So now Greece! Apart from a holiday in Crete decades ago, we have never travelled to this country. Nevertheless, we somehow have an inner relationship with Greece. This is certainly due to the fact that there was a large and lively Greek scene in Aachen when we were students in the 1970s. The Greeks were the largest foreign student group at RWTH Aachen University at the time. A large number of Greek restaurants provided an inexpensive and tasty alternative to the student canteen and thus defined our taste for many years.
Even today, the Greek dishes on the menu are familiar terms that we can visualise.
The Greek presence naturally led to a variety of contacts: "Kostas the Greek" lived on our floor in the student hall of residence, our own Greek football team competed in the Aachen University Championships and Mikis Theodorakis' concerts in Aachen's Audimax were legendary. There were also accounts from backpackers who, despite the military dictatorship that prevailed at the time, raved about Greece and painted a picture of a lovely country.
The "green island" of Corfu
With this positive mood, we set off. Coming from Albania, our first Greek harbour is Gouvia Marina on Corfu. This huge marina is well protected in a bay and offers a large number of berths and practically everything a motorboat driver needs. If you are also interested in history, Corfu has plenty to offer and you are sure to pay a visit to the main town of Kerkyra. But the "green island" also offers a wide range of options for beach holidaymakers or tourists with other interests. We hire a car and travel to the northern part of the island, which offers a tourist highlight in the form of the pretty little town of Kassiopi. Further west, the Canal d'Amour - a small bay between yellow sandstone cliffs - attracts crowds of holidaymakers.
If you prefer something a little less touristy, you should definitely visit Cape Drastis on the north-western tip of Corfu. The cliffs here offer a marvellous view of spectacular rock formations that we have never seen anywhere else in this form.
In calm weather, you can also go there by boat, climb onto the rocks and visit the tiny caves. Nearby is the next cape, Kefali, with a small fishing harbour. Here, however, functionality takes centre stage - if you're looking for romance, you should head straight on to Alfionas. Supposedly a former pirate's nest, this enchanting mountain village rises 133 metres above sea level on an idyllic ridge above the bays of Agios Georgios Pagi and Arillas. With its picturesque houses, winding alleyways adorned with flowers and its unique scenic location, Afionas is a favourite excursion destination for visitors and locals alike.
The fortress of Angelokastro, just a few kilometres away, offers a contrast to this. The "Castle of Angels" was one of the most important defence fortifications on the island of Corfu, which has changed hands throughout its history. Its strategic, hard-to-conquer position on the north-western tip of the island with good influence over the southern Adriatic Sea was of great importance for the fate and development of the island for many centuries. If you want to visit the castle, you should bring good shoes and a bit of stamina, as the strenuous climb takes its toll. To round off our tour, we take a quick look at the 17th century Vlacherna Monastery in the Chalkiopoulos lagoon. The monastery is located on a tiny island very close to the international airport. The jets taking off and landing in the immediate vicinity give this historic place a very special flair. You don't have to like it, but it is interesting.
Back in the European Union
If you come from Albania like us, Corfu also means re-entry into the EU with all the necessary formalities. What has to be paid as a "vignette" in Croatia and Montenegro is called "TEPAI" in Greece - a boat tax. This is best paid online, which also works. However, you need to take your time and be prepared for a lot of questions. The extensive downloadable catalogue of "Frequently Asked Questions" alone inspires respect. In the end, however, all of this can be solved - it just takes time and effort, which is then lost elsewhere. Fortunately, Gouvia Marina has a local Port Authority that can handle everything. A friendly official is on hand to help, which avoids having to go to the authorities, where you are sometimes sent from pillar to post. "Welcome to the country" says the official at the end of the formalities - now we are back where we like to be: on our ship in the EU!
Then we are electrified by new news from the water sports media: contrary to earlier reports, the Corinth Canal, which has been closed since January 2021 due to extensive landslides, is now to be opened to pleasure craft after all.
We have already planned our trip around the Peloponnese, but if this news is true, it would be a real alternative. Not only would you save many nautical miles, but after rounding Cape Malea you would also avoid coming under the influence of the dreaded "Meltemi" wind. The Meltemi blows from north to south from July to October and often makes navigating the Aegean a challenge. Although it is only around 100 nautical miles from Cape Malea to our destination of Athens, you are then sailing against the Meltemi - which can make for "very long miles".
