5th May 2006

Well, here we are in Levkas – welcomed by force 7 – 8 gales so as you might imagine we are still in the marina waiting for the weather to settle. Hopefully we will get away tomorrow for a short sail down the coast.

First things first – we left North Wales on Monday evening and had a bit of bother with the Black Chariot – it didn’t want to let go so in the end I had to drop it off with Brian Edwards to deliver it back to work - I didn’t think company cars could be so possessive!!

After the drive down to Gatwick we spent a couple of hours people watching in the airport terminal – Puma and Adidas tracksuits were the favourite travel gear.

Arrived in Athens on time and jumped into a taxi – administratively the Greeks are very slow – as drivers they are manic – I’m sure they take their cars to the garage just to get their horns serviced !!.

We didn’t have enough time in Athens to find the good bits – on our first night I turned left and we ended up in a bit of a rundown area – but still managed to find a good clean taverna. The next morning before we got the bus for Levkas we turned right and found some really interesting shops and buildings so when we go back next time we know which direction to take.

The bus trip was quite pleasant – much better than flying – with lots to see and more importantly – loads of leg room.

We arrived in Levkas Wednesday evening to find the boat in good shape. The next task for us was to stow our extra gear – typically we have brought too much – so the Greek charity shops might find themselves with an influx of dubious fashion goods.

At this moment things are rather surreal to Sue and me – it’s hard to come to terms with not going back to work and starting on a new lifestyle – we still feel as though we are on holiday – but yet we know this is not the case – it’s going to take a bit of time to get used to things.

During the winds of last night we watched a DVD on the laptop courtesy of the Mail on Sunday (my favourite read) – tonight has been much better – sitting out in the cockpit drinking local red wine and coffee – the coffee was good, but we have still not struck anything close to gold on the wine front – but we must keep searching - it’s a quest.

7th May 2006

Finally left Levkas Marina yesterday for a short hop down through the Levkas Canal to Vliko – it’s a large bay at the end of an inlet, so it was an ideal spot for us to try out our anchoring techniques.

Spent a calm night at anchor after an exciting game of dominoes, did a few chores in the morning on the boat and tried out the shade umbrella. It works fine but I don’t think we would use it if the wind got up.

After a pasta salad lunch Sue and I spliced the anchor line to the chain for our new Fortress stern anchor. Later in the afternoon the wind got up and we dragged anchor – so obviously we must improve on our technique – re-anchored putting out more chain and we seem to be holding OK. The proof of the pudding will be in the morning when hopefully we will find ourselves in the same spot !!

9th May 2006

We actually sailed the boat yesterday.

This was our first sail on Chirene so we had a little fun sorting the lines out – our last boat (Nightcap) was not as sophisticated, however once we got sorted out, we found the boat a pleasure to sail. Most of our initial difficulties revolved around the mainsail – there is lots of string !!. The roller furling headsail is a breeze.

We sailed down to Meganisi and when the wind dropped we motored into Vathi harbour for a look and then continued to Abileke bay where we attempted to drop anchor. We had problems with the windlass so we abandoned the idea and motored back to Levkas Marina where hopefully we can get the problem sorted out – welcome to the (real) world of sailing.

Today has been a day to do a few jobs and hunt down some decent wine – I think we have found the wine – it’s called Demestica (not to be confused with Domestos) and it’s quite drinkable – you can get it in all flavours – red, white and rose and for 4.28 euro for 1.5 litres it is good value

11th May 2006

Yesterday was not one of our best !

We decided to motor down the Levkas Canal to Sivota abut 10 miles away. Once more sods law came in to play and we were met on exiting the canal with winds of 20 – 25 knots – not to be daunted – up went the sails with one reef in the main and one reef in the genoa – the boat was going quite well, albeit with a bit of a slant. Sue broke out the coronation chicken sandwiches and off we went sailing on our ear – until we noticed that one of the oars had detached from it’s restraints in the dinghy. As we attempted to put the situation to right we managed to lose the dinghy – so it was a case of dinghy rescue – all this was done within 20 feet of the rocks with the wind blowing force 5 to 6. As anyone who knows me – I am not one for swearing – but I have to confess a few uttrences escaped my lips. We were dead jammy and managed to retrieve the dinghy – somewhat shell shocked we decide to drop sail and motor into Vlikho to anchor for the night. The anchor went down – we put out extra chain and a snubber and everything slowly got back to normality – after a drink !!

Today has been much better !!

We woke to blue skies and flat water – after breakfast I pulled the outboard from the locker – stuck it on the back of the dinghy – put some petrol in the tank – read the instruction how to use it – pulled the starter – and it started first go – another giant step forward.

The rest of the day has been spent taking the dinghy to the shore to get some cheese rolls from the bakers. We had them for lunch washed down with some Domestos white wine.

Tonight is meal out night so were off in the dinghy to a seafood taverna on shore – I hope it’s good – this is our first meal out for over a week !

Well the meal was quite good Sue had cheese saganaki and I had deep fried courgette as starters, we both chose the snapper for our main course – the fish was good but it came at a price, 37 Euro a kilo bust our eating out budget by a long way.

13th May 2006

We had a walk through the village in the morning and then upped anchor at midday bound for Sivota a pleasant bay about a 3 hour sail.

We had a good sail, passed a few boats on the way (I still like to race) then got passed by a real hotshot and no matter how many bits of string I pulled I just couldn’t catch him – I think he must have had his engine on !!

We did our first bows-to when we arrived at Sivota – it seemed to go quite well. We went for a stroll round the village and when I got back a German on the next boat was not happy with our stern anchor – he said we were putting a strain on his bow anchor and he said the winds were going to get up to Force 5. Foolishly in hindsight I offered to back off the quay and reset my anchor – just as we cast off our lines the wind got up and pinned us against the Germans boat – we had quite a bit of bother getting away from their boat and to top it off found out that my stern anchor had fould on some chain. After 10 minutes of huffing and puffing I got us off and decided to anchor in the middle of the bay. As you can guess as soon as we were at rest on our anchor the wind died to nothing and did not show it’s face again. After Sue and I tidied up the boat we sat down and had a stiff drink before having our evening meal.

14th May 2006

We up anchored quite early and motored out of Sivota and had a slow but pleasant sail up the channel between Levkas and Meganisi – we saw a turtle so went for a closer look – unfortunately it was very dead , it did look old so perhaps it died of old age looking for the old EAC.

The wind dropped so we motored round Skorpios ( of Jackie and Aristotle fame ) and then past Nidri into Vlikho to anchor for the night.

16th May 2006

Stayed in Vlikho all yesterday – went for a walk – read my book. Sue was nose into the Sudoku.

Today we sailed back up to Levkas – it was a really nice sail – wind was on the nose, but no bother, we did a few tacks and got to the entrance to the canal about 1:00pm.. We motored up the canal and entered the Marina – I had the customary fun and games berthing the boat – but eventually we got ourselves in – only to find that there was no lines to pick up – so we had to do it all again – this time everything went smoothly.

Sue and I then went to get our cruising log stamped as we are leaving Levkas tomorrow and heading for Paxos to meet up with friends from last years flotilla holiday.

We also paid a visit to enquire about our new windlass – it hasn’t come in but we have provisionally aranged to return to Levkas next Tuesday to have it fitted – it’s a 2 day job – and not cheap !!

Tonight we are getting some provisions in, having some washing done and having a quiet little drink.

18th May 2006

Yesterday was a 7 hour sail from Levkas to Mongonisi (Paxos) it was a very pleasant sail – port tack all the way. We anchored in Mongonisi and did some tidying up as we had a minor mishap on the sail over - someone forgot to stow the white wine away so we lost a litre and a half of Demesteca into the bilges – not to mention the broken glass – we were heartbroken – the boat now smells like a wine bar – which is a plus !!

We met up with friends from last years flotilla holiday – it was so good to meet up with Phil and Celia – they kindly brought a bottle of bubbly to share with us before we went to Theos Taverna for a meal. I ferried them over to Chirene for a glass of wine after the meal – it was a lovely evening as we chewed the fat over things past, present and future.

Today we stayed at anchor and chilled out – in the sun. I did one or two jobs – mainly involving superglue. I also whipped the ends of some of our mooring lines to stop them from fraying. Other than that we watched the comings and goings of the yachts. Today we witnessed our first pair of white pointers ( topless sunbather ) and our first bloke in a thong – pretty gruesome as he must have been all of 60 ! We also had a fair selection of nationalities anchored with us – South African, Italian, Dutch and German. The Germans have left – and I didn’t even mention the war.

Tomorrow we plan to move up the coast of Paxos to Lakka and spend a couple of nights there before the long sail back to Levkas on Sunday.

20th May 2006

Yesterday we motored to Lakka which is about 5 miles north of Mongonisi. On the way I entered the passage past Gaios to see if we could spot some friends who were on a flotilla holiday. Sue nearly had kittens as the depth under the keel dropped to less than ½ a metre going through the entrance – and as you might imagine there was no sign of our friends.

Lakka is a really nice bay with a small village at the head. When we arrived the bay was quite crowded with a Nielsen flotilla but they left mid morning and there was about 6 yachts left.

We went ashore for a mooch and some hooch, plus provisions. It’s a really nice place – later that morning a pleasure ferry from Corfu arrived with about 200 passengers – they descended on the tavernas and beach drank and swam for a couple of hours and then departed from whence they came.

This morning the wind got up about 6:30am so I went up on deck and sat at anchor watch to make sure the anchor was holding. We were fairly close to the rocks so I didn’t want to take any chances. The anchor held well and so we could relax and after an hour or so the wind eased. We spent the rest of the day lazing about on the boat and had a short foray into the village for a stroll and to buy up the grocers stock of Demestaca .

22nd May 2006

Yesterday was a long motor from Lakka back to Levkas. We left at 8:00 am and went through the Levkas swing bridge at 3:00 pm. We motored on down through the canal to Vlikho and anchored on the East shore to keep more of the evening sun.

We woke to a beautiful calm morning. A couple were in their rowing boat laying out a fishing net in a circle. Next, as the man rowed round the net perimeter the lady bashed the water with a paddle – I can only assume this was to scare the fish into the net. We watched them retrieve the net but there only seemed to be 6 or so fish.

We are taking the boat to Levkas this afternoon to have the new windlass fitted.

24th May 2006

We have been on the mole in Levkas for the last 2 days while the windlass has been fitted. It’s been quite relaxing. Last night we were invited for drinks on the yacht next to us (Rafiki) the owners are Bill and Hilary we don’t know their surnames so we refer to them as “the Clintons” – we were joined by another couple off another yacht and they cheered Sue and I up with tales of rats and mice etc etc. It’s not what we’re here for so hopefully the wildlife will give us a miss. The sailing community are very friendly and helpful, even if they scare us with some of their stories !

25th May 2006

The windlass is fixed – and I’ve paid the bill – the windlass is now the most expensive bit of the boat, but we need it to make anchoring a safe operation. Tomorrow we are off on our travels again probably down to Vlikho again to test the windlass out – we will stay close to Levkas until we are happy with it.

27th May 2006

Well surprise surprise here we are in Vlikho (again) but we had to test the windlass somewhere – so why not in Vlikho. We have dropped the anchor without a hitch - so at least half of the operation works OK and I think gravity pays a big part in dropping the anchor – the big test will be pulling it up – watch this space for the result.

It’s been really hot the last week or so so now that we have moved to an anchorage we have been able to cool down by swimming off the back of the boat – it’s loveley – reminds me of paddling in the North Sea – not !

We’ve changed our once a week dining out regime to a possibly twice a week lunch. Today we motored in our dinghy to a Taverma ( Hippocampus) on the shoe and had – dolmades, cheese pie , greek salad, half a litre of wine and a pint for 16 euro not bad for pensioners rates.

