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GREECE – SPRING 2024

CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE PELOPONNESE ‘ISLAND’

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

This Blog encompasses the first half of our Spring 2024 ‘circumnavigation’ of the Peloponnese ‘island’, which is separated from mainland Greece by the Corinth Canal. Our younger son Will and his family joined us for this section of our cruise from Preveza to Athens. From there the family returned to the UK and we are currently on part two of our ‘circumnavigation’, exploring the south and west coasts of the ‘island’.

Overview: Peloponnese, Greek Mainland, Ionian & Aegean Seas

IONIAN SEA

PREVEZA

On arrival in Aktio Boatyard, opposite Preveza, following an EasyJet flight from Gatwick and short taxi ride to the marina, we unloaded our luggage and made the boat habitable for the night, before broaching a box of red wine we’d discovered on board.

About to test a box of wine we found on board when we arrived in Aktio boatyard

Our objectives this Spring have been to effect a major sort-out of Island Drifter [ID] and to circumnavigate the Peloponnese ‘island’, the first leg of which was to Athens.

One of the major tasks we undertook was to clean and strip the iroko sole boards and furniture within ID back to bare wood before re-staining and oiling them. Hard work, and arguably not essential, but it has made a significant difference to the ambience within ID, as indeed have the new curtains kindly made by our friend Lynn.

Sole boards before and after stripping back to bare iroko

PREVEZA TO ATHENS

After launching and a sea trial, we were joined by our younger son Will [W], his wife Lesley [L] and our granddaughter Emmy [E] for the first leg of our ‘circumnavigation’ from Preveza in the Ionian Sea via the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth, through the Corinth Canal, to Athens.

Route: Preveza to Athens 

For background information, Will has windsurfed, sailed dinghies, and crewed on holidays on ID in the Canaries, Caribbean and, together with Lesley, in Portugal. Even so, he would not describe himself as anything more than a good ‘competent crew’. During the past two years they have, as a family, sailed with us each summer half-term in both the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

Will, Lesley and Emmy 

PREVEZA

We arranged for WLE to be picked up by taxi at the airport and brought to Preveza where we were moored stern-to the town quay.

Preveza town quay

The town was in the middle of celebrating Greek Orthodox Whitsun and to our surprise a temporary stage had been set up 50 metres from the boat where troupes of Greek dancers in traditional dress were performing with accompanying bands when WLE arrived. An excellent introduction to their forthcoming cruise.

Traditional Greek dancing and music close to ID in Preveza

WLE simply dumped their bags on board and, after a welcome drink in the cockpit while enjoying the music and dancing, we gave them a tour of the more interesting areas of the old town, before having supper at Ventura Taverna, situated at the crossroads of tiny back streets overhung with vines and bougainvillea.

Supper at Ventura Taverna, Preveza

LEFKAS

Next morning, Emmy helped us prepare for sea, cast off and leave at 0715 hours in order to catch the 0900 hours floating bridge at the north end of the Levkas Canal – while her parents slept on!

Floating bridge opening

Emmy helmed all the way down the canal and into ‘One Tree Bay’, (in which she loved swimming last year). Her parents woke up when we dropped anchor. We had a light brunch in the cockpit, a swim off the boat and also to the sandy beach, where there was a ‘pop-up’ taverna.

Will swimming; Emmy about to jump in

MITIKAS

In the early afternoon we weighed anchor and continued south to Mitikas, where we anchored behind the harbour’s protective wall. There we launched the dinghy and outboard and motored with Emmy over to see Phil and Norma Heaton, fellow Ocean Cruising Club members, who, we discovered, had been anchored there for a couple of days and had already explored the small town. They thoroughly recommended eating at Pharos Taverna located on the point of Mitikas town spit.

Setting off with Emmy by dinghy to visit friends who were anchored close by

The town of Mitikas and in particular the family taverna in which we ate supper were like something out of the ’60s. We watched the father go out and then bring in the catch from his boat, gutting and cleaning the fish on the beach, before his wife cooked and their daughter served them. There was no menu or even discussion before a variety of starters were simply put in front of us, followed by a selection of the grilled fish, accompanied by chips.

