Pottering Around the Ionian

The pretty little harbour of Fiskardo on the northern tip of Cephalonia is too small to swing at anchor so we had to take a line ashore in typical Mediterranean mooring fashion.  This is something for which Songster, being an English designed boat, is not particularly well suited.  Songster has a fairly high free board, no scooped stern to step on and off easily and long keel.  This means going in reverse in a straight line and stepping onto a pontoon or into a dinghy from the stern while holding a mooring line takes a bit of planning and skill.  In most other parts of the world mooring is done side on which Songster (and us) can easily manage.  Fortunately our friends Glenn and Lyn from Magnificat were on hand to take our lines ashore and tie us off.

Magnificat in Fiskardo

I had my first proper swim of the season in Fiskardo.  The water was a bit brisk but my wet suit kept me warm and the fish were plentiful.  I took lots of photos of them swimming amongst the rocks and sea grass.

 

 

 

We had a lovely walk onshore with Glenn, Lynn and the lovely Lola, their very cool dog and planned another longer walk for the next day.  Unfortunately a nasty swell and unpleasant wind had built up in the morning and, although not dangerous, was making the anchorage very uncomfortable.  As much as I would have liked to explore more of Fiskardo we thought it best to scuttle back to Sivota where there was good shelter from the northerlies.  As Mother Nature would have it, once we got out of Fiskardo harbour there was barely any wind.  Yet another motor sail in the Motorterranian.

Taking it easy in light winds

Snugly ensconced in Sivota we planned a dinner together with Glenn and Lynn.  We had spent lots of enjoyable time with them during the winter in Lefkas and this was to be our last meeting until the vagaries of sailing might bring us together again.  So after a great meal, warm goodbyes and fair wind wishes, we moved on early the next morning for a long sail to Lakka on the northern tip of the small island of Paxoi.  Lakka was a pretty sheltered harbour that quickly filled up to overflowing with charter boats all intent on having a good time.

Light house enroute

Lakka on moonrise

Amongst the many boats at anchor was another boat flying the CA burgee.  They came over to invite us to dinner that evening along with sailors from another CA boat.  We had a very enjoyable dinner with them which several weeks later (as I am writing this blog) turned out to be quite serendipitous.  But that is the subject for future blogs!

CA dinner

Some nasty winds were predicted in a day or two so we thought we would go over to Mourtos on the mainland where there is a clump of islands and sheltered harbours.  We found a lovely secluded bay just around the headland from the main harbour.  We took the dinghy ashore and explored the little town which was teeming with tourist – absolutely chock-a-block.  This was May Day holiday and it looked like half of Greece had come to Mourtos to relax and have fun.  We did manage to find a quiet place away from the hordes for a very nice ouzo mezze before going back to the boat for the evening.

Quiet (for now) anchorage at Mourtos

One of many tavernas ready for the influx of tourists

The next morning we went ashore again and the town had reverted back to its sleepy self.  By the afternoon our quiet anchorage was inundated with a flotilla of about 12 Dutch charter boats, most with kids aboard.  We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the entertainment of Dutch adolescents at play.

Day tripper boat

The predicted bad weather was milder than feared, just a bit of wind and rain.  Once it passed it was time to move on to Corfu to prepare for the arrival of Pam and Nicole.

Ithaca: Land of Homer’s Odysseus

After Sivota we sailed to the island of Ithaca, the home of Homer’s hero Odysseus.  It is a small island in the Ionian between Cephalonia and the mainland and quite delightful.  The island is home to only 3,000 residents and its main town is Vathi, a place to which I took an immediate liking.  The large sheltered bay is surrounded by pretty pastel coloured houses climbing up the olive clad slopes.  The harbourside is lined with tavernas, cafes, artwork and parks where families gather; the adults chatting with each other, a Freddo in hand, and the children playing on their bikes. 

Vathi

Little chapel at the entrance to Vathi Bay

Clock and bell towers in Vathi

Sculpture of Odyessus

close-up of Odysessus sculpture

We spent our first night on board as there was a bit of wind but then the next day moved onto the town quay.  This was a bit of a luxury for us to just step off the boat onto the town pavements as we tend to anchor out and come ashore by dinghy.  

We hired a car to tour the island.  We circled around the northern half of this hourglass shaped island.  We stopped by the harbours of Kioni and Frikes, checking them out as potential stops with Songster.  Up the mountain behind Frikes is the most delightful hill village of Exogi (Εξογή).  Perched above the village is a small monastery with the stunning views.  We spent about an hour there just enjoying the scenery.

Village of Frikes

Hillside church yard

Wild flowers and stunning views

The village of Exogi

After four days in Ithaca it was time to move on to meet up with friends in the north of Cephalonia but we plan to return later in the season to explore more of this beautiful island.

Vathi bay in the distance

Back to the Cruising Life

At the beginning of April the rates increase at the Lefkas Marina so there is a mass exodus of the live-aboard yachties.  April also brought clear weather so we were able to catch up on some of the outstanding boat maintenance jobs and some sightseeing we hadn’t done during the rainy winter months.

