SYVOTA

Leaving Plataria had mixed emotions. It was sad to leave such a pleasant comfort zone but we were rewarded with a very pleasant sail to Syvota.

The wind was slight, the swell non existant and the sun warm. We arrived in Syvota after lunch where we tied up at the quay and set off for our usual coffee. This time we headed for Michalos's restaurant as we needed to catchup with the owner to thank him for his generosity in giving us a lift to Igoumenitsa the day before. 

A generous plate of taramasalata and fried aubergine later and we were ready for a nanna nap.

One of the many, many examples of bougainvillas

Syvota is a beautiful town on the Ionian coast, not overly 'touristy' but well endowed with tavernas, supermarkets and bike hire shops. My Australian bike licence came in very handy as David had let his expire over the years. For the first time we were able to explore past the immediate town port and so spent some hours riding around the coast road.

The small bays and coves were just like the postcards, aqua blue transparent waters, idyllic cafes and restaurants on the sands and thank goodness only a handful of early season tourists. Heaven!

ADELAIDE TO GREECE 2014 - The journey begins..............

Being sleep-deprived and jet-lagged is such a small price to pay when you eventually arrive at your destination. Every year the journey is the same, airports, long flights and so much time wasted going through the painful process of boat registration.

Our first few days in Greece were spent taking in the sights and culture of Corfu. 

The Corfu coast road

The Liston Volta in Corfu town

 
 

A typical family holiday activity at our hotel

  

Corfu butcher shop

Usually we rush to go sailing, this time we decided to explore the town, relax and start the registration/boat entry process. Big mistake! The bigger the town, the more pedantic the process.

Being non-EU aliens means our every move is documented in triplicate, on paper (using carbon paper to copy), authenticated by local customs and port police then sent to Athens just to be absolutely sure. The costs (8E + 15E +30E) along the way are trivial, but the process is tedious. 

Thank goodness the new laws about boat tax (400E/yr) are still to be passed by the Greek government. As usual, govt and port officials were totally confused about transit logs – maybe non EU boat owners are a scarce species?

Fruit shop in Igoumenitsa

 

Plataria bay

Waiting for summer in Plataria

 Plataria is a small fishing port near Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland. Each year we base ourselves there as it is not so touristy, is utterly beautiful and now feels a bit like home. The locals say that summer hasn’t arrived but we think it’s perfect – 24C, cool nights and light winds. One small issue about being based in Plataria is that virtually no-one has credit card facilities. As we needed to stock up on supplies we headed off to catch the local bus to Igoumenitsa. After an hour of waiting at the bus stop a friendly Greek couple from Syvota picked us up and took us to town. Last year it was the local orthodox priest who took pity on us – we must look old and trustworthy!

There is nothing like messing around in boats; we sleep well, make new friends and generally slow down

THE RETURN JOURNEY THROUGH GREECE

 After Vathi, it was time to retrace our steps and wind our way back to Plataria where our boat would be stored over winter.

We stopped at Nidri, Lefkas and Ammoudia where we anchored for one particularly pleasant night. Ammoudia is the small town where the ancient River Styx enters the sea. The eerie feeling of being  surrounded by ancient myths was shortlived and we enjoyed a quiet night, gently rocking in 4 metres of crystal clear water.

Nidri

From Ammoudia we sailed back to Plataria for the last time, passing by miles of beautiful coastline.

The Onassis boathouse on the island of Skorpios

Below are some photos of the last days in Plataria.

Sardines!!!

The local high school drama night

Waiting to go to Igoumenitsa

The last evening dinner

Sunset over the Plataria bay

PORT VATHI

After a very pleasant full day of sailing we headed across the Inland Ionian Sea to the island of Meganisi and the small port of Vathi.

The weather went from a good 5-6 knots to suddenly increase to 15knots with a very rough swell.  It seemed as if every boat for miles was rushing to find a safe haven and things became quite crowded in the small port. Eventually we were directed to a berth alongside the wharf, just in front of the Sunsail office which proved quite expensive. Next time we'll head down the other end to the port authority quay where it's 5E for both water and electricity!

Our boat at the quay

The town of Vathi is absolutely beautiful. Small enough to feel part of it but big enough to find all the goods and services we needed. It was nice to stop in a place where the total effect of tourism has yet to take place.