Al fresco dining at Pharos Taverna, Mitikas

Lesley, an actress herself, couldn’t resist re-creating 

the iconic scene from Shirley Valentine!

After returning by dinghy to ID, we prepared for sea before weighing anchor at midnight. Thereafter we headed south down the ‘Inland Sea’ parallel with the coast, standing two 3-hour watches until dawn.

Emmy’s first experience of night sailing by moonlight

GULF OF PATRAS

By this time we’d reached the entry to the Gulf of Patras, where we turned due east and were able to promptly put up the main and genoa, on which we sailed steadily east in light winds until we approached the massive Rio-Antirrio suspension bridge – the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

GULF OF CORINTH

As we approached the bridge and narrow entry into the Gulf of Corinth, the wind funnelled and totally changed direction, as we’d been warned in the pilot book it would. We therefore ended up motorsailing in strong winds and against a 2-knot current for the next hour.

About to sail under the enormous 2-mile-long Rio-Antirrio bridge, 

which connects the mainland of Greece with the Peloponnese ‘island’

We were within 5 miles of our intended destination of Trizonia island when we (rather foolishly in hindsight) did a fuel transfer from the boat’s main tank to its smaller day tank as we were concerned that the latter was getting particularly low on diesel. Shortly thereafter the engine hiccupped, stopped – and could not be re-started. Therefore, to keep ourselves off the shore and adjacent shallows, we quickly put up a reefed mainsail and genoa and tacked across the Gulf towards the north coast of the Peloponnese with the objective of tacking our way back to Trizonia Island, and then, if necessary, using the dinghy as a powerpack to help us into the harbour. Meanwhile, Mike and Will changed the fuel filters, prayed as never before, and were eventually rewarded by the engine re-starting as we approached Trizonia harbour entrance.

Changing the fuel filters

TRIZONIA

Once into the small harbour of Trizonia (following an 18-hour passage), we pulled alongside a rough concrete quay where our lines were taken by a French couple, with a daughter, Sophie, of Emmy’s age. They were also making their way to Athens.

Trizonia harbour was built and financed by the EU, although it has never been properly finished, nor has it been taken over from the authorities by an independent management company. Result: no bureaucracy, harbour fees or electricity – although water was available and free!

ID, in the background, alongside a concrete quay in Trizonia, 

seen from the shaded edge of the harbour

There were no facilities in the village, not even a food shop, although there were several tavernas catering for visiting tourists. Trizonia is one of the few (if not the only) inhabited island in the Gulf of Corinth. There are 60 permanent residents who have access to a small ferry that plies across the short distance to the village of Glyfada on the north coast of the mainland. Although there were no facilities in the harbour, Lesley did persuade the manager of the apparently empty Hotel Dryma to allow them to use his showers.

Next morning, WLE went for a swim in the crystal-clear water off the wooden decking of an hotel that was in the process of construction, while we prepared for sea.

Swimming in Trizonia

GALAXIDI

Subsequently, after the wind began to change direction and increase (as forecast), we left Trizonia and ran, poled out, for five hours SSE towards our next destination of Galaxidi. The best sail we have had to date on this circumnavigation! There we had a few problems (including briefly running aground!) when reversing in a strong wind into the only available space on the quay, coincidentally next to the French family we’d met in Trizonia. Emmy and Sophie got on well, although their only common ‘language’ was expressed through their respective expertise in cartwheeling!

Entering Galaxidi

DELPHI

Early next morning we hired a car and set off for an interesting inland 20-mile-drive to Delphi, which is acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful classical sites in Greece.

Delphi was regarded by the Ancients as the centre of the then known world. Its spectacular site amidst ravines, rocky bluffs, and sheer cliffs on the slope of Mount Parnassus contribute to its air of mystery. It takes its name from Apollo Delphinius where the god, in the shape of a dolphin, was worshipped. Incidentally, when we left Galaxidi the next day, we saw our first and only dolphins on this circumnavigation!

