Of Aegina and Engineers

"Hello Fiona" I was greeted as we tied up in Flisvos Marina by a man I'd never met before in my life. "You're the reason we're here in Greece." My first thought was that the nice people from Camelot had tracked me down after tracing a winning ticket back to my name, but amazingly, that wasn't the case. It turned out that Alex and his family had been boating off Scotland for a while, but after reading our articles in Motor Boat and Yachting, decided that the Med was the place to be, so they'd bought a boat in Croatia and last year sailed it down to Athens! Fortunately, all seem to have gone pretty well, otherwise I think we may have been blamed for their decision!!
Flisvos is a huge, modern and efficient marina, with restaurants and bars along the waterfront and some amazing boats tied up here. The largest is akin to a small cruise ship and has not only it's own berth but an entire pier to itself! If Greece is broke at the moment, I'd love to see the boats they'd buy if they were feeling flush!!
Frank flew back to Jersey for a few days and I stayed on board. With overcast skies and the occasional drop of rain, I spent the first day just getting Zaffina shipshape, and the following morning, assembled my collapsible (but hopefully not whilst I'm on it) bike and cycled off to explore the area. There's a lovely park just outside the marina, and then a long seafront promenade which stretches for miles and has a couple of nondescript little beaches along the way - Flisvos is not a bad place to be stuck, and once the sun put in an appearance and the rainclouds completely disappeared, I was able to enjoy a pleasant and very hot afternoon on the beach, near a group of elderly Greek men who were playing a board game and singing along with a tinny radio, very loudly and extremely out of tune.
The marina has a facility to do grocery shopping, and as there aren't any supermarkets within walking distance, I gave them a long list of items we required. When my shopping appeared, all was well apart from one error...instead of a Galia or Charantais melon, the most enormous watermelon, three times the size of my head and weighing a ton, was delivered to the boat! Despite giving away large portions, setting up a little table with a notice saying "help yourself" and trying to come up with various watermelon salad variations, it's difficult to get through such an gigantic fruit when you're on your own! I don't think I ever want to see a watermelon again in my life!
As usual, there were a few hiccups to be dealt with whilst we were in port, and workmen came on board to check out the various tasks. One problem was that the blowers on the engines weren't working, and although in the short term that wasn't a big worry, we didn't want to undertake any long journeys without them. But small problems sadly can turn into big ones, and we were told we'd need several days in port whilst they were fixed, and indeed, repair may be impossible and instead they may need replacing at painful expense.
The engineers weren't free until after the weekend, so with Frank now back from Jersey, we took a gentle trip down to the island of Aegina, just an hour away from Athens and earmarked a couple of lovely anchorages for future visits. Although we only nosed in for a quick look, Aegina Town seems delightful and we'll definitely head back there later in the summer, but after spending the afternoon at anchor, we continued to a very quiet little port further south, Perdika, where we spent the night tied up to the town quay. Our arrival was almost textbook, despite a cross wind, so it was fun a short while later on to watch a professional skipper on a boat slightly larger than Zaffina make a complete pig's ear of his berthing, amidst much shouting and swearing at his crew.
On Sunday we meandered a short way along the coast to Pirgos, one of several anchorages on the south coast, and I had my first swim ashore with the ropes of the season - not my favourite task, especially when the water is still pretty chilly, but worth it for the security we have once we're tied from both stern quarters, as well as firmly anchored in situ. As Sundays go, it was pretty idyllic, just lazing on board, swimming occasionally and watching other boats - mostly large motoryachts with crew on board - come in and tie up nearby. But when evening fell, we were one of only two boats remaining at anchor, and spent a perfect and peaceful night on a remarkably calm sea. For our first night at anchor of the season, it really couldn't have been better.
It was an early start on Monday as we needed to be back in port for the engineers, but we'd overlooked one vital fact...using the engines for an hour meant they were too hot to work on when we got back into Flisvos and consequently we had to put the work back by another day. Very frustrating, especially as the sea conditions have been perfect since the weekend, and we were hoping to get down to the Cyclades this week; instead, we're still waiting for the blowers to be fixed, but the good news (keeping fingers firmly crossed) is that the engineers said they've managed to repair them so they don't need to be replaced after all, and they should be fitted tomorrow morning. Watch this space!

