North of Poros is Methana which as the name suggests has somewhat tainted air from the volcanic vents in the area (rotten eggs/sulphur). This port does not welcome visiting sailors so we passed by and around the tip of the peninsula towards the small harbour at one of the many Greek places called 'Vathi'. This pretty little port can take about 12 boats and you need to get there early to get a space especially if you're a cat.


a shot of our chart-plotter shows Splice's position on the quay at Vathi

We timed it just right as there was only two other boats present when we arrived around midday and we could moor back to the quay without a problem. We visited here two years ago and really enjoyed the small place so we broke our normal habit and had lunch with beer on the quay behind the boat - literally the table was at the end of our gang-plank. One item on the menu caught our eye - fish salad? So we had to try it... small pieces of cooked fish (smoked mackerel, anchovies and other fish) covered with cold cooked veg (potatoes, carrot and beetroot) and then with a youghut sauce on top. It sounds strange, but it actually was very tasty with toasted garlic bread. We think it was a way of using up unsold fish but we would have it again.

We had a very nice three days in Vathi, the first two were very busy with yachts, up to 13 crammed in one night, but the Friday was quiet as all the charted crews had headed back to base. We seemed to have a focus on fish here, as well as the lunch we ate grilled fish at a different taverna the first night and had another special from the taverna behind us the next evening - fish soup.......served with the components that it was cooked with on a side plate. Very tasty but perhaps too much garlic and onions for us as whilst we both enjoyed it we had indigestion later!! It was also disturbed by a skippered charter boat coming into the harbour late when it was full and deciding to anchor over everyone's chains. When all the skippers had shouted at him he still did so, just luckily not over ours! We reverted to lamb chops the final evening. It's unusual for us to eat out so much but the place is small and relaxed and the lady who runs the taverna always added lots of extra bits of meze, deserts and digestives all for very low prices. Under E28 for three courses with wine for both of us.


Fish Soup!

We also took a taxi to one of the 30 odd volcanic craters on the peninsula. It's about 5 km from the harbour and then a 20 minute scramble up the rocks on a semi-path to the volcanic vent inside a cave at the summit.


The route up!

The landscape as you climb is very clearly cooled lava an the views are worth the trip alone. You have to negotiate a climb across large boulders to get into the cave but the vent is worth a look, you can imagine the lava spilling out of the smoothed v-shaped opening.


The view at the top


Main Photo: Our table awaited, just off the plank!