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Kioni on Ithaca- 24^th July

Surprisingly, day one in the Ionian with Linda and John and we were actually lucky enough to get the white flappy things out and sail the majority of the way to Kioni. We even saw a load of jumping fish which Mark attempted to entice onto his hook, but they were having none of it determined to keep his score for the whole trip to date in the Med at one tuna. Still he does keep trying. The journey went quickly and our luck held as we arrived in Kioni and found a space on the small town quay.

Following lunch and a relaxing afternoon, where we all swam off the end of the pier to cool down, and Linda looked around the village taking photos of rusty things and seemed to be attracted by any window that had at least a couple of decades of peeling paint – it seems that for a professional photographer, the more dilapidated the subject the better. Today was also the Jenkins wedding anniversary so we celebrated Linda and John’s with a bottle of champagne sitting on the back of the boat – very civilised. Linda, who has the female’s innate ability to spot a retail opportunity from great distances, found a beautiful silver and opal bracelet, which John bought as an anniversary gift, lucky Linda. We finished night two off by taking them to the best spit roast restaurant in the Ionian, yummy.

Sivota on Levkarda- 25^th July

Our next stop was the short distance to Sivota, as we wanted to show Linda and John one of our favourite villages and take them to our fish restaurant – a large red snapper was again the dish of choice. We moored in our normal spot opposite the bar Liotrivi and relaxed on the boat as Linda and John were getting acclimatised to the heat.

Nidri & Vlikho – 26^th July

We chose Nidri as our next stop as it a busy, bustling touristy town and a complete contrast to the little villages visited so far. We anchored up in Tranquil bay and got the dinghy across to Nidri spending a few hours walking around, stocking up on fresh food and finishing off with a Gyros lunch, naughty but nice. Gyros if you are not familiar with it, is a wrap surrounding chips, meat (chicken or pork) and a bit of salad and Tzatziki dip, the net result is however a tasty lunch for around 2 euros. That’s what we call good value.

We then moved down to Vlikho and anchored up in the bay for the night near to our favoured watering hole. As we dropped the anchor, Mark noticed a yacht next to us that looked like Macnoon, one of the yachts that had travelled down from Plymouth with us to Portugal over 2 years ago. As Mark was saying “wouldn’t that be funny if it was Mike and Sue on Macnoon”, John got the binoculars out and declared that it was, what a small world. The coincidence of the meeting was made even odder as the last time we met Mike and Sue in Spain 2 years ago, Linda and John were also with us then. We agreed to meet up later and in the meantime all decided to cool of with a very brief swim – there were a few jelly fish about making our dip shorter than we would have liked. We spent a delightful evening having a few drinks catching up with Mike and Sue in the little blue bar on the very edge of the bay, watching the sun set behind the massive mountains which are the backdrop to this area.

Abelike Bay on Meganisi – 27^th July

The Abelike bay was the most isolated of spots we chose, giving Linda and John their first experience at long lining, we positioned ourselves just off the little beach where Hudson would swim – obviously supported by Mark or myself, he is still not brave enough to stay in the water on his own. The rocks were a perfect place to snorkel so Linda got to use her waterproof camera and some fish were quickly digitally captured for posterity. We were lucky as although there were other boats in the bay, they were the only other signs of civilisation, it was very tranquil. This was Linda’s favourite place overall, she liked that you can jump off the boat into the crystal clear water and she could, as she lay in bed, look out her bedroom skylight up at the stars untouched by any light pollution. We took the dinghy round to the other bay to the taverna for our customary evening drinks, and finished the evening eating garlic and chilli King prawns. The next morning we made the 20 minute walk over the hill into Vathi for some fresh bread and breakfast, giving Linda and John another pretty village to admire, before we set sail to the last of our stops, Marks favourite Kastos.

Kastos – 28^th July

Kastos is a must in the Ionian and we were lucky to be able to visit as the location was perfect for the final return trip to Mesolongion. Again we long lined so we could just jump off the boat into the cool waters. There were unusually, some heated arguments between our neighbouring boats as they argued quite loudly about how they should be attached to the shore and not swing into each other. It was all a bit too much considering where we were and surprisingly did not involve any Italians, and you all know what we think of the Italian “sailors”. We took Linda and John to the windmill bar on the headland which has a wide view over the Ionian to the hazy mountains on the mainland, watching the yachts enjoying the afternoon breeze.

