Welcome to Greece

On the Greek Island of Kefalonia

Officially in Greece!  Captain Andrea and crew arrived with Talaria in Greece on Friday night.  By this morning they were tied up and getting on the list to go through the Corinth Canal.  The canal is only 4 miles long and 70 feet wide.  Not large enough for commercial traffic but fine for smaller boats.  The canal both separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland and connects the Ionian and Aegean Seas.  Emperor Nero was the first to start building the canal although it was thought of way before his time. Of course, Nero did not complete the construction, it was not finished until the late 1800s.  Private boats must pay a fee to transit the canal but it is worth it as it shaves many miles off the trip.  

 The Ionian Sea is so clear.  Talaria looks as though she is suspended above the water rather than floating in the sea.  I told Andrea that we were so jealous right now!  It is so odd to see pictures of your boat sailing or at anchor and you are not on her.  This is a new experience for us and one we hope to never repeat.  Although, we feel completely confident in Andrea's abilities we would prefer to sail her ourselves.  It is beginning to sound cliche to say these are extraordinary times but they are.  Just waiting semi-patiently for a vaccine so life can continue.  As is everyone else in the world :).
Once they get into the Aegean Sea the wind blows consistently.  The north wind (Meltemi) is a seasonal prevailing wind that can be quite fierce in the summer but will help them move along and cool things off a bit.  They are expecting to arrive in Turkey by the 31st of August possibly sooner.  More later...