PLATARIA

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After our rather unhappy experience at Gouvia we left early the next morning for Corfu Town hoping to find a pleasant place to stay for a few days. The result was in fact the opposite.

 We motor/sailed down the coast and upon arriving at the town port realised there was absolutely no room. Being inexperienced and gullible, we moored in front of a similar boat on the town wharf. Everything was peaceful and ok until a large ferry passed out in the bay. The volume of waves that thundered across was so massive that it lifted the entire boat about 1metre up and down just missing the edge of the wharf. We were back on board ASAP, started up the motor and fled, just as another ferry started to pass. Never before have we experienced the terror of waves and swell. Hopefully the other boat was in one piece when the owners returned!

So, slightly shaken, we decided to give Corfu Town a miss and set off again to find a port. One day we’ll return to visit in happier circumstances.

The weather was beautiful once back in the water and we spent the next few hours wandering along the coast eventually landing in an utterly beautiful port – Plataria.

Chooks in the van on the quay

A delightful Greek lady, Maria, spends all day on the quay, with two young children managing the electricity and water fees - so cheap at 10 euros for electricity and water for 3-4 days! Once moored we made friends with a delightful Dutch couple, Hans and Petra, who kept us entertained with sailing stories.

 

The bad experiences of the past few days disappeared quickly as we settled into slow living in Plataria. The tavernas were brilliant. Repeat visits to ‘Olga’s’ allowed me to indulge in the best seafood ever while David gave the local beer a good workout. Paradise!

We decided to venture further afield and so tried to take the bus to the nearest town, Igoumenitsa. 

The kind priest's church in Igoumenitsa

Apparently a bus goes in the morning and afternoon although no-one could give us a definite time. 

We waited patiently for 30 mins at lonely bus stop just out of town only to see the other 4 people also at the stop picked up by cars. 

Inside his beautiful church

We had nearly given up hope when along came a little car and the driver beckoned us to get in.  The gods were smiling on us that day – the driver was the local Greek orthodox priest, and he took us 10 kms right to the door of the shop we needed in the town. 

While at Gouvia we had been told by the loud little man to register with the Greek customs. So, after finding their office at the Igoumenitsa port we asked for assistance. No-one really knew what we were talking about (maybe we’re the only ones who worry) until one of the many customs officers found the information and forms. More than an hour later we left having paid our 30E, sat and listened to many discussions in Greek and now having a 10 page log book to fill out every where we go.

Tired and hot we found the bus back to Plataria.

 

A proud young Kiwi moored next to us

The marina is used as a base for chartered flotilla yachts which provided us with much entertainment watching the young and inexperienced tourists taking charge of yachts for the first time. 

Thank goodness the weather is kind in this part of Greece!

 Every day the wind dies down at sunset making the evening views of the marina and across the water to Corfu, incredibly beautiful.

the marina at dusk

Corfu in the distance

 It was wonderful to see so many yachts in the bay, the morning we left Plataria.

 

Starter switch saga update

A few days after we posted the story about the starter switch, it stopped working again.  This time David found a red wire attached to the very heavy red cable on the starter motor.  Apparenlty this wire goes up to the starter switch and then back to the starter solenoid 10cm from its starting point.  Along the 6 metres of wire there are no less than 7 breaks comprising terminal, junctions and switches.  David wiggled the terminal coming off the starter motor and the junction nearby.  The motor started perfectly and the switch has worked every time since.  Perhaps the terminal at the starter had a dry joint to the wire and a wiggle was enough to overcome this.  Once more we have succeeded in fixing the problem, perhaps!