So, the plan! We arranged with, and reserved a berth at the marina in Kalamata on the west coast of the Peloponnese for the summer months (9th June to end of August) whilst we would return home. Approx 5 weeks to meander down to Kalamata revisiting island anchorages on the way looked like an easy relaxing cruise? A plan is no more than that - and can, and often does, change....
The new Gori folding prop is a revelation! Never before has Stratagem sailed so well. Getting rid of that 20 inch fixed prop and all that drag has simply transformed sailing. Faster under sail, faster under engine and an improved pointing ability, not to mention the advantage of an "overdrive" facility giving even faster speeds under engine in calm conditions or motorsailing and a smoother waterflow over the rudder under sail. I guess you could say I am rather pleased with the Gori! The only thing I don't like is the clunk it makes when engaging gear, so real care is needed! Also, the claims of reduced prop walk are not evident to me.
Between leaving Corfu on the 3rd May and arriving in Vlikho bay on the 5th, after a few peaceful days in Lakka on Paxos, the weather remained fairly calm with hardly enough wind to sail. The Gori was well tested and giving 7 knots in "overdrive" at 1700 rpm made motoring or motor-sailing a more pleasant experience. No sooner had we anchored off the restaurants on the northeast side of the bay, the wind increased to 30 knots and the sky looked very threatening.
A windy night but our anchor was well set so no problems. The following day was a work day catching up on laundry and general cleaning. The weather was not yet in the sunbathing category and, we didn't know then, the weather would take a turn for the worse!
A couple of days later we had a wonderful sail down to one of our favourite places - Sivota. The anchorage was virtually empty and we anchored in the middle and that evening enjoyed a meal ashore at Stavros's restaurant. The wind forecast was for some fresh winds and so our next stop was determined by the forecast - Vathi on Ithaca. This was not a great choice as the strong winds kept us awake all night, as well as the night after given the winds failed to ease during the nights. So it was time to move and for the sailing alone, we headed back to Sivota and had one of the best sails we have had in a while. This time there were more boats and we had to anchor a little further out, in 8 to10 metres of water. Always an eye on the weather we were not surprised to hear that another storm was forecast with gale force winds from the south. We have not been in Sivota in gales and whilst it should be OK from any wind direction, the proximity of other yachts at anchor could be a problem particularly as we have seen them dragging their anchors in even light winds, and so we voted for a return to Vathi where there is plenty of room and perfect in southerlies.
And so, on 15th May we were back in Vathi, anchored in 4metres with 40 metres of chain out and no-one close. We weren't going anywhere! Towards evening with winds increasing the stupid port police came around the anchorage instructing every boat to move further into the corner of the anchorage as the big ferry was coming in and would drop his anchor where we were anchored. Despite pointing out that the ship couldn't get anywhere near us because of his deep draught and the shallow water we were in, he insisted. Chaos ensued! We again re anchored but with less scope now and because of the inability of yachts to position themselves properly we had yachts lying far too close to us for the prevailing and forecast conditions. Colin and Shirley on Silent Wings came in during the afternoon and tied stern-to the quay. Later in the night we wished we had done the same!
The winds increased to 38 knots and yachts started to drag. A large yacht close on our starboard side was sailing around his anchor and whilst not dragging, recognised the danger and moved. By this time the ship had been in and gone, and of course came nowhere near us, so the yacht moved out into clear water down the anchorage. We were to do the same in the morning. In the meantime we had a sleepless night on anchor watch, but at least it was a very mild night. Someone needs to educate the port police on ships draught-v-depths of water to prevent this sort of thing happening again! That evening we had drinks aboard Silent Wings and a meal out in town.