We followed this with a stunning meal of fresh tuna, the boys had tuna kebabs, I had the tuna steak and Linda tried the homemade Moussaka. The evening concluded with a visit to Mark’s favourite bar, where Alex greeted us as regulars and we sampled some of the islands local beverages.

Finishing back in Mesolongion -29^th & 30^th July

Back in Mesolongion, we prepared for Linda and John’s departure and saw them off in the taxi taking them to the bus station. Bye Bye.  It was time for chores to start, cleaning the boat, washing clothes and preparing for the next set of arrivals, Adam and Laura on Sunday.

Saturday started with a run along the sea front, a route we have not taken before and to our surprise, after you pass the marina area the front is full of bars and restaurants and a small “beach” area where the local elders take their morning exercise swim at 7.30 in the morning. It was refreshing to find this accessible area as the main town centre is a fair walk from the marina – which is no fun with the current mid 30’s temperatures. After a busy morning preparing and cleaning the boat for our guests, we awaited the arrival of Linda and John. They left Athens on the 11.20 coach to be greeted by a very hot and sweaty Mark, who had trekked 45 minutes to the other side of town to meet them at the bus station to guide them to the marina – I don’t think he will do that again.

We settled Linda and John into the boat, cases unpacked, boat instructions given and shopping delivered to Mark as he had ordered a whole load of boat stuff to come out with them. They also brought out an anti-bark collar for Hudson (the citronella spray type) as he has been barking a lot with no apparent cause and has developed a dislike for any human below the age of 8 – they always move too quickly and it seems to make him nervous. A nice surprise, we also got as couple of unrequested but gratefully received, tubs of peanut butter, those really are not going to last very long with Mark.

The unpacking was accomplished swiftly and we headed for the marina bar at the end of the pontoon and caught up over a few cold beers.  Night one we ventured to the newly discovered water front area, having cocktails watching the sun set. We were not overly impressed with the restaurant as although it was very busy, the food was slow, we had nearly finished our Calamari before John even received his kebabs and the quality of food was decidedly average. However, the evening was very pleasant and great to have Linda and John with us.

Mark and I have planned the whole week, to ensure they have a mixture of anchoring/long lining and Town Quays and that they see the best of the Ionian. We started our journey bright and early on Sunday leaving at 6am, as the sail to our first port of call Kioni is 6 hours, leaving Linda and John to sleep in, we set sail – or more accurately, we stuck the engine on.

We left Sivota at 10 am heading across the southern part of Meganissi towards Kalomos. It seems the winds had not completely calmed down so I insisted on 1 reef in the main and foresail, much to Mark’s disgust, we headed west. The wind kic
ked in as we left the shelter of Meganissi and Mark reluctantly admitted that the reef was a good thing and we had a really great sail across to Kalomos, getting over 9 knots for some of the trip – water skiing speed for our poor overloaded Hapatoni. As we reached Kalamos and passed south of the island, the Katabatic winds which blow off the mountains increased dramatically gusting from 18 knots up to 27 knots in an instant, scarily heralded by a fast approaching churning in the water. The mountains rise straight out of the ocean with tiny little bays and even smaller beaches in which a few yachts had taken refuge.

Port Leone on Kalomos according to the Pilot book is “sheltered”, so hoping for a bit of that, we went to have a look, but it was too exposed with 25 knots blasting into the bay, so we moved further west onto Port Kalomos, again hoping for shelter. It is a shame as Port Leone is very pretty, if a little spooky, the village was deserted after the 1953 earthquake and inhabitants decided not to return and rebuild the village. All that is now maintained is the church, which stands pristine on a little hill in the middle of the bay surrounded by the derelict houses of the village.

As we reached the village of Port Kalamos the shelter was no better, again still exposed to the North westerly blowing at 25 knots, so not a pleasant option. Running out of choices and looking for shelter, Nidri and Vathi were looking like last resorts but they are a couple of hours away. However, we thought we would try Port Kastos on the next Island, which we didn’t hold out much hope for because it is a much lower island. To my relief, as soon as we came round the east corner, to the south of the Island the wind calmed down, it appears that the lowness is a good thing – high enough for shelter but not too high to generate those ferocious katabatic winds. We headed into the tiny village of Port Kastos and decided to long-line ashore, so we could jump off the boat and swim when we liked.

