October 1, 2012. Hello from Los Angeles! Final update from !

At the time of our last update on July 16th, we had just checked out of Fethiye, , in search of cooler cruising grounds. The temperature was 100 degrees and rising, so the Greek islands beckoned us with their cooler breezes.

On July 17th we sailed across the to Town (six hours) and anchored in front of the wind mills by the marina. We checked into Greece with the harbor police (15 Euros), customs (35 Euros), and passport police (no fee). We also got all of our communications for Greece sorted out (modem, Ipad, and mobile phone).

The next morning we motored around the point and sailed down the southwest coast of Rhodes for 23 miles to Lindos, one of our favorite spots in Greece. We swam in the crystal clear water, enjoyed lunches at the seaside tavernas (restaurants), and hiked up to the charming village above and had some lovely dinners on the rooftop restaurant terraces with great bay views and cool breezes.

After five days in Lindos we decided to work our way west on somewhat of a fast track. We had already visited 31 islands last year, so we thought we would revisit a few of them on our way to the islands we missed last season, namely , and , before heading to Kalamata on the , where we thought we would leave Lazy Bones for the winter. So we headed for Istros, a small bay near the southern tip of Rhodes en route to the island of . On our way we decided to stop at Mojito Beach, a place we discovered last year while driving around the island. They serve the very best Mojitos, hands down. We dropped the hook in front of the beach and took the dinghy ashore to have lunch and to see if the Mojitos were as good as last year. Without a doubt!

After lunch we screamed to Istros in 30+ knots of wind and spent the night listening to the wind howl. The next morning we had no wind and motored to Halki, a tiny island north of Rhodes with a very charming, picturesque town with its multi colored buildings and homes surrounding the waterfront and narrow walkways throughout the town that wind their way up and down and around the entire village. Soon after we were at anchor, Madeline and Ken from Mamma Mia came up to say hello and welcome us as fellow Americans to Halki. We rarely saw any American boats the entire time we were in Turkey and Greece, so it was nice to spend some time with them and tour their unique trawler.

A few days later the wind picked up and we dragged anchor. We searched several different places to reset the anchor but finally ended up back where we were with more chain and in deeper water to ride out the winds. The wind eventually calmed down and the next morning we headed out for the island of after spending about an hour untangling our anchor chain from a loose anchor and chain that we had picked up from the bottom. The wind changed direction, so to have a better sailing angle we went to the island of , where we took a long walk around the bay and found an old VW Beetle being used as both a hotel sign and a planter box.

The next morning we were off to Kamari Bay on the island of , another spot we enjoyed last year with a huge bay and long, sandy beach. After a long walk we went to the Santa Barbara, our favorite restaurant from last year, and enjoyed a nice dinner of lamb shanks, eggplant, and horta (greens).

Our challenge was to make our way north and west when the wind usually comes from the northwest. We would head north with a westerly and head west with a northerly, and motor straight across with little wind. Of course, the wind changes speed and direction many times during the day, and the strong Meltemi wind really causes a challenge when it is blowing. We did fairly well considering all the wind variables.

From Kos we sailed to Lakki, a huge and well-protected bay on the island of , and spent the next three days with 25-30 knot winds. We took long walks around the bay and enjoyed some books that we had picked up along the way. Finally the wind settled down and we left for , a tiny little island that we visited last year. We picked up a mooring and went ashore in the evening and had a great goat dinner at the farmhouse, the only building on the island. The menu is whatever the family has grown and harvested that day, and the atmosphere is lovely—country-style hospitality at its best.

We continued our fast track to , then to Schinousa, and on to Parikia, a huge bay on the island of . Continuing our trek west, we made our way to Kimilos, a small island next to Milos. We were nicely settled in at anchor and enjoying some sundowners when a small fourteen foot sailboat with three inexperienced Greek sailors capsized off the stern of Lazy Bones. They had no way to make it back to shore, so we dropped our dinghy and towed them and their submerged sailboat back to shore. They were grateful for the rescue.