We will probably stay put tomorrow and then start out for fresh pastures on Monday and give this Med mooring a bit of a go.

28th May 2006

Change of plans – lets go for a sail she said and as I’m the skipper I said “yus m’dear” so after going across to Vlikho town to stock up on the local wine ( red and white) we motored on back to Chirene running out of petrol on the way – luckily we/I didn’t have far to row.

We up anchored – the new windlass worked perfectly – and off we went.

We had a nice sail crossing tacks with a Bavaria 49 manned by 9 Austrian lads – we gave them a good run for their money – in the end they peeled off on another tack and we headed for Maganisi.

The wind died so we motored into Ormos Kapali and dropped anchor.

We had a swim and then a Dutch couple warned us and an American boat about the rats climbing up the anchor chain – so I’ve mad a rat guard out of half of the anchor ball and a cut down plastic water bottle – if the critters get on the boat they’ll do well – I do hear that Greek rats like a challenge. Just to be on the safe side Sue made me tape up all the holes on the boat. We will also sleep with the windows closed and the washboards in !!

Needless to say we will be off to somewhere new tomorrow.

29th May 2006

Today it was off to Nisos Kalamos – we upped anchor and had a good sail across the bay towards Mitiksa – we even put up the cruising chute to se what it looked like – very pretty !!

The wind died, so on with the motor to Porto Leone – e dropped the anchor and Sue didn’t like the sound of it – nevertheless we had lunch and then I had a swim and snorkelled over the anchor. We had anchored on rocks and I could see it just lying on it’s side. We decided to up anchor and try another spot - but it wasn’t any good – so plan B – let’s go to Port Kalamos. When we got there the boats were queuing up to get in – Flotilla yachts from Neilsons and Sailing Holidays – bloody tourists !! So Plan C which was Episkopi – so off we went – we got there alright but when we nosed in to the tint harbour we had only 2 feet under our keel so I backed out and went to Plan D.

Plan D was all the way back to where we started it took a couple of hours and we dropped our anchor at 8:00 pm. We had motored long enough to have ice cubes in the cool box – so a gin and tonic all round was the order of the day.

30th May w2006

We had an early start determined to get on a quay somewhere before the wind got up. Needless to say the wind greeted us – but we thought sod it - let’s give it a go.

So we motored in to Spartakhori and there was one spot on the quay so we decided to go for it. We got everything set up – Sue was ready to let the anchor go – when this guy with a red cap shouted “ lazy lines” so we just reversed into the slot and that was that.

We had a beer for lunch and was pestered by wasps (big buggers) I swatted one that was close to my beer onto Sue - and it stung her !! It died of course and I didn’t lose any beer.

31st May 2006

Still on the Quay at Spartakhori – but short of readies – so we took the ferry to Nidri to find a bank. Mission accomplished – we are now solvent again. Had dinner at the taverna here in Spartokhiri – it’s a very “family” run bay – but the boss man seems to like me – so we had a good meal with a litre of wine for 20 euros. – we will return.

1st June 2006

Not wishing to outstay our welcome at Spartokhiri we departed for Vlikho.

It was a lovely morning and we motored across from Maganisi to Levkas to charge our batteries.

In the afternoon the weather became unsettled – we still managed a swim – and then it started to

RAIN !! .

We had bought some “lamb chops” in the morning so we lit up a disposable barbecue in the cockpit – we perched it on 2 flat stones on top of our plastic footstool , it was a bit precarious but it worked. We had some scary moments when some smart arse decided to waterski up and down the anchorage – I’m not sure what race they were but they probably drove a Volkswagen and collected Boney M cd’s.

2nd June 2006

We were wakened by strong winds at about 7:00 am. I got dressed and sat at anchor watch reading a Robert Ludlum book. The book was so good I almost didn’t see that we were dragging very close to our neighbours boat – he was also on anchor watch and as I shot down to start our engine he gave me a blast of warning on his foghorn.

Sue got out of bed and had to steer the boat in her jim jams – we retrieved the anchor and reset it in the middle of the bay with about 100 foot of chain out.

The rest of the day has been quite windy – we still manage a swim and washed our hair in saltwater shampoo.

About 6:00pm the wind really picked up so I let another 20 feet of chain out – it held ok – so everything seemed in order.

It’s now 10:00 pm .and the wind has dropped to nothing – thank goodness – I’ve just won the evenings Gin Rummy tournament so I think it’s an early night ‘cos we’re knackered.

4th June 2006

Yesterday was a fun day !!

The holding tank was full – so we did the right thing – went out to sea and emptied it. We then came back to Vlikho to get some petrol for the outboard and do a bit of shopping.

The wind was so strong I left Sue on the boat just in case the anchor dragged. I had a real struggle rowing the dinghy to shore in the wind but eventually made it. I got the petrol and provisions and battled back to the boat feeling as though I’d rowed the Atlantic.

We up anchored and settled for a spot in the middle of the bay to give us more scope – Sue let out a 100 feet of chain and we sat and watched the wind blow the dogs off the street (force 7)

The wind abated late in the evening – but in any event we were happy that the anchor was holding.

Today the wind has dropped pretty much – we put the outboard on the dinghy filled it up with petrol and went for a shop.

Other than a bit of tidying up and some “housework” a relaxing day was had by all. I siphoned a couple of jerrycans of water into the tank so we have had showers tonight – not before time !!

6th June 2006

Yesterday was a relaxing day - we were supposed to sail up to Levkas to pick up my pills that good old Geoff had collected from the doctors – but we had a lovely lunch in a taverna and magically time got away from us. So instead we had a swim and decided to leave this morning.

We decided to leave early today to miss the afternoon winds – but as soon as we came out of the bay there was the wind to greet us. We motored on to Levkas and reversed into a berth on the town mole.

I picked up my pills and we did some shopping in Levkas.

7th June 2006

Today has been a small watershed – we were supposed to head off to Paxos and then Corfu – but it was raining – yes raining and thundering - so we decided to stay put and while we were staying put – we decided to make Levkas our base and so we went to the Marina to take out a 12 month lease on a berth.

We like the place and it is in a good position for North and South Ionian – we have also met some really nice people on the Marina - so we are happy with our decision.

We are still going North in a couple of weeks – but we have ordered a boom tent which will take a week to make so we will hang around Meganisi and Ithica for a few days until it is ready – and then head off North.

9th June 2006

We are in a cosy anchorage on Levkas – we came across the crew of “A Crock of Gold” this morning the crew comprises of a son and his father who is 88 years old. We first met them on the mole at Levkas and we were so touched by this son who has sailed with his dad for the last 25 years .

I don’t have their names but the next time we meet up I’ll get them and if it’s ok with them take a photograph and put it on the website. The old man is very wobbly on his legs but once he gets on a boat or on his fold up pushbike he can move as good as anyone (anyone from Prestige interested in a prospect ?)

10th June2006

This morning we woke to thunder and lightening – it hissed down (did I spell that right ?) until well after 1:00 pm. After that the sun broke out and everything was back to normal. I dinghied across to the local taverna to watch England in the world cup (good start) and left Sue on board looking after things. She is down as Chief Engineer on my crew list so I left her to put the engine on and charge our batteries

11th June 2006

A beautiful day – we took the dinghy ashore and bought some vital stores – gas for the cooker and some red wine – also for the cooker (Sue !!). At 7:40 euro for 5 litres you can’t go wrong – the price makes it taste so much better – seriously it’s not bad grog – we’ve had lot’s worse from well known supermarkets in the UK at £3.99 a bottle. We went for a walk today to a small church that overlooks the entrance to Nidri – it was a really good walk enhanced by Sue jumping up and down like a banshee everytime we came across a bunch of crickets. They are quite large – come in nice colours – predominently green and they jump all over the place. Before going back to the boat we had lunch at the Taverna Dimitri – potato and garlic dip, fried courgette, a tuna salad, all washed down with a pint of lager and half a litre of wine – 19 euro the lot – I could retire here !!

Back on the boat we seem to be invaded by the GERMANS !! We are surrounded by them, the only other boat is French and we know what use they are in a fight. Still we will hold on to our little bit of water and fly the flag proudly.

12th June 2006

We went to Vlikho Yacht Club today – they give you a warm welcome and they also have a huge library of books that you can swop for ones that you have already read. We picked up a few – including Colin Forbes, Robert Ludlum and David Baldacci.

13th June 2006

We went for a sail today – it was just as we like it – 15 knots on the beam – so we sailed all the way to Sivota scene of past “ Crimes and Misdemeanours” - after all the problems of our last visit there I was quite prepared to anchor in the bay - but Sue said let’s go for a stern-to so I said OK let’s go for it. We did a half decent job but then had our anchor wiped out by a boat trying to reverse in after us. The poor man also wiped out our neighbours anchor as well so we were both stern on to the quay with no anchors out. Anyway as luck would have it the boat that caused the carnage belonged to a flotilla so their lead crew came along and relaid our anchors. After that the wind got up and it was demolition derby time on the quay – we were Ok but further down boats were all over the place – welcome back to Sivota !!

14th June 2006

The day didn’t start too well – I almost ripped off my big toe nail frigging around with the dinghy in bare feet !! another lesson learnt the hard way. We had a lovely sail circumnavigating Meganisi and anchored off Nidri on Levkas. We had bought a nut mix in the supermarket that morning so I/we set into them with a glass of wine – that’s when I found a hard bit and broke a tooth – I’m getting a bit accident prone since retirement – Sue is getting out the policies – so if anything happens to me that seems a bit suspicious – go get Inspector Morse.

15th June 2006

A great day doing SFA – got to look after my bad toe. Went to the Yacht Club for a meal and to watch England play Trinidad and Tobago – the meal was OK the football was crap. The bad football made my toe throb so it was an early night – I gave up the chance of thrashing Sue ………at cards.

16th June 2006

This morning we sailed up to Levkas Marina to find a dentist and to have our new boom tent fitted. As usual the wind piped up just as we approached the marina – so we settled for a bows-to – which went according to plan. Nick (the Greek) came and fitted the boom tent in the afternoon – it’s BIG we will need a scaffolder to put it up – but it will give us great shade when it gets really hot (like in England). The dentist will have to wait until Monday I hope he/she understands that us British are not good on pain !!

21st June 2006

Still on the Marina – I’ve been catching up with the football.

Big day today – I had my first taste of Greek dentistry - she was about 25 very pretty and didn’t hurt – not even the price 30 euro for 25 minutes in the chair – so a lot cheaper than the UK.

22nd June 2006

Helped Bill Wallace on Xebec celebrate his 70th birthday today - lovely nibbles washed down with some good wine. It’s a small world Paul and Donna off the yacht Kaparisa live near Conway (Dwygyfylchi) and she works at Glan Clwyd Hospital – she hasn’t been to the Ty Fri though !!

We have been on the Marina long enough, so tomorrow we are off sailing for a few days.

23rd June 2006

Still on the Marina – I woke with a small hangover so we decided to stay put today. The reason for the malaise was that Sue and I went to the bar on the marina for a couple of margherita’s. The football was on (Brazil v Japan) so I switched on to beer. This bloke on his lonesome (we now know why) latched on to us and fed us a load of bullshit. To cut a long story short he was ex SAS “Andy Mcnab and Chris Ryan are nothing compared to me” it turns out that this chap was the person who attached the limpet mines to the hull of the Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour and the French Government paid him £300,000 for doing the job. He bought his boat with the money – which was nice.

So Sue and I are trying to get away from Bruce Willis and he insists on buying us a beer – when we finally managed to get away I ended up paying for the beers – a small price to pay for our escape.