Port Kastos is a tiny village, but it is beautiful. The population is only 20 permanent members, but a local was telling us it is starting to come back to life, with 3 bars and 3 tavernas and 1 little shop. The local bar owner Alex, told us there are no kids on the island, no school, no doctor and he was the youngest villager at 42 until last year, when another new resident joined them who is 33 – apparently he collects the rubbish!!. Life here is focused around the visiting yachts in summer, although Alex keeps his bar open all year around to try and create a focus for the residents even though there are very few takers from the geriatric population during the winter. We are so relaxed here, so made it a very easy decision to stay for a few days.

We felt after two days really enjoying Kastos, we should venture over to Kalamos as our friends Tina and Tim on Shiraz had said it was one of their favourite places of all the Ionian, describing it as stunning. So off we went sightseeing to Kalamos on the Wednesday 20^th July, arriving early as it is only 4 miles away. Positioning ourselves away from the main flotilla spots, we moored on the town quay at the far end away from the main restaurant “Georges”, but unfortunately a bit too near the bins. We had a walk about, the town quay consists of a few bars, a shop and restaurants, although “Georges” restaurant dominates the village and seems to be where everyone goes, it does have the best location sitting on the small pebble beach next to the sea.

Our first stop was to have a fresh orange juice at “Georges” and catch up on our internet services, but disaster, they served me carton orange juice (a no no out here), that put me off “Georges”. So that night we headed up the very steep hill to the village centre as we were told the Butchers, which is also a restaurant serves food. The menu was limited, but perfect if you wanted a variation on a pork kebab. It was however good to support the locals, it is a shame none of the Yachters or flotillas venture up the hill as the restaurant had potential.

I have to say we were both disappointed in Kalamos, compared to Kastos it is not in the same league. There is no where to swim, the town quay is dirty in areas, so we left promptly the next morning heading back to Kastos for our final night before we head to Missalonghi. For our last night we headed back to Mark’s favourite roof top bar for a few drinks then on to a local taverna, which had fresh tuna on offer. The tuna was simply done and delicious with greek potato and tomato salad. We plan to bring Linda and John here on route back to Missalonghi. So off we head now a 6 hour sail to Missalonghi ready to collect Linda and John on Saturday 23^rd July.

Nidri is our usual stopover when we need marine supplies and this time Mark also wanted a hair cut. So we had a short stop near the town, spent some more euros and then headed down to Vlikho for the night, as it such a peaceful spot and the water is like a warm bath, despite the jelly fish – only one sighted this time although the hot weather can encourage them here in much bigger numbers. To our surprise there were very few yachts, it was so quiet, we double checked the weather forecast to make sure we hadn’t made a mistake, but it seems it was just a quiet day. So after visiting our favourite place to view the boat from, which just by coincidence happens to be a delightful bar and restaurant, unimaginatively called “the Seaside Restaurant”, we have a very calm and restful night ready to head off in the morning.

Once more we head off to Sivota on the Friday, our excuse is to pick up heavy supplies (bottled water, cans and wine (I have become quite partial to their local Prosecco) and also to do the clothes washing, it’s the ideal spot for both, all close to the boat. We stayed in our usual spot outside the Liotrivi Bar immediately on the left as you enter the bay on night one. To Marks delight he discovered that the bar manager is called Leonidis, the same as the King of the Spartans in the film 300 – some children are very easily amused. However, the squeaking mooring lines and threat of stronger winds over the next two days have driven us on to Stavros’s pontoon owned by Stavros’s taverna, which has the benefit of lazy lines which are essential in high winds, also free electricity and water, but you HAVE TO eat in Stavros’s taverna. I know we said we would not eat there again, the restaurant manager is still his grumpy self, but the food is very good. The major bonus of being here though, is the direction of the boat, the wind is blowing on the stern and right through the boat, which is delightful. It is the first day in months we have not got sweaty and been desperate for a swim.