A visit to Delphi involves steep climbs on ancient marble slabs, rewarded by ever-changing views and monumental treasures. Delphi’s Architectural Museum contains amazing statues in incredibly good condition, mainly excavated by French archaeologists in the late 1800s.

Two Kouros – enormous statues over twelve feet tall

Amphitheatre

Temple of Apollo

We returned to our base in Galaxidi where we had a late lunch in the ‘Memories of the Port’ taverna on the quay, owned by Kostas, a personable and proactive owner/waiter. One of the best meals we have had, and which Kostas made a great experience. Mike and Will finished off with a free shot of Tsipouro. Will subsequently admitted that he’d rather drink Meths!

Emmy and Kostas

That evening we were woken up at the end of the televised Greek v Italy final of the Europa League, after Greece had won and the town (and, we are told, the whole of Greece) went wild! Engines revved, horns blared, and extremely loud firecrackers were thrown – not to mention the very loud music playing until gone 3 a.m.

ISLANDS OF SEALS

We left Galaxidi early and, once clear of the harbour, we continued heading east to the Islands of Seals (Nisoi Alkionidhes). These are three very small, deserted islands (reasonably close to the west entrance to the Corinth Canal) which had been recommended to us as a particularly good anchorage for swimming.

Unfortunately, the crystal-clear water was teeming with a bloom of spawning jellyfish. Hence, there were no volunteers to swim!

Small spawning jellyfish seriously put us all off swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Islands of Seals, in which we’d wanted to anchor

CORINTH

We therefore decided not to stop and continued sailing for a further four hours to the Corinth Yacht Harbour, adjacent to the entrance to the Corinth Canal. There we were just able to squeeze alongside into a space on the outer concrete quay, albeit with virtually zero centimetres under the keel. We had time to recce the town, where Helen and Emmy found the enormous statue of Pegasus, the symbol of the Corinthians.

Pegasus, the symbol of the Corinthians 

We all showered on board, Will and Mike on deck using our new solar shower bag suspended from a halyard, and the girls inside using bottles of water that had warmed up in the sun on passage. We had take-away pizzas for supper.

Take-away pizzas in Corinth Yacht Harbour

CORINTH CANAL

We had already booked and paid online for a transit time of 0700 hours to go through the Corinth Canal. We therefore did not have to pull in to pay at the control tower as until recently used to be the case for all vessels. As instructed on the VHF, we waited outside the entrance until called forward promptly on the hour. From the outer entrance we could see the bridges crossing over the canal.

 Looking down the Corinth Canal from the west entrance

As we approached the narrow gap between the outer walls of the canal, the hydraulic submersible road bridge was lowered, and we received the green light to proceed.

Submersible bridge at the west entrance to canal; looking back after passing over it

The transit of the canal was memorable. Its sheer limestone cliffs through which it was cut are up to 79 metres above sea level and the canal itself is over 3 miles long – but only 25m wide. Road and rail bridges run over the canal, which limits the height of a boat’s mast to 52m – not exactly a problem for ID.

Passage through the Corinth Canal

The Ancients used to drag their ships across the isthmus. The present canal, which artificially divides the Peloponnese ‘island’ from mainland Greece, was commenced by a French company and finished by the Greeks in 1893. It was enlarged after damage suffered in World War II. Recently there have been serious landslips which closed the canal for over a year, but there was clear evidence that a great deal of effort is being put into repairing and improving the Canal’s sheer walls.

Engineering repair work

AEGEAN SEA

ATHENS

Once through the canal, it was some 30 miles (or 6 hours’ sailing) through a plethora of anchored and moving commercial vessels, past the south coast of Salaminas Island to Piraeus Sailing Club’s marina in Athens. The Club does not normally take visitors. Indeed, it can be very difficult and expensive to get a berth in any of the seven marinas in Piraeus, the port area of Athens. Fortunately, we had been there before in 2018, knew the secretary, and therefore had managed to blag a reasonably priced berth for three nights on one of the Club’s pontoons within the well-protected circular harbour of Mikrolimano.

