At the end of our last blog, we had just dropped off Jez in Brindisi, Italy. That very same night, we sailed for Corfu and checked into Greece. Even though we were going from one Schengen country to another, Greek officials insist on stamping and photocopying numerous pages of pointless paperwork to keep the bureaucratic wheel turning. From there we made our way to one of our favourite anchorages, Lakka, for a few days of boat jobs and a rest from all the sailing. We had already visited multiple times and blogged about many of the locations we stopped at in the coming days, so in most cases we didn't even bother taking any photos. Our first stop after Lakka was Preveza (the town we will be wintering in this year). This is where we picked up our friend's daughter Breanna. From Preveza we went to Nydri, Fiskardo, Vathy, Asos, Argostoli and then Agios Nikolaos on the Island of Zakynthos.
Agios Nikolaos, Zakynthos
Agios Nikolaos marked the beginning of our trip around the Peloponnese and the beginning of new towns visited. We arrived at this tiny, cramped little harbour in 20 knots of wind where we had to tread water until we were able to make contact with the harbour master. When he did finally come out to guide us into our reserved mooring, we were rather shocked to find that we were tying up to the front of a very busy restaurant in water that was only just deep enough to keep us afloat. Nevertheless, we were safe and had plenty of protection from the strengthening wind. Amazingly, this mooring was free, but we were encouraged to eat at the restaurant. Slightly concerning was the fact that we had now become trapped in by a number of boats that had now moored behind us. Thankfully they all left the next morning and gave us a clear exit. Before leaving though, we took our dinghy (Ken) around to Zakynthos’s second most famous tourist attraction, The Blue Caves of Zakynthos (yes another blue cave). The number one attraction is of course Shipwreck Beach which we had dropped by on the way down from Argostoli.
Zakynthos, Zakynthos
The next day we tied up at the town quay in Zakynthos town. Another super cheap harbour to stay in. I think we paid about €4 per night. Something similar in Croatia would have been well over €100 for a night. We hired a car while in Zakynthos and spent the day driving around the island to see the (not so many) attractions. The Blue caves again, Shipwreck beach, Some inland cave that we never made it to due to our car not adequate for the cross country road and the fact that we had become desperately low in fuel, and a swim at a remote beach. There wasn’t really a lot to see, however it was nice to be off the boat and in air conditioning for a day. Zakynthos town was busy and the cute restaurant district buzzed in the evening. It was an enjoyable place to spend a few days, but you would quickly run out of things to see and do. It was a pleasure having Bre with us, but it was time for her to head back to work and for us to head south. We dropped her at the airport, returned the car, and headed to the South East corner of the Island.
Pilos
It was a 12 hour sail from Zakynthos down to Pilos. There are very few safe anchorages down along the West coast of the Peloponnese until you reach Pilos. Pilos is well protected and has a number of anchorages to choose from, so it attracts many cruisers. After a good night's sleep, we dinghied into town for breakfast and a look around. Unfortunately, the town was very underwhelming. The tree lined central square (piazza) was busy with cafes and had plenty of potential, but it ended there as the rest of the town seemed run down. None of the cafes were serving food, so we bought some pastries from the bakery and sat at one of the cafes for an average cup of coffee. We don’t have many photos of Pilos because there isn’t much worth taking photos of. Time to move on…
Methoni
What a contrast to Pilos… The townsfolk of Methoni take pride in their town. We even saw a local walking around with a bucket, picking up litter. This cute beachside resort town was packed with character and colour. The water was crystal clear and the sand was actually sandy (not mud). In addition to this, there is a huge Venetian fort that we spent at least an hour exploring in the baking heat. I would happily spend a week in this beautiful location but we had a great weather window coming that would take us all the way around to the Aegean sea. However I hope to come back to Methoni some day.
Diros & Diros Caves
Diros is just a beach and a cave network that has been developed into a major tourist destination. (Yes, more caves, but to be fair, these ones are pretty damn impressive) On our sail here we spent a very windy night in Koroni where we never went ashore, but we were not going to leave Diros without seeing these caves. And wow were they worth it. Diros also has cultural significance in the Greek war of independence against the ottoman empire. Without going into too much detail, in 1826 the local community of 2400 men and significantly women as well, decimated a 10000 strong Ottoman army shortly after they landed in Diros bay. The Statue of the Heroine welding her sickle, stands near the caves as a reminder to all visitors.
Porto Kagio
Later that day we sailed under the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, around to the other side of the peninsula, to Porto Kagio. We had first seen Porto Kagio in a sailing youtube video a few years ago. It was that video that had inspired us to take the plunge, buy a yacht and sail the Mediterranean. We had wanted to eat dinner on the waters edge just like we saw in that video, but unfortunately the restaurant had since closed and the waterside tables had been replaced by sunbeds. It also turned out to be a rather tricky bay to anchor in and it was rather windy as well. This took the shine off what was really a pretty little bay. The sunset bar and running into old sailing friends made up for all of this though.
Elafonisos Island
Our last stop under the Peloponnese before sailing into the Aegean Sea was the sandy island of Elafonisos. When I say sand, I mean real sand. Not the usual mediterranean pebbles or sand coloured mud. We had covered quite a few miles over the past few days, so spending an afternoon at this glorious beach with crystal clear 30oC water was just what the doctor ordered. We had timed our sail around the Peloponnese to perfection. We were about to enter the Aegean right at the start of a rare break in the summer Northerly Meltemi wind. In fact the wind was about to turn to the South, which would greatly assist us with our journey north towards Athens.
Monemvasia
Monemvasia is the most southern town on the East coast of the Peloponnese. The fortified walls, churches and a number of the existing buildings were built by the Byzantines during the 6th century. What remains today, is staggeringly beautiful and I would happily go back again.
Paralia
Paralia was really just a convenient stopover on our way up north to the Argolic Gulf. More or less halfway between Monemvasia and Astros. This cute little beach side town was unexpectedly pretty, so we dinghied ashore for a late lunch and a walk around.
Astros
We had made it to Astros in the Argolic gulf, and only a stone's throw from Poros, where we would be picking up Tayla and Stefan in a couple of weeks time. It was time to slow down and spend a few days in one place, wash the boat and settle into local life. Astros was the perfect place to do this. We spent 5 days in total, exploring the town, the castle remains on the hill, trying out all the restaurants, meeting new sailing friends and catching up with old ones. We even tried to hire a car, only to find that none were available.
Coming up next….
It was almost September when we arrived in Astros. In the final 2 months of the 2024 sailing season, we will explore more of the Argolic Gulf, take visiting Tayla & Stefan through the Cyclade Islands down to Milos, Then begin our journey back to the Ionian Sea where we will winter NJ in Preveza.
Commentaires