Onward to Cefalonia

The detox is going well although there have been a couple of minor slip ups along the way.

We mention this on every blog but the end of our journey is drawing close very quickly.  It is only about 7 weeks until we get off the boat and about 10 weeks till we will be back in Australia.  It certainly does not feel like two and a half years since we started our trip.  

Autumn has arrived in the Ionian.  The weather is mostly fine but it is starting to get a little bit chilly in the mornings before the sun gets up and at night it cools off.  We are just hoping that it will stay warm until November as now we are all confirmed warm weather sailors.  The weather seems to follow a pretty regular pattern of SE in the morning and then NW in the afternoon but every now and then, or just when you need to rely on it, the wind shifts or dies off.  Then every so often a big blow will sweep down on the outside of the island chain.  

Typical small town quayside

Even though the pattern is kind of regular, the wind around the islands can tricky.  There are places where you should be in calm water in the lee of the land but then gusts are funnelled down due to the hills and you find yourself very exposed.  We headed across to a bay on the south of Lefkas to shelter from some significant winds only to find it covered in white water whipped up by the wind gusting off the land and covered with maniac windsurfers.

Couple that with anchoring which is quite deep, and you need to make sure you pay attention.  Dulcinea is quite a big boat around here so we need to make sure that we have a couple of alternative spots to go to if our primary location proves to be not suitable.  When people talk about sailing in Greece they talk about just pulling into small village quaysides and tying up for the night.  However for us the depth of water along the quayside may be too shallow so we would need to anchor.  Many of the harbours are too small for us to anchor in so we need to find alternative spots.  Saying that, it's fine as long as you plan ahead.  A lot of the boats anchor close and then take a line ashore however we have been reluctant to do this as we have heard stories of rats coming onboard along the warps.

Sunrise over the Ionian

On the plus side, the sea here is very calm as there is no exposed distance over which a significant wave can build up so we have had some really nice sailing.  With around 15kts of wind a flat sea and clear blue skies it's really enjoyable sailing - even Nic likes it as long as we do not heel too much.

We spent a few days on Meganissi and then moved on to Ithaca, the fabled home of Odysseus.  There were some high winds (force 8) forecast so we headed to a town called Vathi which is an almost completely landlocked bay.  It has a shallow anchorage with some space which suited us.  We got settled and that night even in the protection of the bay we got 30plus knots of winds.  After a blow there is normally a period of good weather and that was the case here.

Vathi - Ithaca

We moved on to Ay Eufimia on the east side of Cefalonia where we sit now berthed stern to the town quay.  Cefalonia has been devastated by a few earthuakes in recent years.  We talked to the dockmaster, Magias, this morning and he told us that in this town only two houses were left standing after the 1973 quake.  Cefalonia was the setting for the film “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” which we watched while Elaine and Andrew were on board.  The islands here are all  similar in appearance with small villages or towns on the coast surrounded by very steep hills covered by either scrub or short trees.  The water is beautiful and clear and the coastline very sharp rock interspersed with beaches.

Obviously for a waterborne congregation

We have so far found Greece very accomodating, the people very friendly and the food fantastic.  We have grilled Octopus and a fresh Greek salad just about every time they go out to eat.  The crowds are also beginning to disperse which makes Scott very happy.

We will sit here for a few days while we do a road trip around the island.  We also have an issue with the anchor windlass which we are getting fixed here with help from the dock guys. 

Its All Greek From Here On

We left Montenegro as scheduled for the final overnight sail south past Albania and into the Ionian Sea to Corfu.  Had a great following wind and the forecast promised it would remain with us for the 30 or so hours for the sail.  Everything was going well.  We had cleared the bays of Montenegro and found the wind a couple of miles offshore.  There was a catarmaran three or four miles ahead which we were slowly overtaking.  Then silently the shackle connecting the Genoa to the halyard let go and the sail slid down the stay and into the water.