26th June 2006

We are in one of our favourite anchorages on Levkas.

Yesterday was the day of the WASP - you guessed it Sue got stung again – this time on the arm. “ I hope you die you black and yellow striped bastard” are the only words that I can put on this website. If the wasp sting had only 1% of the venom that escaped from Sue’s lips she would have been in a bad bad way.

We went to the yacht club last night to watch the pride of England take on Ecuador – what a load of rubbish – if those guys get paid over £80k a week for that sort of performance someone’s got things very much out of perspective.

The yacht club do a fabulous English Sunday Roast (on Sundays) – Sue had Tex Mex taco’s and I had Lasagna to try and distance ourselves from the football team – it was very good.

28th June 2006

I’m not sure whether this bit should go in the recipe section – but here goes anyway. Sue tends to forget something when we go shopping – it’s either her list or her specs. Today it was her specs- which makes things doubly difficult trying to read the labels on things when they are written in Greek. One of the items she bought was rice as we were running short – when we got back to the boat we unpacked the stuff and put the rice in the container. That night we had chilly with rice – however the rice that Sue had bought turned out to be pasta !! Pasta does not work well using the absorption method so we had a fair bit of it stuck to the bottom of the pan – tasted OK though.

29th June 2006

Today Sue nearly drowned !! It was a hot day so we were popping in and out of the water to cool off. While Sue was swimming I decided to have a swim but couldn’t be bothered to change into my swimmers – so I went for a skinny dip unbeknown to Sue. So I swam round the boat and met up with Sue and said “ hey Sue cop for this” so I did a duck dive leaving my white backside up in the air. When I came up for air Sue couldn’t stop laughing and swallowed loads of water – it got me laughing too – I don’t know how we made it back to the boat – but thankfully we did.

30th June 2006

Early start today to motor back up to the Marina to get water and supplies. Beautiful morning with the sun just coming up and the waft of fresh bread from the bakers in Nidri.

I watched the Germany V Argentina on Bills boat (Kleopatra) . We sank a few cold ones.

1st July 2006

Black Saturday – Paul & Donna (Kiparisa) , Bill (Kleopatra) me and Sue went to the town square to watch England play Portugal - we wus robbed - the World Cup is now finished .

We went on for a meal which was great. Earlier in the day my toenail (big) came off and just to keep the injuries going I gashed my arm on a sharp corner of the bar in the restaurant – I seem to have more injuries than Michael Owen.

2nd – 9th July 2006

This week I have mostly been watching football !! we stayed on the Marina for a week as Sue wanted to see the World Cup matches – so Bill (Kleopatra) and me had to tag along and watch the matches in the town square. After we wus robbed I was happy with the final outcome – especially Portugal finishing 4th.

10th July 2006

Anchors away and set sail for pastures new – we anchored for the night on Ormos Varko a bay on the Greek mainland – we’d looked at this bay before and decided we must try it out for a night to see what it’s like. It’s a pretty bay with a couple of tavernas on the beach. We were anchored close to a big StinkBoat called Misty Blue – the owners were on board and Sue and I watched the crew waiting on them on the afterdeck – we thought there may be some leftovers but we were out of luck.

11th July 2006

Today our destination was the island of Nisos Kastos – we had a good sail and arrived at Port Kastos just before 2:00 pm. It was not quite what we expected as we were hoping to find room to anchor, but the harbour was quite small so it was a stern to jobby - not our favourite manoeuvre.

Anyway we got ourselves in and tied up with some help from our neighbours – it is quite difficult for us to reverse onto a jetty with Sue at the front laying down the anchor while I’m steering the boat and trying to get lines ashore, fortunately help is normally at hand – but it still is a bit of a worry

We got in just in time because over the horizon came the dreaded flotilla yachts. – they took up all the remaining spaces on the jetty and in the end the remainder had to anchor in the harbour and take lines out the back and tie up to the lamp-posts off the beach. The flotilla was predominantly English people and they all had KIDS on their boats – oh what fun – they were having a rip roaring time swimming around all the yachts and hanging off our anchor chain – bless em. THEN the flotilla leader in his infinite wisdom organised a dinghy race for all the families – it was carnage – but as you can imagine there was great shrieks and splashing and falling in and bumping but no sinking fortunately !!

It was so loud and all I wanted to do was relax and listen to a nice soothing AC/DC cd.

12th July 2006

Pandelimon on the mainland was our next port of call – a bay close to the Echinade islands.

“The anchorage has a remote feel to it “ so says the cruising guide – bloody right it was remote we were the only yacht in sight !! It was all a bit spooky Sue said it reminded her of the film Deliverence – all we needed was to hear “Duelling Bazookis” and we would have hightailed it out of their. To cap the mood it started to rain and out of the mist came this family of squealing pigs – this was getting too much like the film for comfort.

We did stay the night – it was very quiet – until some goats appeared wearing cow bells round their necks – but in the main it was – remote.

13th July 2006

A long sail which took all day saw us back in our favourite bolt hole Ormos Vlikho. It was good to be back in the company of other yachts and water skiers !!

14th – 16th July 2006

We spent our time reading, swimming, eating and drinking (in no particular order) sometimes it was drinking, drinking, eating and reading.

On the Saturday Sue fancied some Greek food so we went to the Yacht club for dinner. We had fish, chips and mushy peas washed down with German Pilsner – you can’t beat Greek fare.

17th July 2006

A seven o’clock start to return to the Marina to get provisions and do some washing. As we left Nidri we saw a luxury motor yacht – it was like a mini cruise liner – as we came up to it we saw it’s name “Christina O” we are sure it was one of the Onassis boats named after one of his daughters.

We arrived at the Marina just after 9:00 am tied up and set about our chores in the sun - ho hum.

18th – 24th July 2006

Johns Diet – “this week I have been mostly eating Greek salads”

We haven’t been up to much on the Marina – apart from putting nicknames to the marina guys who zip around in dinghy’s helping you tie up and directing boats to their temporary berths. I think they are called “marineros” so we refer to them as the “seafood marinaras”. Their nicknames are:

The Jockey – this guy sits hunched in the boat holding on to the wheel as though they were reins.

Montoya – drives around the marina at full speed leaving a great wash that gets all the boats jangling their halyards.

Mr Smoothy - shiny complexion, he always looks as though he has just had a shave.

Johnny Giles – bit of rhyming slang, he always stands up while driving the dinghy round the pontoons.

Sue has now got a customer card for a supermarket called DIA - and there she has found the meaning of life !! Wine in litre cartons for 75 cents (50p) You can get red, white and rose . At first we gauged our consumption by the cost yardstick ie back in the UK we would drink a £3.99 bottle of wine with our evening meal – so ipso facto we can drink the same value of wine here – however that equates to 8 litres of the “chateau milk carton de aristotle” so we now measure by quantity – it’s saved a few headaches.

On Saturday evening (22nd) we eventually had our Greek meal – fried zucchini, cheese saganaki, stiffado and mousakka – it was very good all washed down with some very expensive wine (2 euro for half a litre)

24th July 2006

Today we have been mostly going north. – to the Gulf of Amvrakia (Amvrakikos Kolpos to be precise) – we wanted to explore this waterway which is deceptively large (about 200 square miles) . We headed for a town called Vonitsa which boasts an impressive Venetian Castle. We anchored for the night in Ormos Markou (Goat Bay) appropriately named as there were goats clanging their bells (no misspelling) on the hillside. It was a bit deep for anchoring but we put out almost all our chain (50 metres) had a swim, then dinner followed by a quiet night.

25th July 2006

We moved on this morning to a bay on the east side of Vonitsa – it was a nice bay joined to the land by a long low bridge there was a tiny church on the “island” with a wooded headland. We spent the day lazing about and swimming. In the evening a slight breeze got up from the north giving us a rocky night at anchor.

26th July 2006

We took the dinghy ashore and walked into Vonitsa for some provisions. Sue bought a big fish for 8 euro we didn’t know what kind it was but we liked the colours !!. We got back to the boat and as we didn’t fancy another rocky night we up anchored and went for a look around the Vouvalos Islands. It was a bit shallow so after seeing the depth go down to less than 1 metre under the keel we gingerly reversed out and anchored in the lee of on of the islands so Sue could descale and fillet the fish . We stayed there for lunch and had a swim. We saw lots of turtles (or the same turtle lots of times) but no dolphins as yet. We up anchored and had a sporty sail (force 5) over to Goat Bay where we intended to spend the night. We put down lots of chain and Sue pan-fried the unknown fish – we had it with boiled potatoes – it was delicious.

27th July 2006

We stayed in goat bay had a chat with a friendly German sailing on his own on a home built catamaran and basically did nothing all day but eat, read, drink and swim.

28th July 2006

We left Goat Bay to return to the South Ionian (via Levkas) and as we motored towards Preveza we saw our first dolphins and also more turtles. After 6 hours we dropped anchor in our second home Vlikho Bay had a drink and a swim and settled in for the night.

29th July 2006

Today was a hot one with not much breeze so we were in and out of the water a lot. In the morning I put the outboard on the dinghy and went across to the small store to buy some frozen water. The bottles help keep the fridge cold and you also get some refreshingly cold drinking water as they thaw. We then popped over to the yacht club to do some book swaps and have an iced coffee. That night we went to the club for a meal Sue had a hamburger and I had curried chicken – both good. Sue had a little trouble transferring from the dinghy to the boat on our return. She blamed it on her short legs – I blamed it on the shorts – namely gin and tonics.

30th July 2006

Windy all day – we didn’t feel like a swim, so read a good book and listened to some music played rather loudly from another yacht.

31st July 2006

The usual early start to return to the Marina

We arrived at the Marina just after 9:00 am tied up and set about our chores in the sun – here we go again ho hum.

1st August 2006 - white rabbit

Watch out here come the Italians !! well that was the cry from the guys on the marina. Watch everything ‘cos they’ll nick ‘em. Put your dinghy on deck and count your fenders in the morning. Are we bovvered – well just a bit. August must be the holiday month for Italy and they descend on the Ionian in yachts, big power boats and ribs. It’s not just 2 to a boat, they come “en famiglia” Grandma Grandad , Aunts Uncles, loads of bambinos plus the family pets , they have been coming into Levkas for the last 2 days after popping across from the Italian mainland – they might be coming for Sues wine which is a worry. They seem OK (so far) perhaps winning the world cup has mellowed them – we hope so.

10th August 2006

Yes Ok – we’re still on the Marina – we’ve been meaning to cast off all week but the weather has been quite unsettled so every day we say let’s see what he weather is like tomorrow. Today it has hammered it down and we have had some squalls coming through with the winds gusting to 40 knots (Force 8). So guess who’s going nowhere today.

So what’s been going down you may be thinking – well mostly beer and wine – and a little food for ruffage.

The Italians are still coming and even if you can’t se the flag – you still know they’re Italian because the boat comes in at speed with a bikini clad bird holding a boat hook on the bow. They are very deft with them there boat hooks I reckon they could undo your flies with one if you happen to be standing closer than 10 yards. The other thing is these women are quite talkative (gobby). When the marina guy comes up to their boat to give them directions he always talks to the Captain – invariably the guy on the helm – but these boat hook jousters on the bow always have to have their say as to who they want to park next to or which jetty they want to go on etc etc - viva les femmes Anglais I say.

12th August 2006

We finally bit the bullet and left the Marina and headed towards Ithaca. Sue has been getting a bit concerned over some of her building “projects”. There is quite a lot of development going on as we sail down the coast and Sue has appointed herself the unofficial Clerk of Works so she likes to make sure the sites are progressing OK. Binocular Lady is my nickname for her as she scans the sites with a critical eye.

