To follow Nicha journeys I have elected to use Face book as the prime vehicle for updates. please request a friend status and you can continue to see more photos posted and chat. Simon Penlington

22 August
Methoni is the south west tip of the Peloponnese’s peninsular and was the major gateway from the
Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea thus the size and the extent of the Venetian fort and the Turkish tower say it all. Whoever controlled this area of sea thus controlled the trading route around the Peloponnese

21 August 2013
I arrived at Katakolon on the evening of the 20 August after sailing down from Zatkinthos in light airs covering 40 miles during the day. This port is also where the cruise liners dock for guest to travel up to Olympia some 25km in land.
One ship was in port when arrived and two more docked the next day. The town of Katakolon is geared around the cruise line industry with tourist type shops wall to wall, 3 blocks long and 2 blocks deep and really nothing else.
Transport to Olympia is either by coach or train. The train was running the day I arrived but not on the 21 August with no explanation from any one as why it was not running when I tried to buy a ticket the following morning so it was over to the coaches. With a bus ticket secured (10 euro) and a departure time 1 hour after the second ship docked we were soon off to Olympia.
If I thought that Katakolon was busy with two cruise ships in town then double that number at Olympia. It is certainly a popular spot.
Olympia is sited in a lust valley for which two rivers run either side of it. A further 9 euro and we are in through the main gates plus a ticket to the museum.
Once through the gate it is a short walk to an embankment which overlooks the city of Olympia with the temple to Zeus a central part. As the site was abandoned in AD 426 after emperor Theodosius II closed the sanctuary it has fallen into disrepair to the extent it is now ruins. The games originally survived 12 centuries (10th c BC to AD 426) and over that time the city was built into quite a sizable city




After a 60 minute walk around the site taking in the various building, now only foundations and ruins, it was off to the Stadium where the Athletic games where held. The track was 212.54 m long and 28.5m wide with embankments on either side to seat up to 45,000 persons. No women were allowed to watch the games. You are allowed to run on the track if you wish.
After the stadium visit it was to the museum where the statues recovered from the site with many of these still fully intact and created around the 4 & 5 c BC. In room 5 on display are two monumental pediments from the temple of Zeus. The east pediment depicted the contest between Pelops and the Oinomanos in the central figure is Zeus while the west portrays the battle between the Lapiths and Centaurs with Apollo the center figure. It is incredible to see such fine sculptures from so long ago. It shows how young a country New Zealand is.
If you are ever in Greece make Olympia a must see place.

I was anchored off the southern side of Corfu town and during the day nine super and one mega yacht arrived to ferry guess a shore for the evening. Talk about mixing it with the rich and famous.

Corfu old town is very well set out to cater for the tourists and lovely place to frequent. The coffee is good and the service excellent. In the afternoons rehydration is a must and cool beer slips down very easily.

I arrived into port to clear customs at 7.00pm and found that due to the timing only two of the three authorities were available so I was part processed on arrival and needed to return in the morning to complete the rest of the processing. When I arrived in the morning a local customs clearance agent was processing a mega yacht and offer to do my paper work for free as well, a very generous offer it turned out to be as Greece would be the most highly intensive unrefined processing procedure around with forms filled in triplicate with carbon paper being used between the sheets. I would hazard a guess no one would ever read this information once it is filed. When I discussed this paper based system with the young customs agent she laughed shrug her shoulders and suggested it is a procedure left over from the roman times which I think it was her way of saying nothing changes. Ha. We can live in hope that one day they will discover computers.

The customs agent also said she was clearing in 7 Russian super yachts in the next day which were coming down from Albania.

It was on the 7 August I slipped out of Bar harbour bound for Corfu 170 miles south and an estimated day and a half trip.
The plan was to stay on the rum line for the first 95 miles which take Nicha outside the Albanian 12 mile territorial zone until converging on the turning point at Cape Gallovecit then continue south east until again outside the 12 mile limit before heading to Corfu. This course kept Nicha just inside the shipping lanes of the Adriatic. The trip was mainly motor sailing due to complete lack of breeze except two 2 hours spells of some broad reaching in 12 knots of wind. It was nice to have the engine off.
Between Cape Gallovecit and Corfu I came across two groups of nets one floating and 1km long which I just missed at 5.00am as I did a course change 10 minutes before I was alongside it, the other a 2km net suspended below the surface but marked with clear PET bottles every 150 metres, ok to see in day time but certainly a hazard in the dark if they are stilled laid.

Just on day break 60nm from Corfu I saw a large game fish come clear out of the water on two occasions and dolphins were alongside the boat part of the way down.