Greece Part 7 - Kavos to Fiskardo

Saturday 11^th June

Today we planned to move Tra Bhui up to the north end of Zante ready for the crossing to Cephalonia. This would entail a short sail of only 5 miles or so to Ay Nikoloas .

Because we were in such a nice anchorage and we only had 5 miles to go we delayed our departure until 11.00 hrs. which gave us plenty of time to get fresh bread for breakfast and to enjoy swimming in the warm shallow waters around us.

Approaching Ay Nikoloas

Plagued yet again with no wind we had to motor most of the way to Ay Nikoloas although as luck would have it just as we were approaching the mouth of the small cove where the harbour is a strong wind filled in from the west. We were nearly there and as we were keen to do some walking ashore we did not bother to raise our sails and so we motored the final mile or so into the harbour.

Ay Nikoloas has a pretty large commercial quay which apart from the daily ferry to Cephalonia appeared to be deserted. The water off the quay was deep – too deep for our ground tackle so we opted for a space at the end of the smaller quay which was being used by visiting yachts. 

Once again our shallow draught allowed us to go where larger yachts could not and soon we were secured just below one of the village’s small café / restaurants. We were tied up by 12.10 hrs. after our shortest day afloat so far!

Tra Bhui stern to in Ay Nikoloas

By now it was lunch time so we went ashore for our standard lunch of a shared Greek Salad. Sitting just above Tra Bhui, under the shade of a large tree we managed to connect to the internet so we were able to deal with e-mails and obtain an updated weather forecast while we ate.

From the pilot guide we knew that one family owned the garage, supermarket, hotel, carry out and two of the restaurants in the village, including the one that we were eating at. One of the son’s came to chat to us and told us about growing up on the island and the changes that he had seen over the years. 

Being particularly interested in our journey he was keen to come down and see Tra Bhui. He told us about the local weather and the sea area around us. It turned out that the family operated most of the tourist boats that took visitors to the nearby Blue Grotto caves which are cut into cliffs around Cape Skinari, and which are accessible only by small boats. 

Unfortunately our masts  prevented us going to see if we could get into them. Other boat trips go to Navagio beach and the partly covered shipwreck (MV Panagiotis), which sunk on the shore around 1980.

Harbour - looking back from road on north side

After filling our fuel cans at the garage which was just across the road from the quay we set out to climb the hill behind Ay Nikoloas. The the terrain looked on the wrong side of challenging so we opted to follow the road which climbed dramatically around the bay and up the adjacent hillside.

On reaching the small hamlet of Korithi which sits high up on the hillside, we were rewarded with splendid views across to Cephalonia which would be our next island destination. 

At Korithi we were faced with a choice of directions so we chose to follow the signs for a lighthouse and caves rather than continue up the barren hillside . This unfortunately meant dropping back to sea level and giving up our hard won elevation. The road down to the light house was just as steep as the one that we had climbed up but in anticipation of something interesting to look at we willingly continued downwards.

The lighthouse at the north east tip of Zante

Disappointingly the lighthouse was tiny and not in the least impressive and the caves necessitated taking a boat trip, something we could have easily done from Ay Nikoloas.

Climbing back up the hill we stopped for a drink at what must be one of Greece’s quietest restaurants, before we decided to try and walk around the hill on our way back to Ay Nikoloas rather than climb back up to Korithi.

Our first attempt to walk around the hill came to an end when the paved track we were following ended at a converted windmill and a bar set on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Our second attempt was more successful as the dirt track that we followed ran right around the hillside until it rejoined the main road just above Ay Nikoloas.

Looking south down the coast of Zante from behind Ay Nikoloas

By the time we reached the village again most of the day trippers from further south on the island who had come for the boat trips to the caves and wreck had left for the day and apart from the arrival of the afternoon ferry from Cephalonia which caused some short lived activity, the village was almost deserted.

The rest of the afternoon we spent chilling out on boar Tra Bhui and going for showers at the restaurant where we had eaten lunch and where we would later eat dinner.

Miles today 5

Miles Total 598

Sunday 12^th June

The weather forecast for today was mixed and it looked as though we could expect strong winds later in the day. 

We had planned to cross to Cephalonia today, an open crossing of approx. 11 miles with another 5 miles or so before we would have the option of finding a sheltered anchorage. When speaking to son who operated the tourist boats yesterday he told us of the wind acceleration zone that he said existed between Zante and Cephalonia due to the high mountains at the north of Zante and the south of Cephalonia – something we obviously took heed of!

