We had to clean and vacate our yacht by 8.30am so that meant for another early morning. I woke around 6am and lay in bed with my eyes closed contemplating getting up. I opened my eyes only to realise my left eye didn’t feel right, I could tell that it wasn’t fully open and I could tell it was swollen. On inspection I realised it was very swollen, I looked like I’d been punched but the only real explanation was that I’d been bitten. The last couple of nights we’d noticed a big increase in mosquitos and you can’t keep all the windows closed as it’s way too hot below deck.
Luckily I’d taken anti-histamines with me so I popped one of them, put my sunglasses on and set about packing and tidying up.
Tilly, our hostie, had hinted at dinner last night that the lead crew would be grateful for any donations so I made up a bag of leftovers – lemon, lime, beer, water and suncream and Colin added it to the other donations left on the quay beside their boat.
By 8am we were all packed up, bags on the quay, bedding bagged up, rubbish delivered to the bins and everything washed and put back where we’d found it. We left a note to say we’d broken 2 glasses and a there was a fendor missing from the boat when we had arrived.
All the other crews were busily packing up and by 8.30am everyone was off the boats and sitting in Olga’s ordering breakfast. We opted for Greek yogurt with fruit and a coffee. You could tell everyone was dissappointed to be going home and I missed the buzz from previous mornings when everyone was excited to be setting off on their sailing adventure.
The first coach picked up at 9am, they were the people going to Bristol airport and were spending the day at a hotel as their flight wasn’t until the evening. Everyone else was being picked up at 10am.
I went for a final walk around to pass some time but there wasn’t any shade and it was already getting really hot so I headed back to Olga’s. Right on time our coach arrived, we loaded our bags and off we set for an hour’s journey to the airport.
It was a really pretty drive, the road was lined with pink and white azaleas and we were high up overlooking the coast. We passed the road turnings for the places we had stayed on the mainland as we headed back to Preveza airport, it was hard to believe we had sailed all that way and looking down at the other sail boats on the water made me realise how small we were on the water.
Back at the airport we off loaded and headed to the check in desk, through security and into the departure lounge. Luckily the anti-histamines had worked some magic and my eye was much less swollen so I could take my sunglasses off. We said goodbye to the people heading off on the Birmingham flight and I sat and read my book until we were called to board the plane.
I engrossed myself in my book all the way home along with admiring the views on route and before I knew it we were landing. We managed to say good bye to more of our fellow sailors whilst collecting our luggage and off we went to get the car. We’d booked valet parking so didn’t have far to go thankfully.
The the reality of being back from holiday hit, before we even reached the motorway the traffic was at a crawl through roadworks, welcome home ……….. take me back to my yacht !!!
Moored at Plateria the realisation that this is our last night before heading home tomorrow started to set in. Everyone was feeling sad at the prospect of the week coming to an end but agree we’ve had an amazing time. We moored up in front of a restaurant called “Olga’s” where we will be eating our last group meal.
Tilly, our hostie, came over to see us once we were moored, to tell us our coach would be picking us up at 10am in the morning and will take us direct to the airport. Tilly also told us that we could pre-order our meal for the evening and that free showers were available at the back of Olga’s. Olga’s also have a bar called “The Deck” so we placed our order for dinner and headed to the bar to get a beer.
We knew we had to get showered, start cleaning up the boat, pack, get rid of rubbish etc etc etc but were happy to sit and enjoy a drink, hoping the night would last forever and tomorrow morning would never arrive. We discussed how much we’d enjoyed the trip, when we might do it again and what type of boat we could hire next time.
Unfortunately time doesn’t stand still and we realise we need to start getting ready for dinner. We finished out beer and headed back to the boat to pick up our towels and toiletries to have a shower. There are 2 showers at Olga’s but only 1 is working, they are lovely and clean and roomy so were happy to wait our turn.
