Decision made - sailing on to Brindisi

Brindisi coastline

We reached Otranto around midnight as expected.  What was not expected was the vast amount of ship traffic in the region.  There were huge cargo ships all around and it was a very dark night.  The more we thought about crossing the shipping lanes at night and going into an unknown port to drop anchor the more reasonable it seemed to just keep going.  It was another 40 nm to Brindisi so we thought we would likely be arriving after the sun was up.  If it looked like we would arrive too early we could just slow down a bit.  So the decision was made, we would sail on to Brindisi.

Marina di Brindisi

Once we decided to keep going we knew we had to get away from all those big ships.  We decided to sail closer to the coast (within 3 to 5 miles) which would put us out of the shipping lanes.  What a relief it was to finally get away from those ships!  At last we were able to get tad bit of sleep. Our decision to carry on ended up being a really good decision as the wind decided to turn north early.  The swell got rough as the wind picked up to 18 knots on the nose!  Consequently our speed dropped way off and we were barely making any headway.  At one point we were barely making 3 knots - a crawl.  No worries that we would get in too early now😒.  

 

Fishing off the sea wall - Brindisi

 

 

After a couple of hours the swell calmed down and our speed improved.  We were still making only 4.5 knots but better speed than earlier.  All night there was lightening all around but never a drop of rain.  We were hoping it would hold off until we were docked.  As it turned out we reached the Marina at 1000 Greek time and 0900 Italian time.  As we were docking it did finally start to rain but at least we weren't sailing all night in the rain😄.  We really wanted to sleep the day away but a nap was the best we could manage.  There are always a lot of formalities when you arrive in a new country that must be attended to no matter how tired you are.  We were so glad that we made the decision to carry on as the next day was rough.  High winds and rain.  Not only was it like that the next day but it remained rainy, cool and very, very windy for the next two weeks.  As a matter of fact after a week of that we said to heck with it.  After securing the boat well we rented an apartment for the weekend and just settled back to enjoy the stillness.  But now the sun is shining every day and its 70 degrees outside.  Pretty perfect!

Othnoi

Big dent from hitting the whale

One day before we departed from Corfu a boat came in and docked beside us. On board were a group of young people with the Captain being from Germany and his wife from Vermont!  They had been sailing since June from their starting point in the Baltic Sea. As we were talking we noticed a big dent in the side of their aluminum boat and inquired about it.  Somewhere off the coast of Sicily, near Licata, they had hit a sleeping whale.  Whales don't show up on radar and are hard to see at night!  Fortunately, their boat is aluminum so there was not serious damage to the hull.  It would have been a different story if the boat had been fiberglass.  We made a mental note to watch for whales in Sicily😄.

 

Pass between Greece and Albania - Greece on the left, Albania on the right

Greece does not make it easy for you to leave Greece the right way.  As a sailing vessel you are required to "check out" of Greece with the Coast Guard and turn in your "transit log".  All fine except the only place to "check out" was Corfu.  Our plan was to sail to Erikoussa or Othnoi (or both) and then it would be just a 45 nm sail over to Italy.  We were told you can go to the outer islands but then you have to come back to Corfu and check out.  Well, of course, we had no plans to sail back to Corfu as we were just stopping at those islands for a night to shorten our distance to Italy.  Our options were to stop at one of the outer islands even though we were already checked out or sail all the way from Corfu to Italy.  By law you must be out of Greece within 24 hours of checking out so if we stopped we would be outside of the law.  We checked with the agent who assisted us when we entered Greece and he told us to check out in Corfu and then go to Erikoussa.  He said if anyone questioned us that we were to say we needed to seek a safe harbor and have them call him.  Assurances were made that we would not be fined or worse.  We had tried for days to reach Erikoussa to reserve a spot but never reached the harbormaster.  Eventually, we decided to skip Erikoussa and just sail to Othnoi.  Yes, there is bureaucracy everywhere!

Othnoi, Greece

Once the storms had passed we set sail for Othnoi.  It was a nice day for sailing, breezy but the winds were not too strong.  We reached Othnoi an hour earlier than expected and even though we had contacted the harbormaster there was no-one around.  It was a veritable ghost town.  So we tied ourselves up to the quay and thought things through.  We noticed that Talaria was hobby horsing with just 10 knots of wind and the wind would pick up over night.  It is shallow all around the entrance and we started thinking of how difficult it might be to get out of there at night should the wind from the east pick up to the point where we were really uncomfortable.  We also knew that once we reached Italy we would not have much time to make it to Brindisi before the wind shifted north.  Quite possibly we would get stuck in Otranto for days as we had no desire to battle a head wind.  After some thought and discussion we decided to heat up thermos of water, eat something and then keep going to Italy.  

Sun setting on the way to Italy

 At 1630 we untied and set sail for Otranto, Italy.  We thought we would just sail overnight while the seas were calm.  Our working plan was to sail to Otranto and then decide if we wanted to approach the harbor at night and make it to Brindisi the next day or just sail on to Brindisi. 