The next day we finally made it to Milos and anchored in Adama Bay. Our expectations of the island that discovered the Venus de Milo were far greater than our rewards. Milos did not seem to have the same charm as so many of the other Greek islands we had visited. We spent three days exploring Milos by bus, visiting the Plaka, the Christian catacombs, the ancient theater, and the museum housing the replica of the Venus de Milo. The actual Venus di Milo is in the Louvre in France, and, in spite of a petition to have her returned to her home in Milos, it looks like the replica will have to suffice.

Our next stop was the island of Sifnos. Vathi Bay is well protected and the water was very clear so Jeff went swimming while Gayle made dinner. While eating, we spotted a most unusual sight near one of the mega yachts in the bay. One person was driving a jet ski that had a long four inch hose connected from the jet ski to a propulsion pack that the other person was wearing on his back. It looked like one of those flying rocket packs that James Bond used in one of his films. The propulsion pack had jet streams of water to keep the person hovering about fifteen feet in the air as he flew along over the surface of the water with the jet ski following. What an amazing toy!

The next afternoon we decided to head further north up the island of Sifnos to Kamares Bay. As we headed into the anchorage we saw someone waving at us from a powerboat. At first we didn’t recognize him, but it was Axel, a friend of ours from last year in Lavrio, where we had played music together and partied at his house. He was skippering the powerboat and just happened to be there. Axel came over for a beer and we told him our plans to leave Lazy Bones in Kalamata on the southern end of the Peloponnese for the winter. He said there were a number of good marinas and yards in Preveza, which is south of Corfu and much closer to Croatia, our cruising destination for next year. We thanked him for the great information, and took the dinghy ashore for dinner. During our walk through town we found a completely new use for a saxophone besides music—a draft beer dispenser!

Speaking of music, we actually planned to play music together with Axel the next evening, but the anchorage became unusually rolly that night and we didn’t get any sleep. Rather than put up with another miserable night, we took off for Livadi Bay on the island of Serifos, where we spent a couple of days exploring the hora (town on the top of the hill) and the kastro (castle).

From Serifos we caught a nice breeze and sailed across the Saronic Gulf to the island of . Hydra town is known as one of the prettiest ports in the Med, but there is absolutely no place to anchor, and the boats in the marina were all rafted together at the quay, four and five deep. Not our style, so we headed further west and found an anchorage in front of a small beach and used the dinghy to visit Hydra. The town itself was every bit as charming as we were led to believe, and we enjoyed walking and shopping through all the winding streets.

After our discussion with Axel and some internet research about the boatyards in Preveza, we decided that instead of leaving the boat in Kalamata and navigating around the Peloponnese next season before heading to Croatia, why not traverse the Canal and save ourselves the time and distance? We would then rent a car to tour the Peloponnese, as most of the sights are located inland, anyway.

With our decision having been made, we confirmed a space at Cleopatra Marina in Preveza and immediately created a new plan. After four months of Greek and Turkish food, our first stop was mainland Greece near Athens, where we could tickle our taste buds at TGIFridays. Even though the cruising guide didn’t show much in the way of anchorages on the west coast, we found boats anchored in front of sandy beaches all along the way, so we did the same. We had giant margaritas and an absolutely finger-licking meal of baby back ribs followed by death by chocolate for dessert. It was so good that we went back the next day for lunch and savored every bite of the sizzling fajitas.

With our cravings having been satisfied, we then sailed for Korfos, a small town eleven miles south of the entrance to the Corinth Canal. The next morning we motored to the east entrance of the Corinth Canal. We radioed ahead of time and were instructed to tie up at the dock, pay our fees ($420 for Lazy Bones), and traverse at 11:00 am. We heard that the canal is the most expensive in the world, considering it is only 3.2 miles long.

At 11:15 we followed two large powerboats into the canal, and two sailboats followed us. The canal is very narrow, with high, steep rock walls. The current can run in either direction up to four knots. We had three knots with us, and we maintained a speed of about seven knots. There is no place to turn around and no way to stop with a three knot current, so engine problems would be a nightmare.

