It has been a busy couple of weeks. Our friend Suzie – who we have known since trainee days in Plymouth – joined us shortly after the last post. We met up in Agios Efimia, a bay on the Eastern coast of Kefalonia, and proceeded to sail our way around the Ionian islands. From Ag. Efimia we sailed to Ithaka and to Vathi, only to find the wind had brought up a nasty chop in the bay. We put up with it for a couple of hours, then tried to find somewhere in the bay with better shelter. After another couple of hours fruitlessly searching, we ended up back where we started! Fortunately the rough weather settled and we took the dinghy ashore to a terrific restaurant.
Unsettled weather was to be the hallmark of the week. From Vathi we went to Kalamos, staying in the port and enjoying the company of numerous hungry cats. Next stop was Meganisi, and our favourite bay of Ormos Ambeliki; a chance to get on the paddle boards and explore the bay. From there we sailed to Lefkada and the port of Sivota, which is a base for charter companies. We were last there nearly 20 years ago, on our first flotilla holiday. It had got a lot busier and more upmarket. Fortunately, though, being midweek there were few charter boats and we had plenty of space.
For Suzie’s fifth day we took her to Kioni on Ithaka. This is where the weather turned really bad! Just as we dropped anchor the rain started and became torrential over the next few hours. By itself that would not have been too bad, but a young couple on a charter boat tried to moor next to us. They were unable to set their anchor and called on us to help (it was their first sailing trip!). I rowed out to help with shore lines, getting drenched in the process. Things got worse when their anchor windlass failed and we had to enlist the help of a second boat, eventually getting them safely moored alongside the harbour wall. I returned to our boat soaking wet, and grateful for a beer.
The poor weather at least caused the winds to pick up and for Suzie’s last day we headed south, back to Kefalonia and to Poros. We had a great sail with decent winds on the beam and arrived in Poros in good time for lunch in the taverna on the hill above the port. Good food was very much a feature of the week, with a couple of other good spots that evening (a French restaurant on the quay) and lunch the next day (the Sunset restaurant served great seafood from the hill above the harbour).
Suzie had to return home on the Saturday, and we stayed in Poros for another two days whilst we waited for the bad weather to pass – the harbour master said that he had never known conditions so bad at this time of year! Fortunately, by Monday, things had improved and we headed back to Vathi. This time all was calm and we were able to get ashore to explore the town for the first time. It was a lovely surprise: lots of gift shops, tavernas and bars, all with great views of the harbour. Such a shame we were not able to see more when Suzie was with us.
Cate adds – As we headed northwards we stopped again in Meganisi enjoying the flat calm of the anchorage. We realised that both of us were in need of a haircut so Jono went first, using the gin seat on the stern of the boat as a barber’s chair. The clippers we bought in lockdown still work well and, in no time, fish surrounded the boat as locks of hair tumbled to the water. Having realised that it’s quite tricky to get an even cut with the clippers, I decided not to trust Jono and chickened out, booking a hairdresser in Lefkas!
The highlight of the last few days has been our trip to Lefkas town. This is a busy place just to the South of a causeway that connects Lefkada to the mainland. Plenty of shops, restaurants chandlers and more. We have been on a bit of a spending spree. We are now the proud owners of an all electric outboard and can finally consign our 20 year old 2 stroke petrol outboard to history! We have also bought a new mooring line (75 metres of it – there is barely room to fit it in the locker), some odds and ends, and even had a couple of plywood planks custom cut to fit at the end of the cockpit seats to extend them so we can lie flat outside!
On top of that Cate has managed to get a haircut and do loads of laundry, and we have re-provisioned the boat and filled up with water, electricity and fuel.
Our next guests don’t arrive for a couple of weeks, so we have returned to Ormos Ambeleki on Meganisi and are lying at anchor. We plan to relax here, just swimming and paddle boarding for a few days, before we start the trip up to Corfu.