After our shower we head back to the boat to get changed and ready to go out. Once ready I stood on the dock waiting for Colin, Katherine, from one of the other boats saw me and asked me if I’d like a drink so I hop onto her boat and sit with her and her mum, Jan, enjoying a glass of wine. Colin appeared a few minutes later and joined us for a drink.
Before we knew it it was 7.30pm and we headed over to the group meal. They had laid 2 long tables which we sat at and waited for our meal. The staff at Olga’s are really well organised in taking drink orders for each boat and soon after our pre-ordered starters arrive. We shared some calamari and a Greek salad.
There was lots of chatting, talking about the trip, where everyone had been that day and how sad we were about having to go home. We waited ages for our main courses but no-one seemed to care, they are too busy talking. Some of us got distracted by a stray puppy that was happy to be stroked and cuddled.
Finally the main meals came out, Colin and I both chose the seabream with potatoes. The fish was small and the potatoes, well not sure they were potatoes, appeared to be a load of mushy vegetables. It wasn’t great but so busy talking we weren’t really that bothered about the food.
After dinner the lead crew did an award ceremony, each flotilla won a prize. Our prize was called “Zero to Hero” as we had progressed so well during the week and it was presented by Henry, our skipper for the first 2 days.
By the time dinner and the presentations had finished it was gone 10pm and most of us moved on to The Deck bar. We stayed at the bar to have another drink and more chatting before heading to bed around midnight. By this time it was mainly the younger sailors left in the bar. We could still hear the music from the bar when we climbed into bed but it didn’t keep us awake, we were too tired.
We woke up around 6am again, I can’t help but wake early, it’s really warm which doesn’t help you sleep but I’m also excited about setting off for our last day sailing. We put our swimmers on and headed off to the beach, just a couple of minutes walk away and had a refreshing swim. S. Mourtos is a secluded bay and the water much warmer here than at the more open harbours we have stayed in. The water is beautifully clear and you can see the fish swimming around you.
The beach at 7amOur flotilla moored at the pontoon
By the time we have our morning briefing we have dried off, tidied the boat and put everything away ready to set off for the day. It doesn’t take much rocking about for everything to start sliding around below deck so it’s really helpful to make sure all the cups and glasses are stowed away before setting off and it means we keep the place tidy.
We didn’t bother with breakfast during the briefing, just an iced coffee for me and an americano for Colin. We are given directions and instructed to be at Plateria, our final stop, by 5pm. We will be docking stern too and will be given details of our coach pick up details when we arrive.
There are a few options as to where we could go today, Corfu or follow the coast south or north. We decide to go back South and find ourselves another little bay to anchor in. No-one seemed to be in much of a rush this morning but we are keen to get going and are the second boat to leave the dock.
We motor out into open seas but there wasn’t much wind so just head south around the coast with the motor on. This stretch of coastline is stunning, really lush and green and lots of caves to be explored. It’s too deep for us to anchor off and head into any of the big caves so just watch the tourist boats as we pass by.
It was around mid-day when we decided to stop, we’d already checked out a few bays but wanted to find something much quieter than where we’d passed. We watched one of our flotilla anchor off a deserted beach south of our location but decided we didn’t want to head to the same spot and spoil their isolation. We stopped in a small bay which appeared to be occupied by a camper van site. There were a few people on the beach sunbathing and splashing around in the water so we anchored off well away from everyone.
Anchoring is a pretty easy manoeuvre, we have 30 meters of anchor chain and you have to drop 4 times your depth in chain. So that means the maximum depth we can stop in is 10 meters but we aim for a depth of closer to 5 meters so we can drop 20 meters of chain. The shallower the water the paler blue it is too and the more appealing to swim in. After dropping anchor we sit on deck watching to make sure we’re not drifting and that the anchor is holding. Whilst we sat their one of the other boats radioed to tell everyone they had come across some dolphins. Not jealous at all !!! I’ve been keeping an eye out for dolphins all week but haven’t been luckly enough to see any.