The skipper called all hands on deck.  The sail was still attached to the base of the stay so we ended up dragging it along for a short while until we could roll it onto the deck and secure it with sail ties.  Nic and Sam did a great job battling with the huge sail.  It is not until something like this happens that you realise how big the sails are on this boat and are thankful for the electric winches.  With the sail secured, we hoisted the staysail and continued, allbeit at a reduced speed.  Later as the wind dropped Scott went to the top of the forestay to retrieve the halyard but once we had re rigged the sail and were ready to hoist, the light had gone.  Luckily the wind picked up and the loss of the sail did not impede our progress too much.

Re-installing the Genoa

We arrived off Corfu the following evening and anchored off the eastern side of the old town below the walls of the citadel.  Corfu is an attractive island - very green with picturesque bays with wooded hillsides behind them in the northern part with a long tail of lower land in the south.  Corfu Town itself is a busy port and the city sits slightly elevated.  The old town, like all these places, is full of narrow streets, restaurants and tourist shops but Corfu has a more “real” feel about it.   There are still enough tourists around to make the place interesting without crowding it too much. 

One of the main streets in Corfu

Scott and Sam went into the port to check in with the authorities here in Greece.  As may be expected, even though Greece is part of the EU, there are still a few bureaucratic hurdles to pass through to get into the country.  One thing we need is called a DEKPA which is like a transit log that needs to be stamped by the port police every three months.  Well, Corfu had run out of these forms so we have to get one at the next port.  Makes you wonder just how important this is.

The day after we arrived in Corfu we picked up Andrew and Elaine, some friends from Australia, who were visiting us for a few days.  We got them settled onboard and then had a look around Corfu Town in the evening and enjoyed a great greek meal.  After a morning in town we headed south towards Paxos.  

Lunch in a Paxos Taverna

Thursday was referendum day in Scotland and we followed the election and even flew a lion rampant banner from one of our flag hallyards to support the cause.  Alas, it did not have the desired effect and we got the result on Friday morning that Scotland was still part of the UK.  As a friend of ours says, its a missed opportunity - still there is always next time.

We could not dwell on the election result as it appears that there are more and more charter yachts appearing and that always means there are some interesting nautical manoeuvres.  Anchored off Paxos we got the first indication when a boat anchored very close at night, got the anchor stuck and then just said “help”.  Eventually we sorted them out the next day by diving on the anchor for them.

Andrew and Scott indulging in a traditional Paddle-war

We visited spots on the mainland, Paxos and Anti Paxos with Elaine and Andrew and managed an outdoor screening of the very topical Captain Corelli's Mandolin which is a fantastic story about the occupation of Lefkas Island during World War Two.  The weather has been good and the water is still warm enough to swim.  We finished the trip by heading south and transiting the Lefkas canal to a place near Nidris on Lefkas Island where we anchored in a huge shallow and protected bay surrounded by very high hills.  After a great dinner at a local taverna, Elaine and Andrew got off the next day to continue their holiday onshore under their own steam.

The overall plan for us now is to first and foremost lay of the turps for a while.  As we have had guests almost constantly for a month we feel we have been indulging a bit too much - just to be good hosts of course.  So a bit of detox, a catch up on school (again) and then we will spend a few weeks in the Ionian Sea.  After that we plan to head towards the Cyclades to meet up with Nic’s sister and brother in October and complete the trip in Athens.  We are all enjoying Greece so far.  The people we have met have been really friendly and helpful and the food has been fantastic.  The costs are generally less than in the other European countries we have visited which is welcome.

Currently we are at the small island of Meganissi getting the boat cleaned and replenished - and laying off the booze - a bit.    There are literally hundreds of charter boats in this area - mainly in the 36 to 48ft range.  They seem to sail around in between the islands during the day and then make a bee line for the marinas and town quays at night.  There are a lot of boats stacked in the harbours so the season must be drawing to a close but at its height it must be manic.

We have opted for a couple of days in a marina so as we can get the laundry done, have close shops and fresh water to wash the boat with.  The marina is kind of small but we have a fantastic view out over the bay to the private island of Skorpios which is owned by the Onassis Family.  There is a small town called Vathy nearby which looks interesting and which we will check out tomorrow.