We exited the canal and sailed across the Gulf of Corinth to Andikiron, a small town on the north shore. The number of large brown jellyfish in the gulf was unbelievable, probably in the millions. They definitely had a population explosion to cause such density.

The next day we sailed to Galaxhidi, a very cute town with a very loud beach disco going all day (thank goodness they stopped around sunset). No jelly fish seemed to be in sight, so Jeff went swimming. Fifteen minutes later Gayle spotted two large brown jelly fish near the boat, which had Jeff out of the water in a few seconds. We were told later that they are not poisonous, but they sure are ugly and ominous looking.

After two days we headed off in heavy winds to the island of Trizonia, the only inhabited island in the gulf. The next morning we sailed all day to the lovely town of Nafpaktos, with its castle on top of the hill and all its homes, shops, etc. built within the castle walls, which drop down to the sea and enclose the small marina, too. Pine trees were planted back in the 1920’s, so it is very green. We hiked a long way up the road to the top of the castle where we met Jean, the caretaker, who spent awhile explaining the history of Nafpaktos before we explored the castle grounds. When we returned to his office, Jean was closing up and offered us a ride back into town and took us on a tour of the town, which was a great example of Greek hospitality.

From Nafpaktos we headed further west, crossing under the modern Rion Bridge next to Patra. We radioed ahead for permission to go under the bridge and were given instructions as to which pilings to go between. The bridge may have plenty of clearance, but when you are approaching it, the mast looks like it will surely hit it! After clearing the bridge, we continued on to Messalonghi, which was supposed to have quaint, colorful houses on stilts along the river, similar to Kumai in Borneo, and be worth the two mile trek up the river and anchoring in a black, sticky mud lagoon with mosquitoes. Instead it was just a bunch of rundown houses on the river bank, with only two on stilts. Oh well, the cruising guides are just that—guides!

Heading west the next day we motored on a dead flat calm sea to the beautiful green Ionian Islands on the west coast of Greece and anchored in a small bay around the corner from Vathy on the island of Ithaca. We went for a swim in the warm, clear water and walked over the hill to Vathy for dinner. Evidently, the jelly fish prefer to hang out in the Gulf of Corinth, and not the Ionian Sea, much to our delight. The next morning we motorsailed up to Fiskardo, a popular and picturesque bay on the northern tip of the island of Kefalonia. It was packed with boats, so we headed a little further north to Emblisi Bay and anchored. We took the dinghy to Fiskardo for dinner and to reserve a rental car for the next day.

Kefalonia is a fairly large island and we made sure we saw it all, visiting Assos Castle out on a pretty peninsula; Myrtos Beach, said to be the prettiest beach in all of Greece with pure white sand and clear turquoise water, and on to Melissani Cave, where we were rowed around in boats inside a huge fresh water cavern. When the sunlight is overhead, it causes the dark water to come alive with a beautiful aqua blue brilliance, making noontime the best time to visit. Drogarati Cave near Sami is loaded with phenomenal stalactites and stalagmites, all lit up with colorful lights. A visit to the Robola winery landed us some of their famous wine from the unique grapes grown only on Kefalonia. We visited the famous Agio Gerasimou church next to the winery, then drove west to the port of Argostoli, the capital of Kefalonia, which was quite a disappointment—fairly industrial and no pretty waterfront like Fiskardo.

From Kefalonia we sailed to Lefkas, another very large Ionian island. We first headed for Tranquil Bay right across from the popular port town of Nydri. The anchorage was very crowded so we headed further inland to Vlicho, a huge, shallow, completely land-locked bay. The water was murky and there were some derelict boats around the shoreline, but it was roomy and safe, so we dropped the hook. We took the dinghy into Nydri for dinner on the waterfront, then we walked back one block to the shopping area, which came alive around 9:00. The street was crowded with people, kids were playing and riding their bikes, the shops were busy, small restaurants were filled with laughing patrons, and music came from everywhere. It was such a different world than the quiet waterfront scene. Obviously the locals are smart and wait for the sun to set so they can enjoy the cool evenings while they shop, socialize, and have dinner.