To make sure we had a non-dramatic crossing we decided to leave at dawn to make most use of the calm before the forecasted winds arrived. It appeared that we were not alone in this decision as a number of yachts left before we did putting to sea when it was still dark.

Dawn departure

The calm period was a bit to calm in that it was also a windless period. Yet again we had to motor. 

While we were conscious that we were motoring too much it was a small conciliation to see that most yachts appeared to motor even more than we did!

Sunrise

Departing  Ay Nikoloas  at 06.15 hrs. our crossing was marked by a splendid sunrise  and 17 miles later we arrived in the harbour of Poros at 9.50 hrs., before some yachties were even up!

Cephalonia in the distance

Poros harbour has been built on the opposite side of a small hill from the town of Poros itself and is home to the town’s fleet of small fishing boats. An sizeable extension of the harbour accommodates the numerous large ferries that ply between Poros and the mainland everyday. Our pilot guide named the port of Sami slightly further north as Cephalonia’s main port, but we saw far more ferries going to and from Poros than we did Sami.

Getting close

Having secured Tra Bhui stern to, we walked over the small hill to the town of Poros to find a cash machine and breakfast. Poros is a small town – a very large village  - with a number of hotels, restaurants and a large and fairly new seafront area. The town itself was deserted and a number of the hotels appeared to be long term closed.  There were however a good choice of shops and some nice looking high end delicatessens.

We found a café facing the sea for breakfast in the sun After breakfast Kathleen was keen to go for a walk to get some exercise. Leaving the town behind we saw the sign for a burial chamber and a temple, which Kathleen thought, would be worth going to.

Kathleen leading the way!

The road climbed up fairly steeply through a dramatic limestone gorge until it entered a flatter landscape further inland. Here we found the burial chamber, which was well presented and free to get into. We never found the temple and think that it was high on a hillside on the opposite side of the valley, although the signs were a bit misleading.

Rather than walk back the way we had come Kathleen was keen to try and follow a circular walk that we had seen shown on an information  map near the harbour. The path, which was clear enough to start with, soon petered out and it was not long before we were fighting our way up the hillside on a variety of farm and goat tracks – not ideal terrain for flip-flops!

All terrain footwear!

And I just follow on!

A wrong turning saw us drop back to the valley bottom where our way was blocked by a river. Climbing back up what seamed to be a near vertical hill side we eventually came across the marked path. Most of the markers were orientated for people coming the opposite way which is perhaps why it was so hard for us to find.

View over harbour from hill top

Eventually we reached the top and were rewarded with a grand view over Poros and across the sea to the mainland. By this time I was soaked in sweat and much in need of a shower, so it was with relief that we found the path going down the other side of the hill was as wide as a cart track and easy to follow.

Not a drop of sweat in sight!

Back at the harbour as there were no showers I suggested we go snorkelling at a nearby beach after which I showered myself at one of the water hoses around the harbour much to the amusement of people on other boats.

Looking down on harbour towards the end of our walk.

Poros was the first harbour where we were asked to pay a mooring fee, which I suppose we could not complain about as we had berthed for free everywhere until now.  Using water from the hose to shower with made me feel that at least I was getting something for our mooring fee.

During the day there appeared to be a continual stream of different ferries coming and going from the harbour. The volume of traffic that must come and go from the island is pretty impressive as is the frequency of the ferries, all of which drop anchor and back up to the ferry pier. It must be a poor choice of location for any marine life that exists near the pier as the bottom must be the most disturbed bit of seabed in the Ionian.

Later when the sun dropped behind the hills we walked back into Poros for dinner.

Despite the predictions of the weather forecast the promised winds did not arrive until early the next morning so our early departure from Ay Nikoloas could have been delayed to a more civilised hour.

Miles today 17

Miles total 615

Monday 13^th June

Waking to a windy day we walked out to the harbour breakwater after breakfast to see what the state of the sea was like. 

We had hoped to sail northwards to Agia Efimia which was just over half way up the east side of Cephalonia. The wind was blowing generally from the south and while the sea looked fairly choppy we would be running before the wind and therefor the sea all the way. 

Given that the winds were meant to have arrived yesterday and only lasted for a short period of time we decided to wait a bit and see if the wind dropped any.  We had previously found that the sea in Greece reacts pretty quickly to the wind conditions and  thought that if the wind dropped then the sea would quickly follow suit.

By 11.00 hrs. the wind had not dropped any but it had not got any stronger, so we decided to get going. On leaving the harbour we had to pass the small headland between the harbour and Paros after which we planned to keep in shore letting the headland provide some shelter from the wind.

On clearing the headland we found the wind to be a fairly steady 20 plus knots. Being cautious and with the seas directly behind us we decided that we would motor for a bit and see how we got on. 

