PARGA

Crossing from Gaios to Parga on the mainland was an absolute pleasure. We set the sails early in the run, started in a 6kt breeze and sailed at 3.5 kts. As we neared Parga the wind lifted and gusted to 15 kts as we scooted along at 6kts. David was ecstatic.

We sailed into Voulta bay next to Parga and found a perfect spot to drop anchor. Our memories of this little bay were revisited. The sea was calm, the boat rocked gently and we settled in for the night with 16 other boats.

Looking across Voulta bay to our boat anchored in the distance

Next morning we took the dinghy to shore and waited the few minutes to take the small ferry to Parga town around the corner.

The view across Parga town

The small church at the entrance to Parga

Another beautiful bougainvilla

The tourist season has not yet started and so the shops and streets were comfortably quiet.

In past visits around the middle of June, the Italian tourist invasion was in full swing with cafes full and beach umbrellas dotting the small beaches. 

Exploring the hilltop streets

Arriving early in May has certainly made a huge difference in many ways – the weather is perfect, the crowds are non-existent and there is plenty of room in the small bays and marinas.  

Our next stop is Prevesa, 4 hours south of Parga.

GAIOS

Gaios was our next stop on Paxos Island. We had a fantastic sail down the coast from Lakka hitting 6.5 kts in beautiful sunny weather. The small port was very enticing, everything was layback, no-one seemed to be in a hurry and both the locals and other yachties were extremely friendly We had a few hitches coming in to berth and people seemed to come from everywhere wanting to help us. The small town obviously is very proud of it's appearance, sweepers were out early each morning,rubbish was not to be seen and NO graff anywhere. 

The local houses are beautifully kept. We've never seen so much colour in the gardens, balconies and shops. It appeared to be bougainvilla heaven!

One of the many dockside restaurants

boys fishing next to our boat

Everywhere  were children, playing in the streets, riding bikes, fishing or just running around. We think there must have been a population explosion in the last few years or the Greeks just love having kids around.




The town even hung a  huge painted canvas over a not-so-good looking building to improve it's appearance!












We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Gaios and felt very sad to leave.

The view across the channel

LAKKA

After Syvota we decided to move across from the Greek mainland to a tranquil little bay on the island of Paxos,  Lakka. The 3 hour sail was calm and steady with a 9kt headwind into which we made 4kts.

 After searching for the opening we found the most amazingly sheltered cove. When we arrived just after lunch we were surprised to find only one or two other yachts anchored, but by mid afternoon another dozen arrived, scattered across the 3m deep, bright aqua, crystal clear water. It was an incredibly eerie feeling floating above the clear sandy bottom.

We took the dinghy into the tiny wharf and town at the end of the bay, had the usual coffee/Amstel and explored the few narrow streets surrounding the port.

 Lakka is a little beauty in the Ionian that is much loved by passing yachties.The streets are beautifully kept with bright bougainvillas on just about every fence and wall.

Tavernas ready for the summer crowds

We stayed just one night, gently rocking to sleep in peaceful silence.

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.