Vliho Bay

We started our sailing season slowly.  It was a good way to start as our goodbyes to everyone we spent the winter with at the marina was gradual.  One of the down sides of the cruising life is saying goodbye to so many of the great people we meet.  We sailed to Vliho, a sheltered bay about 11nm south of Lefkas town.  Lots of others from the marina were also making their first stop here so it was like old home week.

The anchorage at Vliho

 

We hired a car for a few days and toured all around Lefkada Island and the nearby mainland.  We took long walks around the bay and to the beautiful Nidri waterfalls.   

Nidri waterfall

 

We explored some of the castles and towns on the mainland and had lunch at Panorama, the famous Indian Restaurant in Palarios – almost as good as Ramas in Canberra. 

The best Indian in Greece

Early 19th Century fort guarding the Lefkas channel

Climbing around the walls

The marina was holding a BBQ on Greek Orthodox Easter so we sailed up there for the day to partake in the festivities.

Easter BBQ at Lefkas Marina

We remained in Vliho for another week to attend Jackie’s 70^th birthday party at the Vliho Yacht club.  It was a great celebration for a lovely lady.

Jackie's birthday party

After more than two weeks at Vliho we felt it was high time we started doing some proper sailing, but still taking it easy.  Our first stop was on the southern side of Lefkas in the beautiful anchorage of Sivota.  We had checked out this delightful village when we rented a car and vowed to return on Songster. 

Back to the cruising life in Sivota

Songster at anchor in Sivota

 

April is still very early in the sailing season.  All these little seaside hamlets are just getting ready for the onslaught of tourists and many of the cafes and restaurants do not open until May or are opened with only a limited menu.  The villages just shut down totally over winter and we were fascinated to watch the spring ritual of cleaning up the winter debris and giving everything a fresh coat of paint.  We wonder about the economic viability of these places.  How can they make a living when their businesses open only four or five months of the year?  As everyone does we can only shrug our shoulders and say ‘This is Greece’.

 

Spring has Sprung in the Ionian

After the cold, wet winter in Lefkas, finally with the coming of April, spring in the Ionian has decided to arrive in all its glory.

Flowers of the Judas Tree

Vineyards and escarpments

Wattle - it feels like Australia!

Tiny wild flowers dot the ground

Goats and wildflowers in an olive grove

We found out rather late in the winter about the fantastic Wacky Walkers group, organised by Bill and Jo on Menna, who are avid walkers and have been cruising around the Mediterranean for the last 20 years.  Every Sunday morning, weather permitting (and sometimes even if it is drizzling, so desperate are we to stretch our legs after a confined winter), the group gathers outside Porto Café for a walk to various places around the island.  The back blocks of Lefkas are lovely and with the spring flowers everywhere the scenery is stunning.  There is a great group who regularly come along with the ages ranging from 6 year olds to fit septuagenarians.  The walks last several hours, usually 8-10 km in length and then, feeling virtuous if being calorically counterproductive, about half the group will continue on to have a late lunch (Linner) at one of the great tavernas on the island.

The Wacky Walker Group

View from the monestary overlooking the beach

The lagoon and beach

Lefkada village tucked in the hills

The Wacky Walkers taking an artistic selfie

With the better weather we were finally able to do those essential outside jobs we had to put off all winter.  So with our new mast steps installed, Bob scampered up the mast many times to replace some rigging and to install the repaired wind instruments and deck lighting.  

Bob changing the main mast back stay

Glenn looking on offering very helpful and knowledgable advice

We also decided to try to fix our singing propeller.  This issue has been an ongoing saga that probably deserves a blog in itself but the details are just too depressing.  The short story is that when we got our new engine in 2015, the engineers noted our existing propeller was a bit under propped and, although not a huge issue, we should think about getting a new propeller that was a bit bigger with a different pitch.  So  when we were wintering in Marmaris during the 2016/17 winter we decided to get the new prop as Marmaris has excellent engineering services,.  It turns out that this new prop took the name of our lovely Songster a bit too literally and sang loudly in a 5 note pentatonic scale at revs from 1000 to 2200 rpm.  It drove Bob crazy.  I thought running the engine at various revs would be a novel way to make new Indonesian gamelan music (which uses a 5 note scale) but Bob was not amused.  We put up with it for the first half of the season until miraculously while in the harbour at Skiathos last June, the singing stopped.  Apparently just enough marine organisms had grown on the propeller to stop the vortices making the singing noise.  

Sadly by taking Songster out of the water at the Boat Club for July/August, the organisms fell off and we were back to the singing propeller.  It was so bad that when in Poros in September we hired a diver to put the old propeller back on.  Meanwhile we read up on this phenomenon of singing propellers and found out that by grinding a chamfer on the leading edge you could stop the vortices and the noise.  This Bob did and we hired yet another diver to put the new propeller back on.  (He also did a great job of cleaning our bottom after 4 months sitting still in the marina.)  Unfortunately and much to Bob’s dismay, all the chamfering did was reduce the 5 note scale to 2 notes.  We are really hoping the marine growth comes back quickly as we begin the 2018 sailing season!

The diver and his rusty tools of the trade

Having a well-earned Mythos after the job