To Preveza on the mainland
However, we can safely postpone the decision about our route. Only when we leave the Ionian Islands do we need to know whether we are heading north-east to the Gulf of Patras (and later Corinth) - or south-east along the west coast of the Peloponnese. But first we have to make our way to Preveza, which is on the mainland. We would have loved to stop off on the island of Paxos, but the beautifully situated Port Gaios is always full, so it would be nothing short of a miracle to get a berth there with a boat of our size. And so it is: after a round of photos in the harbour, we have to leave Gaios again and set course for Preveza.
If, like us, you are constantly travelling to unfamiliar areas, you always need a little time to really understand the conditions there. While elsewhere in Greece there is often not a single marina to be found, here there are three large marinas in close proximity to each other: Preveza Marina, Cleopatra Marina and Lefkas Marina. Further studying harbour guides and maps, we finally discover an airport that we hadn't known about before: Aktio Airport near Preveza is served by many airlines in summer - including direct flights from Germany.
Hotspot and place of longing
This is obviously a tourist hotspot, especially for water sports enthusiasts. The Ionian Islands with their main islands of Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Ithaca, Kefalonia and Zakynthos can be accessed from here. The Ambracian Gulf, the Gulf of Patras and the Gulf of Corinth as well as numerous smaller islands of the Ionian Islands can also be easily reached from here. There are various sea areas that are well protected due to the location of the islands in relation to each other and can therefore also be navigated by less experienced water sports enthusiasts. In conversations with several motor boaters, we learn that many have their permanent moorings here from which they explore the surrounding area. Service and winter storage on land or in the water are part of the standard offer.
Preveza creates the "Italy effect" for us: a place completely unknown to us that quickly develops into a "place of longing". In the excellently maintained marina, we are well protected and provided with everything a motorboat driver needs.
Here we also learnt about a new system for billing water and electricity consumption for the first time. The variety in this sector seems to be limitless and the systems vary from marina to marina. We have experienced everything from "all inclusive in the mooring fee" to activation cards or rechargeable chips to meter readings by harbour staff, but in Preveza, modernity has taken over with the "Berthmaster" software.
In addition to its beautiful promenade and numerous restaurants, the town of Preveza offers many small shops that make strolling and shopping in the alleyways a pleasure. The flair of the town is very reminiscent of Italy - perhaps this is another reason why we, as self-confessed Italy fans, feel so at home here. There are several historical sites and a museum in the neighbourhood that are worth a visit, at least for those interested in history - after all, you are constantly walking on historical terrain here. What I read in the Greek legends as a schoolchild was like something from another planet. Here and now we drive and walk around where Odysseus once had his home and where great battles were fought by Octavian and Marcus Antonius - in league with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.
Continue to Lefkada
Due to an adapter problem on our route south, we don't get away as early as planned - so it's only a short leg to Lefkas Marina. We enjoy the few miles in marvellous sailing conditions with calm seas and a light, cooling wind. Before entering the Lefkas channel, we have to wait for the floating pontoon lift bridge to open and join the boats already waiting there. The bridge opens on the hour and we are amazed at the speed with which the bridge is floated out and given free passage. Then the armada starts to move - it feels like being between Schleimünde and Kappeln during the high season.
We soon reach our berth in the Lefkas Marina and receive first-class assistance with mooring. The harbour office is quite a distance away in the extensive grounds, but our foldable e-scooter proves its worth here once again. It has already made many sweaty runs to harbour masters or authorities easier for us. The town of Lefkas is located directly in front of the marina and has an unmanageable number of restaurants. Many are located right next to each other and vie for the favour of passing tourists. As soon as you approach the menu, you are approached and invited in. The choice is often difficult, but can never be completely wrong - the offers are not that different in the end.
Across the island in a hire car
To explore the island of Lefkada, we hire a small car again and start by visiting a few historical sites. Unfortunately, there is often not much more to see than the remains of walls or even just a pile of stones. The mountain village of Karya, on the other hand, is enchanting, where we take a lunch break in the small central square under the canopy of beautiful old trees. A light breeze is blowing, which makes the already not-so-hot mountain air even more pleasant. The huge former radar station of Lefkada sits enthroned on a hilltop, which has a spooky air about it due to its exposed location and current abandonment. A science fiction or horror film could be shot in the dilapidated buildings at any time.
Back on the water, we pay a visit to the bay of Vlychon. A tragic event occurred in this romantic bay, which is almost completely protected by mountains, on 20 September 2011. Hurricane-force winds battered parts of the bay and caused chaos on land and at sea. Boats were dragged across the bay at anchor and severely damaged, in some cases even completely dismantled. This drama, which lasted only about ten minutes, cost a French sailor his life - he drowned, while other water sports enthusiasts who had gone overboard were able to save themselves on land.