Aghia Efimia to Aegian

After two nights in Aghia Efimia we were off again, this time heading east for brand new for cruising grounds. The Ionians faded into a lilac haze as we ventured into the Gulf of Patras, the channel leading eventually to the Corinth Canal and the entrance to the Aegean. For most of the journey, the sea was delightfully calm, but after we'd passed under the Patras Bridge, which is famous for something (aren't all bridges?) but I can't remember what, things chopped up a little. No great problem, as it was on the stern and giving us an easy ride until the last part of our journey when we approached the tiny island of Trizonia. No, we'd never heard of Trizonia either and I agree, it does sound like a made-up name for the baddie's lair in Thunderbirds, but it really does exist, honest. Frank brought Zaffina in well despite the wind and the slight obstacle of a sunken yacht in the middle of the marina, serving as a reminder not to pull the plug out when you're on a boat, and a very grumpy Scotsman who almost scuppered our efficient arrival by tugging ridiculously hard on the bow rope I'd thrown him. We were already being pushed rapidly onto the berth and could have done without the extra impetus, but despite his "help", we tied on successfully as he retired ungracefully to his yacht grumbling about motorboats under his breath. 

Once we had made fast, we ventured out to explore our surroundings, and the tiny port turned out to be very picturesque, with a handful of tiny cafes on the quayside and a ridiculous number of stray but well-fed cats gazing in rapt adoration at anyone likely to throw scraps to them. 

The wind was relentless throughout the night and despite the shelter of the marina, it was a noisy stay with waves slopping against the hull, but by the time we rose in the morning, things had calmed down a little and we were able to get away without too much ado, and fortunately without the help of the grumpy Scot. We only had a short trip ahead, and although conditions weren't bad, neither were they that nice, so it was a relief to arrive at our next stop Galixidhi - and not only a relief, but also a delight when we saw how pretty the place was, with a harbour-side of multi-coloured houses and tavernas backed by a small hill with an elegant church at the top. Although we'd worried about getting a berth, we were lucky enough to find a spot on the quayside where we could moor starboard-to, and then relax and watch the comings and goings from our great vantage point. Later that day, we realised how lucky we were to have set out early - other boats, which came in later, told of unpleasant conditions and rising wind. We ended up with a yacht rafted alongside us that had set off from the same port earlier in the day, battled against the winds for five hours and eventually turned round and returned to their starting point after encountering winds of 55 knots.

With the forecast for more wind, we hired a car and drove to Delphi, home of the Oracle and site of impressive ancient ruins on Mount Parnassas. Our arrival unfortunately coincided with a couple of coach trips, but once we managed to bypass the crowds, the site was breath-taking and brought to mind the gods of ancient Greece. Apparently Zeus sent out a couple of eagles from either side of the heavens, and announced that wherever they met would be deemed to be the centre of the world. They met in Delphi. Joanna Lumley explains all this stuff better than I do - I wish I'd concentrated more when I saw her wonderful programmes on Greece recently. The stadium at the top of the site, where the Delphi Games were held (foreruners - in every sense - of the Olympics) was simply amazing and almost deserted as the guided tours finished at the amphitheatre below. 

At this point I would like to advise you never, ever, to eat at the Delphi Museum Cafe. It is beyond horrible. 

We drove further up the mountain to see what was there and found ourselves in a ski resort. It seemed rather incongruous after we'd just been wandering around ancient Greece in the sunshine, and positively wintery as well with the temperature around 10 degrees cooler than a few miles below. 

On Saturday we finally departed from Galixidhi and continued our trek up the gulf. The sky was grey and the sea had rather too many white crests for my liking, but we'd been in port long enough and according to the forecast, the worst of the wind had passed and this was a good time to be moving on. Although the sun kept promising to break through the cloud, it failed to deliver until we were almost at the entrance to the Corinth Canal, when finally the skies cleared to a pristine blue and we were able to cast off sweaters and enjoy the sun's rays.

We had been apprehensive about the time we would have to wait to go through the canal, as the pilot booked warned that waiting times can be up to three hours, but as luck would have it, as we approached we could see the yachts that had been milling around the entrance suddenly line up and disappear. Frank called the control when we were still a mile out, fearful that we were too late and would have to wait for these to get through and then the westbound traffic to take a turn, but to our surprise they kept the gates open for us and with no delay whatsoever, we sailed into the Corinth Canal. 

And what an experience it was! The sun was beating down on us, the sky a jagged line of blue high above, sandwiched between two towering sand-coloured cliffs. It is impossible, I think, to sail through here without thinking of the feat of engineering that created this pathway between two seas, and imagining the ancient peoples who had to make the trek overland, with carts and livestock, before the creation of this canal. Several bridges spanned the gash through which we sailed, and viewers peered down at us, taking photographs and watching our progress, as we savoured the short journey into the Aegean. And then stopped at the Canal office to pay an eyewatering 375 euros for the pleasure!

After a brief stop for lunch and sunbathing between the Corinth Canal and Athens, we entered Flisvos Marina, a modern development and apparently Greece's only 5 star marina, where we were expertly guided to our berth and helped to tie up. 