We decided to stay for 2 days and as predicted the wind got up to a Force 6 on day 2, and the boats who remained in our original spot outside Liotrivi, quickly started dragging anchors and had a very stressful day as boats bucked and bumped along the quay. Fortunately the wind died in the evening, but it remained cool, and so the whole bay gave a collective sigh and peace and quiet returned everywhere ….. apart that is, from the new yacht charter arrivals arriving on mass today (Sunday is change over day), who though mostly “grey hairs”, party like they are 18 year olds to the early hours on their first day of freedom and sunshine. Sailing Holidays is the flotilla company based here and all the customers are British, so they are getting their first sight of that big yellow thing in the sky for the first time this summer. We have learnt to block out that background noise and both get a good night rest.

Early evening we like to give Hudson his customary walk and finish with a beer and game of cards at the Family Cafe. “Mama” as I call her, is the matriarch who rules the family and business with a firm hand, as she waddles (I know its not kind but that is really how she walks) from the kitchen to the bar area communicating in short sentences. She does however exude an aura of incredible kindness and friendliness and that is why everyone seems to adore her and why her bar is so popular with the regulars and locals. The whole team here is very friendly and it has a lovely atmosphere, we have spent many a night eating and drinking here with friends. Plus Mama makes an excellent chilli sauce, which she has kindly given me a supply of to make my feta dip.

The photo below shows Mark winning at cards, note the smug face, he has become very lucky…… or cheats a lot.

Next stop is a new place, Kalomos on the eastern side of the Ionian as we now start heading down the mainland coast towards Mesalongi ready for Linda and John’s arrival in a week.

The trip up from Vathi was very short, only 6 miles, less than an hour. We picked the right day and a great time to arrive, and to our surprise found a place on the town quay. Kioni is a small village with only a few spaces on the town quay to take larger yachts, so chances of a space are slim. The pilot book describes Kioni as a “gem” and it really is, with a few delightful pastel painted tavernas around the end of the harbour and a small amphitheatre of houses built around the steep slopes of the bay, the slopes planted with the ubiquitous olive trees, making the whole place have a lush and fertile appearance. Further into the village are a few bars and shops that have great shelter from the heat of the day and where the local elders (men of course, it is Greece) gather to while away the cooler parts of the day, drinking coffee.

After staying here the first day, we relaxed, enjoying the pace of the local village life (which is only just above comatose), so we decided to stay a few days more. We have made Kioni our joint favourite village in the Ionian, alongside Sivota. Kioni has everything you could need, a baker (excellent bread, croissant and spinach pie), a general store which sells most things including Magnum ice creams with almond bits, and a number of excellent restaurants and bars all along the water front – and to put the icing on the cake, we found the perfect spot for our early evening beer. It is a first floor bar with a brilliant view of the carnage as the late arrivals fight the afternoon breeze, which whistles through the bar and down into the harbour – heaven after a day of 35 deg C and no wind.

Our memory of Kioni and original reason for returning was to revisit the best Spit roast in the Ionian, so night one, we headed back to the same restaurant hoping they had the spit turning. As we approached you could smell the meat roasting, wow it smelt delicious. So surprise surprise, guess what we had, one pork and one lamb, definitely worth the trip. Conveniently, our favourite first floor bar which I mentioned earlier was right above this restaurant, and it was this place that became our daily pilgrimage for a late afternoon beer, a game of cards and to enjoy that wonderful breeze funnelling through the bar. On night two we saw another guest order a cheese burger and it looked yummy, so fancying something different (none Greek), we stayed for dinner and pigged out on burger and chips.

The days flowed into each other with life being simple, we did take Hudson for a run on a couple of early mornings, but it was very hard work as the route around the bay in Kioni is all up hill, and some of those hills are really mean suckers – and even at 7:30 am it is still pretty hot. The town quay is a good spot as the village is only a few 100 metres away and it also has a slightly dilapidated stone pier jutting out into the entrance of the harbour from which we swam regularly – it is a bit rocky but there are steps to help you in and it works perfectly to cool off.

Kioni offers plenty of entertainment in the afternoons, so long as you have your neighbours buffering your boat from less competent moorers you can usually relax, (NOTE: Its always easy to be a expert when you are in and tied up), unfortunately as it is a small bay crossed anchors are a very common event.

With a guaranteed afternoon breeze, mooring especially long-lining after 2pm becomes a challenge for most crew but especially for the charter boats who probably sail once a year. So about 4pm onwards they start to arrive always expecting to find a space, it does amaze me when you get a boat at 6pm or later thinking they will get a space close to the village or even on the town quay. We usually sit at the front of the boat with a beer or tea watching the activities, rating their performance (cruel I know, but fun).