Once we were happy the boat wasn’t going to drift off we put the paddle board in the water and have a swim. We spend a good couple of hours, swimming, boarding around the coast line, reading and sunbathing on deck. Lunch wasn’t what we planned. The croissants we bought turned out to have chocolate in them ! We had planned cheese and ham croissants for lunch so Colin was inventive and sliced up a beef tomato and topped each slice with cheese and ham, served with peanuts and a glass of beer it was perfect.
Colin enjoying lunchMe out on the paddle boardColin mastering the paddle board
After a short snooze and another swim we decided we need to set off to our final stop, Plateria, it was going to take a good couple of hours.
Anchor up, paddle board back on deck we start the engine and set off with the intention of getting the sails up for a couple of hours. Colin keeps and eye on the wind direction and we head out to sea. We put the sails up whilst we are still motoring and have a couple of attempts at getting enough wind to turn the engine off. After a couple of goes we decided we were going to have to give up on the sailing and keep motoring if we were to make it to port by 5pm.
It took us 2 hours to get to Plataria, a very flat resort and not as picturesque as previous places we’ve stayed. We needed to moor stern too so we enter the harbour and swing round, Colin drops the anchor when instructed by Yorkie and I reverse up to the dock. I’m yet to master reversing but manage it without hitting anything so happy about that. I learnt today that the best way to travel backwards is to turn around at the wheel and handle the boat the same as you would if you were going forwards, bit late to tell me that now. I’ll just have to remember for next time. We throw the ropes to Yorkie and Benjo on the dock and we are all moored up. This was a sad moment as we realised our sailing on this trip has come to an end.
It was another beautiful evening and after a glass of wine sitting on deck we get ready to go out. Every evening has been really casual on this trip, wearing a t-shirt and shorts actually feels like getting dressed up after spending the day in your swimmers.
We head down to the taverna, part of a villa complex, for dinner and decide to have a cocktail or two before eating. I enjoyed a coupled of martini’s and Colin stuck with the Greek beer, Mythos.
Martini time
The beach front terrace was lovely and looked to be filled with fellow sailors from our flotilla. We ordered a broccoli and cheese pie and baked feta wrapped in filo pastry with honey and sesame seeds, both were delicious and I’m definitely going to try and recreate the baked feta back home. Cheese appears to be predominate ingredient in Greece, although I did speak to a lady who was dairy intolerant and she said she’d managed to avoid it ok during her trip.
I opted for chicken with mushroom sauce and Colin went for fillet steak, medium rare. Unfortunately the steak wasn’t up to much and we ended up sharing my chicken which was really tasty. Both dinners came with chips and both commented we should have asked for salad and actually could have just had the starters with a Greek salad, it would have been more than adequate.
Baked feta with honey and sesameCheese and broccoli pie
They bought us water melon for dessert whilst we enjoyed the sun setting behind the hills. The sky turned a beautiful pink giving an ideal photo opportunity of our yachts looking pretty in the bay. We finished dinner about 10pm, just after the sun had set.
Watermelon for dessert
All this sun and sailing makes you super tired so we headed back to the yacht for coffee on deck before going below to sleep.
Stunning sunsetLooking back at the restaurant from our yacht
Sivota looks like a really pretty place, we are moored a bay round from the main harbour and it’s either a 5 minute dingy ride (with motor) or 10 minute walk. I suggested we walk in to town to get food supplies for the morning.
We set off with just flip flops on our feet and after climbing a very steep road comment that this maybe wasn’t such a good idea, we were walking up and up and up.
I suggested to Colin we might want to turn back, it was scorching hot and both of us were regretting our choice of foot wear.
Nope, Colin said we’ve set off so we’re going. A steep road down followed the walk up and we eventually arrived at the main harbour ready for refreshment.
We bumped into some fellow sailors and they invited us to join them. They were playing bridge in a harbour front bar whilst enjoying a glass of wine.
After an hour or so of chatting we headed to the supermarket to get supplies.