Not wanting to spend another night in murky water, we headed to Meganisi, an island just adjacent to Lefkas. We searched many crowded anchorages, coves, and bays, finally finding one where we could anchor in the middle and not have to take a line ashore. The bay was called Abeliki or Pirates Cove, and it had a nice restaurant ashore, clear water for swimming, and a nice quiet road for long walks along the shoreline. During the day the charter boats kept us entertained with their unusual anchoring techniques, enough to write a book about!

After a few days at Pirates Cove, we sailed across to Varko on mainland Greece and anchored in front of a nice sandy beach with clear water. We were in the home stretch, so we were eating up all the food still left in the fridge and freezer. In the next few days we went through all the cupboards, closets, and drawers, deciding what to toss, what to take home, and what to keep onboard.

We left Varko and motored to the Lefkas canal and realized we were too early to traverse the swinging bridge, which opens on the hour. We drifted in the canal for about 20 minutes until the bridge opened and we were able to pass through. From here it was an easy motor ride to Preveza, where we dropped anchor outside Cleopatra Marina.

We took the dinghy into the marina and made arrangements to put Lazy Bones into the marina for three days as we prepared her for the haulout and the winter season ahead. With Lazy Bones on the hard, we rented a room from the marina for three nights which was clean and air conditioned, but the bed was hard as a rock. We toughed it out, as it beat getting a hotel room across the bay in Preveza and taking a taxi back and forth.

While we were in the marina, we met a Croatian/South African couple, Michelle and Krasni, with whom we became friends. We had happy hours and dinners together and they gave us great cruising ideas for next season. Because the economy is not doing well, flights other than charters in and out of Preveza were cancelled. This required us to arrange for a taxi to take us five hours back to Athens airport. Krasni and Michelle were also going at the same time, so we managed to arrange a taxi to take all four of us. The only problem is that in spite of Jeff telling them four times that we had four huge pieces of luggage, they came in a standard taxi cab. The taxi driver looked at the bags and said in six million kilometers he had never seen so many large bags! It did not look good. But he managed to stuff our bags in the trunk with it fully open and secure them with rope. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies! All four of us straddled our carry-ons for the five hour drive to Athens, which cost $400 U.S. plus $50 tip (he earned it by taking all of us and our stuff). We can’t wait to see what happens when we return, as we will probably have to pay that fare ourselves.

We had to spend the night at the Holiday Inn next to the airport, as our flight was at 8:15 Friday morning, September 7th. We flew four hours to London, a two hour layover, then twelve hours to L.A. It’s nice to be home visiting all our families and friends again and enjoying the California sunshine and wide, sandy beaches.

Our plans for next season are to fly back the third week of April to Preveza, start some work on Lazy Bones, then rent a car and tour the Peloponnese. We will launch the boat after our return, sail to the island of Corfu, and put L.B. in a marina while we fly to London to visit Jeff’s daughter Danielle and her husband Darren. We will then sail up the Adriatic, spending several months in Croatia and on to . After Venice, we will sail back down Croatia, seeing the places we missed on the way up, and stop in Montenegro to get fuel, which is $4 a gallon cheaper than Greece. From Montenegro we will sail to the boot of and on to Sicily where we will likely leave Lazy Bones in Marina di Ragusa for the winter.

That’s the plan and, as always, likely to change. If you happen to be passing through Los Angeles between now and the end of April please give us a call. We would love to see you!

We welcome your e-mails and would love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at: [email protected]. Attachments and travelogues are always welcome. Thanks!

If you want to track us, use the following link: www.shiptrak.org and enter our call sign WA6CZL to see our route.

All the best,

Jeff and Gayle SV Lazy Bones