THE RETURN JOURNEY THROUGH GREECE

 After Vathi, it was time to retrace our steps and wind our way back to Plataria where our boat would be stored over winter.

We stopped at Nidri, Lefkas and Ammoudia where we anchored for one particularly pleasant night. Ammoudia is the small town where the ancient River Styx enters the sea. The eerie feeling of being  surrounded by ancient myths was shortlived and we enjoyed a quiet night, gently rocking in 4 metres of crystal clear water.

Nidri

From Ammoudia we sailed back to Plataria for the last time, passing by miles of beautiful coastline.

The Onassis boathouse on the island of Skorpios

Below are some photos of the last days in Plataria.

Sardines!!!

The local high school drama night

Waiting to go to Igoumenitsa

The last evening dinner

Sunset over the Plataria bay

PORT VATHI

After a very pleasant full day of sailing we headed across the Inland Ionian Sea to the island of Meganisi and the small port of Vathi.

The weather went from a good 5-6 knots to suddenly increase to 15knots with a very rough swell.  It seemed as if every boat for miles was rushing to find a safe haven and things became quite crowded in the small port. Eventually we were directed to a berth alongside the wharf, just in front of the Sunsail office which proved quite expensive. Next time we'll head down the other end to the port authority quay where it's 5E for both water and electricity!

Our boat at the quay

The town of Vathi is absolutely beautiful. Small enough to feel part of it but big enough to find all the goods and services we needed. It was nice to stop in a place where the total effect of tourism has yet to take place.

Moussaka

No loud music, annoying street vendors or hundreds of people walking up and down the quay.


However, many people take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and have just a few too many. One poor yachtie was trying to lift his outboard motor onto the quay, leaned over too far and went headfirst into the water. Luckily, a number of cafe customers were able to get him, very inebriated, out of the water. A bit of quick thinking by Dave and others managed to fish the motor out of 4m of water with just a small dinghy anchor.

Once again there are small cats everywhere. Perhaps they keep the mice under control.


Apart from seafood (which is spectacular) I fell in love with the local moussaka - yum!

There was however, a very loud man in an old ute driving around selling garlic!

Evening at Vathi

The town is nestled in between hills and is very protected from the sometimes strong north westerlies. Evening is an amazing time to be in these small ports, the sun sets at about 9.30 and the the moon (below) rises at about 10. It seems like the day never finishes.

NIDRI

The approach to Nidri

We had heard that Nidri was a fairly popular spot to stay and so were prepared for some difficulty finding a berth. After checking out the pontoons we decided on the Neilsen marina - usually reserved for Neilsen flotilla yachts but just enough room for us. It was quite fortunate as one of our alternators had  stopped working and the local electrician was at the end of the pontoon. All went well, the guy in charge, Chris, let us stay for 2 nights, water and electricity provided for 10E a night. Good value, considering it was hot, we were annoyed at having boat problems and the aircon worked well.

Evening along the main street of Nidri

Bougainvilleas everywhere!

The replica Trirene used for island hopping

I'm still hobbling a bit from the fall at Prevesa so hanging around the cool boat sounded good.We decided to buy a new alternator in the end as we didn't want something else to go wrong.
Nidri is very tourist-oriented.  The main street next to the bay is just taverna after taverna. Every restaurant had its own beautiful Greek spruiker, each imploring us to eat or drink there. It's amazing how many instant friends you can have!



After 2 days were on our way to the island of Meganisi, possibly to stay at Vathi or another small bay.

The genny

We headed off and the only direction the wind was in was Paleros and so we headed north. We pulled out the gennaker and spent the next hour trying to sort it out. Finally we got it going and reached 5 knots which was an incredibly beautiful feeling. The water rushed past the boat quietly, the waves were slight and the wind barely 9 knots. Dave was so happy!

When we reached Vounaki we turned back towards Meganisi and, with no wind to speak of we motored part of the way.

As usual, the wind picked up considerably around late afternoon. It was blowing at up to 15 knots and we were happily cruising along between 6 and 7 knots. As the wind picked up, we rolled the genoa half way in and although boats around us were struggling with the change of conditions, we sailed smoothly into Vathi.

VOUNAKI

Paleros looked full through the binoculars as we approached and so we pulled in to Vounaki just nearby. The marina is a privately owned base for Sunsail yachts and is very very British.The complex includes the marina, a huge hotel/convention centre, sailing school and boat hire. We spent hours watching the children ranging from 4 to teenagers, learning how to sail 'optis' and little 'lazers' in all sorts of weather. 