Lovely sail down to the anchorage – 7 knots of breeze and the boat showing 3 knots on the speedo – not bad for a floating house.

We went to a new taverna for dinner – greek salad starter, lamb chops for me and pork souvlaki for Sue – plus ½ a litre of house red. The manager eager to please gave us another ½ litre of red on the house. The bill came to 23.50 euro - good value. We had a bit of fun trying to find our boat anchored in the middle of the bay - but eventually we got there and tumbled aboard.

15th August 2006

We decided to leave the anchorage and have “a bit of a sail”. We motored out in no breeze and eventually we got a light breeze so up went the sails with the expectation of a nice leisurely slow drift. We had seen some whitecaps a bit further out but it didn’t seem up to much – I went down to open the holding tank and when I returned to come up the companionway Sue was standing at the helm leaning at 45 degrees with very white knuckles. Force 6 on the nose so we bore away tramping along at over 7 knots – we needed to jibe the boat to keep on course – but discretion being the better part of valour I decided to "chuck a granny” - an Australian term for wimping out and tacking through the breeze rather than jibe. I stuck a reef in the main and a few rolls in the headsail and we had more control of the boat and made our way back to the anchorage for a beer (and lunch).

16th – 23rd August 2006

We’re back on the Marina watching the Italian antics – it’s good entertainment – they are very animated – when they get going it’s like watching an operetta – Pirates of Penzance sung in Italiano.

The weather has been very hot 38 degrees, we are staying put so we can take advantage of the electricity on the marina and run our fan and make ice cubes for those little necessities !

We are still drinking Chateau Mouton de Milk Carton – even if the miserable sods have put the price up to 77 cents a litre.

This week is the Levkas Folklore Festival a bit like the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen. There are lots of nationalities represented and they parade round the town dancing and playing music – it is really good to see, many of them are quite young and certainly give the impression they are enjoying themselves – they probably haven’t discovered the Internet – which is nice.

25th August 2006

We’re off up North again – we thought we would have another look at the inland sea (Amvrikakos Kolpos) as we felt there was much more to see. It was a fairly uneventful passage until we reached the anchorage at Ormos Markou. As usual we circled around to pick our spot and just when we were about to drop anchor a voice shouted from behind us “ don’t drop over our anchor” bloody hell he was a 100 yards behind us – so I turned round to acknowledge and there he was - bare faced, bare arsed, bare everything so just to humour Sue I motored up to him and asked him how much he had got out – chain that is – 45 metres he said – I didn’t ask him if the water was deep as the cool breeze was effecting his depth sounder. So with a knowing smile I thanked him for the information and also boosting my self esteem and anchored in another part of the bay.

26th August 2006

For once the Greek weather forecast was accurate – unfortunately – thunderstorms, it hammered down but cleared up and gave us the opportunity for a swim.

27th August 2006

We up anchored, waved bye bye to Little Richard and set off for Ormos Rougas – for you uneducated persons “Ormos” is Greek for Bay - so in Wales you would have Colwyn Ormos and in Scotland you would have The Ormos City Rollers. We anchored in the lee of the point, had a swim, then lunch and then the wind started to build !! We stuck OK that night .

28th August 2006

Not too bad a night in company with 2 other yachts. We thought we would head off for Loutraki so that’s what we did. We had a look, I didn’t feel comfortable with the place as there were no other yachts and felt we might be a bit vulnerable so we motored out of the place into a Force 6 blowing from where we wanted to go. After bashing into the seas for over 3 hours we finally got our anchor down in Goat Bay. It was blowing really hard so when Sue had prepared dinner she asked if it was OK to eat in the cockpit – I said you might put it on our table but the boat 200 yards behind us will end up eating it and I reminded her that not everyone likes Stuffed Emu (see recipe page).

29th August 2006

The wind was getting to us so we decided to head back to Levkas and carry on through to Vlikho for a couple of tranquil nights. When we got to Vlikho the wind was blowing and countinued to blow all night.

30th August 2006

The wind increasing Force 7 gusting Force 8 (39 – 46 mph) blowing from the South – even though the anchor was holding Ok and the yachts around us were also holding it still is quite stressful sitting on your boat while the wind blows hard.

31st August 2006

1:30 am and the wind goes abruptly from South to North – and just as strong. I sensed the change of direction and got up to make sure the anchor was still set considering that we had now done a 180 degree change of direction - it had - but I got dressed and stayed up in the cockpit all night. In the morning we made an executive decision to head back to the marina – not an easy decision as berthing the boat in high winds can be damaging. At 9:00 am there seemed to be a slight lull in the weather so we went for it and 2 hours later we were just off the Marina. The wind was manageable but nevertheless we went in bows to rather than reverse in to the berth. It blew all day and most of the night but at least I got some sleep.

1st September 2006 (white rabbit)

The wind was now easing so after breakfast we turned the boat round – it’s much more convenient to be stern-on to the jetty as getting on and off the boat over the bow is quite tricky if you have short legs! We treated ourselves to a meal out this evening – suckling pig with chips – very rustic, very flavoursome, very cheap.

3rd September 2006

Today I have been mostly stuck with my arm in the holding tank.

For you landlubbers the holding tank is what you flush the toilet into when you are in the marina. When you go out to sea – you open the tank and pump out all the nasty stuff.

Every so often you need to clean out the tank and put some powerful drain cleaner in to give it a good purge.

Today was the day for the purge !! the tank is in the cockpit locker and not very accessible – but hey ho it needs to be done. So I empty the locker so the dog can see the rabbit and undoes the cap on the top of the tank – so far so good.

I then inserted my hose pipe with the pistol grip into the tank and gave it a really good jet of water – it was all going to plan until the pistol attachment came off due to excess water pressure and ended up in the bottom of the tank. So in I goes with my arm to retrieve it – Ok it was a semi-tight fit with a 90 degree bend but hey it went in like James Herriot.

So now for the retrieve – oops - so remembering the story of the monkey and the cookie jar I let go of the hose attachment - but still no exit. So there I am crouched in the cockpit locker with my arm stuck in the holding tank - was I sweating – too bloody right - I was in need of filling the holding tank there and then. I tried a few things like breathing slowly to relax my muscles and then not breathing at all to try and shrink my whole body – I think I needed gas and air. After about five minutes I had to bite the bullet and go with the painful route and after some persuasion and leaving a fair amount of skin and blood in the holding tank I got my arm out.

The relief of getting my arm out overcame the pain – but in future cleaning out the holding tank will be womens work !!

4th – 8th September 2006

Sue has been bathing my arm with Dettol every day and so far there are no signs of any mushrooms growing out of my elbow. Which is nice.

We are Marina bound until my arm scabs over properly as I am always banging into things when sailing – but that’s to be expected.

Oh I forgot to mention I cut my finger drying the dishes – well it was the carving knife actually – Sue was not impressed with the blood on the tea towel – womens work strikes again !!

8th – 12th September 2006

On the marina nursing my arm.

13th September 2006

Today we left the marina to meet up in Preveza with Paul and Donna on their boat (Kapsali). We joined up at midday and motored to an anchorage where Sue and I had anchored on a previous visit. We were hoping it was going to be less rocky & rolly as it was a bit bumpy the last time. We dropped anchor in company with a German boat and later in the afternoon a Swiss catameran came in followed by a German charter boat. Paul and Donna rowed over in their dinghy and a QLD (quiet little drink) was had. Paul and Donna then went ashore for some victuals and to make a phone call back to the UK. We had dinner on our separate boats and then Paul and Donna rowed over with some grog for apres dinner drinks.

14th September 2006

It was not a good night at anchor – strong southerlies whistled through the rigging but fortunately the sea was fairly flat. Sue got up at 5:30 for anchor watch and I got up at 6:30 to check on her !!. At about 7:00 Sue noticed that the German charter boat was dragging towards Paul and Donnas boat so I sounded the fog horn and got everyone up. The Germans started their motor up-anchored and re-set on the other side of the bay. Next thing the German on the other boat was jumping up and down on his bows shouting things we didn’t understand – no-one was dragging so we couldn’t see what the fuss was. Anyway we decided to leave and leave him to his own demons. We had a great sail all the way back to Levkas where we arrived in time for the !2:00 bridge.

!5th – 19th September 2006

Back on the marina – nothing much to report apart from saving a dog from drowning – new people had arrived on the boat two down from us (Italians and the boats called Perversion) while they were getting sorted they left the dog tied to a mooring line on the jetty – the poor bugger slipped off and couldn’t swim properly as he was held by his lead – any way I rescued him much to the gratitude of the owners – I’ll probably be awarded the cross of St Swithin.

20th September 2006

Sailed down to Vlikho in preparation for the Southern Ionian Regatta. We went to the yacht club and registered for the race – when we got back to the boat we had a nasty smell coming from the locker – the holding tank, or the “chocolate box” as we affectionately call it had blocked – which was nice not !!

So Sue rodded the outlet with the hosepipe and with a lot of puffing and panting and head banging she managed to remove the blockage. I would have done the job myself but I didn’t want to infect me scabby elbow – the results of my encounter with the arm eating tank.

21st September 2006

Race Day !! I told Sue this was a pretty low key Greek sort of yacht race – she bought it !! So there was 219 yachts on the start line fortunately “starboard” seems to be understood by all nationalities especially if you shout it really load, point at the offenders and jump up and down like a banshee. To say the start was “interesting” would be an understatement – it was mayhem, with a couple of T-bones that we witnessed, we close tacked for quite a while until we were through the Meganisi Channel. Things quietened down after that race-wise, so the wind piped up to 20 knots – we couldn’t be bothered to reef so a couple of broaches or three got us up to the windward mark, where the wind promptly clocked to the right and gave us a work to the finish. We had a thunderstorm on the way so we got to wear our wet weather gear. Half a mile from the finish the wind went away and it took us almost an hour to finish 122nd. Not bad 2 handed with 250 litres of water, 110 litres of fuel and 120 metres of chain. Sue can’t wait for next years race she reckons her heart might have slowed down by then.

Done the race – got the Tee-Shirt.

22nd September 2006

Lazy day apres race. I rescued a tiny kitten which looked as though it had been dumped, it was on a ledge by a stream, there was another kitten further down but I couldn’t get to it. It was a bit upsetting all we could do was put it in a garden and hope some kind souls would adopt it. I also discovered a bolt had come loose on the alternator – the thread is stripped – looks like a job for the mechanics. I stuck it back with some gaffer tape – IT skills to the rescue !!

23rd September 2006-09-23

Early start 7:00 am (still dark) and motored gently back to the marina- pissed off a couple of the “we don’t race” brigade by wearing my race Tee-Shirt – I’m going to take Sue out for a slap-up hot dog tonight as a big thank you for unblocking the “chocolate box” and for being such great crew in the race and not screaming too much.

24th – 30th September 2006

Stuck on the marina with terrific thunderstorms and gale force winds. Plenty of horror stories from other yachties who were caught out in the weather – lucky us !!.

We did here from Bill (Kleopatra) who was out with a couple of chums from Newcastle on Tyne, apparently they were moored up in Port Kalamos when bedlam broke out on a yacht two up from them. They had a rat on board and threw everything at it until a big swing with a boat hook lifted it off the yacht straight on to the boat next to them. The same kerfuffle ensued and the fortunate crew managed to kick the rodent off into the water. After 10 minutes or so everything calmed down until a little voice piped up “ Basil Basil – has anyone seen my pet hamster “ everyone just cracked up.

1st October 2006 (white rabbit)

The weather has now returned to normal so we have left the marina and gone down to Vlikho for a few days. We went to the yacht club for a coffee and saw some photographs of the yacht race – there was one of us which looked good so we have ordered an A4 copy which we hope to frame and hang it in the boat.