We finally decided to leave Kioni on the Thursday and head to Nidri just for one day.

We had originally planned to go to Kioni, as timing is everything when visiting these pretty little villages and the weekend is a good time, but we decided to divert to Vathi to meet up with Tina and Tim on Shiraz and it is a town we have not visited before. It will probably be the last time before the end of the season seeing Tina and Tim as they will soon follow Alice through the Corinth Canal and on to Athens and into the Aegean Sea on the eastern side of Greece, then south to Crete, the winter berth for all three boats.
Vathi was a pleasant place, it is the capital of Ithaca and a busier town than we normally visit, but lacked one key facility, and that was somewhere to get in the water and cool of – the water was a bit too oily just to jump in off the bow.

We were one of the first boats to arrive parking next to Shiraz, but we were soon surrounded by “Super Yachts” coming in to restock with supplies of water and fuel. An 80 foot Princess motor yacht struggled to get its anchor in, complicated by a beam on wind pushing him into the neighbouring yachts. Tim and Mark sat on the bows offering whispered advice to the struggling captain, particularly about the over use of his bow thrusters. After dinner on board, delicious garlic prawns (from Nidri) we all met up for beers and swapped stories till mid-night when we retired to our slightly stuffy and hot cabins – I guess we are getting acclimatised because we have been living with mid-30 deg C for some weeks now.

The next day began with Hudson and I going for a run, Mark got a few feet but claimed a stubbed toe was too painful….not sure about that one. Anyhow, exercise done we said goodbye to Shiraz and left for Kioni the next bay along on Ithaca, so less than an hour away.

(Sorry we forgot to take some photos in Vathi so the only photo is of the bay as we left)

We left Spartakhori for a short stop over in Nidri. Following Mark’s dive yesterday with Marcel he was excited and keen to buy a dive tank as soon as possible, so we scooted over to Nidri to check out the dive centre there. Unfortunately it was closed so business had to be conducted via telephone, but with information and prices gathered Mark can now look around to get the best tank. With a break for lunch and collection of a few supplies we left Nidri and anchored up in Vlikho bay.

Photo of Hudson in the dingy demanding to go for his evening walk.

Spartakori is a bay on the North West side of Meganisi, the bay is divided into two areas, at the far end is a taverna and a quay for smaller yachts, also a very picturesque beach area that seems to get quite busy – especially with posing Italians showing of the latest swimwear.

On the right as you enter the bay is Babis’s Kingdom, which Babis and his extended family rule over. His taverna sits in an extremely beautiful spot, right on the beach and near to the deep water concrete quay which seems the best and safest place to moor. Even though the quay was built by the local town, Babis has seized control of it and that together with a couple of other rickety pontoons running out from the beach, that Babis constructed out of string and bluetack, he decides who stays and where in this part of the bay – and he leaves no one in any doubt where they should eat the night they arrive.

When you bring your boat in, Babis shouts instructions at you on how and where to moor and exactly what to do and when to reverse, stop, pull a rope etc, but it is his way and everyone gets the same treatment from the most experienced to novice sailors. He likes to make his presence known, he is a real character and as I have said, Lord of all he surveys – he also has a great memory for boat names and faces, he remembered us and that Hudson was a new addition versus last years visit.

The town of Spartakhori is perched high on the cliff above the bay overlooking the entrance, well protected from marauding pirates in previous centuries. Following a relaxing afternoon, we ventured up to the town where you got to enjoy the stunning view over the islands of the Ionian “inland sea” across to Nidri and on to the mountains on the mainland. You have to climb a steep winding road to get there, which is fortunately shaded by cypress and pine trees, it can be hard work in the heat of the day, but a great walk for Hudson early evening.

We had planned to leave Hudson at home that evening and go for dinner alone, but unfortunately I messed that one up; I took advantage of having electricity for a change and blow dried my hair, such a luxury out here, sounds simple but in the confines of the boat I heated up the cabin so much so it would have been unfair to leave Hudson in the greenhouse heat down below, so we all went to the taverna. For a change we tried their meat dishes, Mark had the pork chop and I had the pork Kebab, which were nice…ish. However, they had a fresh fish delivery whilst we were there, the fisherman just pulled onto the beach with his latest catch and dinner arrives, so on Thursday it will be the Red Snapper.