And more on Flisvos and Athens shortly…

Welcome to 2014!

I didn't bother to write this blog last year because it seemed a lot of effort and I was feeling particularly lazy (for the entire year you understand). However, a new season is upon us and I feel moved to record it, so here we go again...welcome back to Zaffina to the Med, although perhaps I should rename it Zaffina to the Aegean.
We flew to Corfu a week ago and arrived to the start of beautiful weather, after a bout of particularly bad conditions over Easter and onwards. Zaffina was looking fab, and a sea trial the day after our arrival showed that most things were in order, save a few small tasks that needed completion before our departure. This gave us time to enjoy a couple of days in this lovely island where we spent several weeks last year, so we naturally revisited our favourite restaurant in the old town and also hired a car and went to Cassiopi, a beautiful little port recommended by Adam after he spent a night there last year.
The Ionian Islands are at their spring best, withe splashes of yellow broom on the hillsides and the scent of orange blossom in the air. It seems that nature is coming alive again after the winter, and celebrating a return to the balmier climes of early summer. We saw our first swallow, and after commenting that one was insufficient to herald the new season, another swiftly made an appearance. Huge dandelion clocks threaten to disintegrate when the wind comes up and skinny Greek cats are vying for areas of sunshine in which to stretch out and while away the warm hours of the day. Pretty soon they'll be searching for shady spots but for now the temperature suits them to perfection.
We slipped out of Corfu marina on Friday morning and sped over a calm sea to the beautiful little island of Paxos, one that had become a firm favourite last year. Port Gaios was almost empty when we arrived, but surprisingly the tripper boats are already operating, and an hour or so later, they were disgorging the day visitors onto the quay. When we were here last September, one of them hooked our anchor on departure which caused quite a hassle, and we ended up with an irate skipper and crew yelling at us across the water. They were especially unamused when I grabbed my camera and video to record the moment. Just for the record, we were already at anchor when they arrived and had done nothing to cause the entanglement, but they still seemed to blame us!
Paxos was even more delightful off season and we would happily have stayed for another night or two, but we wanted to press on southwards and the following morning saw us heading down to Lefkas where the entrance to the canal opens on the hour. We calculated that we would have about two mins to spare, so increased our speed to ensure we were ready for the moment the bridge/boat swung back and allowed us through and into the oil calm waters of the canal.
As we came out at the south end, the wind was blowing a little more but conditions were pretty good for the time of year, and passing Messalongi, Skorpios and Nidri was a trip down memory lane after all our cruising in this area last year.
We crossed the channel south of Lefkas, and keeping Ithaca to port, charted a course to the beautiful little town of Fiskardo on the northern tip of Kefalonia. And it was just as beautiful as we remembered! Since we were last here, the pontoons have been removed leaving us no choice but to tie up on the quay in very shallow water. With the wind blowing us sideways, it was quite a tricky manoeuvre to get into our berth, but we managed without embarrassing ourselves and then just stopped to drink in the beauty of our surroundings.
Again it was just a one night stop, but one we thoroughly enjoyed with a pleasant dinner in a little square overlooking the port. Our British neighbours on a small yacht spent a memorable evening in a music bar and re-appeared the following morning looking jaded and somewhat worse for wear. After a stroll to the showers they reported to us that there was a car in the sea around the corner! To our surprise, this wasn't an alcohol induced hallucination and there was indeed a small, white car neatly parked beneath the surface by the entrance to the marina. Apparently the driver had parked on the nearby hill but omitted to set the handbrake!
When we left Fiskardo port,  we were delighted to see an old friend moored nearby. We have spent a coupe of very enjoyable cruising holidays in the Caribbean in Sea Dream, and there was one of their two cruise ships in front of us! We called up the captain and Frank had a chat with him as we idled nearby. He regretfully informed us that she was being chartered, and otherwise we would have been invited alongside and on board - what a treat that would have been! Promising a return visit in due course, we turned south again, stopping for lunch and an afternoon sunbathing in an anchorage we'd nicknamed One Eye Bay, before sailing down to Aghia Efimia.
We spent many days here last year and were welcomed back like old friends. Our favourite spot on the quay was ready for us and George and Magis, the harbourmaster and his assistant, were in hand to welcome us alongside. It feels like we've barely been away!
And that's it for now. I'm sitting in the sunshine at a cafe on the port, drinking in the fresh orange juice and the atmosphere and falling in love with Greece all over again. Tomorrow we turn to the east and start a new journey to a cruising ground in the Aegean, but first we have to negotiate the Corinth Canal, and that should be an interesting experience.