We stocked up on croissants, ham, fruit, beer and wine and got a cab back to the bay with 2 of the people we had met up with. We took all the shopping back in the can whilst the others walked back. The taxi driver got upset with us as we told him the wrong place to take us back to and he had to do a big detour to get us back.
Back at the boat we unloaded the shopping and started getting ready for dinner
I woke at 6am in Mongonisi to a beautiful morning again. I went out on to deck, everything was so still.
I had to be super quiet as people are sleeping on deck where it is cooler.
It’s not long before people start to wake, a couple paddle board around the bay and people start slipping into the water off the back of their boats for a morning swim.
The briefing at 9.30am tells us we are heading back to the main land, Sivota Mourtous.
After a breakfast of ham and mushroom omelette at the taverna we were the second of our flotilla to set sail.
We headed straight out of the bay on a course of 10 degrees, just south of our evening destination so that we could stop off in a bay for lunch.
The wind was pretty much non existent so motored all the way.!
We found a beautiful bay with some tavernas along the beach and Colin dropped the anchor. We wanted to head to the beach to get lunch so Colin put the engine on the dingy. The engine is really heavy and not the easiest thing to manoeuvre into place whilst the yacht and dingy are bobbing about in the water, not sure what would happen if he slipped and dropped it into the sea.
Engine on we motor to the beach, lift the dingy onto the sand and head off in search of lunch along the talcum powder and paddling in the warm blue water. We find a taverna and order beers, followed by a Greek salad and calamari. We sit admiring our yacht floating in the bay all on its own, it looks just like in the holiday brochure.
We strolled back to the dingy along the beach and off we went back to our yacht for a swim in this idyllic bay.
We laid out on the deck to dry off whilst listening to music (next time I’ll be more prepared with music and a wireless speaker) and admiring the views.
At around 3.45pm we start packing up, bringing the paddle board back on deck and winching in the anchor. Off we set again but there still isn’t any wind so motor on we set off for Sivota M.
We were told of 2 routes into port. Round the headland or through a shallow channel between an island and the mainland. We started heading round but when we saw other boats heading for the channel we decided to do the same so changed course. The channel is only 2-3 meters deep and we were told to keep right in the middle to avoid beaching the boat. I asked Colin to take the helm and steer us through. He was reading out the depths from the instrument panel as we moved forward, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 meters. I was cringing, waiting for a crunch of the keel hitting the sand but it didn’t happen, we were through and heading to the pontoon. I radioed in to say we were pulling into the bay and Yorkie told us to dock stern too, that means reversing in. I took the helm and Colin flipped the fenders over the sides of the boat and headed to the bow ready to drop anchor. I manoeuvred the boat ready to reverse in and we followed Yorkie’s instructions. It’s a relief to be moored up, docking the boat can be a bit stressful.
We sat on the boat having a beer as we watched our fellow yachts mooring up beside us.
I was up again early this morning, about 6.30. Parga is quite a big tourist resort so everything was coming to life early and fishing boats were going out of the area we were moored in.
We had left our dingy on the beach last night as the taxi dropped us off direct to our boat so Colin managed to drop down off the bow of the boat and rowed it back to the stern. He had originally planned to swim round but that obviously wasn’t so appealing when it came to it.
We had plenty of time before our 9.30am briefing so decided to walk round the bay to get a coffee and to see if we could find some more cold bottled water for today’s journey.
We only walked 5 minutes before we came across a mini market and then stopped on the way back at a beach front hotel for a coffee. Another couple from our flotilla arrived for coffee and they joined us and we sat discussing how great the trip was so far.
We arrived back at our boat just in time for the briefing, today we are off to Mongonisi Bay on Paxos. We were advised to be there around 2pm if we wanted to get a bow or stern too spot on the quay. Late arrivals would likely need to anchor in the bay (free swing).