The children on the sail boats

Most of the days are pretty pleasant here, mornings calm, a little wind in the late afternoon and calm at night. Very hard to take!

The marina with the hotel complex in the background

We took the dinghy to Paleros for one afternoon and  grabbed a couple of yiros to eat at the local taverna - so much food that it fed us next day for lunch.

The locals

Loved the place and will return probably on our way back to Plataria.

LEFKAS

Hoping to have a more positive experience, we set out for Lefkas in mid morning. The sail was pleasant enough for the first half, however once we approached the Lefkas channel the sea became very uncomfortable. No waves, just massive swell. Once inside the channel the roll stopped and we approached the opening bridge. Apparently this is quite a feat, to arrive at the right time and get through the channel without running aground. All was well and we berthed in a rather luxurious spot.

Entering the Lefkas channel

The marina was fairly new and beautifully appointed with hot and cold running everything. We felt a little special being only the third boat under 100s under 45 feet!!

one of the marina cafes

Cafes were excellent and the city nearby provided everything we needed. The town has character and plenty of places to explore with still many little shops run by locals desperate for a sale. The town shows clear evidence of an economic downturn.

Nevertheless we really enjoyed seeing the business of life in a Greek town.

PREVESA

Our impressions of Prevesa were not good from the moment we first entered the port. It is usual to berth stern-to or at worst bow-to ( in difficult situations). Here we noticed all the boats were moored alongside both on the quay and in the marina. Our approach was not well timed and that in addition to my clumsiness left me falling over onto the wharf and nearby coffee drinkers rushing to help us. We eventually tied up safely and then settled down to 3 days of peace love and quiet, NOT!

Every port has its plusses and minuses. Preveza has the 'volta', a tradition of strolling up and down the esplanade for hour upon hour in the evening, occasionally taking a break to eat ice creams or eat dinner at one of the many tavernas lining the quay.

This was all terrific until we decided to go to bed at about 10 or 10.30.  This must have been a signal to the many bars to increase the music (heavy rock) to earsplitting levels which continued till dawn. If wasn't for the injury we would have left the next morning!

Aubergine and fetta with Greek salad

In site of the setbacks, it was still pleasant wandering through the backstreets, dining at small traditional tavernas and just watching the world go by.

This tree trunk was entirely covered in staples and bits of old posters

We continued our saga with the port authority and registered our transit log for the first time. We discovered that our original instructions at Igoumenitsa were not quite correct and experienced the annoyance of the officials. Apparently the govt was doing a thorough passport check and ours had to be approved again by the police.

The customs official also warned us about the 'Greek Reciprocal Tax', which sounded rather frightening. We'll face that obstacle when it happens.




 
Our exit from the port was exemplary and we headed across the bay the 8 miles to Lefkas.

PARGA

We left Syvota early in the morning and travelled the 15 miles to Parga.

First impressions were of a bay with typical umbrella-covered beaches with many houses dotted across the hillside and a few tavernas along the beach. We anchored in the bay and tolerated the wave surge during the afternoon from the fast ferries and the speedboats towing inflated tourist covered rafts. In the evening, the swell from the bay gently rocked the boat.

Next morning we moved the boat to calmer waters inside the old quay. At first, there were only 3 boats and by early evening the number swelled to 24, most being from the Nielsen and Tip Top sailing flotillas. Once again we experienced problems with anchors overlapping anchors especially when the wind is not helpful!

We ventured around the corner of the bay by small ferry and found the main town of Parga, a tourist town that reminded us a bit of Bali, (including the smell!). Lots of tourists, trinket shops, bars and tavernas in every alleyway.

Happily, we returned to the peace and calm of the bay and our boat.

SYVOTA

Slow living at it's best. Somehow life became even simpler once we reached Syvota. Unlike many small ports, Syvota had excellent moorings right up against he town quay. Not only did we NOT have to walk more than 2 mins to get supplies, visit the local ice creamery etc, but also the taverna delivered coffees to the boat 6 metres away.

 And, every day the diesel truck came by and personally delivered fuel!

The town appears to have dedicated itself to pleasing visitors, both those on boats and the many who seem to descend on the town after dusk. Roads are beautifully paved, there is no rubbish to be seen and everyone seems happy.

We loved being in Syvota and found excuses to stay the extra 3 days. Nighttime was amazing. Hundreds of tourists emerged from who knows where and strolled (doing the Volta) up and down the paved promenade. As usual, we petered out by about 10pm and this was just when the action seem to start. Tucked up in our boat we enjoyed sitting, watching the world go by until late in the evening.