Ionians

Helen and I went back to Greece in 2003, this time to the Ionian islands. We picked up a Benetau 393 from Lefkada for 20 days. To our surprise this was the same boat Alimia that we had in the Dodecanese in 2001. The crew for the first half of the trip consisted of Helen, Gerard, Kylie, Reece and myself.

Our first real excitement came in the second day as we entered Ithaca harbour, which is surrounded by tall peaks between which the wind comes howling down in unexpected gusts. We were hit side-on by winds in excess of 44 knots (towards the "holy shit!" end of the Beaufort scale) with full sails up. Helen did an admiral job of steering us clear, and ignoring our screams as we clambered around her to that side of the boat which was not dipping its handrail in the water.

Ithaca has a long and famous history, and the moped ride up to the island's summit along steep winding cliff roads was great. We arrived at goat monastery, complete with a truly evil looking pair of sentries overlooking the entranceway. As Kylie walked in, she was almost knocked over by a goat running out.

On to Vassiliki, a tacky and overcrowded harbour that was the Greek water sport mecca, attracting wind surfers and jet skiiers from all over. A good place to avoid.

At this point it became clear that our trusty old Alimia was an absolute dog to steer in reverse, which we remembered as a problem from our last trip. Again, Helen adapted and soon became proficient at reverse parking in adverse conditions. By the end of the trip, we were the ones laughing at others trying to moor their boats.

We then sailed up to Paxos and Antipaxos, an absolutely wonderful pair of islands with many nice spots to visit. These included a remarkable chattering beach formed by large round pebbles that literally chattered constantly as the waves washed in and out, and the wonderful cafes at Longos with water lapping onto their back balconies.

Then up to Corfu, the northernmost part of our trip, where we picked up Chris. Chris sailed with us previously in the Dodecanese and is a very experienced sailor, something of a novelty on our adventures on the water.

Corfu lies near the border of Albania and has a long history of invasion and occupation from various forces including the Italians. It is densely populated and a jumble full of various architectural styles from the various occupiers.


Busy old Corfu.	Helen on Corfu.	Dinner was never far away.

We were on a tight schedule for the first week and had to get Kylie and Reece back to Lefkada for a flight, however with two days to go we were hit by a serious storm. We were very grateful to have Chris on board, and he sailed us safely through it to get there on time. It got pretty bad for a couple of hours, with waves taller than the boat washing over the cockpit, but as long as Chris had a smile on his face we weren't too worried.

Unfortunately, Kylie did not have wet weather gear, and rather than getting wet and cold up on deck, she was obliged to stay below in our nice little boat which had become a rolling death cabin of vomit. The relief we all felt upon reaching the sheltered Lakka harbour on Paxos was remarkable. We'd visited it on the way up, but then it had just been another nice harbour with a bit of a view. Now it felt like heaven on Earth!


A restaurant in Corfu.	Sunset at Mourtos.

Back at Lefkada we said goodbye to Kylie, Reece and Gerard, and welcomed Mel, Keith and Christy on board.


Farting around with the sails.	Captain Christy.

From Lefkada we then returned to Ithaca. We were distressed to find our wife Penelope imprisoned by an insolent host of suitors during our twenty year absence, and had to disguise ourselves as beggars in order to test her fidelity and slay... oh hang on, that's another story.


Kioni harbour (Ithaca).	Fondling somebody's ass in Kioni.

We spent a couple of days in the beautiful port of Kioni.


A bay on Kefalonia. Nice!	A helpful sea nymph ties up the boat.	Chris instinctively climbs the tallest thing in sight.

From Ithaca we went to Kefalonia. This was one of the larger islands we visited and probably the most spectacular.


Team Alimia in the Kefalonian hills.	Some boats racing by one day.

There were many rugged, beautiful bays to see on Kefalonia, and the fortress built on the peninsular overlooking Assos was definitely worth a visit. The sides of the islands exposed to the open sea (west) were truly magnificent.


It is important to concentrate on your sails at all times.	The view back over Assos from the fortress (Kefalonia).

Then it was time to head south to Zakinthos, if not for... bloody mutiny! One of the highlights of the trip for Helen was going be sailing down to see the famous Shipwreck Bay on Zakinthos, but the rest of the guys felt like a rest. They threatened to keelhaul us and eat our livers with their last quota of rum, so to ease growing tensions on board we capitulated and spent the next couple of days lounging around beautiful deserted bays instead. It's a tough life.


A little bay we found in Kefalonia.	A classic sailing shot. This is what it's all about.

We spent an afternoon at Fiskardo, which Chris remembered as a charming spot many years ago. Unfortunately it has since become prime tourist material after Captain Corelli's Mandolin and was overflowing with passenger liners, urban development, and dumpy English and American tourists. Next!


Captain Mel.	Helen and a gnarly fig tree in the magic grove.	"Pull... no, push." "I am! I am!"

After the frantic pace of the first half of the trip, we all slowed down a bit and spent a lot of the second half pottering around secluded bays, usually to ourselves. One particular bay in Kefalonia was especially nice, with cliffs shooting up either side. Chris and Christy, our relentless explorers, found a hidden grove on an overlooking hillside which appeared to be a ruin of an old farm or village, and which had some real magic about it.

We eventually paid the price of this seclusion when our gas ran out, but Chris and Christy mounted a rescue mission and returned triumphant with a cylinder from a yacht moored on the far side of our current island (Meganissi). Christy apparently has a knack for coaxing flammable materials and implements with which to light them from the sea (see the 2002 Nouvelle Caledonie trip).


Synchronised swimming from the Chris and Christy team.	Likewise from Mel and Keith.

I found out later that International Talk Like A Pirate Day passed during our trip, unbeknownst to all. Oh, what fun we could have had.


"Do not drive into the ocean."	A spectacular cliff face on Kefalonia.

Overall this was a great trip, and definitely my favourite sailing jaunt. It was interesting to note that I grew entirely comfortable with life on board and could happily have kept sailing for weeks or even months.


Ithaca! We sailed into the harbour then rode up to the clouds.	The goats of satan.


An absolutely diabolical mooring (my first).	Lying on the chattering beach.	Helen swims on bravely despite suffering an optical illusion.


I call this shot "goat in doorway."	A pair of ultra cool moped dudes showing a bit of leg.	Reece: "I wish they'd stop bloody sightseeing and sit down for a minute."


An olive grove on Paxos.	The quiet, unremarkable Lakka harbour that later became the most welcome sight on our trip.


"Now the rabbit goes up the hole..." "No dude, down the hole."	The narrow passage between Paxos and Antipaxos.