 |
| Kalamata to Zakynthos |
Next morning, after a
leisurely start, we sailed off the anchor and headed for Koroni,
another fortified town, but this time on the south western side of
the Gulf of Messiniakos.
 |
| Sunset at Ormos Kitries |
The forecast was for southerly winds and it
was a slow passage across but but 1700 we had dropped anchor on the
north side of the breakwater and were looking forward to a settled
night. Neptune had other ideas! By 2100 we and the other five yachts
anchored in the area were all looking nervously at our anchors and
wondering whether to put to sea or stay put. The wind had gone back
to the north east and was gusting to 28kts producing a nasty chop as
well. Two abandoned the anchorage, we chose to move further out when
the anchor dragged in order to be able to pay out more cable. We
re-anchored at 2300 and although far from comfortable we spent a safe
night in the anchorage before moving in the early morning to the
beach to the south of Koroni where we anchored relatively close in to
allow Christoph and Yorgos to swim ashore and go and look at he town
and castle;
 |
| Departing Koroni |
I had been here two years earlier and so stayed onboard
to look after Kurukulla. Later in the afternoon we sailed off the
anchor and set course for the anchorage just east of Ak (Cape)
Akritas. I had anchored here before and it is a delightful deserted
bay with very good holding on sand. On arrival we found one other
yacht in the anchorage but ghosted in and anchored 100m further along
the beach. The only other residents were a goatherd and an Austrian
couple in their camper van who had found their way down there.
We awoke to find a
strong westerly wind wind blowing and in no time had taken the
decision that we were going no where; as a consequence we passed a
quiet and pleasant 24 hours sheltering in the tranquil waters of the
bay. The morning after the wind had mostly abated and the seas had
calmed somewhat and so we sailed off the anchor and set off for
Methoni our next port of call. Methoni was a brisk two hour beat away
but the conditions were such that it was a real pleasure. Once west
of the Cape we were able to enjoy almost flat water sailing in 15 to
18 knots of breeze. Ideal!
 |
| Methoni |
By 1100 we were sailing
into the protected area inside the breakwater and dropped anchor in
3.5m of water on pure sand. After lunch I dropped Christoph and
Yorgos ashore to go look at the well preserved castle whilst I caught
up on some correspondence and other admin. Three hours later they
returned, we enjoyed sundowners on deck before heading ashore to my
favourite restaurant here, “The Old Story”, 100m up the main
street from the square on the waterfront, where we enjoyed a great
meal of traditional Greek cuisine.
The following morning
Yorgos and I went ashore to procure bread and a few victuals before
we set sail for Navarino Bay, the scene of the sea battle which
turned the fortunes for Greece in their batle for independence from
Turkish rule/administration. A piece of history which seems not to
feature in modern Greek history teaching. We departed Methoni at 1400
and by 1630 we were anchored in the northern end of Navarino Bay. An
enjoyable sail! Once here we settled to a late afternoon of swimming
and walking, taking the path that skirts the perimeter of the lake
that lies to the north of Navarino Bay in order to reach the northern
Navarino castle and the cave of Nestor, which is directly below the
castle; given climbing ropes one could be accessed from the other.
Next morning dawned with northerly winds blowing relatively strongly
but the forecast was for better winds the day after. As a consequence
we decided to stay put for a further 24 hours and wait for the more
advantageous winds before embarking on the next stage of our journey
north.
On the 1st
of July we set out early to go to Pylos marina for Christoph and
Yorgos to visit the southern castle and me to get a “top up” for
t he internet sim card that gives us access to the internet onboard.
 |
| Departing Kaparissia |
By 1330 all were back
onboard and we set off on the beat to the next port of call,
Kyparissia, which was a 34 mile beat to the north, albeit a heavily
biased beat. By 2015 we were ghosting into the large but almost empty
harbour at Kyparissia and sailed onto the anchor in the SW corner. No
sooner had we dropped the anchor than we became aware of at least
three, and possibly more , turtles popping their heads up to take a
close look at us. Christoph, who was swimming at the time, exited the
water rather faster than usual! Next morning they were still there,
keeping their leisurely vigil, presumably waiting for the fish scraps
jettisoned by the local fishermen.We moved alongside to replenish the
water tanks before moving into the centre of the harbour, hoisting
sails and heading off north, again, this time heading for Katakolon.
 |
| Jellyfish of Kataklon! |
After a relatively long
but again heavily biased beat we dropped anchor at 1800 in the bay
just north of Katakolon. The plan was an evening swim followed by a
salad supper. The minor problem was that the bay was also inhabited
by scores of large white jellyfish which we identified as a type that
only delivers a mild sting but we decided not to risk it anyway! We
settled for an early supper!
 |
| Hermes of Praxiteles, Olympia Museum |
Next morning we could
still count 20 or so near Kurukulla but as we were only moving into
the “marina” that morning it didn't matter that a swim was
impossible, there was always a wash down under the water hose on the
jetty! Katakolon marina had gone nowhere since my last visit two
years back. The pontoons still rot on land and the harbour walls are
occupied by some local boats and a few visitors. The only real,
noticeable, difference was that the grumpy old “so and so” who
had tried to overcharge me two years back was no longer in evidence.
In his place was a helpful harbour assistant who demanded €10 for
berthing, for 24 hours, (not the €30 demanded by his predecessor
two years ago!)
 |
| The tunnel leading to the original Olympic Stadium! |
Having left Kurukulla safely berthed, stern to, we
headed for the bus stop to catch the bus to Olympia, only to find we
had cut it too fine and missed it! Not to be defeated we hired a car
from the local Europcar office and headed off independently. Olympia
is amazing, not spoilt by restoration, nor so damaged by time as to
be difficult to distinguish its grandeur. On site are also two
museums, one housing the archaeological finds and the other charting
the history of the early Olympic games.
 |
| Self at Olympia |
By 1900 we were back at
Kurukulla and decided to have supper ashore in one of the tavernas.
Fortunately we had arrived for one of the few days this year when
there was no cruise liner visiting and hence the town was quiet.
 |
| Berthed in Katakolon |
Next day we sailed off
the jetty, at 1100, just after a cruise liner had disgorged it's 2000
passengers into the village, we breathed a sigh of relief as we
sailed quietly away! Zakynthos, our next destination was only 15
miles WNW of us. As we cleared Katakolon we had barely 4 kts of wind
and were making only 1 – 2 kts of boat speed but as we drew away
from the land, the wind freshened and we enjoyed a beat to windward
in winds varying from 10 to 20 kts, verging on ideal; that is if you
have to go to windward, which seemed to be the theme of the last 10
days.
 |
| Departing Katakolon |
By 1700 we were anchored on the southern tip of Zakynthos and
settling to a swim and relax before watching the sun set and
preparing a curry supper.
Next morning we moved
into Zakynthos harbour, some three miles north, to await the arrival
of Mike, the next crew member to join. Sadly the “marina” at
Zakynthos town remains a half finished and semi derelict project,
occupied in the most by local boats berthed illegally and for free!
There have to be some advantages to living in a place where such
projects seem to always go over budget and run out of money before
they are finished!
More when we leave
Zakynthos ….....
