East Coast of Kefalonia

We didn’t get the planned meal out that night in Ay Eufemia. With more rain forecast and the outboard’s unproven reliability we just didn’t want to take the risk. Maybe we’ll give it another go later in the season. Maybe.

You see we much preferred our next stop of Sami. The harbour master was friendly and efficient, cycling around the full length of the harbour to make sure he was there to direct crews to where he wanted them to go and to help them in. He’d even advise about where to drop the anchor although some preferred to take no notice – yes, I’m talking about you Mr Skippered Charter!

And there was none of this business of reserving whole stretches of quay for the flotillas. It was first come first served. Those arriving later were likely to end up on the less than ideal outer section where the wind and swell, not to mention the regular arrival and departure of ferries. Inside, however, made the strong breeze extremely pleasant and the swell was virtually non existent. There’s a charge, of course, but not unreasonable.

Sami bay in the early morning light.

The town itself also proved to be welcoming with a couple of excellent (for Greece) and decently priced supermarkets as well as a good selection of tavernas and bars. We also found ourselves walking along the quiet roads roads shortly after sunrise to be greeted by views over the bay as well as the scant remains of a castle. There’s also an acropolis signposted but I don’t think we ever found it. I say “think” as there isn’t much left of that either but it was very pleasant searching.

Not much else left of the castle

The next stop down the coast is Poros and that was where we headed next. We’d attempted to go there in Seren Môr but had made a swift exit when the depth gage showed the non-existent water under her keel. We were more confident with Desi’s shallower draft and the fact that friends had made it without difficulty. We needn’t have worried, though, as the harbour has obviously been dredged and much bigger boats than ours came in. Like last time, though, there was virtually no one around to assist us in. We were very fortunate that a shore-based couple with a bit of sailing experience happened to be passing otherwise it would have been ‘The Leap of Death’ on to the high quayside. Of the harbour master there was no sign. Until he wanted his money that evening, of course.

I only got to see the main area of Poros before the sun got too high or after it set .

Poros isn’t a resort that has sprung up around the harbour. The main tourist area is alongside the beach, accessed along a short but fairly steep road (with a noteworthy pavement) followed  by steps down to the promenade. We didn’t get to see it during the day, however as the most memorable thing about our stay for me was the heat that just seemed to hit you as soon as the engine was turned off, radiating up from the concrete expanse outside the cockpit. This is an access road for the ferry traffic which the lorries wanting to board often take at speed, as though they’re going to leap onto the ferry before the ramp is lowered.

All in all, an anchorage seemed like a good idea after that. We’d spotted a bay which had appealed on the way to Poros but ended up in a completely different one. This beach at this one was completely inaccessible by road but still had a small drinks shack. As, again, one by one all the other boats disappeared, the owners boarded their own, leaving us alone. Alone, that is, until the tripper boat turned up. Thankfully, they didn’t stay long. A late arrival that tied onto the rocks a short distance away meant we still didn’t get the bay completely to ourselves but a pretty good result.

Heading home

Wind, Wasps and Wonderful Moments

Sivota definitely has its good points but as we wanted to anchor, the bays along Kefalonia in the channel opposite Ithika seemed like an interesting prospect. The channel generally is known to be breezy and with not much in the way of wind forecast the numerous bays were a definite possibility.

One by one we explored them. Unsurprisingly those close to Fiscardo were very busy but we thought we were going to be out of luck as each one either didn’t have room to swing the proverbial cat, was too deep to anchor or was blocked entirely by huge super yachts going nowhere and presumably avoiding marina fees. Feeling the pinch, poor things.

Rapidly approaching Ay Euphemia we dropped on and dropped the anchor. There were a few other boats but each left after their lunchtime stop. Soon, we were alone in a deserted bay. That is, except for the goats. And the wasps. Hundreds of the beggers. As the temperature rose, the humidity became almost unbearable and the wasps a torment. However, we may not have aircon but, thankfully, there is the sea and that was beautifully clear and filled with fish. And as the sun set, the light breeze was refreshing, the wasps went to bed and the mosquitoes never appeared. Bliss.

Sunrise over Odysseus’ island of Ithika

I awoke the next day just as the sun was rising. I watched with not another soul in site as the colour streaked across the sky over Ithika and, as if on cue, the cicadas began their day-long tune and the air filled with the herbal fragrance of sage. These are the moments you remember when you become a dirt dweller and somehow all the rest is forgotten.

The plan, however, was to head to Ay Eufemia, somewhere we hadn’t been to for seven or eight years. The plan was also to go on the harbour wall but the harbour master had other ideas. We could have waited to see if any spaces became available but he was obviously saving at least half of the wall for the flotillas. We dropped the anchor and free-swung while congratulating ourselves on the fresher breeze, the better view and no harbour fees.

I wouldn’t rave about the town. We hadn’t been too impressed when we were last here and, although it has definitely smartened itself up since then, the problem will always be the road that runs around the harbour, blocking any view from the bars and restaurants with parked cars. The harbour wall was looking less attractive all the time. Perhaps it’s different if you’re shore based or out of season but, so far at least, I just don’t get why it’s so popular.

Mind you, we did decide to stay a second night. We wanted to explore more than just the supermarkets in the cooler early morning and to eat out at one of the tavernas. The walk never happened. Slight rain had been forecast but what hit us was totally unexpected. The first thing was the boat swinging on its anchor followed by a few spits and spots. Then a distant rumble of thunder. The next thing we knew Desi, and every other boat in the crowded anchorage, was rotating at speed in both directions as the wind swirled around and the storm threw everything it had got at us.

Forty five minutes later the storm hit

Inevitably, boats dragged, anchor chains were caught, and collisions occurred. We consider ourselves very lucky that none of these things happened to us. The worst we had to deal with was the dingy taking off and flipping over, submerging the electric outboard motor whose fate remains in the balance. We got soaked to the skin but I also consider myself fortunate that I actually had clothes on!

As to whether we go ashore tonight, that too, remains to be seen. Doesn’t everything always depend on the weather?

And We’re Back

The decision to change marina bases from Corfu in the northern Ionian to Lefkas further south changed the plans for summer. I’m not a fan of the Greek summer temperatures​ or the crowds of peak season and would always choose to get away. However, as our marina contract ended inconveniently on the last day of July somebody had to be there to move the boat out. That someone was, of course, Neil.

Single handed he sailed Desi non-stop from Corfu to Bungalow Bay and then on to Sivota, Lefkas. As I’ve mentioned previously, there have been some changes to Sivota recently that have not been in the best interest of the liveaboard community. The space on the town quay has been further reduced by the addition of yet another pontoon this summer but Neil was lucky enough to find somewhere to settle until I made the journey back.

So it was to Sivota that I returned around midnight on Sunday, a Sivota that even the taxi driver had never seen before. A day to recover with a meal at the Family taverna – still as welcoming despite their obvious fatigue – and we were ready to leave. With not only the temperature rising but also the humidity, an anchorage seemed the best solution. Well, yes and no…