Tranquil Bay and Vlikho (Velcro?) Bay
10 September 2010
Levkas is an island only because of a narrow canal that separates it from the mainland. Original canal routes date back to 7 BC when they were constructed by the Corinthians and by Augustus during the Roman occupation. There is a bit of the old canal and a line of ruined stone marking the remains of an old Turkish/Venetian bridge. Today's passage is a canal cut through the salt marsh and dredged, in most places, to 15-20 feet with a modern swing bridge providing island access. However, it is narrow and silting reduces the depths in several sections.
The swing bridge opens hourly and we were right on time for a 4:00 pm opening. But there was another sailboat that had misjudged the channel and gone hard aground on the rocks. So, instead of catching the bridge, we dropped anchor, put the outboard on the dinghy and Craig masterfully performed a tugboat rescue. Whilst waiting for the next opening we anchored again and happily chatted with family via Skype with a delightfully strong signal.
After a few nights at anchor off Lefkada town and a small, very pretty bay off the island of Meganisi, we returned to Lefkas to drop the hook in "Tranquil Bay" but when we fired up the engine the alarm signaling low oil pressure started to blare. That's not something you ignore, as the engine can very quickly self-destruct! Fortunately the bay was as calm as its name and we were able to anchor under sail without embarrassing ourselves!.
Good fortune continued early the next morning when we dinghied into town and the Ionian Boat Assistance shop had the exact part we needed - it turned out to be a very unusual failure of the oil pressure alarm switch and not something more serious.
So, new part installed, we gingerly tested it by motoring out and around the Onassis family's Scorpios Island, and then back into the deep and well-protected Vlikho Bay. Also known as "Velcro Bay" this is a very "sticky" place for some cruisers as the little town's old street is really very charming, has all the basic offerings and the local yacht club becomes a day and night gathering spot. Like the local yachties, we, too, found their staff to be most welcoming when we shared an evening meal with our pal Dick Cotton and returned the next morning to avail ourselves of their 4Euro laundry service.
Although we did not get truly stuck, we did stay for four days, visiting aboard with British friends Pam & Roger on their boat Cap D'Or. We were able to catch-up and renew our Canasta game that we started 10 years ago - but that's the subject of our next blog, so stay tuned! Between hands, though, we had a delightful walk over the "saddle" of the island to Dessimou Bay where we enjoyed a great swim in the crystal clear Ionian waters and an excellent Greek lunch at the beachside "taverna".