2nd October 2006

Rest day – reading, drinking, drinking and reading………….and eating !!

3rd October 2006

We sailed today to Meganisi and went onto the town key in Spiglia. Bill and Christine (Xebec) sailed over from the mainland and came along our starboard side. On our port side we had Keith (Shaheen) who was from South Wales - so the UK was well represented. Bill and Christine came on board for a couple of G & T’s and then we went out for dinner.

4th October 2006

Sue and me hopped on the ferry and went to Little Vathi for lunch. We walked back to Spiglia (3 miles) and bumped into Keith having a beer at the waterside taverna so just to sociable we joined him after a couple of bottles the taverna owner came over and plonked another round of beers on the table on the house !! This happens quite often – which is nice.

Wine was the 6pm tipple on Xebec – Keith joined us and later we all went off to the taverna for dinner.

5th October 2006

The weather forecast was not good so in company with Xebec we left at dawn to return to the Marina.

7th October 2006

Went for a farewell dinner for Bill and Irene (Kleopatra) who are going back to the UK for the winter.

8th – 11th October 2006

On the marina - gale force N. Easterlies for the last 3 days – it’s blowing the bobbles off the soldiers boots.

12th October 2006

Today I am mostly being 60 – Yes it’s my birthday and I’m waiting for the surprise visit of all the family (even from Australia) to help me celebrate this very very special day.

Who am I kidding it’s going to be me and Sue, Pierre and Madeleine, and Keith – but we will be drinking Moet – so there !!

Rest of 2006

It’s not that I’m getting slack doing my diary – it’s just that we aint been nowhere.

After celebrating my birthday, the weather (as a mark of respect) deteriorated to the point that we decided to put up shop and stay on the Marina. As you would expect on reaching that momentous decision the weather picked up and hovers around the mid 20’s most days.

Bill and Christine have now gone back to “Bonnie Scotland” for the winter – I think Bill will be wearing his sporran on the inside of his kilt looking at the weather forecast for over there.

Pierre and Madelaine have now gone on to the hard and will be leaving for La Rochelle soon.

Sue goes to “stretch & tone” or should that be stretch & groan classes on the marina every Wednesday and Friday with some of the other chooks – we’re not sure if the exercises are working yet - it’s still early days but they seem to have a lot of fun.

Today was a national holiday called okhee eemera which literally translates to “no day” - exactly what they are saying no to I’m not sure. There was a parade with a band at the front – the Levkas police (3) and the Levkas army (24) the Levkas fire brigade (2 appliances) were in it - plus lots of school kids in white shirts obviously strike breakers, because the kids are on strike at school – they went on strike because the teachers went on strike seems like a sensible country to me !!

Now that we have “settled” on the marina we seem to be doing a lot more “socialising” these days which is good. There seems to have been an influx of winter live-aboards who have arrived to take advantage of the lower winter rates.

Social activities are on the up – as well as stretch and tone we have aerobics , bridge classes, quiz nights, pool nights, pot luck supper nights and a radio net – there’s no time to go sailing !!

11th November 2006

A really bumpy night with force 9 winds – when we woke up there was SNOW on the mountains. It must be global warming in reverse.

13th November 2006

Went on a charabanc trip to Preveza with Ian and Debbie. We tried to get the locals to join in with singing “I Love To Go A Wandering” and “Ten Green Bottles” but they weren’t having any of it.

The bus station in Preveza is a long way out of town (seems closer to Athens) and after Ian & Debbie negotiated their bus tickets to Athens (this is no mean feat with a non English speaking Greek ticket dispenser type person) we took the great circle route (keeping the sea on our left) to Preveza. We had a mooch around the shops where Debbie bought something for her windcheater zip at the Funky Fish shop. Next stop – The Taverna !! for some food, beer and wine – it was very good even the local cats seemed to eat the bits we threw at them.

14th November 2006

A new arrival at the marina this morning – he didn’t care whether the bridge was open or not – it was a seaplane !!. It landed in the canal just by us and then motored into the marina. I think they have put him on T pontoon.

15th November 2006

Today I have been mostly doing Greek dancing lessons – which is a bit like line dancing – but in a circle. Great fun and surprisingly tiring – I’m not as fit as I thought I was – must be old age creeping up on me !!

20th November 2006

Today I have mostly been bitten by a spider – the bloody thing swooped out of the rigging and bit me on the left ear while I was doing some DIY on the foredeck – it’s well dead now.

29th November 2006

Today I have been mostly doing Greek dancing - it’s easy – that’s official - as Eric Morecambe would say "I'm doing all the right steps - but not necessarily in the right sequence. Tonight we are going out for dinner - spending Sue's Winter Fuel Allowance, after that it's pool with the boys - hustlers beware !!

6th December 2006

Tomorrow we leave the Marina and travel to Athens for a few days before flying to the UK.

It’s been 7 months since we last slept on dry land and in a proper bed – I wonder if we will be able to sleep without the sounds of wind and water or the rocking movement of the boat. The passage of time has been somewhat incongruous – slow it seemed - yet we question where did the time go ??

We are looking forward to meeting up with friends and family – but we will be sad to leave Chirene who has been our home and transport for us this summer. We also made some good friends in the cruising community and we will be looking forward to renewing acquaintances with them next year perhaps on the Marina or in some quiet bay on one of the islands.

We haven’t set ourselves any particular targets for next years cruising – but we do feel this year was a gradual learning curve during which we have gained a better idea of the boat’s (and our) capabilities.

2007

27th March 2007

Well here we are back in Levkas – but first, perhaps I should bring you up to date as to what we have been up to since we left the marina last December.

We had 4 days sightseeing in Athens it was really interesting but boy are they bad builders !! We went to the Acropolis and I mean it’s almost falling down - you could see it wasn’t built by Redrow and they wouldn’t let you touch anything in case the acid in your skin damaged the stonework – I mean what about the building regs? - and there was no double glazing or roof insulation to be seen anywhere.

Seriously it’s a very interesting place – just oozing history – and some very interesting marching techniques when you witness the changing of the guard at the Palace.

Next stop England - were we happy to be back ? – were we F…….. Still it had to be done, there were mothers to see, relatives to visit and old workmates to have a drink with. It was also an opportunity for a reality check and we have arrived at the conclusion that it’s not the place where we want to retire. We decided to keep our options open until we had been in Oz for a while.

Christmas in North Wales was a good time to have the traditional turkey followed by The Africa Queen on the telly. New Years Eve was a low- key affair watching Jools Holland and his mates from the Groucho Club being their usual self-indulgent selves.

After the festivities it was a matter of biding our time for the flight out to Oz – Geoff (my brother-in-law) kindly gave us the use of his car during our stay and this mobility certainly gave us more freedom – otherwise I think we would have been climbing the walls.

Plus points:

Geoffs hospitality and cooking – I think he enjoyed not having to do the washing up.

A wintry afternoon with Debbie and Andrew on Horseshoe their narrow boat in Lymm - great pub grub and plenty of liquids to wash it down with back on the boat.

A typical long lunch at Osbornes in Llandudno with Sarah, Phil, Brian, Matthew and Sian (ex workmates) it was mainly due to these guys leaving Mita that made me take early retirement. If I may be so bold we were “a dream team” and the Gallic owners just couldn’t handle the talent.

Sues Mum - 94 next birthday and still going strong.

January – next stop Kuala Lumpur – this was a stopover on the way to Sydney. We spent 3 days there and really liked the place. The hotel where we stayed had commanding views of the Petronas Twin Towers and they are spectacular both day and night. The food is also fantastic with a varied selection of Asian dishes to choose from.

Stuart and Tracy were at Sydney airport to greet us and they whisked us off to Port Stephens so that we could drink a bottle of Port before we went to bed – this was a taste of the way the rest of the stay was to be !!

It was great seeing our Aussie family again and the goils have all grown even more. During our stay our lives revolved around Anna Bay, wine, beer and all the sporting activities the family are involved in.

We did manage a trip to Sydney and looked up some of our friends there – we also had a memorable Yum Cha in Sydney’s Chinatown with David, Kate and Larry some old sailing mates from the old days, we proved that we still could drink and we were still going strong until darkness fell. Kates children Sophie and Ben witnessed the degrading proceedings – they deserve medals for being so patient and well behaved.

Stuart is also a boatowner ( it runs in the family ) - his is one of them runabouts that turn your liver and kidneys into pate. He tried to drown me one day during a mooring manoeuvre – throwing me overboard with an illegal throttle movement - but I swam under the boat and leapt back on board – everyone had a good laugh – hey that’s what Grandads are for.

Friends of Stuart and Tracy (and us) Wayne and Carol lent us their daughters car for the last 4 weeks, prior to that we had the use of Tracy’s car so that gave me and Sue a chance to get about a bit.

We’ve decided that Christmas in the UK is a no no as the weather cuts down on your options – also we are in the process of buying a house in Port Stephens just half a mile from Stuart and Tracy so we intend to visit the UK in the early Autumn and then go on to Australia for their summer and then back to Greece for their summer. It’s a hard life but someone’s got to do it. Don’t tell Gordon Brown or he’ll put his big size 12 carbon footprint on our flying plans.

1st April 2007 (April Fools Day)

We have now been on the marina for over a week and it’s as though we have never been away. The towns the same and it’s the same familiar faces down on the marina. The weather on arrival took a turn for the worse so we bit the bullet and went out and bought a TV. They have “English” films on most nights so there is something to watch. The other night we watched a Jackie Chan film which was in Chinese but dubbed into English with Greek subtitles – its was fantabadopulos.

Sue’s been cleaning all the teak in the cockpit the last few days and I must say it looks really good. It’s now up to me to do the engine oil, change and replace the filters – help !! – I’m only an IT type of sailor and not very mechanical. I do have a couple of manuals though so fingers crossed it should go OK.

The weather the last few days has started to improve – in fact the last 2 days we have eaten our lunch in the cockpit. Its back to Greek salads and loads of olive oil so I’m now a very regular sort of guy.

Last week they celebrated Greek Independence Day which brought out the band and the usual marching suspects. The next day the Greek football team lost to Turkey in the European Championship Qualifiers – as you can imagine it did not go down well over here.

We will stay put on the marina for this month until the weather settles and warms up a bit. There are plenty of jobs to do on the boat – fortunately most of them are cosmetic – so no major financial outlay.

Sue is back into her “stretch and groan” exercise class – she is determined to get rid of the legacy of our trip to OZ and shed a few pounds - she too is into the olive oil regime which keeps her on the move !!

14th April 2007

Over the last week or so the weather has improved to the point that we eat breakfast and lunch out in the cockpit. I hear on the grapevine that the weather in the UK is hotter than it should be – hosepipe bans here we come, plus melting roads and of course warped railway lines !!

We have now moved our boat into our regular berth which is very near the end of E pontoon, we have new neighbours next to us (John & Pauline on Gwynt-y-Mor) and opposite we have David and Brenda on Brenda 494 . David did explain how they arrived at the boat name but it was all too DaVinci Code for me – remember I’ve been retired for a year now.

The 2 Bills surfaced on Friday ( Scottish Bill and Geordie Bill) - Kleopatra (Geordie Bills boat) is in the water but Scottish Bill still has some work to do before they launch Xebec.

We have also struck up a friendship with Harry and Eve on Sorista, they have a villa on the island plus transport. Last week they took us for a guided tour round the island and it was really good to see Levkas from a perspective other than on the water. The island is quite beautiful and the views on the west coast from Harry and Eve’s house are quite breathtaking – on a clear day you can see Paxos and Corfu which must be over 30 miles away.