After the briefing everyone seemed to be hanging around, Colin was keen to get going and was the first to radio the lead crew “Kamara, Kamara, this is Filiata, we are ready to leave”. Yorkie, the lead boat skipper loosened our bow anchor from the sand and Colin reeled it in, its electronic so that ones nice and easy. Colin then had to pull the stern anchor (kedge) in by hand as I slowly reversed out of our mooring. As soon as we started pulling out I heard everyone else start radioing to say they were good to go too.
Once out of the harbour and heading towards Paxos we put our sails up. It wasn’t very windy but we managed to do some tacking but the wind was directly in front of us and we didn’t seem to be making much progress. A passing yacht made a gesture as to blow into our sails as they motored passed us. We left our genoa sail up and put the engine on to help us along. The wind did pick up slightly as we got further out in the channel towards Paxos but not enough to turn the engine off.
On route to Mongonisi
As we approached Mongonisi I said to Colin we hadn’t seen Kamara, our lead boat, who would be directing us how to dock. I looked round to see them motoring towards us, I knew it was them as their mast is covered in loads of colourful flags.
We slow down to let them get ahead and follow 2 more of our flotilla around the headland into a beautiful little bay. Mongonisi has a bar, taverna, shower block and a few villas dotted into the hillside. There’s no supermarket but you could walk into town in about 50 minutes, we didn’t even attempt that, it was far too hot. There’s Greek dancing tonight in the restaurant so that’s going to be interesting.
The first of our flotilla moored up quickly, the second seemed to be having a few problems as the wind was blowing them off course so they had to go back round the bay and try again. Their anchor has got caught on someone else’s so they had to untie it from the boat and let it go.
We spent about 20 minutes sitting in the bay, carefully trying to manoeuvre our boat back and forth whilst trying to dodge other yachts, day boats, paddle boards and swimmers. It starts getting a bit hairy, it’s not like you can just switch your engine off and stop in one place when you are bobbing about in the water with a wind trying to push you towards land, in a bay that is very shallow. I was keeping an eye on the depth gauge as I controlled the boat, the last thing I want to tell them is that I’ve hit a rock or sand bank.
We finally moor up, bow too, and can relax. This mooring business is probably the most stressful part of sailing, well, apart from then you’re listing so far over your think you’re going to capsize.
We tucked into our lunch, the leftovers from dinner last night, chicken, octopus, sword fish, chorizo, salad and pita bread, washed down with a beer.
Colin had a swim in the bay and I took the paddle board out, I still haven’t progressed to standing though !
We walked round to the bar to get a drink and enquire about dinner and en route bumped into Tilly, our hostie. She’d booked a table for 8pm for a group meal and said that Greek dancing would start at 9pm.
We bought a couple of tokens to use the showers, most places have been free, and after enjoying an iced coffee we headed back to our yacht to grab towels and toiletries.
On arrival at the showers, Jan, off of “Tasia” was rinsing her hair in the sink. You only get 3 minutes of running water for your 4 euros and your supposed to be able to stop and start the flow. Jan had stopped hers whilst shampooing and it hadn’t started again. Luckily the same didn’t happen to me but you try and shower with just 3 minutes of water, it’s not easy and I certainly didn’t have time to run a razor over my legs.
We headed back to get changed for dinner and sat on deck talking to the people moored next to us, who were part of a Neilson flotilla. They had spent the week around Corfu and Paxos and said they actually preferred the North Ionian, rather than the South. Remember, we were supposed to be in the South but our route was changed.
We headed to pre-dinner drinks about 7.15. Not impressed that someone had taken our step that was at the bow of our boat so we could disembark easily, not to worry though, we stole it back on our way home later.
Everyone in the bar was exchanging tales of their days sailing and talking about how much they were enjoying the trip.
We all sat at 2 long tables, the waiters obviously geared up for flotilla groups, taking orders for individual boats and swiftly delivering the food as and when it was prepared. They seem to have the process down to a fine art.
