Arrival in Athens

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I arrived in Athens by overnight ferry from Leros, where I left my fabulous hosts, Dave and Paula, after a week's sailing.

There is s free shuttle bus from the port of Piraeus to the metro station. The metro is clean, modern and equipped with escalators from street to platform, so I had no problems with my heavy bag. I got from ferry to hotel in under an hour.

My hotel is in the cheap-and-cheerful category: a simple, clean, rather old-fashioned room, but with all I need, including air conditioning. It's in the Plaka neighbourhood right next to the Acropolis. I recommend it.

Rooftop terrace, Hotel Phaedra

Day 1

I walked all the way round the Acropolis to get a feel for the neighbourhood. There are thousands of souvenir and ice-cream shops, of course, and grand terraces with mist-spraying fans, but if you go just a few metres off the main drag there are plenty of discreet tavernas and bars that are worth a stop.

The Acropolis, Athens

After more than a week in Greece it was about time I tried a gyros. I chose To Neoklassiko as my pork provider, with mixed results. The meat was very tasty, as was the accompanying mix of onion, pepper, tomato and sauce. The bread, however, was soggy – straight from the microwave – and the wine undrinkable. I abandoned it and had a beer. 

The staff were friendly and efficient. When I commented on the wine I was told they've been serving the same for 15 years. Maybe it's just me.

On my way home, I stumbled across what turns out to be an Athens institution: Brettos Bar. Founded as a distillery in 1909, it is now a thriving cocktail bar. I tried the Mediterraneo cocktail (ouzo, mandarin liqueur, fresh lemon juice, orange juice). Well impressed!

Mediterraneo cocktail

Tomorrow, Friday, I'll take a bus tour to get a better feel for the geography of the city.

From the Cyclades to the Dodecanese and good wine – at last!

For the last day of my sailing trip we're going to Leros in the Dodecanese, the home port of Planit Earth.

We lifted the anchor at 06.25 as the Sun rose over Donousa.

Sunrise over Donousa

The plan is to get to Leros and tied up safely before the storm arrives.

This is what we're trying to avoid

Leros

We arrived in Lakki on the island of Leros after a long, almost windless run of about eight hours.

The harbour master found us a perfect spot in the marina. It was a right squeeze, but the skipper handled it perfectly, with a little help from the crew. That should keep us safe during the expected hurricane.

Leros marina at Lakki

The town of Lakki was built by the Italian occupiers in the 1930s. They called it Portolago, but it was renamed Lakki when the island was transferred to Greece. The architectural style is described as Italian Rationalist or Fascist. Interesting, but not very pretty, in my opinion.

School, Lakki 

The restaurant in the marina, Skippers, is very good. They have a very interesting menu of mostly local produce and, best of all, a varied wine list. In my experience so far in Italy and Greece the options are usually white, rosé or red; here, there is an actual wine list. Oh joy!

Main courses at Skippers

The boss – Nikos , obvs – told me he was good friends with Jack Charlton's daughter back in the 90s. Olé, olé, olé!

Naxos, not Paros

The weather forecast for the next few days shows ever stronger winds, building up to gale force by Wednesday. This is not sailing weather!

We decided to skip Paros and make for Naxos, giving us the possibility to reach Leros by Monday evening. Leros is the end of the sailing part of my holiday.

Passing Paros

Naxos

We did not go to the main town on the island, but to a discreet village on the northeast side called Moutsouna. It's another unspoilt spot with only a couple of boats anchored in the perfectly sheltered bay.

Planit Earth anchored in Moutsouna Bay

The seafront consists of a small beach where lots of kids – all Greek, I'd say – were playing, overlooked by a couple of tavernas from where their parents watched.

We had a very nice dinner of salads, seafood and fried vegetables, all delicious. The wine was a little less special, sadly, but the beer was a good replacement.

Moutsouna – Greek or what?

Next leg: Leros.

Kythnos

We arrived at Kythnos on Saturday afternoon after quite a long haul, mostly by motor as the wind is refusing to cooperate, though we did hoist the jib for about an hour.

Arriving at Loutra on the northeast side of Kythnos, where it took us an hour to get attached with a combination of anchor and lines. 

There are no rings or bollards on the rocky shore, so we had to find a rock to loop a line around, which was a big challenge. But through the skills of the skipper, the first mate and a matelot from a neighbouring boat, we managed. I contributed by offering encouraging words throughout the operation (and a bit of elbow grease).

After lunch we took the dinghy to the shore to try out a local taverna and to stock up on essentials for the boat: beer, wine and water.

Sunday morning, we set course for Naousa on the island of Paros.

Corinth Canal to the Saronic Islands

Corinth Canal

The cruise through the Corinth Canal was an experience!

The canal is 6.4km long and takes traffic in one direction at a time, in convoys of several boats. 

We made the tail-end of one convoy by the skin of our teeth. Lucky break, as we would have had to wait a few hours in scorching heat for the next west-to-east run.

It took us 28 minutes to get through.

Aegina

Our first destination in the Saronic Islands is Aegina. We got there in four hours from the exit of the Canal, motoring most of the way through a slightly choppy sea, but with about an hour under sail.

We anchored off the main town and had lunch on board.

The town of Aegina is a dense matrix of narrow paved streets, packed with small shops and tavernas. The most obvious local products on sale are pistachios and natural sponges.

It's a popular holiday destination for Athenians, who can get to the island in about an hour by ferry. They share the space with quite a few foreign tourists. 

The flags on the boats in the harbour were mostly Greek – yachts, small commercial cruisers and fishing boats – with a number of chartered vessels anchored just outside.

The evening swim was in 32C – both air and water – under the blue underwater lights of the boat.

On Saturday we head for Loutra on the island of Kythnos, our first port in the Cyclades.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvjkbu7MjGC/

Gulf of Corinth

Day 1 – Patras to Nafpaktos

I arrived by ferry in Patras at 12.30 and took a bus from there to join my hosts, Dave and Paula, in Nafpaktos for our sailing trip through the Gulf of Corinth.

Nafpaktos is a picturesque port town on the northern side of the Gulf.

The Castle of Nafpaktos (or Castle of Lepanto) was constructed by the Venetians in the late 15th century.

The fortress played a crucial role during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, in which the Holy League, led by the Venetians and Spanish, defeated the Ottoman Empire.

The town is very pleasant with very few foreign tourists. We saw one car with a non-Greek plate and heard very little English in the taverna where we ate delicious salads and fish.

Day 2 – Nafpaktos to Galaxidi

We raised anchor at 06.30 and headed for Galaxidi, motoring most of the way as the was very little wind.

Galaxidi is another unspoilt port, although we saw a few foreign boats in the small marina.

There are no beaches in the town, but there are several spots for swimming off the quays.

Here I got my first sea swim of the year. I had a few dips during the day, the last at 21.00 when the water temperature was 30C.

Day 3 – Galaxidi to the Corinth Canal

Departure at 06.20 this morning. The various weather forecasting services are giving conflicting information, so we don't know yet if we'll put the sails up.

We have a slot booked to go through the Canal at 13.00.

More photos on my Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvg02NXMgNc/

Plan C (aka Plan A)

Meteorological conditions have changed – as they do – and the skipper has revised the plans.

We're heading for the Gulf of Corinth after all. The ports of Nafpaktos and Galaxidi are marked on the chart, then we take the Corinth Canal to the Saronic Gulf on the Aegean side.

The Canal is sight to behold, I'm told. I'll get back to you on that 

Meanwhile, I'm just about to arrive in Greece aboard the Superfast II, having left Bari last night.