To Zakynthos and beyond...

Yes we know it has been a while since our last update (again!!). What can we say we are having fun and haven’t spent much time ashore.
The holding tank was finally completed (cosmetics aside) and we’ve hit the sea sailing…
From Lefkas we turned south and zoomed off to Meganisi and then Sivota on Lefkada and onwards to Ithaca, still surrounded by endless charter boats, flotillas and grumpy English live-aboards. Have to say a lot of the liveaboards have a low tolerance for incompetence and, as it turns out, ex-flotilla crew who insist on squeezing into gaps on the quay that are about 2 ft too small… something about it making them have to adjust their lines and meaning boats actually touch each other , God forbid!! Tee hee… we just can’t help ourselves, if there is a gap remotely the size of our bum we go for it!
From Ithaca we headed sideways to the mainland and for the first time found ourselves alone (at least for one night!). The area around Astrokos was filled with fish farms and huge tankers but we found a wonderful spot out of the prevailing wind and out of the line of sight and sound of the huge cargo port and spent two days polishing guardrails and fixing the odd electrical fault. Unfortunately the domestic battery then decided enough was enough and after 10 years of domestic servitude quit. So it was off to Zakynthos to find a replacement.
Fish farms may cause eutrophication, slime the sea floor and release toxic chemicals but boy do they support the local mammal population. It’s the first time we see dolphins (if you don’t count the dead one near Vonitsa) and we even see a whale!
You can see and hear Zakynthos from miles away… beaches of umbrellas, sprawling hotel developments, squealing para-ascenders and bubble bar music… Rock on!!
We pulled into Ag. Nikolaos after some debate about the wiseness of attempting to shoot the small entrance under full sail at our usual 7 plus knots… thankfully girly sense prevailed and boydom had to admit that it was the right decision as the harbour turned out to be even smaller than expected (about as big as a parking spot designed for a smart car and full of trip boats and bouncy inflatable toys!) and trying to get the sails down in the gusting 20 knot katabatic winds would have been tricky to say the least and would not have been achieved in the required cool and stylish manner which we have come to know and love! At this point it is important to point out that Murray did a marvellous job on the parking front, coaxing Mae in large lazy circles backwards around various moving and otherwise objects in an horrendous cross wind before sliding perfectly between two large yachts… not so the next yachts. As the German guy said next to us “too big a yachts and null practice!” Always entertaining watching parking mayhem! Nice place Nikolaos , but extremely sloppy… so, after being treated to a good old fashioned late night Aussie sing-a-long and the timeless game of lets see who can drink their own wee wee in this nice restaurant, we left at dawn and pootled past the Blue Caves (Ahh seen better!) and into the famous Wreck Bay. It was pretty much wreaked alright! There had been an oil spill overnight and the bay was completely slick with diesel… to the Greeks credit it would explain the two coastguard vessels and a spotter plane that kept circling us! We took the hint and headed off down to Vromi (described in the pilot book as “spectacular”). Humm, spectacular is not really what we said when we came round the corner to find the place jammed packed with trip boats and a friendly sign saying anchoring prohibited! We anchor anyway and put a long line ashore; so technically we not longer anchored but moored! Note: Greek signs are not always what they appear and always assume the Greek method of dealing with them… i.e. don’t worry about them until someone comes and tells you otherwise… hard in this case where you are practically tied to the sign! Interesting place Vromi and I became quite attached to it while Murray had a kip so we stayed the night and I have to say we both enjoyed it immensely in the end, besides Murray really felt he was on holiday when he had to pay 3 euros for his iceblock!
However, a new battery was calling so we cruised out of the bay and headed towards Zakynthos town… via Keri Bay aka Turtle Bay. It’s a complicated place Greece; many rules but little or no enforcement of them. This would explain why we entered Turtle Bay at 4 knots (2 knots under the legal limit of 6 which is designed to prevent you running over the endangered loggerhead turtles that nest here) to be passed by the coastguard and a million and one tourists and trip boats doing at least 10!
