We have been exploring the east coast of the Peloponnese mainland. There are several really good harbours and anchorages here. We've been to Astros, Leonidhion Plaka, Kiparissi, but I'll just write about one of them, Gerakas, also spelt Yerakas, (but be careful you dont get confused with the Gerikas which is somewhere south of Athens). Our Gerakas is a short distance north of its more famous cousin, Monemvasia.
I tried to find out about Gerakas before we arrived but there was very little information on the www. A few sailors have posted a photo, and there appears that charter boats used to come here, but not sure that they still do. About six years ago I sailed in this area and we visited some big caves by dinghy, at the entrance to the harbour, but I couldn't find much about them, either.
Anyway, the entrance to Gerakas is almost impossible to see from the sea. There is a dog leg entrance which makes the harbour safe, but unfortunately we had a very rolly night in some considerable swell. It has been described as a fjord, although I don't know the definition of a fjord, probably high land each side of the water. The waterside village is extremely pretty, whitewashed buildings on the front. There is a concrete quay where ferries used to berth, although there's no sign of any, nowadays. This is obviously a well loved and upmarket Greek holiday resort with lots of nice apartments. There is even a holiday apartment and a pretty cottage on the opposite bank to the village, only accessible by boat.
There are several other yachts here, but no British. The harbour is fairly shallow in parts, but our draft is only 1.4 so we are fine. Yesterday some very large powerboats or gin palaces came in, and also two huge two masted caiques. They didnt stay long as they moored on the quay which was very uncomfortable in the swell.
We've had a drink and a meal in one of the local tavernas on the quayside, and yesterday discovered the village shop, which does not look like a shop at all, no sign over the door. It is just someone's house, and the shop is like their front room. They have a big tv and a dining table, and the provisions such as they are, are kept in a blue painted glass fronted cabinet! The check out is a metal cash box. If you want fruit and veg, or bread, you have to wait for the vans to come along which sell goods from the back of their van. Goodness knows where the villagers get their meat and all the dozens of other products we take for granted when whizzing round Waitrose, there is the town of Monemvasia down the road, but that's not a huge place either.
We saw a big turtle in the harbour. Very close to the quayside. He came up for a breath of air, his head the size of a football, then dived down. As it was so shallow, we could follow him along, swimming near the sea bed. He could hold his breath much longer than me!