The reason for motoring is that we have found Tra Bhui to be a handful in a following sea especially when we drop into the troughs behind each passing wave. The sudden drop in boat speed renders Tra Bhui just like any boat more susceptible to being pushed off course before she is picked up by the next wave. By motoring we can maintain sufficient speed to maintain steerage and lessens the effects of the waves.

As we passed Poros we decided to keep going as the conditions although exhilarating were well within Tra Bhui’s capabilities.

As we headed north the wind began to increase and move around a bit until we had a fairly constant 25 knots blowing on our stern quarter. The increase in the wind strength combined with our increasing distance from the headland at Poros meant that the following seas were increasing and I was having to constantly correct our course as successive waves swept across Tra Bhui's stern.

With hindsight towing the dingy may not have been my best idea as it was frequently alongside Tra Bhui rather than behind it as it obviously surfed a bit better than Tra Bhui did. This exacerbated  the effect that the waves were having on us. A number of times I looked back to see the dingy above us! Not the most reassuring sight!

Throughout the passage our faithful 10HP outboard never missed a beat despite the constantly breaking waves that were entering the cockpit wither through the outboard well or over the gunwale.

For the next two hours, we kept a virtually straight course with our speed ranging from 2 knots to 9 knots depending on whether we were behind or in front of a wave. 

Helming was not exactly relaxing! 

In fact it is a testament to Tra Bhui’s sea keeping properties that we held position with a 35’ Italian Catamaran that had left at the same  time as we did and which was motor sailing under a storm jib about a mile further offshore.

Approaching the second headland before Sami we spotted a yacht motoring towards us and making heavy weather of the large sea that we had behind us and the yacht had in front of it. 

As the yacht drew nearer it appeared to loose way and then after going broadside to the sea start drifting. Whether it had had a mechanical failure or what we did not know and the airwaves remained silent.  With the yacht gradually being driven towards the shore of the headland, my immediate concern was that we would be asked to render some form of assistance.

Towing the yacht would be out of the question as we simply did not have the power in these seas to do so – in a calm sea we could have towed her for a short distance without too much problem, but not today. Even going alongside would potentially be highly risky.

To our relief the yacht eventually got back under way and continued southwards.

Approaching the final headland before we could turn into the more sheltered waters off Sami the wind had it’s last fling and moved quickly to the west and rose to 35 knots which for those who are unfamiliar with wind speeds is a Force 8 Gale. This was caused by a local acceleration zone where the wind came between two hills, an effect that is common in these waters.

Eventually a very wet Tra Bhui and crew rounded the headland and entered the calmer and more sheltered waters between Sami and Agia Efimia.  Still under motor we entered the harbour at Agia Efimia at 14.15 hrs. in dire need of drying out!

Unable to raise the harbour master on the radio we found an empty berth between two larger yachts. The usual convention is that crews from nearby yachts give the berthing yacht a hand by catching their stern lines etc., but the crew on the yacht next to us simply sat and watched. Not that it was really a problem, we are pretty self sufficient, but they were not to know that!

Unhelpful neighbours on our port side

The nationality of the yacht – British! Whether they felt that we were too small to bother with or whether they were just ignorant we will never know, but we found after that on a number of occasions while other nationalities are always keen to help – especially the Dutch – British yachtsmen and woman are reluctant to assist us when we are coming into a harbour, but they are always willing to tell us of their own exploits once no help is needed! To compound matters once we were tied up said yacht moved one of their stern lines to cross Tra Bhui in front of her mizzen mast, which meant that not only did we have to climb over it to get ashore, but we then had to remove and retie it when we wanted to leave.

Once tied up we met the Harbour Master who agreed we could stay where we were and charged us for water and electricity neither of which we needed. 

To our surprise the Harbour Master would not accept payment for our berth and insisted that we pay him when he started work at 09.00 hrs. the next morning. Having explained to him that we would be leaving earlier than that I was told that I could not leave until I paid him and that I could not pay him until after 9.00 hrs.

Left with no alternative I told him that I was sorry that he was unable to accept our payment today, if he wanted to collect it tomorrow he could come to Fiskardo (our next port of call) and I would gladly pay him there.

As I turned to walk away he called me and told me I could pay now – no problem. This appeared to open the floodgates as a number of other skippers who were watching our exchange then queued up to pay. Why make life harder than it needs to be?

Agia Efimia is a nice little village, which surrounds the harbour area. It is full of yachties, which obviously keep the restaurants and bars afloat. 

