The crew of Maelouna, whose motto remains "Cap sur Nous", is continuing its family cruise on the long haul . After Tunisia and Sicily, we find them again in Greece. Ariane tells us about this summer discovery:
At the beginning of August, we arrived in Greece, after a long 36-hour sail from Calabria to Preveza, a vast bay on the Greek mainland coast. From there began the discovery of this jewel of the Mediterranean: the Ionian islands, each greener and more shimmering than the next, reached out to us.
Paxos and Anti Paxos, jewels..
From Preveza, we started by going up to the islands of Paxos and Anti Paxos, wild islands full of charm. We learned how to moor to the rocks, and with the mastery of this technique, we went from bay to bay, each one prettier than the other. The small colourful villages of Loggos and Lakka (on Paxos) have a good reputation. And they deserve it! The welcome is warm day and night. The water, turquoise and full of fish is a delight.
Corfu, the Mediterranean postcard
Childhood friends join us in mid-August in Corfu. That's why we continued climbing northwards, taking a break in Syvota. Once we arrived at the foot of the citadel, we visited Corfu and its old town. A real joy: it is a pure mix between the Maghreb, the Balkans and Europe. A real postcard of the Mediterranean.
We will never forget the reunion evening with our friends, two superb singers, including Amadi Lagha, a virtuoso ranked among the top 10 tenors in the world. Until the tip of the dawn, we shook the bay of Corfu with his extraordinary voice: Amadi sang with Rached and Lamia the funk repertoire of their youth.
The next day, we continued our journey north of Corfu, in front of the Albanian coast. Pretty and calm, the big island does not lack charm. With our cheerful crew, we went down once again to the islands south of Corfu. We introduced them to the joys of a sporty sailing on long, close-hauled tack, and the comfort of downwind sailing, where you move forward without struggling with the elements.
Fickle summer weather in Greece
Before reaching Paxos, we had to take shelter in Platarias, to let two days go by with 25 to 30 knots of established wind. Once the gale passed, we had a good time in Mongonisis. Our friends were fascinated by angling, with hermit crabs as bait. We laughed more than we fished, and it was finally sea urchins that we enjoyed.
Amdi and his daughter Angelica had to leave, leaving our daughter Louna with a heavy heart to have left her wonderful playmate. With us remained Lamia, who accompanied us to Patras. We set sail again to Preveza, a necessary step before passing further south, the Lafkas Canal. Preveza is still a favorite for us, and it is with happiness and ease that we went up the long channel that leads to this vast bay lined with greenery.
Bridge opening: 10 minutes every 4 hours!
The next day, a new step in this journey: the passage of the floating bridge at the entrance of the Lefkas canal. The timing was more than tight. The bridge only opens for 10 minutes every 4 hours. We had no right to be late. And it was with 25 knots of wind on the beam that we were waiting for the opening in the middle of a dozen other boats.
The passage to the southern islands was a nice surprise. The basin gave us a 360° view of the mountains. We would have wanted to go to every cove, every bay, on every island. When we say that Greece is a paradise for sailors, we can absolutely say it!
We followed our instincts and went from here and there down gently to the Corinth Canal. We had a great time crawling through the scrubland, sneaking through the cypress trees, hundred-year-old olive trees, eucalyptus and poplars. The biodiversity of these islands is fascinating. We also enjoyed going to less touristy areas, meeting the soul of the country.
After a long day where we were intoxicated with wind, we stopped on the island of Kalamos. There we discovered an abandoned village full of lovely stone houses in ruins, where only one church was still maintained and in operation. All dressed in yellow, it was like an anachronism in this ghost town.
Further down, at the entrance to the Corinth Canal, is a majestic bridge that connects the Peloponnese to the mainland: the Rio-Rian. But beware! The presence of the immense bridge in this narrowing of the sea creates an impressive current and wind.
All of a sudden, on the approach to the deck, we found ourselves with 27 knots of breeze and a heavy swell making us go against the current. The entrance into the Corinthian Canal was not the easiest.
We will have found refuge in Nafpaktos, a city that we fully recommend! We took shelter in its mini-port surrounded by a pretty fortress. The city is nice despite the unreasonable traffic. By renting a car, we visited the heights of the city, a pure delight! The view is splendid, many ramparts come out of a forest hanging on the hillsides.
No more Greece, back to Italy
Nefpaktos will be our lowest point on our journey to Greece. It would take years to visit it all, as the country is so incredibly rich and beautiful. But due to the current tensions between Greece and Turkey, the approaching end of the summer season, and the higher cost of living here than we thought, we decided not to venture this year into the Aegean Sea.
So we gradually made our way up the Ionian islands, returning to the places we had liked, and continuing our discoveries as we went along. We finally made our way back up to Corfu, to distance ourselves from the Medecane, a strong depression which caused a lot of damage in mid-September in south-western Greece.
What we will have liked in this great trip to Greece is the ability to be surprised every day by the beauty of its islands, the elegance of its villages, the sympathy of its inhabitants. And also, the happiness of returning to the place where we had the pleasure to be, like when you return to your hometown.
After 1.5 months in the country, we leave with our heads full of air, light and greenery. We will never have swum so much with the fish, played with the wind, admired the beauty of these rocks where a luxuriant biodiversity grows.
We learned a lot about how to deal with wind and storms, and we were dizzy with skies full of stars. We will have appreciated the encounters we had with other sailboats, and the mischievous presence of our friends on board. We were also happy to welcome my fabulous mother for ten days, who was able to enjoy both her grandchildren and this incredible experience that we are living as a family.
We will have covered nearly 500 miles in the Ionian Islands, and another 250 miles in one go to cross the basin and return to La Rochella in Calabria, before the wind is unfavourable to us.
Athîo Greece, ciao Italy, again! The adventure continues in this early autumn with more surprises!
Ariane - Heading for Us