I did the oil change, with assistance from my Chief Engineer (Sue) - it went very smoothly (no pun intended) and the engine hasn’t complained …….yet !!

We’re still highly amused by the films on the TV – some films are OK some are diabolical. The other night we watched a naval war film which was in English - the Greek sub-titles were no problem however, when the action switched to a german U boat - they were speaking in German so we had Greek sub-titles interlaced with English sub-titles – I’m going to have to get a bigger boat with a bigger telly !!

Sue’s getting itchy feet so we might have a couple of days down the coast as soon as the weather looks settled.

6th May 2007

Finally we have cut the cord and gone off for a shakedown cruise down the coast. We were hoping to get away last week but the weather forecast was not good so we stayed put – this turned out to be a good decision as it blew Force 8 on Saturday with gusts of over 40 mph.

We motored down to the bottom of the Levkas canal and then had a really nice sail down to Skorpios – a quick right turn had us motoring into Vlikho where we met up with our friends Donna and Paul on Kapsali.

Donna and Paul were doing some repairs to their holding tank as it was leaking – not a very pleasant job at the best of times but today it was warm. When I sent them a text before we left Levkas I asked how will we find you – just look for the flies – was the reply.

They fixed the leak by plastic welding sardine can lids to the tank – it seems to have worked – another tick for the ingenuity of the cruising sailor.

We spent a couple of days anchored in Vlikho before moving on to Spartahori where we stayed on the town quay for three nights. There were 7 yachts on the quay and 5 were flying the Welsh Dragon from their spreaders – we were just a few short of a male voice choir !! Spartahori has been renamed as Tiger Bay or for the politically correct Ormos Shirley Bassey.

We went to Babi’s Taverna for dinner and it was there that Paul and Donna got the English translation for their yacht. Apparently Kapsali is when you burn the feathers on a chicken to help you pluck it – their boat is now known as Kapsali Fried Chicken – KFC for short. Paul is going to put on weight and grow a silver beard for authenticity.

On Friday Sue and me bade farewell to Paul and Donna and we went off to Vlikho for the night in preparation for an early arrival at Levkas marina on the Saturday morning.

While we were away we heard some worrying news about our friends Kevin and Linda. Kevin suffered a heart attack and had been rushed to hospital. During the week there were a few text messages going backwards and forwards, fortunately each message brought news of improvement.

By the time we got back to the marina on Saturday morning Kevin was back on his boat – we had a coffee with him in the Blue Bar and he was in great form. He is highly impressed with the Greek medical facilities and the level of care they give.

15th May 2007

Nothing much happening - we’re just doing odd jobs on the boat and reading a lot. We did have a minor drama this morning though, when somebody forgot to put the handbrake on his car so it rolled down the slope, knocked over a protective barrier and slid into the marina canal (picture on photo album).

18th May 2007

It’s raining !! So we are having a quiet day doing Sudoku and surfing. We have been seen in the Blue Bar a few times with our friends Ian and Debbie (Jarema) and Kevin and Linda. Kevin reckons he is now 110% and improving so we had better watch out.

Harry and Eve (Sorista) returned to the Marina on Wednesday – Eve promptly fell off the back of he boat as they were tying up – it took Harry at least 5 minutes to get the boarding ladder down, during which time Eve was clinging onto the stern lines whilst having a conversation with me and Sue about salvage rights, Harry eventually rescued her before we had agreed on a price.


19th May 2007

Watched the Cup Final today – the Stadium won !!


20th May 2007

Met up with our friends Phil and Celia who arrived on the Marina. They were doing a 2-week flotilla holiday and luckily Levkas Marina was a stopover option.

This year it was our turn to provide the sparking wine – later we went out for a meal and some wine !!

It was really good seeing them again and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to meet up again next year.


24th May 2007


Weather not great so still on the marina, plus we are waiting for our outboard to come back from the mechanics.

We went out for a meal with Ian and Debbie (Jarema) last night and finished off back in the Blue Bar watching the Champions League Final – I’m confident that Sunderland will be playing in Europe after next season.

25th May 2007

Left the Marina this morning in a very light breeze and we had a gentle motor down to Vlikho, Ian and Debbie (Jarema) also left the marina just after us and passed us about half way to our destination. They got the best anchorage (nearest the yacht club) we had to settle for a spot further out. They benefited from having a clean bottom whereas ours is slightly soiled !.

Greek food for dinner at the yacht club – fish, chips and mushy peas – really good, really authentic.

26th May 2007

Our outboard is fixed yippee – we received a text from Paul and Donna – they were on their way to Nisos Petalas, an island just off the Greek mainland. We agree to meet up with them tomorrow – it’s a good 6 hours away so we decide on an early getaway. We let Ian and Debbie know of our intentions and settle down for an early night.

27th May 2007

7:00am and we up anchor – no wind to speak of so we motor all the way to Nisos Petalas. On the way we passed close to an island where Sue pointed out this huge black bird perched on a rock I had a look and informed her it was a goat – David Attenborough she is not, the island is now known as Goat Bird Island!!

Paul and Donna were anchored in a bay tucked round the corner of the island so we dropped our pick adjacent to them. They were pleased to see us and as soon as we had settled the boat down they came over with some beers.

After lunching on our respective boats, early in the evening they came over to our boat as we had some baklava to share – we had it with yoghurt – it’s really sweet – and it would be difficult to eat a lot of it.

As is the usual case when we meet up with Paul and Donna – the wind started to blow and we had a restless night at anchor, fortunately the bay is really good mud and the anchor stuck like glue.

28th May 2007

9:00am Paul and I decide we should take off for Missalonghi which is in the Gulf of Patras. The forecast wasn’t great but Donna wanted to get away from the mozzies that were around at our last anchorage.

The passage was awful – Force 5 to 6 on the nose meant we had to use the iron headsail again and when we turned the corner into the Gulf of Patras it was like trying to sail in a giant washing machine – the waves were coming from all directions. Eventually the wind went from South East to South which meant that we weren’t fighting the wind as much – the waves were still bad though – there was a lot of banging off waves – hope the TV still works !!

Now where is the entrance to Missalonghi ? I will quote from the pilot book :-

“The red and green buoys marking the entrance to the dredged channel are difficult to pick out from the distance and in bad visibility it can be quite a job finding them until close to. Once the buoys are located the canal is marked out by four pairs of beacons”

All I can say is without my GPS and given the conditions with poor visibility I think we would have been hard pushed to find the entrance. Now that we have done it, the next time we come here should be that bit easier.

OK so we’ve found the buoys, we’re half a mile out now with a Force 6 to 7 right up our Khyber – we bloody surfed in on the waves that were heading down the channel. After passing the second set of buoys it became calmer and when we entered the yacht basin the water was relatively flat even though the wind was still howling.

And boy oh boy there was floating pontoons to tie up to and with the help of some very friendly French sailors we we’re snugged up at 3:15pm.

One hour later a bedraggled Paul and Donna entered the basin and tied up in front of us.

We had ice !! so gin and tonics for Donna, Sue and me, brandy and water for Paul.

We all agreed it had been a right shitty passage !!!

Early dinner and bed by 9:15 comforted by the fact we weren’t relying on our anchor tonight – the wind was still blowing hard.

29th May 2007

The town of Missalonghi is about a 15 minute walk from the harbour – so after a quick row over to the main pontoon – we legged it into town for provisions and money.

Donna tried to get cash with her Amex card but the card was rejected so she had to use her own personal card much to her chagrin.

We had beer and coffee in the town square while Paul tried out the Amex card in another “hole in the wall” it was accepted but would only let him withdraw 40 euro – all a bit strange.

Missalonghi is quite ok and the town area is busy and full of locals – so it’s not very touristy – which is as we we like it.

In the evening Paul rings Amex and enquires about the card rejection and they tell him that their records show he has had the money (300 euros) – if there is a problem they told him to take it up with the bank.

Pizza and wine managed to soothe an angry Paul – tomorrow they would go to the Bank.

30th May 2007

To cut a long story short – Paul and Donna went to the bank and explained what had happened. They were told to come back at 2:30 when the bank officials would count the money out of the machine to see if it balanced.

It balanced !!

However Donna had followed the Amex transaction with one from her own card, which was accepted, and she had kept the receipt. So they were able to ascertain the time of the transaction and go to the audit trail on the machine to see what had happened.

What happened ?? The audit roll showed that the machine had rejected the transaction but because it took too long in rejecting it the Amex side thought that it had gone through – so we understood why the money in the machine balanced. It will take a couple of weeks for Amex to credit their account but better late than never.

On top of all this KFC wouldn’t start so Paul reckoned he needed a new starting battery – we found a chandlers and Paul bought the battery – the friendly owner said he would put the battery on charge and bring it down later that evening.

We all had chicken kebabs and cracked wheat something or other and wine and fish and Greek salad on Chirene - it was really good - the battery arrived during the meal – Paul tried it – no go – bollocks !!


31st May 2007

Today we were supposed to go to Patras - however KFC was playing up so Paul phoned our friendly chandler who put him in touch with a mechanic.

The guy promptly turns up – diagnoses the problem as a glow plug problem caused by a faulty relay.

New relay installed – engine starts ok, but we decide to leave for Patras tomorrow.

1st June 2007 (white rabbit)

Nice pleasant 4 hour motor across to Patras marina – it’s a bit smelly and a bit rolly but it was 28 Euro for 2 nights with free water and electricity – plus a birds eye view of the huge ferries.

We had the cheapest lunch to date at this roadside café – 3 gyros and chips, 1 chicken and chips, 1 litre of white wine, 1 litre of water 10 euro 10 cents the lot !!

2nd June 2007

Explored a bit more of Patras (3rd largest city in Greece). We liked it, it’s quite cosmopolitan – even has a Marks and Sparks and has it’s fair share of ruins.

3rd June 2007

Next stop Trizonia in the Gulf of Corinth.

As usual we were going East so that was where the wind was coming from – in lumps. The wind funnels at the bridge of Patras and for a few miles it was blowing Force 6 and the seas were very confused, eventually the wind slackened off and the seas eased as we approached Trizonia.

Trizonia is a quiet island about half a mile from the mainland, it has a sheltered harbour and 3 Tavernas that are grouped by the town square that overlooks the small fishing boat harbour. We had a beer at one of the Tavernas and that night we ate on the boat.

4th June 2007

Did a bit of exploring the island on foot, it is mostly natural land with some small vineyards on the hills. Had lunch at the taverna and when we got back to the boat the water pump was running – the accumulator tank had sprung a leak and all the contents of the water tank (180 litres) was in the bilge.
Fortunately we always carry 3 jerrycans of water as back up so things weren’t too desperate, however it meant we had to return to Patras to see if I could fix it.

5th June 2007

An early start on a grey forbidding morning – we said our goodbyes to Paul and Donna as they were carrying on through the Corinth Canal and headed off in a stiff easterly.

We had a very rapid trip to Patras accompanied by thunderstorms and poor visibility – I got to wear my wet weather gear and use the radar for the first time.

The wind was from the east blowing a Force 6 so I unfurled the genoa and we were soon bowling along at 7 knots – we surfed on a wave and registered 9 knots for a short spell.

I couldn’t get a replacement accumulator tank in Patras so I had to rig up a bypass in the water pipes using a length of hosepipe – it worked !! - so we should be ok until we got back to Levkas.

6th June 2007

Spent the day doing nothing in particular, I checked the weather and the forecast looked good for an early start the next day.

7th June 2007

7:00am start in a flat calm so it was on with the engine and autohelm while we had breakfast. The ferries were coming into Patras thick and fast so the MARPA facility on our radar was really useful as it gave me the speed and bearing of each ferry. The fast ones were doing 30 knots which meant you couldn’t drop your guard for a moment. I put the main up and we motor sailed to our waypoint just off Nisos Oxia.