Even if such extreme events are rare, the Mediterranean remains an area where strong storms, tornadoes and even the dreaded "Medicane" can occur. In contrast to our northern latitudes, the danger here lies in the sudden onset and the force.
North of the main town of Lefkas, the remains of former windmills can be found on the long sandy beach, of which only the circular masonry remains today. This means that there used to be wind here, which was used for milling. Today, windsurfers let off steam here - the sky is full of colourful sails. From the beach, you are constantly amazed at how the numerous and fast-moving surfers manage not to collide with each other. Close by is the fortress of Agia Mavra at the entrance to the Lefkas Channel, which we travelled through yesterday. In front of it is a large sandbank that is constantly changing. Three large, lighted groynes on the seaward side are apparently intended to stem the process somewhat. What poses a danger to shipping is a favourite spot for locals and tourists alike - the sandbank is full of beach life under parasols.
Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy
We set sail in glorious summer weather, albeit a little too hot for us, and head south through the Lefkas Channel. Soon the bay of Vlychon lies off the port side and a little later we pass an island whose former owner dominated the headlines of the "colourful papers" for years. The Argentinian-Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis and his extravagant wives Maria Callas and Jacqueline Kennedy made the island of Skorpios world-famous.
Onassis himself as well as his daughter Christina and son Alexander are buried here. The island is currently said to be leased to the daughter of a Russian oligarch for a hundred years - the Greek judiciary is investigating.
Our destination today is the island of Kefalonia. We first call at the harbour of Fiskera on the northern tip of the island, which is famous for its beauty. This is the only place on the Ionian Islands whose historic buildings were not destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1953. We would have loved to spend the night here, but by lunchtime the small harbour is already so crowded that we head for Sami after a swim in the harbour bay. The former Effimia ferry harbour was abandoned after the earthquake - since then all ferries have called at Sami. The place doesn't look much from a distance, but once you're in the harbour basin, it gains in charm. There is no electricity, water or mooring lines, so we have to drop anchor again. After the large, impersonal marinas, which sometimes remind us of hotel chains, we enjoy the "cosy factor" of a small harbour.
You won't find a harbour reception desk here, where well-groomed ladies behind glass panes in air-conditioned offices sift through papers, make copies, stamp them and collect the money "cash or card".
Instead, a sweaty marinero comes by on his scooter and helps us to moor. He has seen us coming from afar and is already waiting at the harbour entrance to guide us to our berth. When I go to pay the next morning, he is nowhere to be found - no harbour office. Enquiries to the harbour police only bring a brief solution - they recommend that we simply leave. Since that's not our style, we ask at the bistro opposite our boat - we think we've seen him there. A short time later, a smiling marinero is standing on the quay, collecting the mooring fee and helping us to cast off.
Circumnavigators on Zakynthos
In the meantime, a new perspective has opened up: friends of ours are already on Zakynthos, the southernmost of the Ionian Islands. World circumnavigators Asha and Helge, who have been travelling the world for eight years in their small 10-metre sailing yacht "Gegenwind" and are now heading home, are waiting for them there. As we want to go to Zakynthos anyway, we won't miss their arrival there. Zakynthos is also a very good stopover for either travelling further south around the Peloponnese or entering the Gulf of Patras and later crossing the Corinth Canal - one of our maritime dream destinations in Europe.
However, the Corinth Canal still poses a real problem for all water sports enthusiasts at the moment. After several massive landslides blocked the channel, it has been fully closed since January 2021 and there is talk of construction work lasting several years.
All the more surprising was the news in spring 2022 that the repair work would be interrupted and the canal would be reopened for recreational boating from 5 July 2022 until October. We would like to take advantage of this, but many boaters and locals sound rather sceptical. Enquiries from water sports media and directly from the canal administration in Corinth have also been muted, referring only to the official announcement from the Greek Ministry of Transport. So we'll have to wait and see ...
Turtles on the beach
We explore the southern part of the island of Zakynthos in a hire car with Sabine and Rainer. Only on its beaches does the loggerhead turtle lay its eggs in the sand at night in summer. The nests are counted, labelled and covered with a kind of miniature scaffolding. Even though the beaches are closed from sunset until morning, it seems almost miraculous that the normal tourist bathing activities during the day and this sensitive natural phenomenon seem to coexist peacefully. In the nearby documentation centre, you can learn a lot about this turtle species and read the current number of clutches on a slate board.
After a winding and steep descent to the sea, we expect to find a secluded beach - and find the beautifully situated and fully organised "Fish Tavern Antonis", where we enjoy a lemon juice freshly made according to a family recipe.
