04 May 2022 | Psarapouli, Evia
29 April 2022 | Limni, Evia
15 April 2022 | Karystos, Evia
11 April 2022 | Ermiopoli, Syros
08 October 2020 | Schinoussa
05 October 2020 | Astapalia
04 October 2020 | Livadi, Astapalia
02 October 2020 | Astapalia
24 September 2020 | Patmos
22 September 2020 | Lipsi
22 September 2020 | Lipsi
16 September 2020 | Lakki
Preveza and the power of rumour
04 October 2014 | Preveza
The quay at Preveza with new power outlets
Regular readers of this blog (and I'm not actually sure there are any left now) know that I occasionally mention the Greek Port Authorities lack of ability to organise themselves. So it was interesting to discover in Preveza, that power and water outlets had been installed all along the quay. We had heard rumours - in the British sailing forums and from other cruisers - that a law was passed in the spring making it illegal for harbours to charge yachts mooring fees unless they supplied these facilities. Until now, the last couple of weeks of the season, there's been no sign of this being implemented - or even of staff in the ports knowing anything about it (apart from those that have heard from visiting yachtsmen!). But it looks like a new regime will soon be in place in Preveza.
We're in the marina, not the town quay, which is good because there's a couple of days of stormy weather passing through. Most of the other boats here are being hauled out next week and crews are busy doing 'end of season' jobs -taking off sails and cleaning dinghies etc. But we're not finished yet, as soon as the storms pass, we'll be off North again, hoping to make Corfu by next Friday!
Heading North
02 October 2014 | Lefkas, Ionian
We lead a 'flotilla' of yachts through the canal at Lefkas
We're not the only people heading north - there's a steady flow of boats going up to the boatyards in Preveza to be hauled out for the winter, and the Ionian Islands get quieter each week.
Last of the sunshine?
01 October 2014 | Ionian
Farewell to Moonglade
The weather has turned beautiful again and we sail across to 'One Tree Bay' where conditions are idyllic. It's so good we know it can't last - and the forecasts agree. It's time to say goodbye to Moonglade and the Ionian Islands and head North.
In the pink!
30 September 2014 | Ionian, Greece
What a fantastic place to be!
Back sailing through the beautiful Ionian Islands, friends at home have reminded me that Breast Cancer awareness month starts tomorrow and Salisbury District Hospital have launched a fundraising campaign to raise £750,000 for a dedicated Breast Cancer unit.
It's 15 years since I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and thanks to the wonderful team at Salisbury District Hospital I'm out here, enjoying life to the full. So "Thank You" SDH, all the Breast Cancer charities and everyone raising funds for them - with a special mention to the pupils of Pitton Primary School who are supporting the SDH cause tomorrow!
Rendezvous in Nidri
29 September 2014 | Nidri, Lefkado
Dining with the crews of Moonglade and Carlina
We go to Nidri to meet up with Moonglade, and are delighted to find Isola and Carlina there too. I get a haircut at last (thank you, Bobbie) and we enjoy a couple of days 'in company' with fellow cruisers.
A welcome harbour!
27 September 2014 | Vathi, Ithica
Vathi harbour - plenty of room for everyone and still space to learn to sail!
We leave Patras and return to the Ionian via Messalonghi and Petalas. We're heading for Sami when the rain starts, gently at first but by the time we tie up on the North quay, it's pouring down. The weather is looking unsettled and we anticipate staying a few nights while some storms pass through. But in the morning, we discover the port police have other ideas - they need our space for a 'super yacht' so we make a hasty departure for Vathy which has always given us a warm welcome. (apparently the super yacht never arrived)
Modern Greece - a week's cruise!
22 September 2014 | Patras
Patras sprawls out from underneath the castle.
It's been an interesting week! When you have guests on board a cruising yacht the first challenge, given the vagaries of the wind, is to find suitable ports to pick them up and drop them off. Next is to take them to a variety of places that show them the country they've come to. We thought we were doing quite well - we'd seen the full spectrum of Greece from Ancient Delphi, through historic villages and seaside towns to an idyllic island and then we arrived in Patras! But Patras is part of modern Greece and with it's decaying buildings, redundant railway line and unhappy residents it served to remind us of the huge problems that the country is still facing - You can read the details in the posts below!
Patras - City of Culture?
21 September 2014 | Patras
The winery. The gates are open, but there's no one about!
We were a bit bleary eyed on Sunday morning from lack of sleep, but nevertheless decided to go and visit Patras Castle, and the Roman amphitheatre which turned out to be interesting and the streets were relatively quiet. Back at the boat we were just about to have lunch when a Port Police officer arrived wanting to speak to the skipper. He was marched off with all our papers and disappeared for 25 minutes. All the boat papers and our passports were photocopied and where necessary, the details were written in by hand. Our crew list was declared invalid (but still needed to be photocopied) because it was dated over a year ago so a new one had to be prepared with the identical information on - but this one isn't dated! (So hopefully it will never become invalid!) As far as we could tell, the only work this officer has, is to check on visiting yachts in the Marina.