Moussaka

No loud music, annoying street vendors or hundreds of people walking up and down the quay.


However, many people take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and have just a few too many. One poor yachtie was trying to lift his outboard motor onto the quay, leaned over too far and went headfirst into the water. Luckily, a number of cafe customers were able to get him, very inebriated, out of the water. A bit of quick thinking by Dave and others managed to fish the motor out of 4m of water with just a small dinghy anchor.

Once again there are small cats everywhere. Perhaps they keep the mice under control.


Apart from seafood (which is spectacular) I fell in love with the local moussaka - yum!

There was however, a very loud man in an old ute driving around selling garlic!

Evening at Vathi

The town is nestled in between hills and is very protected from the sometimes strong north westerlies. Evening is an amazing time to be in these small ports, the sun sets at about 9.30 and the the moon (below) rises at about 10. It seems like the day never finishes.

NIDRI

The approach to Nidri

We had heard that Nidri was a fairly popular spot to stay and so were prepared for some difficulty finding a berth. After checking out the pontoons we decided on the Neilsen marina - usually reserved for Neilsen flotilla yachts but just enough room for us. It was quite fortunate as one of our alternators had  stopped working and the local electrician was at the end of the pontoon. All went well, the guy in charge, Chris, let us stay for 2 nights, water and electricity provided for 10E a night. Good value, considering it was hot, we were annoyed at having boat problems and the aircon worked well.

Evening along the main street of Nidri

Bougainvilleas everywhere!

The replica Trirene used for island hopping

I'm still hobbling a bit from the fall at Prevesa so hanging around the cool boat sounded good.We decided to buy a new alternator in the end as we didn't want something else to go wrong.
Nidri is very tourist-oriented.  The main street next to the bay is just taverna after taverna. Every restaurant had its own beautiful Greek spruiker, each imploring us to eat or drink there. It's amazing how many instant friends you can have!



After 2 days were on our way to the island of Meganisi, possibly to stay at Vathi or another small bay.

The genny

We headed off and the only direction the wind was in was Paleros and so we headed north. We pulled out the gennaker and spent the next hour trying to sort it out. Finally we got it going and reached 5 knots which was an incredibly beautiful feeling. The water rushed past the boat quietly, the waves were slight and the wind barely 9 knots. Dave was so happy!

When we reached Vounaki we turned back towards Meganisi and, with no wind to speak of we motored part of the way.

As usual, the wind picked up considerably around late afternoon. It was blowing at up to 15 knots and we were happily cruising along between 6 and 7 knots. As the wind picked up, we rolled the genoa half way in and although boats around us were struggling with the change of conditions, we sailed smoothly into Vathi.

VOUNAKI

Paleros looked full through the binoculars as we approached and so we pulled in to Vounaki just nearby. The marina is a privately owned base for Sunsail yachts and is very very British.The complex includes the marina, a huge hotel/convention centre, sailing school and boat hire. We spent hours watching the children ranging from 4 to teenagers, learning how to sail 'optis' and little 'lazers' in all sorts of weather. 

The children on the sail boats

Most of the days are pretty pleasant here, mornings calm, a little wind in the late afternoon and calm at night. Very hard to take!

The marina with the hotel complex in the background

We took the dinghy to Paleros for one afternoon and  grabbed a couple of yiros to eat at the local taverna - so much food that it fed us next day for lunch.

The locals

Loved the place and will return probably on our way back to Plataria.

LEFKAS

Hoping to have a more positive experience, we set out for Lefkas in mid morning. The sail was pleasant enough for the first half, however once we approached the Lefkas channel the sea became very uncomfortable. No waves, just massive swell. Once inside the channel the roll stopped and we approached the opening bridge. Apparently this is quite a feat, to arrive at the right time and get through the channel without running aground. All was well and we berthed in a rather luxurious spot.

Entering the Lefkas channel

The marina was fairly new and beautifully appointed with hot and cold running everything. We felt a little special being only the third boat under 100s under 45 feet!!

one of the marina cafes

Cafes were excellent and the city nearby provided everything we needed. The town has character and plenty of places to explore with still many little shops run by locals desperate for a sale. The town shows clear evidence of an economic downturn.

Nevertheless we really enjoyed seeing the business of life in a Greek town.