Near Keri, we visit the Ionian Sunset Café, the charm of which only becomes apparent when you walk to the edge of the cliffs and look down - it could hardly be more spectacular. The nearby lighthouse, on the other hand, can be seen rather than guessed at from behind bushes and trees. Like the lighthouses of many other Mediterranean countries, it is under military control and is therefore completely cordoned off. Visits to lighthouses like those in Germany, for example, are therefore generally not possible in this region of the world.
Tales from the wide world
Then the time has finally come: Asha and Helge - coming from the southern tip of the Peloponnese - enter the harbour of Zakynthos. We persuade the "harbour master" to let their tiny-looking sailing boat "Headwind" go alongside our AZURA. Despite being at sea for over 24 hours, they still seem quite lively and are the first to test our knowledge of geography. The flags of the 23 countries they have visited on their circumnavigation are printed on the banner attached to the railing. To be honest, we look quite old outside of Europe - luckily this "test" has no further consequences ...
In the days that followed, we listened to a great deal and could hardly cease to be amazed. Even a reasonably experienced water sports enthusiast cannot begin to imagine what the two circumnavigators have achieved, lived through and endured.
Or do you know what a cyclone feels like, of which you have been through three? Or 51 days at sea without interruption? Or 20 months at anchor in East Timor due to coronavirus quarantine? Or three hours with the keel on a reef, so that a "Mayday" call was made and the sail bags were already packed for collection by the Coast Guard? And then the cramped conditions, the heat, the authorities ... we take our hats off with respect and realise once again that our trips, which some readers may already consider to be "adventures", are more like somewhat more demanding coffee trips. Chapeau!
Among superyachts
When we arrived in Zakynthos, we were almost alone on the pier, where one restaurant follows another, tourists stroll around and traffic rushes past until late in the evening. Now there are more and more yachts, bigger and bigger, making SY "Headwind" seem even more fragile. Even our 23 metre motor yacht AZURA barely stands out here and almost disappears next to the humming superyachts with their large crews and charter guests. But the two of us still do everything ourselves, which the crews of the big ships can hardly imagine. Although there seem to be at least two people for every move, this is no guarantee of better mooring and casting off manoeuvres.
The best example is "Tango II" - a huge superyacht with a captain, first officer and a horde of crew members. To make room for this giant, "harbour master" Andreas arrives in the afternoon and suggests moving SY "Gegenwind".
However, we suggest moving to another sailing yacht, which is then done by mutual agreement. As soon as "Tango II" enters the harbour, we have the feeling that the captain is sailing a little too close to the "headwind". He corrects his course while reversing, but with one of his screws he catches the stern anchor line of the "headwind" and - guess what - it is cut and sunk in the harbour mud together with the anchor.
We quickly tie up the "headwind" so that it doesn't run into the quay wall. And then a discussion ensues with "Tango II" in several sections about who is to blame here and who has to pay for the anchor (or a diver). The wrangling continued until midday the following day, with the arrogance of the "Tango II" crew ("You can be glad that no more damage has been done!") only surpassed by the "harbour master's" manoeuvring. He apparently made "Tango II" believe that "Gegenwind" had not followed his instructions and was therefore somehow to blame - a position that "Tango II" was only too happy to adopt. In the end, we pay for the diver who actually finds the anchor, complete with chain and line remnants, in the opaque water of the harbour basin - a real feat!
The next destination: Corinth
In general, we seem to be at the mercy of a relatively non-transparent harbour world in Zakynthos. There are no price lists and almost everything is done verbally. The mooring fee varies depending on the day and it is doubtful whether all the banknotes arrive in an official company till. The charging points allegedly do not supply any electricity and the water "dribbles" out of the hose with little pressure. So it takes hours until the tank is finally full again.
Although it is labelled as drinking water, it later turns out that it is not. The only consolation: instead of the high prices usually charged in the large marinas, only a fraction of them are charged here.
And then the good news of the day: the Corinth Canal will actually be open again from 4 July 2023 - even a day earlier than originally announced. This eases our remaining travel plans and we can take our time sailing through the Gulf of Patras and later through the Gulf of Corinth. This not only saves us many nautical miles, but also avoids having to sail a long way round the large NATO firing ranges at the southern end of the Peloponnese - which, incidentally, are far from being shown in full size on the nautical charts. In addition, we don't have to sail around the infamous Cape Malea - sometimes called the Cape Horn of the Mediterranean - and then possibly stomp all the way to Athens against the Meltemi blowing in from the north-east. After all, we are actually here for pleasure!
