AIOS STEPHANOS and GOUVIA

-->

The tavernas lining the shore

Just 4 miles around the corner from Kassiopi we came across Aios Stephanos. It’s a little cove surrounded by steep hills with 50 or so villas perched on the western side. On the shore there were 4 or 5 small tavernas, a mini mart and bars that did a roaring trade with the nearby holiday makers and the 10 or so yachts anchored neatly in the bay.

Our boat second from the left

We had no electricity or water again but this made no difference, as this was the most beautiful and peaceful stop we’d had since reaching Greece. Our anchoring skills were put to the test once again with no problems!! 

Mixed seafood plate for 2 - E10.50

 We’ve decided to forego cooking for a while and instead, enjoy the excellent local fare – squid, fish and amazing Greek salads.  Mooring fees are zero and so we feel quite ok splurging at the tavernas. We thought that such a tiny village would be immune from the doof doof music we heard all through the night in Italian marinas, instead, the one small bar played bouzouki music till 1am! It’s amazing how the water amplifies every sound.

 GOUVIA

 Next morning we set off for Gouvia – a large modern marina where we hoped to charge the batteries and fill up with water. On the far side of the marina are some archeological ruins  the ancient Venetian boat sheds, so there might be things to see and do...

 It was quite a shock to arrive at this gigantic marina and after a mooring which is best described as a fiasco, we went to sign in.   

Gouvia Marina

We definitely felt very insignificant mooring amongst 1000 boats of every size and type.

THE REGISTRATION SAGA : Austral 1 meets Barney Fife (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLsg0EvZozI)

The first sign we saw was for the 'Port Authority' and, knowing that we had to register our entry into Greece, we went into the office.

There was a sharp featured man sitting at a relatively empty desk watching a fuzzy image on tv.  He turned down the volume and we sat in a couple of chairs.

“You, captain, sit!” he shouted and pointed at a chair directly in front of the desk.

“Name boat?” he barked.

“Austral” I replied.

“Plug?” he asked

I looked blank.

“Plug, plug?”

“Yes, I found the plug and connected the boat to electricity.”

Anne quietly suggested that he might want to know the flag under which the boat was registered.

His phone rang and he commenced a conversation that lasted for at least five minutes during which his speech volume varied from 20 to 120 decibels and his emotional reactions covered the full gamut of possibilities.

After this he then started to interrogate us using the same range of volume and in the same clipped English as he used when we first came in; for a moment we felt like we were in one of those 'punk' trick tv shows and we were the victims.

“OK now go customs and pay”

'Where is the office?"

“That way” he shouted, pointing in a vague direction.

“How do I get there?”

”Walk, take taxi, take boat”

”How far is it?”

“no far, 5 kilometres, take taxi, take boat”

With that he leant back in his chair and folded his arms.

We got up and left, none the wiser about what we should do or where we should go. We were both totally overwhelmed by the pace and force of the conversation, although quite honestly all you could do was laugh.

We experienced the same sort of officious attitude at the marina office with no warmth or friendliness as before in the small villages.  

We stayed one night and decided to move on, as there was no real atmosphere, the port was isolated from the main town and we just felt empty.

KASSIOPI - GREECE

Sunrise over the east coast of Italy

After many days of worry and constant checking our trusty 'Windfinder' weather site, we set off for Greece at 5.30 Saturday morning. At first, the sea near the Leuca Cape was not comfortable, big swells and reasonably strong winds. However once we had gone about 10 miles it settled down and from then on was smooth trip for the next 10 hours to Corfu.
The wind was kind and with the main, genoa and motor we often reached 8 kts. Dave was pretty happy as everything worked without a hitch (we even had time for a nap).

Othonoi

 The northern coast of Corfu

It was a relief to pass Othonoi island, then the north of Corfu and finally turn down to Kassiopi. The weather began to change dramatically as we approached the small harbour and with the help of a couple of fellow yachts we squeezed into the last inch of space on the small stone wharf. 15 minutes later the black clouds above opened up, the wind increased to 38kts and we experienced a massive thunderstorm. Looking out from the safety of our cabin it was as though we were in a foreign place. Then, just as quickly, the storm stopped and apart from everything being flooded, life returned to normal.

kassiopi is a beautiful, very civilized small harbour.


Everything is very easy to access with free wifi, great restaurants and shops lining the harbour.





Food is very reasonably priced, coffee is delicious (both Geek and espresso) and gorgeous beaches every few kms.










We walked from one bay to the next and passed 3 or 4 small stunning coves.

Old olive groves on the way

There is no electricity or water on tap so we now have to be a little more cautious washing and using our taken for granted appliances!

Still, we're not complaining.

We'll remain here until the band of rough weather passes through and then it's off south to Agios Stefanos

Our boat on the small quay

SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA and LECCE

With some reservations we set off for S.Maria Di Leuca or 'Leuca' as it's called locally. We had dreaded the long trip, hoping it would not give us grief that our sail from Solenzara had done. The first 20 or o miles were fine, then the rough weather patch started. We coped ok and after 10 hours we rounded the cape near Leuca.

our boat between two 'Scuola Vela' boats

 To our surprise we were met by 15 large yachts, all travelling in convoy towards the marina. So many boats after seeing none for so long! We took 2nd place and headed into a berth with the large yachts streaming in behind us. Once we moored we realised that these were part of a sailing school, each with 8 teenagers on board, coming from Policoro and heading like us, to Corfu. For the next day and night we felt like sardines in a tin, squashed up tight and every external surface of our boats squeaking and rubbing. Some carefully squirted olive oil on springs and fenders helped to relieve the constant noise! 
To our great relief the students were polite, well mannered and had a reasonable curfew. We continue to be impressed with the effort put in by the local towns in Italy to teach their young people the skills of sailing - something that's rather lacking in Oz.

the large marina

So began our unexpected long stay in Leuca. In some ways we were in the best place to be stuck because everything about the place is terrific. The marina has excellent services, clean water, electricity, good showers, and helpful staff. The town itself is quite delightful, with a  'Lungomare' (esplanade), fruit and veg shops, Supermercatos, pizza bars and beautiful local scenery.