Later we aome across two islands that are now out of bounds to everyone to provide at least some privacy and safety for the turtles and an island that authorities have set aside for three endangered species including a mountain sheep… go the Greeks! It is interesting to see that since we were last here in 1997 that Greece has embraced the rubbish bin and, since they have more leisure time and therefore time to go to the beach and explore the countryside, there is a definite shift towards looking after the environment and keeping the place tidy.
And so to Zakynthos town… As our German neighbour in Nikolaos said; “Pah Zakynthos… dark vorter, very bad!” but we think not as bad as everyone else thinks!!
In fact the town is quite pleasant and extremely Greek. Tourists are strategically kept over the hill in Tsilivi. Naturally we want to see what that looks like (plus the lure of a curry was too much) to we brave the taxi into Tsilivi… yep Greek Butlins… awesome! The people watching was excellent… plenty of plump lasses in outrageously high heels and short skirts and burly boys with shaved heads and loud shorts. We thoroughly enjoyed the curry too!
After a relatively painless trip to the one and only chandlery we head off to the mainland once more with a new battery, full bellies and lighter wallets.
Katakolon is a unique place; a touch of Rotorua (slightly whiffy, with a wonderously entertaining farty sea floor), a smidgin of airport terminal (duty free shops on the quay and a million and one jewellery shops) and just a hint of Balclutha on a Sunday afternoon (No shops open and virtually no one there).We have come here because we want to go to the Temple of Vasses and Ancient Olympia so none of this really worries us!! (Well maybe the swarms of giant jellyfish are a bit off putting!!) The car trip out proves to an excellent adventure through the recently mountainous hinterland of the Peloponnese, although it was quite chilling to see the extent of the forest fires from the year before. We went to Vasses first (also known as The Temple of Apollo Epicurus – Apollo was supposed to have saved the local people from the plague in 5th century BC). Just amazing; set high in the mountains and slowly being restored, it has lived in a giant tent since 1987. Brilliant stuff… and we were the only ones there! As we discover in the afternoon all the rest of the people are in Olympia… also very cool but less dramatic somehow apart from the Temple of Zeus. The museum was top knotch, however, and I have to say the camera got a bit of a work out!!
After a few days in Katakolon we have now discovered what the town is all about… cruise ships… every day at least 3400 people descend on the town and suck it dry of provisions and souvenirs… its time to leave!
Down the coast we coast to a little island; N. Proti. In the pilot it is marked as foul and supposed to be full of moorings and other crap… not so people, in fact it is a gorgeous little bay with a small monastery overlooking it. It always pays to go and look for your self! We had just heard that Chris Battson has died so we drink the boat dry in his honour and play music long into the night (I’m not sure the monks appreciated it, the lights kept going on and off, but I’m sure CJ would have enjoyed it immensely!)
When we wake up in the morning, tired but not too hung over; luckily the liquid limit of the boat is relatively small, we find the wind is getting up so we head to the safety of the Ormos Navarinou. What a ride!!! Huge waves, 6-7 knots just under headsail. As we enter the bay we have to “make a reduction” as our Belgium friends say and still enter with palms sweatier than Bramble’s paws at the vets!!
It’s a fantastic bay, nearly circular and the scene of the start of Greek independence. In 1827 the English, Russian and French navy sailed in, bands playing, and proceeded to shoot the crap out of the Turkish-Egyptian boats already anchored there. A 4 hour battle all carried out at anchor… most bizarre!
The bay is also home to Pylos town and we visit just in time to see the 63rd motorbike rally of something or other arrive. Processions of bikes from all different countries, tooting and revving their way around town… great stuff!
But wait there’s more… we now head to Methoni and its Venetian kastro. Now for those at home; you know I like to take the odd photo or two but here I really do lose it and Murray thinks I may have a small amount of Japanese in me!! The fort ruins have “orea atmosphera” and we spend a good two hours crawling all over it and through it. Remind me to show you the photos!!
And then round the corner we wander to Koroni. Both Koroni and Methoni were given to Achillies by Agamemnon for his help with that little Troy matter but I bet Achillies wasn’t so impressed by Koroni. Pretty from the sea that’s for sure but late at night in the habour the ‘turdles’ come out to play and you certainly don’t want to fall out of your dingy on the way back to the boat… poo wee… stinky does not describe it!!! Needless to say we head out as soon as possible and hit the bright lights of Kalamata…