It was time to continue our passage south and so next stop Zakinthos. We motored the 39 nm in flat calm but poor visibility, arriving in the harbour mid afternoon. It had been a very long time since we had berthed stern-to a quay using our own anchor and the first attempt didn't go well, ending up perfectly at the quay but with hardly any scope out on the anchor! The second time worked fine and we tightened up on 50 metres scope lying next to Papa Jo, a yacht we last saw many years previously, in Marmaris. No sooner had we tied up the fuel bowser arrived and so we filled up both the main tank and the spare cans. That should do for this season. We liked Zakinthos and planned to stay awhile but "best laid plans....". The next day saw winds in the harbour of F5 or 6 causing the yacht to our starboard to be pushed back onto the quay with the danger of damage to the stern. The owners were not on board and so I got on board and pulled the anchor rope as much as I dared for the stern to clear the quay and placed a fender to prevent damage. It was nice to know our own anchor and Papa Jo next to us were holding firm, but once again we had decisions to make based on yet another lousy wind forecast - gale or severe gale from the south! Our plan was to go from here to Katakolon on the Peloponnese coast and then down to Pylos. One option was to miss out Katakolon and do a long leg straight to Pylos and hole up there while the storm blew through. Our friends on Papa Jo were in touch by phone with yachts heading north and presently in Pylos and the information was that there was no room in the harbour which would mean lying to anchor during the forthcoming storm. This we did not fancy at all! After a great deal of debate - and a few gin and tonics, we decided to abandon our plans to go to Kalamata and head instead for the safe option of the marina at Messolonghi. Of course when we left the next day there were no signs of any southerly winds, but a light to moderate northeasterly on the nose! With a left over sea from yesterdays strong winds we were glad when it all disappeared and we completed the passage in a flat calm.
When the storm did arrive (through the night of course) we were glad to be tied up in a marina. The winds came from the east in Messolonghi and got up to 55 knots for a time, but continue very strong for several days. Those who were in Pylos at anchor reported terrible stories of dragging anchors and damage to yachts so we consoled ourselves that the changed plans had been the right decision, but what to do now?
The monies we had paid to Kalamata were simply transferred to our account in Gouvia so no loss there but our flights home were still booked from Kalamata. As we were able to obtain a one-way hire on a car to be left at the airport we left flights as arranged and sorted out some hotels to do a week long tour of the Peloponnese. This turned out to be the highlight of our spring cruise as we visited some wonderful places on the way. The following are some examples -
This is at Ancient Corinth which we called in on our way to Nafplio. Not the greatest set of ruins we have seen on our travels but a nice stop, including time for a light lunch.
The two photos below were our next stop on the tour. The street is in the town of Nafplio where we stayed in one of the best Pension's we have stayed in (mid picture - right side) and the second photo is the view from the fort which overlooks the town. No we didn't walk up the 1000 steps. Fortunately there is road access to the rear of the fort!
From Nafplio we visited Epidavros to see what is reputed to be the best ancient theatre in Greece! Whilst that may be an exaggeration was worth the short drive, although the rest of the site did not seem to be overly interesting to be worth wandering around in the very hot sun. The small museum is
worth a look.
From Epidavros it was another short drive to Mycene where we struggled to find the site. Following instructions in the guide book were hopeless and so the I-Pad and Google Earth came to the rescue where we were able to site the ruins on screen. The tombs come up first on the road and were well worth the drive. Further up the road is the main site and a small museum. The photos show the entrance to the tomb and the other, the domed tomb inside.
Next day we travelled up into the mountains to see the gorge at Stemnitsa which is a walk through only. After some hair-raising driving down into the entrance to the gorge, Sandra found it too hot for the walk but we got some good photos anyway!
The hot weather down in the gorge was in sharp contrast to the cold evenings up in the lovely town of Stemnitsa where we had to wrap up and eat our evening meal indoors!
The following day was the long drive down to Monemvasia but we were again surprised by the quality of the roads and so arrived there just after lunch. We took the car across the causeway and on the advice of the hotel, parked outside the walls as there are no vehicles allowed through the gates (nor could you get any through!!). Our mistake here was not to contact the hotel to be met by a porter thinking, "well it is a tiny place so we will manage ourselves". Correct on the first count - it is small- but unfortunately it is all cobbles (so you can't drag your case) and is up hill and down dale! We were shattered by the time we found the hotel and were admonished by the hotel owner for not calling! The place itself, and the hotel in which we stayed were just fantastic. The upper part of the walled town leads up to a church and fort together with other ruined buildings. The following photos give a flavour.
From Monemvasia we took the scenic route along the coast up to Kalamata. Great views and well worth the extra effort in driving. Kalamata itself we found a little disappointing and having visited Colin on Silent Wings, who by chance got into the marina the day we arrived, we were not overly impressed with the marina. We had heard of swells getting into some berths and unfortunately for Colin that is exactly where they were! That said, we had a very good meal with Colin and his friend Harry at a restaurant adjacent to the marina and flew home from the airport the next day. All in all a very successful trip.