Where is Montenegro?

The trip really seems to be winding down now.  We only have about two months left onboard and our thoughts are constantly wandering to lists of what we have to get done to demobilise from the boat.  So far Nic managed to book all our flights home last week which was a major milestone. Scott has almost contracted a delivery crew to take the boat from Athens to Palma in November.  

We said goodbye to Keith and Susan in Dubrovnik and then spent a couple of days in Cavtat before clearing out and departing for Montenegro.  

Montenegro is a small country with a population of just over 600,000.  It is sandwiched between Croatia and Albania and we knew very little about it.  We headed for a place called Tivat.  About 20NM south of Cavtat along the coast there is a narrow passage which opens up into a series of huge bays.  On the middle one of these bays sits Tivat - a small town but with an awesome marina.  The scenary is spectacular as you leave the Adriatic and head inland.  Huge mountains rise over a 1000m at the coast and keep climbing to 2000m further inland.  The terrain looks and feels more northern European now than Mediterranean.

The entrance off the Adriatic

We had an uneventful cruise down the coast and across the bay and contacted Porto Montenegro marina for a berth.  This marina is a huge development and is trying to place itself up there with the best of the Megayacht marinas in Europe.  There are about 400 berths here and work is still going on.  It's an old Yugoslavian Naval yard and the development so far is very impressive.  Apart from the the berths, there is a five star hotel, apartments, swimming pool, restaurants, shops, a naval museum etc.  There were a lot of very impressive big boats moored up on the pontoons.

The marina swimming pool

We had decided to spend only a few days in Montenegro.  The main attraction was to visit Kotor.  Kotor is an old walled town with an incredible extended wall which seems to snake vertically up the surrounding cliffs.  The old town itsefl is relatively small but stuffed full of churches.  Unfortunately for us, during our stay the weather has been absolutely terrible.  Not cold but very wet with incessant rain and thunderstorms.  We just bought some umbrellas and made the best of it.  We wandered the narrow lanes of Kotor and found a perfect restaurant with exposed beams in the ceiling, rustic brickwork and crossed swords hanging on the walls.  Had a great lunch with some terrific wine which seemed to make the whole day better.

Making the best of the weather

The walls at Kotor

We were planning on getting a bit further afield while we were here but due to the weather have kind of stayed around the marina.  We did have a look in a submarine which was really interesting.  This sub was one of two which had been abandoned at the yard when the developers took over and so they have made exhibits out of them.  They are in perfect condition and one of them you can walk through it and see how the submariners lived.  

The submarines

We were going to head south today but the weather was terrible so we have hung around the marina.  Winds are good for a passage to Greece tomorrow so we will take off on our last overnight sail.  

Dobar Dan from Dubrovnik

We have had a few friends visiting over the last two weeks hence the delay in the blog.

We stayed on Mljiet Island at Polace (po-la-che) for a few days catching up on school and taking it easy.  There was not a lot there but the scenery is spectacular and it's a very tranquil place especially in the early mornings and evenings when it just flattens off.  We did a trip across to the other side of the island where there was an old monastery sitting on a small island in the middle of a lake.  Very picturesque.

Scott's mother Karen was arriving on the Sunday so on Saturday we sailed back to Cavtat.  The wind was just about on the nose but Scott was determined to sail back and so we tacked back and forth for the whole day eventually arriving in Cavtat in the evening.  That evening there was a spectacular lightning display in the sky but it seemed pretty far away.  At around 3 o’clock in the morning the storm had centered right over us.  We had lightning, rain, hail and winds gusting around the 40kt mark.  Boats were going every which way.  We dragged a bit but there was plenty of room around us.

Nic enjoying Croatia

Next day we moved into Cavtat and moored stern to the quayside, squeezed between two huge motor yachts.  I think we were the smallest boat on the quayside.  It's interesting being stern to - there are lost of people strolling along the quayside so there are always spectators.  It's very convenient but anchoring is preferable as it's generally quieter and you can swim off the boat.  Plus its free most of the time.