 
We spent many hours walking through the town, amazed at the old and new residences in every street that reflect a fairly wealthy past. The story has it that these were built by olive oil 'barons' who grew thousands of acres of olives all over this area.

After a day or so we decided to venture further afield and after deciding NOT to hire a Vespa, discovered that the area bus had just resumed service. It took 1.5 hours to travel to Lecce, the capital of the region, where we were pleasantly surprised by the sophistication and beauty of the old classical buildings and streets.

The 'Greek' church in the old city of Lecce

Much of the stonework has been restored so that it reflected modern restoration philosophies that made the new area similar but not artificially aged












We had a particularly memorable meal at a small bar, 'insalata tipica' which consisted of tuna and burrato cheese on crisp brushetta topped with sweet tiny tomatoes, olives, capers and lashings of olive oil. Yummy!






 
Our trip to and from Lecce took us through miles and miles of olive groves, lanes of prickly pear and oleander on every fence and garden bed.

The houses were unusually large - something not seen in our previous travels along the Italian coast. Up till now, we thought Italy was all 5 story apartment blocks. We could see a striking similarity between the large mansions Italians have built in Adelaide and these homes.
























 
Tomorrow we leave for Corfu. The weather looks good, more importantly, the WAVE height is low, so it might just be a comfortable crossing to kassiopi on the NE side of Corfu.

Caio Italy!!


P.S. another mechanical saga for the technically minded:

The Starter Switch Saga

Last year when we were going through locks on the Rhone, I went to start the engine to leave a lock; nothing.  Quick as a flash I put my years of working with crappy cars into action and used a screwdriver to make a connection between the starter motor solenoid and the starter power.  It worked and we motored off.
Later in the journey when we were travelling along the Cote D'Azur, it happened again and once more the trusty screwdriver came into action. The problem became an intermittent nuisance and I couldn't find out why it was happening.

This year, the engine would not start on the switch at all and I was forced to use the screwdriver switch all of the time.

After hours of taking off panels, cleaning connectors, measuring resistance and swearing, I decided that I would have to replace the wiring,the starter switch and possibly the starter motor solenoid.  Unfortunately (actually fortunately) there wasn't an electrical store anywhere to be found.  The chandlers in Italy are nothing like the massive emporiums of France. I had resigned myself to paying an electrician to fix the problem after we left the boat in Patras in August. Today I decided to give it one more go.
So, panels off, spanners out,  sandpaper at the ready, I once more started working over the electrics.  No success.  Having tried everything, I decided to trace the supply cable back to source just out of curiosity.  It left the starter switch, entered a wrapped loom and descended into the engine compartment.  I followed it down and lost it in the gloom.
Nearby, I saw a red wire, but thicker than the one that I was  tracing. I followed it  to the back of the alternator and out of curiosity, checked the tightness of the terminal nut.  It was loose!
I tightened it up and then checked the starter;  working perfectly and faultlessly. I started the engine ten times without it failing, then left it to recharge.
So at the moment I think I have solved the problem but am not sure why.  The loose alternator terminal does explain why the motor would start sometimes after I had started it with the screwdriver; the vibration occasionally made a connection.
This solution might also improve battery charging.
We have noticed that it is not at all unusual for well-tightened nuts to loosen off over time. Maybe it is the vibration of the motor or even the constant rocking of the boat.
We now hope that we have put an end to the somewhat annoying practice of whipping off seat cushions and ferreting around the engine bay with a torch and screwdriver trying to start the motor.
Another one bites the dust.

CROTONE

The weather has continued to be warm, the sea flat and the marinas and towns really enjoyable. The locals appear to be than happy to please the visiting yachts and have plenty off modern facilities.

 'Lega Navale' runs a brilliant marina - quite impressive restaurant/office/bar overlooking the boats. As usual, the mooring guys and marina workers were incredibly helpful.
We sat, drinking coffee, and watched the children at "Scuola Vela" bringing in their small 'Opti' yachts and taking turns to wash them down.
Emi would be in her element!!

 
The coffee continues to be strong and the pizzas huge. We often choose one capriciosa and share. During the day the temperatures reaches the high 30s and shops shut for 2 - 3 hours, which is a pity. At night the local bands set up stages in the squares nearby and play well into the next morning with surprisingly, 70's and 80's music. It's ok, just.











The port and town appear to be a very popular tourist destination for hundreds of families and young people, with the beaches next door full of people from morning till late evening.

 Once the sun sets and the temperature cools down, everyone settles into bars, restaurants or just ambles along the promenade surrounding the marina.



We took advantage of the great markets in the town to stock up supplies. I'm still in shock about the prices charged for the most beautiful fruit and vegetables. Locally produced food has not lost it's importance in these smaller towns.

1 euro kg for the best tomatoes and peaches!

Our stay was cut short by the window of opportunity (as we thought) to get across the Bay of Taranto before another blow set in. We were only half right and the sea was not as friendly as we had hoped.