The trip from Athens to the Corinth canal saw us pass through a huge parking lot with tankers and freighters moored near the harbour. The water along this coast has a lot of floating rubbish and care has to be taken to avoid getting it stuck in the engine seawater intake. We didn't operate the watermaker for the same reason and the danger of an oil slick which would wipe out the filters.

The Raymarine "Smart Pilot" is on the blink again so we can't use the autopilot. However the sea is calm and we eventually reach the mouth to the canal. We are lucky and are on our way in less than an hour. They have a system of lights and flags, as well as a dedicated VHF channel. Did they use them? Hey this is Greece! The flag is red, the VHF silent. We are patiently poised and tied to the dock. Alert but not alarmed you might say. We have an increasing tailwind which the guide book warns us could be dangerous. Suddenly the watch tower window above us opens and a torrent of Greek words descends upon us and the other two boats. Then they try English and it sounds like "go go go"! The flag is still red but we all set off along the five or so kilometres of this 25 meter wide link between the two seas. What an engineering feat, it's an impressive sight.

At the other end of the canal we go over to Corinth Harbour but we need 30m lines to tie up and the swell would blow us on. We turn around and head west to Limin Vouliagmeni. This is a beautiful spot and the only nearby anchorage. It lies below imposing mountains and there is an inland lake on the other side of our beach. We're a bit exposed to the south and after anchoring to the prevailing westerly it swings ... you guessed it ... south. Wherever you anchor in Greek waters, the wind will blow from all points of the compass within a 24 hour period. And do they blow.

We had our first swim for the trip that afternoon when we found that the water was nearly 28 degrees, a big improvement. That night we saw the flickering lights of old Corinth on a distant hill through a little night mist. It looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings. Mesmerising.

We set out to cross the Gulf of Corinth and picked Galaxidhi as our destination in order to do a day trip to Delphi. Delphi was well worth seeing and the views down the valley are breathtaking. In Turkey we saw poppies around the old sites, so we were pleased to see their delicate crimson faces here also.

The bus system works but needs patience. The bus leaves from outside one shop without any sign. The tickets are sold from another shop around the corner. Having bought them you find that you could have bought them on the bus and saved time. The busses go when they go and you have to be there early. Once on board, as the road twists tightly ever upward to the ruins of the famous oracle, you notice the crucifixes hung around the rear view mirrors of cars coming the other way.

The houses are different. Gone are the flat roofs and solar hot water systems that were everywhere in Turkey and to a lesser extent in eastern Greece. Houses are more attractive with an Italian influence.

Galaxidhi is a gem and warranted another night. So different from the usual tourist town and we discovered that this is where Athenians come for a weekend break. Very few signs in any other language and such a beautiful village with so much charm. Not many other cruising boats but there was an old Canadian boat with a travelling Cirque du Soleil type show that they were preparing for in a weeks time. Beryl, our senior crew member and bon vivant, was out of Dimple Haig and on a restocking mission. She found some boxes of the said tipple in a quaint little shop but to her surprise the boxes were just for display! A grog shop with no scotch! Shades of the BBC late night black comedy "The League of Gentlemen".

However, cruising the Med and taverna hopping is not all beer and skittles. At lunchtime we returned to our boat anchored in the second harbour and had only just boarded when some big gusts hit. One side of the anchor davit was bent as we were jerked in 180 degree arcs. The tender flipped over and a pair of shoes was lost. Just as well we had been rowing without the egg-beater. We had already lost the seat on the tender when it was hit by a hefty rogue wave on the foredeck a few days earlier. Note that the tender was firmly secured upside down on the foredeck. The wave had compressed the pontoons and popped the seat out from underneath.

We moved west to Navpaktos and the autopilot decided to work today. There was the usual swell and wind but some shelter off the beach. The next day we went ashore to explore this once Venetian town called Lepanto. Another gem. The miniscule but delightful harbour, bordered by old plane trees, was overlooked by an imposing castle. Still very few tourists, which made it so enjoyable. This impressive castle, overgrown with fir trees and full of rabbit droppings was empty when we called apart from two workmen having a smoko. We imagined Watership Down being played out for real every night here. Wonderful. A whole castle to yourself with birds chirping in the fir trees that gave us shade. No signs, no safety rails or ropes as you stand on the battlements high on the hill and gaze out over the sea a very long way below. Fandango, anchored on her own in the bay below, would have been a tricky shot for a cannon. Just as well we had our Greek courtesy flag up.