Our guests arrived! First up were Ros and Godric, joining us in Corfu where we were waiting at Mandraki marina in the grounds of the old fort. We had planned a week’s gentle cruise southwards to finish in Preveza. Sadly, illness forced them to leave early, but we still managed to enjoy a few days at anchor with a night of tranquility in Iggy creek, and a livelier night in Petriti in the southern part of Corfu. We celebrated Godric’s birthday with a lovely fish dinner at a taverna there.
Following their early departure we had a few days to ourselves, continuing the trip south and revisiting places in Paxos before heading through the Lefkas canal and mooring in Lefkada town.
A day later, with our boat freshly cleaned, tanks filled and batteries powered up, we said hello to my brother Richard, and Juliette. Now our plan was to explore some of the spots around Lefkas and adjacent islands. The week was great fun, although with decidedly little wind virtually every day was spent motoring from place to place, hoisting the sails on just one occasion.
The other defining feature of the week was the heat. The Southern Mediterranean has been gripped by a heatwave, with wildfires breaking out in Greece, Italy and Spain. On board the boat it was stiflingly hot, so we opted to stay at anchor in bays where we could easily jump off for a cooling swim. First stop was Meganisi, staying at our favourite spot in Abelaki bay. There were plenty of swimming opportunities and in the evening we went ashore to Little Vathi bay for a great meal at a restaurant on the quayside.
Whilst preparing to leave the next morning, a fisherman motored up to our boat offering to sell some of his catch. We bought two Bonito fish (relatives of Tuna and Mackerel), and continued on to Kalamos island where we cooked the fish to serve with some salad and tzatziki – it was delicious!
Continuing the island hopping theme, our next stop was Kastos – an island we had not visited before. On the western side of the island there are numerous anchorages, all offering good shelter from the prevailing winds (had there been any!). We stayed just outside the harbour of the main town, within easy reach by dinghy, and with more opportunities to enjoy the food and drink.
Another day, another island… this time Ithaka, where we moored against the quay in Kioni. That evening Richard and Juliette treated us to a fantastic meal at Lizzie’s restaurant – many thanks!
Towards the end of the week, our plan had been to return to Preveza, but the heat was enough to make us change our minds and stick to the islands where it might be a little cooler, with easier opportunities to jump in the sea! We therefore re-traced our steps, returning to Kastos and to Meganisi. On Richard and Juliette’s last day we got up early to motor North to Lefkas and drop them off for their return home. We then went through the Lefkas canal and got to the town quay in Preveza for a day of cleaning in temperatures that exceeded 38 degrees in the shade! On Wednesday the 26th we took the boat to the Ionian Marine boatyard for her lift out. Not without drama! As we tried to leave Preveza it became clear that a neighbouring motor yacht had laid their anchor over ours. It took a good fifteen minutes and the help of a man in a RIB to get us free. From then on, it was straightforward: lift-out in the boatyard, a bit of final clearing up, then returning by taxi to Preveza to enjoy the luxury of an air-conditioned hotel room for our last night. The next day we flew back to the UK, and we are now looking forward to a few weeks in our home in Ste Foy. We will return in early September for the big sailing trips to get Merryn back to Sardinia before the winter.
