a perfect sail, captured on camera courtesy of s/v Solaise

After only twenty four hours we departed from Siracusa with a SW wind, a force 3-5 with slight seas and a swell of less than a meter. We couldn't have asked for better conditions with the wind on our starboard rear quarter, a beam reach. This is a sailing angle that we love because Flirtie gracefully sails over the waves with ease making between 6-7 knots, especially now that she has feathering propellers.

We couldn't believe how accurate the forecast was even though on occasions the wind veered slightly more W or WSW. On the whole the wind remained with us for the duration of three days and two nights. We covered a total distance of 270 nautical miles to arrive at the Greek island of Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian islands.


our proposed weather route as worked out by Sailgrib weather routing app. Using our yacht specifications it optimises the boat speed by adjusting the course to work with the forecast winds. It was pretty accurate on this voyage

We took it in turns to keep watch on a three hour on/off rotation but we we're also totally flexible if one of us needed more rest. Overall it was a very relaxing sail with not much to keep an eye on apart from a handful of yachts which were also heading towards Greece, a few fishing vessels and the occasional cargo ship. During the night the sky was filled with beautiful bright stars and we hoped that we'd have the same for the second night but unfortunately it wasn't to be as the sky turned cloudy late evening. We didn't sight any turtles or even dolphins which left us keeping ourselves entertained by fine tuning the sails, reading, drinking copious amounts of tea and coffee, eating cake and biscuits and random snacking, together with all the usual meals at mealtime.


munching... again

As the island of Kefalonia came into view, our destination was the sheltered port of Argostoli. It's a 'Port of entry' with easy access to customs and port police. From a navigation point of view some care was needed as there were reefs off both the E and W headlands and some shoal patches that needed to be avoided on entering the gulf plus a couple of ferries to keep an eye on but once we rounded the peninsular marked by a lighthouse we were in the main harbour and anchorage where we decided to drop anchor in 6-8 meters amongst a handful of other yachts.

The following morning we checked into the Port Authorities having previously submitted all the necessary documents required online to apply for a UTL (Unlimited Transit log). We thought that we had understood the rules better this year and were able to prove our cruising history and Flirtie's location on 01/01/2021 however we were told that the UTL application was rejected. The reason we were given was that we didn't need one because we'd proven that Flirtie was EU VAT paid. They also confirmed that we could move around Greek Territorial waters freely as we're EU residents so in theory we do not have to visit any port authorities... We will wait and see.

A long concrete causeway separates the anchorage from a salt water lake or lagoon. The salt marshes and shallow water have made the area a sanctuary for aquatic birds thriving on the available resources as well as a breading ground for loggerhead turtles. Maybe it's too early in the season but we only had the privilege of sighting one turtle.


The De Bosset Bridge is around 700 meters long and is reported to be the longest stone bridge over the sea in the world!

It is a pedestrian bridge that connects Argostoli to the opposite side where we came across a small boatyard and derelict marina that's in desperate need of some investment. The outer breakwater, walls, pontoons and mooring rings were all there which some yachts had tied to however it has no jetties or outlets for electric and water.

Argostoli is the capital of Kefalonia and we thought it was a charming town. It had an excellent holiday vibe with the main shopping street running parallel to the cobbled pedestrianised seafront lined with palm trees. There were plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants to choose from and surprisingly it's large enough to not feel too overcrowded when the cruise ships arrive.



Choosing to arrive and check in at Argostoli worked well for us as the Port authorities were situated adjacent to each other and they were extremely friendly. The anchorage provided excellent shelter from most wind directions, the seabed was glutinous mud so the anchor dug in fantastically well and it was easy to find somewhere for the dinghy trips ashore.


thanks for having us Argostoli :-)

Total distance this season: 317.33 nautical miles