September 2017

Some people asked me to show the inside of the boat. Ellen made some nice pictures of the interior. Something I always forget.

My boat is my home now – and I must say it really has become my home. A nice living space inside and out. Every morning I enjoy the view. She has two separate hulls, so two totally different spaces. Portside is my personal space with a cabin for sleeping, my bathroom and my cabin for tools etc. On starboard there are two guest rooms. I am still working installing a water maker in between these cabins. Furthermore I stashed all kinds of things in every empty space I could find.

In the middle is the saloon, the ‘public’ space. A lot of window and hence light, a kitchen, settee and navigation station.

After staying in a bay on the South side of Kefalonia for two lazy days, we went further North and found a bay near Poros. Two other boats where anchored here too and it looked safe and quiet. Before sunset the other boats left. Probably went for a marina. We stayed. Wondering if they knew more about this place. Well it became a restless night indeed. The wind turned the wrong way and picked up. Leaving was no option anymore, because it had become dark. So I checked the anchor and managed to turn the boat a bit, so the waves where on front. Still, our stuff rolled all around the cabin. I slept outside and woke every hour. But the anchor held. Early the next day we left for Ithaka. The wind was strong and Ellen had a rough ride. I tried to get in the lee of the island Ithaka. Above Kefalonia behind us, the air turned dark grey and we saw lightning and thunder showers.

As soon as we reached Ithaka the wind turned without weakening but all became quiet and friendly sailing a broad reach. Even the dark clouds behind us became a nice view.

After the experience of the restless night I was keen on finding a safe anchorage. I did not spot a nice place on our route so we passed Ithaka and went for Lefkas.

I know a nice lagoon at Nidri. Shallow waters and very safe. It looks like a graveyard of boats, but I like it for that. Not a fancy touristic spot, but a place where everyone is trying to make a living, or just never left.

The lagoon was busy but calm and Nidri is a pleasantly busy touristic place. We celebrated our 14th anniversary together in a nice restaurant.

The next day we went for Horatio in Vliho. An old Scotsman I met on earlier trips. He runs a small maritime company. Maybe he could guard my boat when I will leave for NL for a short time and maybe he knows a yard for wintertime.

The weathered man with the white beard and long hair was still alive and acted the same way as I got to know him years ago. Sitting behind a little desk, bare feet and one toe missing. Horatio has lots of seagoing stories to tell. So after I told him about my accident against the rocks, I asked him if he ever heard of someone falling asleep during watch. Well then we heard remarkable stories. I felt somewhat relieved. I was not the only stupid….

After two days in and around the bay of Nidri we left for Meganissi. A small island nearby with very nice bays.

Normally the bays are very busy with boats, but high season is ending. We anchored in a nice secluded bay. Crystal clear water and a small road to a nice town called Vathi. We cycled to it high above the sea and after dinner on the waterfront cycled back, loaded with groceries, shining light on the badly paved winding road with a torch.

From Meganissi we had a wonderful sailing day to Kalamos and found a beautiful bay at Porto Leone.

A nice small yellow church with clock tower up on the shore.

I saw a lot of small religious buildings at the coast. Something to do with protection of sailors?

We went for a walk to town, but it was too hot to continue and went back. Very nice views though.

Ellen could fly back from Argostoli on Kefalonia, so we headed South again and would go for the marina in Sami. On the route is my favorite town of Vathi on Ithaka, the island of Odysseus. The town sprawls around a large lagoon and is surrounded by green hills with spiky cypresses and full pine trees. Nice to anchor and with the dinghy you can go to shore and tie up right at a nice terrace. I like the environment and atmosphere. The wind can blow very strong and in our case it did, but the shallow waters have good holding grounds.

When we arrived at the entrance of the lagoon, Ellen spotted a water and fuel station. So we went to it right away. We completely ran out of water. The water level of both tanks is very hard to spot, so unexpectedly we ran out. We found a good spot to anchor and went ashore for a drink and nice food. It is very touristic with blue paint and white houses, but still looks nice isn’t it?

The next day we left for a quiet sailing to Sami. We did not know what to expect from the marina but it turned out to be a nice not too busy place.

I moored stern-to, which means you have to drop your anchor and go a stern to the quay. I don’t like this kind of moorings because I have had little practice, but all went well. Our neighbors turned out to be Dutch. It’s a small world.

The next morning Ellen had to leave for the airport in a taxi. The chauffeur saw my sad face I suppose, because he gave us a lot of time to say goodbye. Suddenly I was alone again and for the first time in months I did not like the idea. So I focused on leaving. A bit complicated because although the mooring went well, the anchor was not in front of the boat. So as soon as I would winch up the anchor chain, the boat would be drawn to the neighboring catamaran. Thinking about a way to leave on my own without any damage was enough distraction to get my head straight again. All went well and I left again for Vathi.

I will go to Nidri again. I want to do some work like renewing the anchor and anchor chain, new readings for the water tanks, etc. Nidri has very nice shops for all kinds of parts.
Horatio did find a good winter storage for my boat at Preveza. She will be lifted the 15^th of November and launched again the 15^th of March. I will rent an apartment in Preveza, so I can do more work on the boat and fly back to NL several times to visit the dentist….

I expect not to have much to tell and show for the next couple of months. Not sure if I will publish anything before March 2018. So I will catch up with you next year!

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