After yesterday's exhilarating (?!) day, Mark and I both hoped for some better conditions. Up on deck at 8am soon revealed that it was still pretty windy in the channel between Ithaca and Kefalonia. After untying from the wall and departing towards the channel, we decided to get all fenders and lines in before clearing the harbour area, the wind still a fairly steady 18 knots (Force 5). Once completed and into the channel, it was obvious immediately that heading south to Agia Efimia would simply be impossible so we headed north for quieter pastures. We were to later discover from some Dutch friends that one hour after we had left the wind had increased to Force 8 again in the channel so we had made a good decision! A great sail north towards Lefkada then all of a sudden....no wind! A drop from 20 knots to zero knots in less than 5 minutes. This seems to be a common issue here in the Ionian Islands and one that needs getting used to after many miles of ocean sailing which is very different where the wind can often blow steadily for days at a time. So, engine on and head towards Vlycho to anchor for the night. On route, I decided to look for an alternate spot to stop the night as we had seen the anchorage before and although very stunning, there are many other stunning places to visit as well! I quick review of the pilot guide on board and our new destination was set for Vathi on the north coast of Meganisi. We tied up on the wall at about 1-30pm, the boat absolutely filthy from the Saharan dust storm from the previous day, and met our new neighbours who kindly provided access to a free supply of hose water to help us wash down the boat. Forty five minutes later....Quasar IV was clean again. After a relaxing afternoon strolling around Vathi and a few pots of freshly brewed coffee, we bumped into two Dutchman on 'Quirine' who we had previously met on the wall at Nidri a few days ago. They had also tried to get to Fiscardo yesterday and explained that it would have been 'totally irresponsible to attempt to enter Fiscardo in such treacherous conditions...' so the description of our arrival there yesterday was a great source of amusement to us most the evening whilst having drinks and dinner with them, the word 'irresponsible' cropping up in the conversation more and more as the level of wine consumed increased! A great evening with some great stories at a great restaurant. What more could you ask for?