9am and the Greek dancing commences, then all of a sudden they stop and all the lights start going off. We comment that it ended a bit abruptly and then all of a sudden the dance area lights up as a Sambucca is spread over the floor and set light to. The male dancer moving across the dance floor in the flames. The evening continued with more Greek dancing with everyone up, arms around each other in one long snake of people dancing around. Followed by an array of different music where people were dancing until midnight.
Dance floor lighted ready for some Greek dancingGreek Dancing
Heading back to the boat we picked up the steps someone had taken from our mooring and headed off to bed. But not before sitting on deck with our balloon for lights, a cup of coffee and the apple pie.
Our balloon from Parga to light up the deck at night
The flotilla punch party finished at 8pm and we jumped on a boat taxi to Parga town to hunt out some dinner.
The taxi boat seats about 30 people and whizzed through the bay and around the headland. We turn the corner and were met by a pretty town nestled in the hill side with hundreds of bars and restaurants all buzzing with tourists.
We paid our 5 euro return fare and hopped off the boat onto the quay.
Pleased we’d made the trip into town we started hunting for a restaurant for dinner. We have a bad habit of wandering around for ages looking at restaurants but decided we just needed to pick something and go for it. We found a table in a place “Restaurant Gemini” and swiftly ordered drinks.
Dinner was a mixed grill for me and mixed seafood for Colin. The food was delicious but way too much of it, in fact there was so much of it left we asked if they could box it up for us to take home. Perfect for lunch the next day.
Seafood grill at Gemini Restaurant
Colin asked for the bill and also if we could take one of their candles, to light our cockpit in the evening. Not only did the waiter say yes he went and found us a new one, how very sweet of him.
I’m sure we could have wandered around all the back streets for hours, they were crammed full of gift shops, restaurants, clothings stores and many more but it was really busy and we didn’t have the energy or patience to negotiate our way around the many tourists. I spotted a bakery selling spinach and feta pie, we had it the previous year in Mykonos and it was lovely, and headed straight for it. We bought some to go with our lunch leftovers the next day.
The bakery was filled full of cakes, breads, pastries and also the freezer display units with the prettiest looking ice lollies. Colin opted for a slice of apple pie which they boxed up to take back to the boat to have with coffee later.
We picked up water, ice, yogurt and fruit from a supermarket for breakfast and grabbed a glass of wine and beer whilst waiting for the taxi to arrive to take us back to our boat.
They were selling balloons on the quay, covered in colourful lights. I’d commented earlier that we could do with some fairy lights for the boat canopy, I told Colin if they were 5 euro’s or less I was having one to light up our cockpit. They were exactly 5 euro so had to buy one.
The taxi arrived and we jumped on board. Back round the headland the way we came but this time in pitch black, I have no idea how the skipper knew where he was going but manoeuvred around the rocks with ease. Everyone on the taxi had boats moored in the bay so the taxi dropped everyone back at their own boat, manoeuvring round and locating the boats by torch light.
We had a lovely evening out but were pleased to be back on board our boat, leaving all the hustle and bustle behind us.
We had a quick cuppa before heading to bed, we decided to leave the apple pie for another day.
Shattered from what seemed like a very long day I fell into bed and was one of the few people who didn’t hear all the lead crew and younger people in the flotilla come back, trying to be quite but apparently making lots of noise, at 4am.
We had a 9.30am briefing today so no rushing around today. Lovely chilled morning enjoying a cuppa on the deck and then back across all the boats to the meeting.
All the boats were lined up in a raft and we were 2nd from the end so didn’t have to wait too long before we were off. Same routing getting out of the harbour as we had getting in, following Benjo in his dingy, no beer in hand though at 10.30 in the morning.
Today we are going it alone. Just Colin and I. Henry, our skipper for the last 2 days has got a ride on another boat, which he’ll be pleased about as we are going to Parga, one of his favourite beaches.
We head out of the harbour and out to sea and when we are well clear of land we decided to have a go at putting the sales up. It’s such a beautiful day and much calmer than yesterday but that also means not much wind.