We'd ordered a taxi to take us to the Achaia Claus winery for a tour and tasting session having heard that this was a good trip, but well, this just wasn't going to be our lucky day! We were dropped at the gates of what looked like a Bavarian Castle. There wasn't a sole around. It was a bit spooky. Eventually we found an open door into a room that could have been the film set for a horror movie. In the gloomy half light you could make out a vaulted ceiling and a wrought iron gate through to what looked like a bar. The skipper, being a braver man than I am, opened it - and yes here was our tour guide - black hair, pale skin and piercing grey eyes - and she was having a Bad Day - if she'd ever smiled, she would have revealed fangs. The next tour would take place in 45 minutes. We were each given a small sample of wine and pointed towards possibly the most uncomfortable chairs I've ever sat on, to try our 'samples'. To our great relief, some other tourists had arrived - a young Romanian couple who were medical students training at the hospital in Patras. They explained that the wine that the company was famous for was the sweet red mavrodafni - drunk in vast quantities at Patras Carnival in the spring. This hadn't featured in the selection of samples that we'd been given - none of which we'd enjoyed very much.
Having waited 45 minutes, the 'tour' took less than 10! We saw a lot of barrels and some empty concrete storage tanks. Some facts about the winery were recited and questions were answered with as little information as possible. But we did get a sample of the real stuff at the end, and it was delicious - we even bought a couple of bottles. We travelled back to Patras on the bus with our new Romanian friends - probably the highlight of the day!
Back on the boat we decided to go to the quiet end of the marina for a beer before eating on board - anticipating an early start in the morning. We sat for 20 minutes waiting to be served before returning to the boat for drinks and supper. The music had started again, but surely it wouldn't be so late on a Sunday night? After eating we decided to play Mexican Train Dominoes until it stopped, as there was no point in trying to sleep. We finally finished the double blank round at 1.00am, and still the music belted out. We gave up and went to bed.
Patras - Transport hub?
20 September 2014 | Patras
The derelict hotel and the offending bar (closed - photo taken at 7.30am)
The first thing you notice as you as you enter the marina is the derelict hotel on the road behind with empty, open holes for windows and a strange castellated roof line. The second thing you notice is all the bars surrounding the marina itself - it's Saturday lunchtime and there's quite a 'buzz' about the place. The marinero is helpful and gives us some information about Patras and a key to the showers - but from there on its downhill. The ablutions - we'd been so looking forward to a decent shower - are weird. They're locked away behind a metal door in a windowless concrete block accessed via a flooded flight of steps. But never mind, let's go and explore Patras.
Research on the web has told us that the main train line to Patras has been closed for 4 years (we think they are changing the gauge) but you can still buy a direct ticket that comprises a bus to Kiato and then the train to Athens Airport. We approached the enquiries desk at the Bus Station - it was like dealing with a petulant child - you had to ask exactly the right question to elicit the response required. The first unhelpful lady said there were no buses to Athens Airport and the second one said there were no trains in Patras. Finally we asked " Is there a bus that links with a train that goes to the airport?" Answer - "you must ask at the train station"! So we followed the derelict lines to the train station - and sure enough Penny and Nigel were able to get their combined tickets for Monday morning. And this is "The transport hub of Western Greece"!
Then we went on to look round the centre of Patros. The city was badly bombed during the war and was rebuilt with poor quality concrete in the 50s and 60s. Now it's like a third world city, the buildings are crumbling, the pavements are broken, the drains are smelly, everywhere is covered in graffiti and posters, it's noisy and the traffic is terrible. We returned to the boat, hot, sticky, tired and disappointed. And then the disco music started.... We had what turned out to be a very nice meal, at the 'quiet end' of the marina - but the music was still thumping out when we returned and continued into the early hours.
Trezonia - R&R
19 September 2014 | Gulf of Corinth
The little quay in Trezonia, the 'Marina' is in the bay behind.
After the culture, a couple of days relaxing on the tiny Greek island of Trezonia. Everything you'd hope for - sun, swimming, a few walks, good tavernas - a chance to sit and watch the world go by!
Then Saturday is decision time - we could leave later and return East with the afternoon breeze to Galaxidi and Itea with its long bus journeys back to the airport, or we could leave early and head West, through the Rion bridge to Patras, which although it's further from Athens apparently has a fast direct connection to the Airport - and would surely be an interesting new place to visit? It was after all European City of Culture in 2006. It's Patras.