Once we had Karen onboard, we went back to anchor and spent a couple of days catching up before moving up to Dubronik to catch up with some friends, Susan and Denise, who were over from Scotland staying in Dubrovnik for five days.  We put the boat in the marina so as we could visit the old city.  Karen did really well on the boat.  She is 84 this year and as such our oldest passenger to date but got around the boat with minimal trouble and the boat is not exactly octegenarian friendly.

Karen onboard

Dubronik is an amazing place.  We had sailed past it a couple of times by now and it did not look that interesting compared to some of the places we had seen like Bonafacio.  Once inside the city walls though you really get a different perspective on the town.  The whole place is like a movie set.  The red roofed buildings, all three or four storeys high are all made of solid looking stone. They have a plethora of interesting ornamental features on the walls or around the windows and doors and if that was not enough there are are ancient churches or civic buildings dotted about the town with spectacular carvings.  Running between the buildings are narrow streets made of travertine which shines in the sunlight.  To top it all off there is an encircling wall with watch towers which guards the town.  The only drawback is the amount of tourists at this time of year.  It was very crowded.  We spent the afternoon with Susan and Denise wandering around the town and managed a cable car ride in the evening allowed by dinner in the old city.

Beautiful Dubrovnik from the hillside

The following day we took Susan and Denise out for a day sail (or motor) on Dulcinea.  We ended up anchored off the small island of Lokrum just off Dubrovnik where we had an open table after Susan and Calley had completed an ice bucket challenge.  It was a great day and we ended up off Cavtat again in the evening.  

The open table with Denise and Susan

The more time we spend in Croatia the more we like it.  The people are really friendly, generally its not too expensive and there is enough variety in the coastline to make for interesting trips.  Still cannot get a handle on the weather though.

We said goodbye to Susan and Denise on the Friday night and Karen on the Sunday morning.  It was great to catch up with everyone and Calley was especially grateful for the extra company.  No sooner had Karen left than Keith and Susan, some friends of ours from Scotland joined us onboard for a week.  Keith and Scott went to Strathclyde University about ?? years ago and they have stayed in contact since.

It was Nic's birthday on the Monday so we had a bit of a present opening in the morning when everyone got up.  The weather had begin to turn.  At one point Nic got a suprise though when she went on deck to find that we had dragged across the bay in the rising wind and were only about 20m from a super yacht.  Very calmly she said, “Umm...Scott, I think you should see this.”  Then it  was all hands on deck to get us underway and away from the bay.  I think the near miss freaked out our guests a bit.

The weather forecast was for a strong southerly which was perfect for our plan to head North to the island of Korcula.  The wind got a bit higher than expected but since it was from the south we kept going.  Keith helmed initially but the motion and jet lag got the better of him and Susan took over and did a great job.  We had winds gusting to just under 40kts, seas around 2 to 3m and pretty heavy rain.  Susan got soaked but said she enjoyed it.  We took refuge that night at Polace as higher winds were forecast.

Susan helming (37kts wind and rain)

Keith on the helm - ready for anything at 9kts

The next day we pushed on to Korcula and had a great couple of hours sailing on a reach at 8 to 9 kts.  By this time Keith was fully recovered and got the hang of the helm although he now had to try and shake a “fair weather sailor tag”.  We anchored in a bay near the town.  Korcula is kind of like a mini Dubrovnik.  Lots of narrow streets and beautiful old stonework. Nowhere near as spectacular but interesting to walk around and visit.  Between it and the nearby islands we managed to spend a few days here relaxing and enjoying ourselves.  The big event was that we finally managed to get Sam a haircut.

Dulcinea moored outside a restaurant for lunch

From Korcula we headed south again for Dubrovnik and after a stop off on the island of Mljet we pulled into the marina just near the town.  Had another wonderful day in the old city and dinner courtesy of Keith and Susan.  Calley managed to scam a Croatia football shirt from them which she will not now take off.

It was really fun to catch up with Keith and Susan.  We all had a great time together and the week seemed to fly by.  They left us this morning.  We head south tomorrow to check out of Croatia and then set sail to Montenegro.