First Colin puts out the genoa sail (the front one to you and I) and it flaps around a bit whilst I steer the boat around to try and pick up the wind. Then the main sail goes up and I turn off the engine. Colin pulls on ropes and winds in winches to adjust the sails until he’s happy and off we go. There isn’t much wind and it’s heading straight at us, not the ideal direction so we decide we need to tack, you know, the zig zagging thing I spoke of before.
Lots of our group passed us with their engines on heading for 2 Rock Bay, a bay stop lunch and swim spot en route.
We spend a brilliant morning sailing, the wind was low enough for us to practice but still be able to use the sails. We headed into 2 Rock Bay at around 1.15am and dropped anchor.
We were really proud of ourselves having made it through the morning on our own.
The bay was stunning. A dozen or so boats all anchored off shore in the bay, people swimming off a small beach and a pretty looking bar up on the cliff.
We decided to make lunch and enjoy the stunning views before having a swim. Nothing too great on the menu. A couple of croissants filled with left over cheese and tomato. The croissants we bought were stodgy and I spent lunch telling Colin we need to plan better for tomorrow.
After lunch we had a refreshing swim and got the paddle board out. I managed to progress to kneeling but Colin managed to get up on his feet.
I paddled around the bay, around the other boats, saying hello to the other boats in our flotilla, peering into caves and taking in the views. I think I could get used to this sailing thing.
We headed out of the bay around 3pm, winched in the anchor and headed back out to sea. It was windier than this morning so quickly got the sails up, the wind still towards us, so more tacking. We managed to get the boat going at a consistent 3 knots, I’m not sure it that’s fast or not, doesn’t feel super fast but we’re still moving along and a steady pace. We were only doing 3.5 knots yesterday in much stronger wind. Although there was some discussion between Colin and Henry yesterday as to whether the speedo was correct and we are going faster than it says.
We spent a good hour sailing, taking, Colin checking the GPS to make sure we were heading for the right bay and then the wind really got up. We need to go straight ahead to go into Parga, our overnight stop, but we were losing speed, in fact practically stopped and doing 0.3 knots. We decided to tack, at thing point everything went wrong!
The wind caught the genoa sail as it dropped and it was flapping around everywhere, Colin couldn’t pull it in straight. We were listing over really bad and there was a lot of frantic talking about which way to steer and to put the engine on. I needed to steer left but the wheel was as far as it could go, I honestly thought the boat was going to capsize. Colin managed to pull the sail in and we got control for a few seconds then we were listing against, I couldn’t steer the boat and I started to panic.
Colin was calling to me to put more throttle on the engine and steer, I was but nothing seemed to help me get control.
He then started to drop the main sail, not easy when the boat is listing and he’s trying to tell me what to do. The sail is jammed, yes JAMMED. Red cable to pull sail in (STOP) jammed, green cable to pull out (GO) jammed!!!!
The wind was getting stronger and the sky blacker, I was panicking even more and Colin decides to go out on the front deck to see why it’s jammed. Not a good idea when the boat is listing so much and I haven’t got control, what do I do if he goes over board? S**t ! I really wasn’t liking sailing at this point !!!
Colin can see the problem but can’t clear the cable, it’s proper jammed. He comes back to the cockpit and heads below deck to radio for help.
“Kamara, Kamara, this is Filiata, we have a jammed sail, can you help?” “No problem, where are you”. Colin had a rough idea of where we were and we were told to head towards Parga. I put the throttle up and started to head in, the main sail now flapping around in the wind.
Yorkie came speeding towards us in his dingy, I slowed down as he pulled up at the back of our boat and hopped on board. Colin pointed out the problem and he swiftly jumped on the front deck, gave the cable a good tug and it freed up. Yorkie jumped back in his boat and headed back, obviously all in a days work for him as he said “no problem, that happens sometimes”. All I can say is I hope it doesn’t happen again to us.