Apart from drying ourselves out and going for a very late lunch and to use the Internet we did very little for the rest of the day until it was time for dinner!

Miles today 13

Miles total 628

Tuesday 14^th

Our destination today was Fiskardo right on the northeast tip of Cephalonia. We had been to Fiskardo before having sailed into it when on a flotilla holiday with Neilson a few years ago. It would be nice to be arriving in our own boat this time!

Fiskardo is also famous as the setting for a number of the scenes in the 2001 blockbuster film "Captain Corelli's Mandolin which starred Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz.

Having spent the last few weeks living on board Tra Bhui since we had left Finikunda, it was time for a break and so I had booked 3 nights at the boutique-style Balhambra Suites which was centrally located next to the harbour in Fiskardo and which according to it’s Internet listing featured a charming courtyard with fountain surrounded by olive trees and lavender bushes.

To make the most of our time ashore at Fiskardo we decided to get an early start and stop somewhere along the coast for breakfast, so at 06.20 hrs. we left Efima and turned north.

Sun rise over Ithaki

The gale force winds of yesterday  had been replaced with a mirror like calm and absolutely no wind at all. Motoring yet again we watched the sun rise from behind the nearby island of Ithaki before we dropped anchor off a small stone beach at the head of a little inlet. In fact we probably could have done without the anchor as the waters were so calm.

Goats

After breakfast on board we sat and watched a heard of wild goats which had come down to the waters edge and which were drinking the seawater from nearby rocks.

When the goats had moved on we donned our masks and flippers and spent some time snorkelling around the inlet, but there were very few fish to see.

Motoring into Fiskardo at 11.30 hrs. we were once again entering main stream tourism as there were numerous charter and flotilla boats in the harbour, far outnumbering the local fishing boats. 

After having tied up stern to at the end of a bit of sea wall we were approached by the friendly Harbour Master who suggested that we move into the shallow waters beside the local fishing boats. If we moved there it would help him accommodate more yachts later in the day and he would not charge us for our mooring. The no charge bit sold it to us and soon Tra Bhui was floating (just) beside the small local boats.

Cockpit cover on for our stay in port

Because we were spending a couple of days ashore I packed our clothes and dirty washing into an assortment of barrels and dry bags to take ashore with us. With these on the quay I was able to put the  cockpit cover on Tra Bhui before we left her. 

We carried a cockpit cover simply to stop anyone going on board when we left Tra Bhui for any length of time. With the locked deck hatches we were pretty confident that everything was as secure as we could make it as I dismounted the VHF and chart plotter and locked them away.

While getting ashore we were greeted by a friendly voice that turned out to be that of a fellow Drascombe owner from Ireland who was on holiday on the island.  After a pleasant half hour or so talking about Drascombes, our adventure to date and about the experiences of his sons who had sailed their Lugger around Ireland the previous summer to raise funds for the RNLI, it was time to go and find our hotel.

I think the hotel manager was a bit surprised when we arrived carrying blue plastic barrels and did not really believe us when I told him that it was the latest designer luggage.

Balhambra Apartments

Our room was great – large, clean and with a balcony overlooking the square. Best of all was the bathroom and the shower contained therein!!

I asked at reception if they had a laundry service - a bit extravagant perhaps, but we had managed to build up a fair pile of dirty clothes, despite my own regular attempts at laundry. Apparently in Greece you need a licence to wash clothes - only to be expected I suppose in a country that thrives on petty bureaucracy! However all was not lost, the hotel's handyman's wife did laundry and the handyman would take our pile of washing from us today and bring it back pressed tomorrow. It would however cost us 13 Euros which was a lot for a washing, but in a moment of extravagance I agreed to the price as I did not want to live in a room of drying clothes for the next two days.

Once clean and unpacked we spent the rest of the day wandering around the village and catching up on the many  e-mails that had piled up over the last few days. 

Unfortunately I had a lot of work related e-mails to catch up on as I was still looking for a new overseas position, my contract in Kazakhstan having come to an end in June, so after we had both replied to our own emails, I worked my way through the many overseas job adverts that can be found online, while Kathleen went for a walk to the nearby Venetian Lighthouse and the pre Christian Basilica which dates back to somewhere between the 6th and 8th centuries AD. 

After a pre dinner drink we walked around the harbour to the "Nicolas Taverna" which has a great setting on the hill above the harbour. Here we watched the sunset and the comings and goings of the many boats and their tenders that filled the harbour. 

The food at the taverna was excellent and we were surprised at how quiet it was when the waterfront restaurants were mobbed. Obviously many people must just eat where the crown goes - their loss and our gain!

Miles today 12

Miles total 640