beautiful spot for a wedding.

Saturday 17th September
After a good night’s sleep we took Cloe into the town quay for Lansing and Nemyra to wander around and Chris and Francis got some supplies. Francis was also trying to find an affordable (cheap) underwater torch to assist in making macro photos underwater. Gaios is another pretty place and seems to be very much geared to the yachts that spend a night there. Chris spotted another wedding party being ferried to the larger island of Nikolaus, popular spot for nuptials, obviously.

Our crew Lansing and Nemyra were getting used to the life at sea and relaxed into reading books and having naps (top-right two photos) while underway. As we are expecting the wind to strengthen from the south this evening, we made our way down to Andipaxos to Voutoumi Beach, which claim the most beautiful blue water in all of Greece, according to the Ionian Greeks. It is a huge tourist attraction and the day tripper boats were rolling in one after another, dumping or picking up people and racing off again.
Even though it was a bit choppy we were able to anchor in a good spot and dove in (bottom-right). After a lengthy snorkel in water with more than 25m visibility it was time to head to the mainland to find a safe anchorage for the night. We were able to set the sails and cruise along with a 10 knot breeze for a couple of hours, which made a nice change.

We reached the mainland at Parga and after going to check out the local little port, resort beaches and taking photos of this quite fancy resort area. As we could not find any good anchorages, we decided to move further south and spend the night in a less exposed cove in Ioannou Bay.

When we arrived the bay was completely empty and we had our choice of anchorage sites, perfect. It is beautiful here, and so quiet. Lots of snorkeling done here, while the water is not as clear as on Antipaxos, the rocky shoreline reveals an underwater wonderland, full of beautiful colours and all sorts of critters. Chris found a small starfish and brought it back to Clio to show Nemyra and Lansing. After some hesitation about the murky water they decided to join Chris and Francis to also inspect the underwater delights.

Sunday 18th September
This is such a great spot, we will stay another night. We expect the wind to pick up tomorrow so plan to head to Preveza tomorrow morning. The rain began overnight and into this morning, clearing by lunchtime. Once the sun came back out Chris and Francis were back in the water looking for the sea urchin crabs hiding in the rocks. By afternoon the weather has deteriorated again and two other yachts moved in to the little bay.
During the night a couple of storm fronts moved across and there was no sleep for Chris and skipper from 2.00 a.m. until daybreak as the thunder cracked and lightening lit up the sky accompanied by very heavy showers. We had wind gusts up to 35 knots but thankfully they did not last long and we were very securely pinned down with our trusty anchor. Our only casualty was Lansing's swim shirt which was hanging out on a rail, we figure there is a very trendy fish swimming around sporting a new swim shirt or highly priced real estate for small critters.

Monday 19th September
The next morning the sky cleared but the water was a very murky yellow/green due to the soil runoff from the mountains surrounding the cove. We are expecting more rain over the next couple of days, so it was time to get back to a secure mooring in Preveza. That would give Lansing and Nemyra a couple of days to have a look around Preveza and prepare for their travel to Athens and on to their next adventure.
After an hour of motoring the wind had picked up and started to whip up some white-capped waves. As we neared the fairly narrow channel, we were bumping around in 1-2 meter swell and 25 knot gusts. Once we entered the channel we rode the waves in and skipper was relieved to get out of that washing machine and to tie up to the Preveza municipal quay after a couple of tries with a stiff side wind. After getting settled and hanging out our wet towels again, we crossed the footpath to the coffee shop for lunch just before the heavens opened and the rain bucketed down for the next hour or so. We were all very happy to have tied up when we did. Thanks skipper (don’t mention it).
Lansing and Nemyra headed off to explore Preveza while Chris and Francis caught up on some well needed sleep.

This evening we managed to walk to the end of the quay for a very cheap but yummy meal of gyros for dinner and get back to Clio in time to retrieve our still damp towels before another storm front rolled in and dumped more rain. Safely tied to the quay, sleeping was not a problem tonight.

Tuesday 20th September
We woke to a glorious sunny day today, at last the well rain rinsed towels get a chance to dry. A great day for Lansing and Nemyra to wander around town and do some shopping while Chris and Francis catch up on blogging, administrative tasks and picking up switches and water pistols sent by our friend Haris from Alimou in Athens to the Nomicos base in Preveza. That afternoon Chris and Nemyra strolled around to the beach for a swim and that night we enjoyed Chris's yummy potato bake for dinner followed by locally home-made gelato. A very nice end to the day.


Wednesday 22nd September
Still in Prevezza until Lansing and Nemyra leave tomorrow. A lazy day finished off with a nice farewell dinner in a very Greek seafood restaurant where we shared a selection of fishy dishes (and of course followed by a tasty gelato), thanks very much for that lovely dinner, Crew.

Thursday 22rd September
Today our crew is going to leave us to continue their exploration of beautiful Greece overland. Their suitcases are packed and a willing taxi driver is summoned for transport to the bus station, a couple of kilometres from the quay. Francis is accompanying them to the station to make sure the reservations are ok and to have a last cup of latte with them. All was fine and Nemyra and Lansing soon settled in a prime spot in front of a very luxurious bus (with air-conditioning). Have a great time in Greece and thanks Nemyra and Lansing for being great crew!