Colin winches in the main sail and we head towards the port, and then the heavens open. It reminded me of the the weather in the alps. Beautiful sun followed by high winds, then the black cloud and then the downpour. We should have recognised the pattern being so close to mountains.
There was a queue to get us moored up, 2 boats in front of us so we had to wait a while just out of the harbour. All sorts was going on, the rain was pouring down, someone was swimming, yes, swimming across the harbour mouth and then the boat in front of us needed pushing in as the engine failed. I just wanted to get into the harbour and stop!
Finally it was our turn, I told Colin he’d have to motor in, we were mooring straight onto a beach. Colin took the boat nice and slow and for some reason I decided to get on the deck. As the boat hit the sand I fell over, Hurriedly getting to my feet un hurt.
Finally we were moored up, anchors down and we could relax. We were soaked from the rain and stood on deck exchanging tales with fellow flotillas about our day at sea.
We were all moored bow to the shore so the only way off the boat was by water, dingy, paddle board or swim.
There was no time to go and explore before we all met for punch and nibbles on the beach.
I’ll fill you in on our evening out in Parga a bit later on.
Have I mentioned our route changed and we are no longer staying in the South Ionian?
Thought so. Well today we headed off up north.
We were up at 6am, sitting on the deck with a cuppa. We seem to be the only people who are up and about early. There was no briefing this morning as we did that last night and we’re all under instructions to be away by 9am.
We picked up our croissants and water and enquired about breakfast, nope, they don’t start till 8.30am and we don’t have time. I grabbed some pots of Greek yogurt and quickly ate some with a peach before we set sail.
Henry, our skipper, was back on board today as he needed to get us up through the Lefkas canal and into the North Ionian Sea.
Everyone is going to motor to the canal bridge to make sure they get there. Apparently the bridge is only lifted once an hour (if you’re lucky) on the hour, and you only get 10 minutes before they close it again.
The trip up through the south to the canal was stunningly beautiful. So calm, the sun was shining and I loved that we all headed up there together.
We were all challenged to wear fancy dress as we went through the canal, luckily Colin had his glasses and Hawaiian shirt to wear. I opted for a a tea towel as a hat. Yep, silly I know but you should have seen some of the others 🙂
We all arrived at the canal together with 10 minutes to spare, through the bridge and out into the Northern Ionian Sea.
As soon as we sailed through the bridge the wind and choppy seas hit us, no more mill pond we’d just experienced for 2 hours. This was the start of our 4 1/2 hour sail to Ligia. And what a sail it was.
The boat was tilted over to one side (don’t know the official name for this) and I was scared. It felt like the boat was going to tip over. Henry and Colin weren’t fazed at all.
I decided we should eat. We had croissants, cheese and tomato but I needed to put the ingredients together. So off I went down stairs. Only to appear 5 minutes later feeling really sick with a sea sickness tablet in hand. I announced “there’s food downstairs but you will have to make it yourself” There was no way I was going back down there in the rough seas.
They both opted to eat leftover baguette from yesterday and some crisps.
It took more than and hour for my sickness to subside but luckily survived the rest of the journey.
We made it to Ligia where we had to wait outside the harbour to be guided in my Benjo off the lead boat. It’s a really narrow entrance with hazards both sides. Safely in and docked as a harbour I was relieved that day of sailing was done. 6 1/2 hours non stop was hard going but at least now we are much further up North.
Ligia is a pretty little fishing village with a taverna, showers (check out the pic) and free water. Yes, free water, you soon get excited about these things when you’re sailing. Wasn’t so excited about the showers though, people were liking them to air raid shelters, something off of M.A.S.H or decontamination chambers.
Before my shower I ventured out on my paddle board, sitting down, not sure if I’m ready to stand just yet.
Showered and dressed we set off across all the boats (they are all lined up together in a raft formation) and headed to dinner. We enjoyed some calamari, sardines, Greek salad and chips, yum.
We climbed back over the boats back to ours for a final glass of wine and now I’m off to bed. Ready for day 3.
Ionian Sea Sailing Trip 