With Don & Peta Pickering in stern of Envoy in Fiskhardo harbour
Envoy at Port SpighaWell the great news is today we got our internet access back again. Since 9th May we have only been able to receive gmails (on my mobile phone) but not reply to them which has been very frustrating. Also we rely heavily on the internet for weather forecasts and are glad to have those again. Today we got a PCMCI card for my laptop which gives unlimited web access.
We tried to get this in Corfu but were told you had to have a Greek address to be able to buy this. However with Vodafone in Patras its no problem.
After leaving Vonitsa we went through the 4 mile long Levkas canal dredged through the shallow salt lakes separating mainland Greece from the island of Levkas. At the N end there is a well preserved castle guarding the approaches. On arrival you have to wait for the floating road bridge to be opened to let boat traffic through every hour. The first canal was dug there in the 7th century BC – that’s 2,700 years ago ! Mind you, labour was pretty cheap in those days.
We anchored in a very sheltered bay called Ormos Vlikho and Don joked that it was so calm you could have anchored with a brick on a string. Nevertheless we laid out our customary 40 metres or so of chain. A few hours later a sudden thunderstorm hit us and the wind went from 5 kots to 32 knots in the space of 5 mins, together with torrential rain. Boats started to drag and visibility was poor. We were OK though and didn’t move at all. The islands around there are beautiful and also very green and forested. One of the islands was the private residence of Aristotle and Jackie Onassis. From Levkas we cruised across to Cephalonia – the largest island of the Northern Ionians. This is the island where the events tookplace on which the great movie Captain Curulli’s Mandolin is based. If you haven’t seen this movie we do recommend it.
The Italians were occupying Greek Cephalonia during WW2 and when the Italians removed Mussolini and made peace with the allies, the Germans on Cephalonia demanded that the 9,000 Italian troops surrender their weapons to the Germans. The Italians refused and 56,000 were killed in the subsequent fighting lasting 7 days. Then 3,000 surrendered to the Germans but were lined up and shot in cold blood. Of the 9,000 troops, only 34 survived. A fantastic harbour was Fiskhardo where we went into the free marina lined with tavernas and cafes. The nearest restaurant table was literally one metre from our passarelle (boarding plank). Here once again we had a very strong blow and had to delay our departure by a day to wait for improving weather, even the ferries being cancelled. On Weds we arrived at Patras marina where Don & Peta Pickering left us today. We had a great time with Don & Peta and they are now off to see the Louis Vitton Cup finals in Valencia. They nearly didn't leave us as their passports etc were i our on board safe and last night it jammed and we couldn't open it. Fortunately through the marina we managed to get hold of a locksmith who came down within 30 mins and quickly was able to open it much to Don & Peta's relief. Kevin & Diane O’Sullivan will join us tomorrow night for some new adventures.
Patras is the 3rd largest city in Greece and on the island of Peloponnisos. From here we will explore the Gulf of Corinth and go Eastwards through the Corinth Canal towards Piraeus – the seaport of Athens. The last time I was there was in 1960 on my way to NZ.
Technical: our genset had an engine oil leak thru the sea water pump and this has been fixed today with a new oil seal. The hydraulic stabilizers are our main problem and we hope to get them repaired in Piraeus where a service agent is located and where we’ll have plenty of time. Also there we hope to get our gearbox oil leak fixed – apparently a 2 day job to replace leaking gasket. Apart from these issues there’s the usual array of minor jobs that need doing. Some varnishing is going to need doing soon – watch out visitors !
We tried to get this in Corfu but were told you had to have a Greek address to be able to buy this. However with Vodafone in Patras its no problem.
After leaving Vonitsa we went through the 4 mile long Levkas canal dredged through the shallow salt lakes separating mainland Greece from the island of Levkas. At the N end there is a well preserved castle guarding the approaches. On arrival you have to wait for the floating road bridge to be opened to let boat traffic through every hour. The first canal was dug there in the 7th century BC – that’s 2,700 years ago ! Mind you, labour was pretty cheap in those days.
We anchored in a very sheltered bay called Ormos Vlikho and Don joked that it was so calm you could have anchored with a brick on a string. Nevertheless we laid out our customary 40 metres or so of chain. A few hours later a sudden thunderstorm hit us and the wind went from 5 kots to 32 knots in the space of 5 mins, together with torrential rain. Boats started to drag and visibility was poor. We were OK though and didn’t move at all. The islands around there are beautiful and also very green and forested. One of the islands was the private residence of Aristotle and Jackie Onassis. From Levkas we cruised across to Cephalonia – the largest island of the Northern Ionians. This is the island where the events tookplace on which the great movie Captain Curulli’s Mandolin is based. If you haven’t seen this movie we do recommend it.
The Italians were occupying Greek Cephalonia during WW2 and when the Italians removed Mussolini and made peace with the allies, the Germans on Cephalonia demanded that the 9,000 Italian troops surrender their weapons to the Germans. The Italians refused and 56,000 were killed in the subsequent fighting lasting 7 days. Then 3,000 surrendered to the Germans but were lined up and shot in cold blood. Of the 9,000 troops, only 34 survived. A fantastic harbour was Fiskhardo where we went into the free marina lined with tavernas and cafes. The nearest restaurant table was literally one metre from our passarelle (boarding plank). Here once again we had a very strong blow and had to delay our departure by a day to wait for improving weather, even the ferries being cancelled. On Weds we arrived at Patras marina where Don & Peta Pickering left us today. We had a great time with Don & Peta and they are now off to see the Louis Vitton Cup finals in Valencia. They nearly didn't leave us as their passports etc were i our on board safe and last night it jammed and we couldn't open it. Fortunately through the marina we managed to get hold of a locksmith who came down within 30 mins and quickly was able to open it much to Don & Peta's relief. Kevin & Diane O’Sullivan will join us tomorrow night for some new adventures.
Patras is the 3rd largest city in Greece and on the island of Peloponnisos. From here we will explore the Gulf of Corinth and go Eastwards through the Corinth Canal towards Piraeus – the seaport of Athens. The last time I was there was in 1960 on my way to NZ.
Technical: our genset had an engine oil leak thru the sea water pump and this has been fixed today with a new oil seal. The hydraulic stabilizers are our main problem and we hope to get them repaired in Piraeus where a service agent is located and where we’ll have plenty of time. Also there we hope to get our gearbox oil leak fixed – apparently a 2 day job to replace leaking gasket. Apart from these issues there’s the usual array of minor jobs that need doing. Some varnishing is going to need doing soon – watch out visitors !
2 comments:
hello from a very warm Christchurch I think May has been warmer than December. Hopefully you'll find a good repair shop. Just as well you understand engines. Steve says that you sound like an engineer.I loved Greece and have seen some of the places you mention so I can visualise where you are. It is such a beautiful part of the world. Take care. Love Jane and Steve
Hi Laurie and Di, this is a test comment as my last one didn't seem to register and I'm new toblog's.
Our neighbours have a house on Lefkas and we will probably go there next year.
Cheers
Colin and Elizabeth
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