Historic Corfu

Old Fortress

 Corfu's Old Fortress dates back to the 14th century, over the fortress's many years it endured siege after siege.  WWII is but the latest chapter of the fortress's long and storied history.  Corfu had been occupied by Italy after a diplomatic incident in 1923 led to Mussolini bombing Corfu and then occupying the island.  After Italy surrendered to the Allies, the Nazis gained possession of Corfu and the Old Fortress.  Under Nazi occupation Jews living in Corfu were rounded up and jailed in the fortress prison until being transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. 

Byzantine Collection

The Old Fortress buildings that remain include the clock tower and the prison.  In addition, the fortress now houses a small but magnificent Byzantine collection that includes frescoes saved from Byzantine churches.  Also housed within the Old Fortress are a library and the Ionian University music school.  The first couple of days that we were in Corfu and the weather was nice our time was spent visiting the Old Fortress and the Old Town of Corfu - a UNESCO world heritage site.

Panagia Mandrakina

 Off to the right when leaving the Old Fortress is the Panagia Mandrakina (Church of Virgin Mary Mandrakina).  The eye catching pink Greek Orthodox church overlooks the Mandraki port of the Old Fortress.  And past the church is the Palace of St. George and St. Michael (the Royal Palace).  

Palace of St. George and St. Michael

 The Palace was initially built to house the British High Commissioner and the Order of St. George and St. Michael.  Now the building is a Museum for Asian Art.  Michael and I continued strolling through the Old Town with no real purpose in mind.  Following a maze of narrow lanes we were a bit surprised to find that we were no longer anywhere near the Old Port.  As we tried to find our way back (no Google maps to assist) we ended up just walking around in circles.  So... when all else fails get a taxi.  When the taxi dropped us off at the Old Fortress we could not believe how far we had walked!  Our site seeing came to a bit of a halt with the weather but we still ventured out some when the rain let up.  Corfu is a beautiful town with a different vibe from the other Greek towns we have visited.  Perhaps because they see far more tourists.  Overall it was a great visit and a town that I could visit again and again.

Corfu Island

 

Old Fortress of Corfu

Corfu is the northernmost Ionian island with the Albanian border being less than 15 nm away.  It was a quick sail to Corfu from Paxos but there was a lot of traffic ... pleasure boats and ferrys.  We had reservations to stay at Mandraki Marina which lies just the other side of the Old Fortress.  The marina is a bit rugged but historic.  You actually have to go through the Old Fortress to get out into the city which is very awesome.  Mandraki marina is actually run by the local sailing club and is a great place to stage a visit to the city of Corfu.

Mandraki Marina

 The city of Corfu is flanked by two huge castles that have protected the city over the years.  Although, the island spent years under Venetian, French and British rule before being reunited with Greece they can lay claim to never having been defeated by the Ottoman's.  Corfu is known for being a heavily fortified city and the only European capital flanked by two fortresses.

 

Sea Moat separating the town from the fortress

The city of Corfu was separated from the fortress by a sea moat - a divider really between the fortress and the town.  They used a moveable bridge to cross over between the two.  Now there is a permanent bridge linking the two.  While the Old Fortress is now largely a tourist attraction is also houses the library and the Music School for the University.  One of the best things about the marina was listening to the piano music wafting down from the music school each day.  

Old Tower at the Old Fortress

We had initially planned to spend just a few days in Corfu but the weather did not cooperate.  First a one day delay and then another and then another as the wind and rain pummeled the island.  Boats were scrambling to reach a safe harbor as we saw 54 knots of wind!  We ventured outside in the rain by foot but Talaria stayed put until it all subsided.  Our lines reinforced we just rode it out as we thanked our lucky stars that we reserved a spot before the storm hit.  Michael and I have decided that Greece is possibly the windiest place on the planet.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn't but just when we thought we had seen the highest wind we would see... it just got stronger.

Corfu town

The weather delay did however give us some extra time to visit the city so no complaints.  For those of you who are James Bond fans you will recognize the image above as it was a scene in the movie "For Your Eyes Only".  The movie was, of course, filmed on the island of Corfu. 

Mandraki Marina

 Once the weather breaks we will be leaving for the most westerly Ionian islands on our way to Italy.  Our plan is to stay a day or so in Erikoussa and maybe a day in Othnoi before heading over to Otranto, Italy.  And then on to our last stop for the season - Brindisi, Italy.  Talaria will spend the winter in Brindisi while we head home for the holidays. 

Paxos, Greece

 

Anchorage at Paxos with Corfu in the distance

When we first anchored in Lefkada there was only one other boat at anchor and it was a Canadian boat.  In the evening, they stopped by to say hello and as it turns out she is American but has lived in Canada most of her life. Oddly enough her father actually lives in a town near us (DuQuoin, Illinois), now what are the chances that you run across someone at a anchorage in Greece who has family in your neck of the woods.  Unbelievable.  All we could do was shake our heads and marvel at the smallness of our world.

Close quarters!!

