Corrine, Jon, Vanessa and Wayde were our second crew in 2017. They were on board for 10 nights (09/06-19/06 2017) and we sailed about 90 NM (170 km) in that time. They joined us in Preveza and we visited Meganisi Island, Wasp Bay and Kastos town on Kastos Island, One-House Bay on Atokos Island, Vathy and Filiatros Bay on Ithaki Island, and Antisamos Bay and Sami on Kefallonia Island. We rented cars and toured around Ithaki Island and Kefallonia Island. These are Jon and Vanessa's memories.

Jon's and Vanessa's Ionian adventure
There is an art to good food, even something as simple as Greek salad where all the ingredients are raw. The body of the salad consists of tomatoes and cucumber, in roughly equal proportions, but these have to be cut to the right size. Too small and the flavours blend too much, too large and it's difficult to eat. Just smaller than bite size is perfect. Olives are the next major ingredient, about a tenth by volume - just enough to add some contrast. Then capsicum and red onion very thinly sliced but as long ribbons, enough to provide some bite, but cut so they don't blend into the other favours. Then a few green capers, two teaspoons of dried oregano, and a dressing of a large spoonful of red wine vinegar plus two of good Greek olive oil. Finally the salad is topped with goat feta, broken into chucks and gently mixed through. Done right this is a brightly coloured summer salad of rich contrasting flavours, the very essence of the Mediterranean.
I learned to make Greek salad during our holiday on board the sail boat Clio. Come to think of it there is also an art to a good holiday. You want to spend it with interesting loveable people who provide the body of the holiday. For us this was provided by Chris and Francis, good friends and the owners of Clio, and our life long friends Wayde and Corrine. You want an interesting distracting environment which takes you out of your everyday self and the Ionian Sea certainly does that. Turquoise crystal clear waters, beautiful sunrises and sets, amazing rock formations, fantastic swimming, and spying abundant sea life, guided by the marine biologist skipper, provide the right amount of distraction. When in harbour exposure to thin slices of contrasting island culture provide a bit of bite, topped by being able to walk in the steps of the hero of the Odyssey, the Ionian hero Odysseus. Oh and don't trust Greek estimates of walking distance (they must drive everywhere!).
The ten days spent on board the Clio were rich in fellowship, provided sufficient downtime to reconnect with ourselves and each other, catch up on reading and sleep, and for some an opportunity to refresh the old skill in watercolour painting.
All this, against a back drop of incredible natural beauty, supported by superb food, the lap of the Ionian Sea against the boat, and Greek wine.