Mid November 2010

Greetings from the Ionian:

We're tied to a small quay or pier on an islet of Ithaca, having covered just under 500 miles since leaving Bodrum five weeks ago. If the name seems familiar, it's the home of Odysseus. We're moored in sight of the Koraka, Raven's Rocks, by the Fountain of Arethusa. It is here that Odysseus returns disguised as a beggar and meets his loyal servant Eumaeus, the swineherd.

The passage up the Gulf of Corinth was mostly like sailing (or I should more accurately say motoring) on a mill pond most of the way, still air with clear blue skies and lovely blue water. We stopped over in several lovely small towns and an island. The Gulf of Corinth has not really been discovered by vacationing Europeans. Glaxadi was especially charming, a formerly wealthy town which the 20th century mostly passed over with cobble-stone streets and lovely stone houses.

Delphi was a couple hours away by bus -- the navel of the world, where the words of Apollo, and Mycean gods before him, were spoken through the oracle. It's a gorgeous site, with high sheer cliffs above and an olive-groved valley thousands of feet below. It would be a bit like putting the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Library of Congress into Yosemite Valley (then of course have them all fall down and use you imagination to see them insitu.)

Julia returned from her trip back to the UK without her cast. This in some ways makes her slightly more vulnerable to hurting her wrist than when it was casted, but she seems to be healing well and the range of motion is returning to her wrist. Murphy seems fine with the boatie-life. He particularly likes it when we're side-tied and the wharf becomes his side garden and when we're approach any dock or wharf we have to be sure he doesn't try to leap off before we're tied-to.

Leaving the Gulf of Corinth we passed under one the largest suspension bridges in the world and then stayed a few days in Patra for the weather to settle. Across the Gulf of Patra in Messolongi, three miles up a large river delta, we visited the resting place of Lord Byron's heart, where he died of fever. Based on our first experience with hordes of mosquitoes since setting off, one could guess that Byron probably contracted malaria.

October / November have proven to be a nice time to cruise. We have had several days of heavy winter rains but most days are sunny, warm enough for shorts and lovely cool nights for sleeping. But the real benefit is that the hordes of charter boaters have all gone home and we often have lovely, quiet anchorages all to ourselves. Luscious tomatoes are still in season and the wine is cheap. Mary Ann has lots of projects but most can wait for our "winter layup." Well for now we're off for the Caves of the Nymphs and Julia has promised to lash me to the mast if we near the Sirens.

Fair Winds,

John, Julia & Murphy, the Seadog