 Initially,from Lefkada we were planning to sail to Preveza and go to a marina but we didn't need fuel or water so we decided to sail on to Paxos instead.  The wind was supposed to be out of the east but instead it was out of the northeast.  The waves were big and the seas rough.  Later, in the morning the wind did finally shift east so we were on a beam reach but the waves were on our beam as well.  Hoisting the mainsail meant steering into some big nasty waves so we just limped along with the staysail until the waves calmed down a bit.  Of course, no sooner than we had the mainsail up the wind shifted again and was now behind us.  The mainsail is not good for downwind sailing so the mainsail came down. Some folks describe the wind in these parts as an adolescent who never knows which direction to go.  We can certainly attest to the winds fickleness😉 

Image from anchor alarm

 We had decided on an anchorage on the north end of the island called Lakka.  That is actually the name of the little village there.  Mind you this is the "off season" but you sure would not know it looking at that anchorage.  It was crowded!  When we first arrived it actually wasn't bad but all day long the boats kept coming.  By 1800, I counted 38 boats in the anchorage.  Of course, next morning a departing boat pulled up our anchor with his which we did not discover until the anchor alarm notified us.  This time we put a  float on the anchor before we re-set it.  We then went into town for a bit for some WiFi.  Wouldn't you know it in that short amount of time another charter boat came in and then pulled up our anchor trying to set theirs!  What the heck - twice in one day😕.  We re-set the anchor yet again and hoped for the best.  That sort of thing happens all the time over here as there are a lot of charter boats. and overall just a lot of boats.  Later that night I checked on our anchor alarm and was stunned to see that there were three boats showing up in our "swing circle".  I have never seen that occur before - boats were close, very close. Thank goodness the next morning we were able to get out of that mass of boats without any drama and set sail for Corfu.

Lefkada, Greece

 

Vassiliki on the island of Lefkada

I just really liked this little Island.  We sailed over from Ithaca and anchored in a bay near the village of Vassiliki.  Its a windy spot but the holding is good.  So windy, in fact, that they have named their wind.  Eric, the named wind, shows up every day without fail.  Needless, to say they take advantage of this predictable wind and do a lot of windsurfing and sailing in the bay.

Taverna in the village of Vassiliki

We enjoyed the afternoon watching the windsurfers and sailing classes.  What really surprised us was that the sailing "students" were not children but older adults.  It looked like a play place for retired ex- pat Brits!  How nice... a beautiful little island that is so close to the other islands that its an afternoon sailing to the next island and back.  And to boot, Lefkada is connected to the mainland via a causeway.  Not to mention the great little bay for sailing, windsurfing, kayaking or swimming.

 

Seagull perched on the Greek fishing boat - Vassiliki

The only downside that I see is the winding mountain roads.  But I suppose you get used to driving on them.  I actually found a little spot where we could build a small house that was not all the way up the mountain!  I suppose the other downside is that Vassiliki is a resort town but when the tourists leave I am sure its heaven💝.

Ithaca of Homer's Odyssey

Baby Church (coming into Vathy, Ithaca)

Once we had reached the Peloponnese we were struck by how green and lush the land is and that proved to be true of the Ionian islands as well.  Comparatively,  the Dodecanese and Cyclades are barren and dry.  Those islands see little rainfall and by the end of summer they are bone dry.  The Dodecanese and Cyclades have no fresh water source and are totally dependent on rain which occasionally does not occur all year.  They capture rainwater in a collective reservoir and rely on that water until it runs out... then they have to have water shipped to them.  Unlike, Bermuda they do not have rain collections systems on their roofs nor do they have de-salination plants.  By summers end the islands just look parched.  But in the spring (if it rains) they are green like the Ionian islands.  

Vathy Harbor, Ithaca

Ithaca, the home of Homer's Odysseus in the Osyssey, has been inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC.  It is a beautiful island.  Green, lush and mountainous.  The sail over to the island from Zakynthos was a bit rough but smoothed as we neared Ithaca.  And suddenly there was a ton of traffic - mostly sailboats.  We reached the harbor early since we left at 0400!  It was a very nice large harbor with few boats at anchor.  After what we felt was a well deserved nap we went to town for a bit.  Most shops were closed as the tourist season is over but it was nice to have a look around. 

Ithaca

All around the island there are claims of proof that King Odysseus was there.  Scholars disagree as to whether or not Ithaca is even the actual island described in Homer's epic poem.  There are those who believe it may have been another island altogether based on the descriptions.  Regardless, its a beautiful laid back island that we enjoyed. 

Lots of sailboats

While Ithaca may not be on the land "tourist" track it certainly is an island that is visited by sailboat.  We saw more sailboats out sailing there than we had seen our whole time sailing in Greece.  It is a popular cruising ground.  With the Ionian islands being close to the mainland the sailing is in more sheltered water for those who do not enjoy rough seas.  We also prefer to have calmer seas but our route took us a bit further off shore.  From Ithaca it was a nice sail over to Lefkada, another very nice island albeit more touristy.