Our trip to Greece was a bit more chilled out as we were in no rush. It was just the two of us so we took it easy.We left on the evening of the 5th and headed east along the north coast of Sicily through the Straits of Messina for the third time in three weeks, along the toe of Italy before heading across to where I spent a “flotilla” season in the Ionian sea and our first stop Vathi on Ithaca about 350nm away.
Company en route..
It was a very easy trip with just the mainsail up to give us some drive and the engine on. It was very flat water so we made the trip averaging 9 knots. Not a single bite on the fishing line though despite being in the best place in Europe for catching Tuna/swordfish, any ideas?
We arrived in Ithaca which was as beautiful as I remembered and with a cross wind stronger than I remembered, we moored up on the quay. We were to be here until late the next day to get all the paper work completed and it did take all day! Just as well as we met some lovely people who moored up along the quay with us. During the day we had some Italian bare boaters catch our anchor with their anchor and with a strong 25knot crosswind blowing I didn’t want to pick it up.Also with it being 25 meters deep we couldn’t dive down to undo it. They were well and truly stuck but with the help of a quick thinking fellow Scot, Keith, and some others we were able to free him after quite a few near misses of him collecting some other boats! Then only 30mins later an Italian boat did the same thing and out went Keith to sort it out, what a guy!
As our paper work still wasn’t ready that night we decided to eat out at an old favourite that serves traditional Greek food that tastes as it should. Not the oily dried over cooked stuff you get in most Greek restaurants. It is owned by the great host Dimitrios who is helped by his very friendly daughter Lula. The food is great as is the company, everyone should go!
We left Vathi at 5am to head towards the Corinth canal, Athens and then Lavrion. We motored the whole way as there was no wind but the highlight has to be the canal. It is the most expensive water way in the world meter for meter, was finished in 1893 and is 25 meters wide. The sides are almost vertical and reach up to almost 79 meters high. Its only 3.5nm long and saves the massive detour around the Peloponnisos. Clare took plenty photographs as I had to really concentrate to steer a straight course as there wasn’t much room either side.
Keeping to the middle!
After passing the massive ship anchorage off Athens we arrived at about 2200 in Sounio Bay under the watchful eyes of the temple of Poseidon to anchor for the night before sailing the 4nm to Lavrion the next morning.
Gordon