Thursday was another hot day, but the wind increased in the afternoon and we had a sudden influx of boats, coming in to avoid the increasing wind. So with Babis directing and his brother and son out on the ribs, riding them like ancient charioteers, guiding the boats in, we had an hour of high activity and lots of noise, mainly from Babis. Mark and I sat on the front of our boat watching the activities.

A real plus on the last day was our neighbour, a Dutchman called Marcel offered Mark the use of one of his air tanks, and of they went for a dive in the bay – not a lot to see apparently, mainly grass and the occasional tin can, but Mark enjoyed being under water with the added bonus of testing all his new diving gear and being cool for half an hour. For our evening stroll we ventured down to the other side of the bay, stopping off in the wooded bar on the beach for refreshments, it was well presented and everything even the lamps were made from local wood, then back to Babis’s to join our neighbours for dinner.  

We arrived in Fiskardho around mid-day to ensure a good position, as usual we long lined ashore on the right side of the bay and all went to plan as the weather was calm. Earlier than we expected, around 2pm the bay started to fill up with a mass of Sunsail and charter boats, plus the Maltese seem to be out in force and wanting to moor side by side. Many struggled with the long lining and in fairness; there was some wind on the beam. Mark had to help two of our neighbouring yachts, but with them secured we thought wrongly, that we had our neighbours sorted for the night. But on no, late afternoon we had a continuous flow of yachts arriving looking for spaces,  they kept coming and squeezing in, it looked like August time with the Italians having come early. After the carnage, we escaped and went ashore, walking Hudson around the town and forced down an ice cold beer from a great vantage spot, then returned for dinner on the boat.

It is a shame but in the bay where you long line it was just way too busy for us, it was too cramped you were on top of each other, and although we are a social couple, noisy Italians next door is not our idea of fun, so unfortunately Fiskardho has lost some of its charm. We decided to cut short our  stay and the next morning Wednesday we re-thought our plan, taking into account the flotillas and headed back up to Meganisi, to Spartakhori hoping to avoid the flotilla groups and have a relaxing few days on Babis’s pontoon, which he and his family own.

Back in Sivoita, moored up next to Tina and Tim on Shiraz and with Alice and Lucy on Spirit III a few boats away, the team is back together.

Night one a BBQ was suggested on the little beach, which was brilliant fun, with everyone bringing food and drinks and using Tina and Tim’s BBQ, we had Greek Sausages and Jerk Chicken (seasoned by Alice), plus various side dishes of salads.

With the BBQ cooking we played Boules, two teams. A bit of a challenge on a pebbly beach but it all added to the fun. We had to cheat a bit and position a stick in the ground next to the target ball as it was the same colour as the pebbles, but with some adjustments to the game, such as throwing the boules rather than letting them roll, we enjoyed a couple of hours playing on the beach. Whilst my team (Mark, Alice and myself) were still sober we won the first game, but following the food, a few beers and Mark and Alice starting on the Sambuca the scores went down hill and the laughter up a pitch. The night finished with a nightcap or three on our boat especially for Mark and Alice and the Sambuca bottle.

Day two began better for some, with “some” needing a refreshing morning swim to clear their heads. Amazingly Hudson and I were up bright and early to go running at 7.30am, full of energy the boat got a wash down. The afternoon progressed as most do here, doing not a lot, as it is so hot, a swim, read, relax and maybe a dose in the hammock, until the fun starts when the next batch of boats arrive around 4pm and the mooring chaos begins. Last night was a quieter affair with Tina kindly offering to cook Carbonara for us all.

We decided to stay another day – Monday, as I was not quite ready to set sail to the next place, although Alice and Lucy have headed off as they only have four weeks to get to Athens.  We finished our stay in Sivota trying out a new fish restaurant Stavros, his fish selection always looked impressive. The setting is pretty, well presented and the food was good but we did not like the staffs’ attitude, no friendly service, no extras, it felt just about the money, so much so we would not go there again. So next time it will be back to our old faithful restaurant. With itchy feet we set sail on the Tuesday heading to Fiskardho on the Island of Cephalonia.