We rounded Nisos Oxia and headed into Limin Petala to drop anchor for the night.

8th June 2007

A more respectable start of 9:15am after we had got the weather forecast from Olympia Radio. The forecast was OK even if the light wind was on the nose again !!

So on with the iron headsail and the autohelm and set a course for Vlikho via Meganisi.

3:00pm we dropped anchor in Vlikho had some lunch and had a shower, which was badly, needed – the shower that is.

Got a weather forecast at 7:00pm which gave us the incentive to up anchor and set off for Levkas Marina in order to gate crash Ian and Debbie’s dock party in honour of their imminent departure to all places Spain.

We arrived at the marina just before dark much to the delight of the “jolly” mob still having a drink on the dock – we must have done the quickest berthing and tie up in history and then we jumped into the marinero’s tender to be delivered to D pontoon in some style !!

A few drinks ensued and then we went out for a meal only to be waylaid by Keith (Shaheen) so we had another litre of red followed by a short walk to another bar for ouzo’s.

It was now tomorrow - one thing was for certain – Ian and Debbie were not setting sail this day !!

9th June 2007

Tidy up day – capped off with farewell drinks for Ian and Debbie in the Blue Bar.

10th June 2007

More tidy up – capped off with farewell drinks for Ian and Debbie in the Blue Bar – will they ever leave !!!.

We all watched Lewis Hamilton win the Canadian Grand Prix – eat yer heart out Jenson – then went to bed.


11th June 2007


5:30am got up and cut the dock lines holding Ian and Debbie’s yacht – they made the 6:00am bridge – next stop Italy.

Back to our bunks and didn’t get up until 10:00am.

Today was Linda’s birthday (of Linda and Kevin whose boat is Orion). So we were off to Nidri for a meal.

Five adults in a taxi – even if it’s a Merc – is a tight squeeze, but after 15 minutes we spilled out on Nidri “High Street” and headed for cocktails at the Café de Paris – very Greek. After margaritas, mohitos, pina colada and beers we all went to “upside down George’s” for a meal. Upside down George is an Albanian who either worked in a circus or was a gymnast but he got his nickname from being able to walk on his hands across the dining tables and other feats of strength and balance. We had a great evening with good food and lots of wine and George doing his amazing balancing tricks when he wasn’t serving at tables.

Five adults in a taxi – not a problem – when you’re pissed.

Finished up having more drinks on the marina and at 2:00am called it a day !!

12th June 2007

Sshhhh - hangover day.

13th June 2007

Feeling better today – did some shopping with Sue – did some chores on the boat, and gradually got back into the land of the living.

14th June 2007

Big walk to the Supermarket today (Lidl) most people go by bike or car – but we walk it – ‘cause we’re well hard.

Tomorrow I am helping Kevin deliver a yacht (short trip) so an early night is called for – also the Dukes of Hazard are on the telly so say no more !!

15th June 2007

8:30 Start – Linda drives Kevin and me to Vounaki which is the Sunsail base on the Greek mainland. The boat is quite big a Gib’Sea 51 with 5 double cabins and 5 heads - so lots to block – on the plus side it had twin helms which was nice. The staff at Sunsail inform Kevin that the stern gland has a slight leak – on inspection he discovers the shaft about 1.5 inches short of being properly seated. After some “gentle” persuasion the offending shaft was coupled up correctly and off we set for Levkas. About 100 yards short of the Levkas Canal channel – oops - we run out of diesel – unlike Kevin he says a few choice things about Sunsail and then we unfurl the headsail while Kevin checks that we really have run out of fuel. As usual the wind was blowing 20 knots plus and we didn’t have a lot of deep water around us – but eventually we managed to drop anchor ( even though the windlass doesn’t work without the engine running ) outside Ligia harbour about 100 metres from the canal entrance. Kevin made some phone calls regarding the situation and I made sure we were not dragging.
Things settled down and I looked over the stern and I said to Kevin “there are 2 diesel filler caps here” which meant 2 tanks !!. Kevin with a glint in his eye went and checked the other tank which had just enough diesel to get us to the marina.



16th June 2007

Lazy day on the Marina


17th June 2007


Left the Marina and tried to sail to Vlikho – no bloody wind - so downed sails and motored in – at least we had ice in the fridge !!

18th June 2007

Had our first swim for 2007 (in Greece) and had a go at cleaning the bottom of the boat.

19th June 2007

Had another swim.

Invited for drinks with Trish and Trev ( T&T) on Baccarelle and then dinner at Georges Taverna with T & T, Bill and Gala, and Gary. Spit roast pork mouth wateringly good.

20th June 2007

Had another swim – phew the weather is hot.

Returned to the Marina about 8:00 pm and we were immediately summonsed for drinks in the Blue Bar by Kevin and Linda .


21st June 2007

Sue did some shopping – I tidied up the boat !!


22nd June 2007

The weather is still stinking hot – courtesy of the local tip !!. Went out in the evening with Harry and Eve for a couple of beers and an ice cream.

23rd June 2007

Woke up to some bad news from Lance – his wife suffered a heart attack in the early hours and was taken to hospital – hopefully things will be ok.

24th June 2007

Had an early start today – ran Lance to Nidri in his car so he could catch the 7:00am ferry to Spiglia to allow him to pick his boat up and bring it to Levkas Marina. Yvonne is recovering well and is in the hospital in Preveza. Geoff arrives this morning so a bit more tidying up is needed to make room for him and his belongings – we need a bigger boat !!

Geoff arrived on time, accompanied by two very white legs. He was very tired from his early start so we had a quiet day on the Marina with a good Greek meal at the Seven Islands Taverna.

The weather hadn’t cooled down and we experienced the hottest night on the boat in 3 years.



25th June 2007

Today was the start of “Operation Suntan” so we left the Marina and headed for Ormos Varko for lunch and a swim. The water was warm and Geoff had his first swim in the sea for many many years. After lunch we tried to have a sail but the wind wouldn’t play ball so we motored down to Vlikho for our overnight anchorage – at least we could run the fridge and have ice with our gin and tonics.

26th June 2007

After a pleasant night at anchor we left for Spartakhori on Meganisi, arriving about 1:00pm – just in time for a beer.

It was another very hot day (40 degrees plus) an the deep cool water of Spiglia was very refreshing.

We had dinner at the local taverna and agreed that the walk up to the village could wait until the morning.

27th June 2007

This morning Geoff changed the fuel filter – as with most things nautical it was not easy to get at, but with some huffing and puffing he managed to unscrew the chamber and replace the filter.

We now were ready for our trip up the hill into the village of Spartakhori – we went the long way by tacking up the road rather than use the steps which are steep but more direct. We bought some provisions and then stopped for a beer to replace some of our lost fluid !!

We staggered back to the boat and decided to stay another night as it was still mighty hot.

28th June 2007

Today we had a sail ! We circumnavigated Meganisi in a good Force 4 to 5 – at times we were overpressed so I put a reef in the main and a couple of rolls in the genoa and got things more on an even keel.

We anchored for the night in Vlikho where Geoff treated us to dinner at one of the local tavernas.

29th June 2007

In the morning we motored over to Vlikho to get some bread and baclava, we also took the opportunity to do some book swops at the yacht club.

6:00pm we up anchored and returned to the Marina and saw dolphins on the way – later we went out and had beer, wine and gyros less than 10 euro the lot.

30th June 2007

Geoff went for an exploration of Lefkada today whilst we tidied up the boat.

We went out to the Seven Islands for dinner – I think Geoff had taken a fancy to the Romanian waitress.

1st July 2007 (white rabbit)

Geoff took a taxi back to the airport for his flight home – there was talk of delays due to some security alerts at UK airports – but he phoned us when he arrived back in “sunny” Rhyl and said that the delay had only been about half an hour.




2nd July – 7th July 2007

Spent this week on the Marina – Sue catching up with the washing – me nursing a back strain, bloody lazy lines !!.

We took the opportunity of going on the bus to Vassiliki to see more of the island – it was worth the trip. We had a stroll round then lunch in a waterside taverna and then caught the bus back.

The weather is slightly unsettled (windy) at the moment so we will stay put and give my back some R&R.

8th July – 15th July 2007

Still on the Marina – nothing exciting to report except for rescuing a shopping trolley that was accidentally knocked off our pontoon.

16th July – 20th July 2007

Sailed down to Vlikho for a few days had dinner on the Thursday night at the Yacht Club with the Welsh contingent – it was a long night !!. A bit of an embarrassing moment during the evening when we were taking the piss out of a boat that took at least 1 hour to anchor – which in Vlikho must be a record – only to find out that the people off the boat were sitting on the next table – oops.

21st July – 27th July 2007

This week I have mostly been very hot



28th July 2007

We were getting provisions in and the boat ready for our trip to Corfu to meet up with our friends Tom and Maureen who were flying in to spend a week on the boat with us.

Guess what ?? The bloody bridge at Levkas decided to pack up so no Sunday departure !!

It took a bit of translating to find out what was happening with the bridge so we just had to be very very patient.

29th July – 30th July 2007

The last 2 days I have been mostly very very patient.

31st July 2007

The Greeks are very ingenious and they managed to get a car ferry that actually fitted the gap in the canal. So you had cars going in the front of the ferry and driving out the back it worked really well – only problem was they had to swing the ferry out of the way to allow the boats to pass through. This operation took some time so they altered the opening times to every 4 hours as opposed to every hour when the bridge was working, as you can imagine it was a bloody bunfight with all the boats milling around waiting to get through.

We got through the 9:00am opening and it was tally ho for 2 Rock Bay about 25 miles up the coast.

2 Rock Bay is a lovely lunchtime anchorage !! We stayed overnight and renamed it 2 Rock & Roll Bay. There was no wind just this annoying swell that kept us rolling all night – if we go there again I’ll put a kedge anchor out to hold the boat straight on to the swell.


1st August 2007 (White Rabbit)

We motored on to Mourtos and after negotiating the 2 metre bar through the Sivota Islands. We were lucky and managed to get the only spot on the new quay. It blew a Force 6 that day and the boats on the town quay took a bit of a hammering. The Italians were out in force in their ribs, yachts and powerboats it amazing how they see non-existent gaps to park their boats !! We had next to us an Italian couple who helped us with our lines when we first arrived they gave us some glasses of chilled Italian white wine it was lovely.

2nd August 2007

Still in Mourtos.

3rd August 2007

Motored on to Platerias – there was plenty of room on the quay. The place is quite small but has more than enough facilities ie Tavernas, shops etc. We liked it there and will probably go again sometime.


4th August 2007

Next stop Ormos Valtous (Igoumonitsa Creek) as the Pilot says “somewhat bleak” nevertheless it was very quiet and a good safe anchorage – we don’t mind doing bleak if it gets us away from the Italian hordes who after a while can become very tiresome.

5th August 2007

Next stop Corfu !! or Gouvia Marina to be exact. We had an early start and motored up on a nice calm sea. It gave us a chance to skirt quite closely to Corfu Town quay before carrying on to Gouvia.

We were met by the Marinero and directed us to a new pontoon on the marina bloody miles from the administration buildings – still beggars can’t be choosers. The spoken word on our pontoon was not Greek – need I say more. We went off to meet our friends Lance and Yvonne who were staying on the marina – we had a drink with them and then we proceeded to a Taverna for lunch – it was a strange meal, I had steak and chips with mash potatoes, Yorkshire pudding,cabbage, peas, carrots and gravy., Not very Greek - mind you the owner was called Mike and hailed from Manchester.