GoogleEarth overview of Piraeus Sailing Club’s small marina within the circular harbour of Mikrolimano (centre of photo)

 The Piraeus Sailing Club is an active sailing and social club for all ages, boasts two Bronze Medallists from recent Olympics and shelters the ex-King’s Dragon boat in which he won a gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960.

Young children, some as young as five, confidently sailing 

Optimist dinghies out to sea from the harbour

A foodie friend of Will’s who has worked in Athens recommended that we must visit the lively centre of the city at night and in particular eat there at Taverna Saita in the Plaka district. So, on our first evening in Athens, although we were all quite tired we re-energised and took a very reasonably priced Uber into the centre. It was well worth the effort: the taverna was great, the streets were buzzing, and we managed to get a view of the Acropolis flood lit from the city centre.

Taverna Saita in Plaka, Athens. Mike insisted on another Tsipouro at the end of the meal…Will said it did not taste any better than the first one he’d tasted in Galaxidi!

Flood-lit Acropolis viewed from the city centre below

We’d come to Athens principally to visit the Acropolis (fort) and Parthenon (the Temple dedicated to Athena), both of which Emmy has learnt about in History at school. Since the sites get extremely overcrowded and baking hot we’d booked a Guided Tour for 0800 hours, which meant a very early start from the marina and getting an Uber to the meeting point. The guided tour was well worth its incremental cost. Nik, our guide, was knowledgeable and took time to explain everything clearly to Emmy, the only child in the party of twenty.

Nik, our tour guide

The Parthenon: temple dedicated to the goddess Athena

We had lunch out before returning to the boat, where we hastily erected our blue cockpit cover to protect us all from the 36°C temperature. That evening we discovered that the social centre of the marina was very noisy but, even so, it did not stop any of us from sleeping.

ID viewed from restaurant balcony in the harbour

Sunday 2 June was Will and Lesley’s 12^th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated by having brunch on the balcony of one of the marina restaurants, washed down with a bottle of Moët, which Will had secretly ordered in advance.

 

Will and Lesley about to enjoy a glass or two of their anniversary champagne

After brunch Will called an Uber to take them to the airport, where they boarded on time, only to be advised once seated that the flight would be delayed for an hour, for ‘technical reasons’. They were more than compensated for the delay by the pilot inviting a number of passengers up to the flight deck, including Emmy who loved the experience.

Emmy on the flight deck of their BA aeroplane

They must have had a following wind because they were only 30 minutes late into Heathrow, and after getting home they all had an early night, since both Will and Lesley were at work early on Monday and Emmy was back at school, her head full of her Greek adventures.

SARONIC GULF

Next morning, we sailed for four hours to an anchorage outside Salaminas town, the capital of Salaminas Island, where we met up with our friends Rolf and Roz [R&R] who keep their yacht in the marina there. We stayed for three days in the well-protected anchorage before sailing in company with them to Poros Island at the southern entrance to the Saronic Gulf. There we stayed on anchor for a further couple of days before leaving R&R to continue our ‘circumnavigation’ of the Peloponnese ‘island’.

At a local Ouzerie in Salaminas with R&R and a couple of their local friends

PELOPONNESE EAST AND WEST COASTS

In the autumn of 2019, while still based in Leros in the Aegean Sea, we’d cruised the east coast of the Peloponnese down as far as Monemvasia, the last major harbour on that coast.

East coast route taken in Autumn 2019

In 2022 we sailed from Leros round the bottom and up the west coast of the Peloponnese in a 72-hour, non-stop passage, on our way to the North Ionian islands.

Route around the Peloponnese in Spring 2022

Since we had already explored the east coast, we sailed south from Poros, with only one brief stop, down to the island of Kithera at the southern tip of the Peloponnese, from where we are continuing our exploration of the south and west coast. This will be the subject of our next and final [No 2] Blog for Spring 2024.