6th August 2007

Tom and Maureen arrived from sunny Blackpool early afternoon – they’d already had a long day so we got them sorted on the boat had a drink of sparkly stuff and caught up on the gossip. That evening we sauntered in to Gouvia and had a typical Greek meal at one of the many tavernas.

7th August 2007

We gave the public transport a go and tootled off to Corfu Town. The journey was pretty bad but Corfu is a great place – especially the Old Town with its narrow alleyways and shops of all types. We had a Greek mezze in the gardens overlooking Nisos Vidho it was a fabulous spot with views over to Albania. In the afternoon we did some more sightseeing and had a mooch around Marks and Sparks. The bus trip back was worse than the one in – we must have been about 4th in the queue and somehow contrived to just get a seat.

8th August 2007

Today we took the boat out with the intention of going to Agni, however Agni was crowded so we went a little further up the coast to Kalami. We anchored just off the beach in front of the aptly named Thomas’s Taverna. We took the dinghy ashore and had lunch at Tom’s place – afterwards I rowed the dinghy back to the boat while the crew swam back. Unfortunately the winds were very light so no chance of a sail so we motored back to the marina arriving at about 6:30. Good crew work got the Gyros.


9th August 2007

Weather wasn’t brilliant so we stayed on and around the boat - we made good use of the swimming pool on the marina – it was free !!.


That night we ate spaghetti carbonara and listened to Beatles songs whilst finishing off the Cointreau, Lemon liqueur, port and anything else we could find.

Ahh nostalgia

10th August 2007

Can’t remember what we did – so it must have been good !! I think we went for a swim in the pool and had a Chinese meal in Gouvia that night and went to the Irish bar to see a George Michael look-alike – he was quite good – we liked the Wham stuff.

11th August 2007

Today we have been day tripping – on a boat to Parga and Paxos. Parga we liked a lot the trip to Paxos was a bit rushed and therefore Tom and Maureen did not get a decent look at the place. It was a full day and worth the cost. We had a Thai meal in Gouvia in the evening.

12th August 2007

We took the boat up to Ay Stefanos and managed to get in a nice quiet sail on the way up. The anchorage was crowded and the wind got up as soon as we arrived. We had lunch in the cockpit and decided against having a swim as there were hire boats zipping in and out all the time. We tried to sail back but the wind wouldn’t play ball so after a while it was down with the sails and on with the iron headsail. Once again superior crew work got the boat neatly back to her berth.

13th August 2007

Ariverderci to Tom and Maureen and then Sue and I headed off for Ormos Valtou ( Igoumonitsa Creek) for our overnight anchorage.

14th August 2007

We enjoyed the peace and quiet of this anchorage so much we decided to stay another night.

15th August 2007

Next stop Lakka – it’s a beautiful anchorage but perhaps not in August !! It was very crowded but at least we were never short of entertainment.

16th August 2007

Still anchored in Lakka – not quite as many boats today.

17th August 2007

An early start (6:30 am) for our trip back to Levkas – The Italians were still singing in the bar as we left.

There was no wind to speak of so on with the autopilot and out with the books. We were ahead of schedule and the NorthWest wind arrived so we unfurled the headsail and had a lovely sail back to Levkas. The bridge still wasn’t fixed so traffic in and out of the canal was at 5 hourly intervals. When it came time to go through there were 40+ boats on our side and by then the wind was Force 5 and gusting so it was a bit of a bunfight but we got through. We still had to get in to out Marina berth it took us 2 attempts but with the help of Kevin and Bill we did it – it was then straight off to the Blue Bar for a beer – even Sue had a large one !!

Things to look back on over the past 3 weeks:

1. I had a topless bird on my boat !! No photographs allowed.
2. Lots of crossed anchors and cross people in Mourtos– mainly Italians.
3. The number of people with bandaged hands and fingers especially on the Italian boats – they must have windlasses like Arkwrights till !!
4. Losing Tom’s watch – and then finding it stuck to Maureens bum – velcro saves the day !!
5. A wasp taking a swim in Sues coffee – she bit it’s head off.
6. Tom and Maureen swaying (a lot) even when on terra firma.
7. The big big boats on Gouvia Marina – lotsa lotsa money.


18th – 30st August 2007


On the Marina again tidying up the boat and having some beers with friends. We had a memorable Grand Prix day where we all had to wear outrageous shorts. We didn’t see the Grand Prix as the TV station decided to show the bush fires - but we stayed in the bar and watched the fires - which made us thirsty so it turned out to be a long afternoon (and evening)


31st August 2007

We cast off our lines and headed for Vlikho – had a lovely sail until the wind petered out.

1st September 2007 (white rabbit)

Anchored in Vlikho – we had a swim and tried to clean the bottom of the boat - It was not a pretty site. Fortunately Chirene is coming out of the water next month for the winter so she will get cleaned up ready for next year.

2nd – 3rd September 2007

Still anchored in Vlikho – we’ve had 3 beautiful and peaceful days (and nights) at anchor.

4th September 2007

Today we left Vlikho and sailed round to Spiglia on Meganisi. The usual squatters were there – Lance and Yvonne, Tony, The Dutchman, The Aussie Lady, John and Phyliss etc. We spent the day swimming in the crystal clear water and in the evening had dinner at the Taverna with Lance and Yvonne, later we were joined by Phyliss and John. The boys talked about boats while the women talked about hot flushes.

5th September 2007

We had a bad weather forecast so we decided on an early start and returned to the Marina.

6th September 2007

It rained !!!! First rain since the end of May. It’s cool as well – I’m not sure we like it – roll on Australia.

 7th September 2007 – 7^th October 2007

Stayed on the Marina catching up on some of the jobs we had been putting off – such as varnishing - boy is that task labour intensive or what !!  Sue copped for most of the work as she reckons I am not thorough enough. 

Bristles Dalkin off Orion said she puts on 20 coats of varnish to get the right finish – Sue gave up at 14 or 15 mostly because she was fed up of Jolly Jack from the next boat peering over her shoulder all the time.

Bill and Christine (Xebec) have sold their boat to enable them to return to the French Canals so that’s the end of Jimmy Shand and the Eightsome Reels.

We also have new neighbours Ken and Iris – they’re quite posh (Blue Ensign) – but they still talk to us – actually they are really nice people from “ Up North” – haven’t seen their ferret yet though.

It’s also the time for farewell dinners as many of the boat owners return to their homes in the UK and in some cases Spain. The numbers start to dwindle and the crews that are wintering over start to do their own headcounts to see who they will be left with for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

We also took all the sails off the boat in readiness for the haul-out.

4^th October 2007

We had the boat lifted out today – as always there is speculation as to how much growth there will be on the bottom – and to how much damage you did when you got that silly buggers anchor chain wrapped round your keel.

Anyway the outcome was no damage and not too much growth – in fact the pressure wash took virtually everything off.

Sue and I cleaned the topsides round the waterline and then spent a day rubbing back a few layers of old antifoul in preparation for next year. We both looked like a couple of Smurfs when we finished – a lovely shade of blue.

Rather than live on the boat on the hard we booked into the Hotel Nirikos in Lefkas for the last couple of days – it made a nice change.

8^th October 2007 (Homeward Bound)

9:30 bus to Athens which arrived on time – from the Athens bus terminal we caught the shuttle bus to the Airport.

We had a few hours to kill at the airport before the Easyjet flight to Gatwick so we had a mooch around the airport shops and had our last Greek meal for a few months.

The flight to Gatwick took off on time and we arrived just before midnight – our bags came through quite quickly and after customs we jumped into a taxi and sped off to the local Travelodge.

9^th October 2007

Went down for breakfast it cost 16 quid !! the room only cost 15 welcome to the UK.

There was a bit of a drama with the M23 (road accident) and there was real doubts we would make our bus connection but we made it and by 9:30 we were on our National bus from Gatwick to Heathrow. At Heathrow it was all change to get on the bus to Birmingham and after 15 minutes we were on our way again in the pouring rain.

We got to Birmingham a little behind schedule due to the rain but that meant we didn’t have too long to wait before we were off to sunny Rhyl we did have to change buses again though.

After various stops en route we arrived in Rhyl just after 6:00 pm – in essence we’d been travelling since 9:30am the previous day – there’s got to be a better way. We vowed we were not going to do that arrangement again.

10^th October – 4^th November 2007

I have to admit that for the whole of our stay the weather was kind to us and I don’t think we got wet once.

The time in the UK was spent catching up with family and friends and spending more money in a month than we had during the previous 6 months in Greece !!

I paid a visit to my old company (Mita) and it was good to see Jayne’s face as I walked into her office. Most of the familiar faces were still there and I spent the afternoon chatting and catching up with the gossip.

The A-Team had their usual boozy get together and they all seem to have gone from strength to strength since leaving Mita.

We also had our “traditional” curry with Geoff, Sue May and Alan.

Paul and Donna our (other) sailing friends from Greece had returned to Wales and were pretty close by so we met up with them a couple of times – once for a Chinese meal at Nicky Ips and later for a great afternoon at their lovely home in the Sychnant pass – a beautiful gem of a place.

We saw Sue’s mum every day and she still amazes us with her ability to organise herself (and us) with appointments and chores at the age of 94. She had drawn up a list of jobs for Sue to do while we were there and she “project managed” them to completion.

Geoff kindly let us use his car (once again) in exchange for us making his meals and doing the washing up – we thought that a fair exchange.

We had a morning cruise with Debbie and Andrew aboard their narrow boat Horseshoe. It was a great trip passing through some beautiful countryside with the sun shining through many different colours of autumn leaves. We stopped for a pub lunch before heading back to Lymm. We said our goodbyes there and Debbie and Andrew carried on to their home marina.

I picked up a hire car to take us to Gatwick on November 3rd. We stopped at my Aunt Millies in Sutton-on-Sea and stayed there overnight. We continued on next morning to my brother Bryans in Henley. We went to see my Mum who is in care – she is not great but she did seem better than the last time we saw her.

November 5^th 2007 (Bonfire Night)

After going to see my Mum again we headed off to Heathrow to catch our flight to Kuala Lumpur where we were having a few days R&R before continuing on to Australia.

November 6^th – November 9^th 2007

We had a very pleasant stay in a great hotel in KL. Did a few touristy things, went on a tour of a fisherman’s village, shopped in Chinatown, bought some T-shirts, took dozens of photographs of the twin towers and ate numerous curries.

10^th November 2007

We arrived in Sydney at 9:30am and after clearing through customs we used our Seniors Cards to obtain cheap train tickets to Newcastle. We had to change trains at Sydney Central and to our dismay were told that the trains weren’t running to Newcastle due to work on the lines. Fortunately they had laid on buses so after dragging our cases for half a mile we managed to get on a bus to Newcastle.

After 3 hours we reached our destination where Stuart and the girls met us – Stuart had managed to obtain the loan of a car for us so we went round to pick it up before going on to Port Stephens. Rhiannon our eldest granddaughter is learning to drive so Stu decided that she could drive the loan car while I wrestled with the Toyota Land Cruiser – no mean feat after travelling all night on a plane – needless to say Rhiannon arrived home before we did !!

11^th November – 30^th November 2007

After spending our first 2 nights at Stuarts we had managed to get our house into a liveable state so we moved in on the 13^th November and got cracking with all the things we needed to do.

Once more we were faced with the usual obstacles of trying to organise the necessary credentials to obtain, credit cards, mobile phones, land lines, driving licences, Medicare cards etc etc. The usual catch-22 scenario played out time and time again – they want proof of identity so they want to see a credit card and/or a driving licence which you can’t get without proof of identity – fortunately we did find an understanding bank manager who opened up a chink in the security layer and bit by bit the beaurocrats are beginning to believe we are who we say we are.