Our cruising season is over, all is well, and Envoy is now safely in Lefkas marina for the winter.
We leave here for New Zealand on 19 October, but the season isn’t finished for the Blog, which still has quite a bit of catching up to do.
This year we’ve included more photos with the Blog, and have had great feedback, but the occasional comment that the photos are too small. You can increase the on-screen size of the photos by left clicking on them once, and increase the size again by left clicking a second time. Then click on the left arrow, top left of screen to return to the Blog.
For the next few postings we’ve got some great shots, and plan to use more pictures and less text. Our posting frequency is approximately every five days. This post takes us up to 15 September.
On the island of Corfu the forecast was now showing some unseasonable weather for mid-September – strong south-east to south-west winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms. We carefully checked the charts, and decided to anchor at Avalaki on the north-east side of Corfu, where we found a large sheltered bay with no rocks or moorings, a nice beach, tavernas ashore, and an ideal anchoring depth of about eight metres.
Storm clouds gather over our anchorage at Avalaki
.JPG)
Initially when we anchored there the wind was still about 15 knots onshore (the prevailing northerly), and I guess the locals wondered why we had anchored in nearly a metre of chop causing Envoy to pitch a little at anchor. But by early evening the wind shifted to the south as forecast, and we had perfect shelter, in fact the next day several other boats joined us. We were also reassured by a local fisherman, who confirmed this bay would be ideal in the forecast conditions. Heavy rain came that night, accompanied by a thunderstorm with lightning that lasted several hours, but the wind in our location never exceeded 23 knots, and we had no problems. Of course the locals welcomed the rain, the first for months, to lay the dust and keep their gardens green.
The beach had a jetty where we were able to secure our RHIB, but we had to be careful as the jetty had missing deck planks and was very shaky. These jetties are removed for the winter and nobody was doing maintenance this late in the year.
Envoy’s RHIB secured to a less than safe jetty with missing deck planks. In the far background behind Envoy is the coast of Albania
Corfu+(7).JPG)
On the shore we found a lifeboat. Although still in use, it was in very poor condition, and looking inside I noticed that the bilge pump had been in pieces for a long time.
Laurie beside lifeboat in Avalaki - Envoy in background
Corfu+(4).JPG)
We stayed in Avalaki for three days until the southerly blow, rain squalls, and thunderstorms finished, but while there visited the pretty village of Kassiopi using our RHIB
Looking down from Venetian castle on village of Kassiopi, near our Avalaki anchorage
.JPG)
TECHNICAL: Nothing to report – great!
LOG: Up to 15 September had spent 169 days aboard, and cruised 1,542 miles for 298 engine hours.
We leave here for New Zealand on 19 October, but the season isn’t finished for the Blog, which still has quite a bit of catching up to do.
This year we’ve included more photos with the Blog, and have had great feedback, but the occasional comment that the photos are too small. You can increase the on-screen size of the photos by left clicking on them once, and increase the size again by left clicking a second time. Then click on the left arrow, top left of screen to return to the Blog.
For the next few postings we’ve got some great shots, and plan to use more pictures and less text. Our posting frequency is approximately every five days. This post takes us up to 15 September.
On the island of Corfu the forecast was now showing some unseasonable weather for mid-September – strong south-east to south-west winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms. We carefully checked the charts, and decided to anchor at Avalaki on the north-east side of Corfu, where we found a large sheltered bay with no rocks or moorings, a nice beach, tavernas ashore, and an ideal anchoring depth of about eight metres.
Storm clouds gather over our anchorage at Avalaki
.JPG)
Initially when we anchored there the wind was still about 15 knots onshore (the prevailing northerly), and I guess the locals wondered why we had anchored in nearly a metre of chop causing Envoy to pitch a little at anchor. But by early evening the wind shifted to the south as forecast, and we had perfect shelter, in fact the next day several other boats joined us. We were also reassured by a local fisherman, who confirmed this bay would be ideal in the forecast conditions. Heavy rain came that night, accompanied by a thunderstorm with lightning that lasted several hours, but the wind in our location never exceeded 23 knots, and we had no problems. Of course the locals welcomed the rain, the first for months, to lay the dust and keep their gardens green.
The beach had a jetty where we were able to secure our RHIB, but we had to be careful as the jetty had missing deck planks and was very shaky. These jetties are removed for the winter and nobody was doing maintenance this late in the year.
Envoy’s RHIB secured to a less than safe jetty with missing deck planks. In the far background behind Envoy is the coast of Albania
Corfu+(7).JPG)
On the shore we found a lifeboat. Although still in use, it was in very poor condition, and looking inside I noticed that the bilge pump had been in pieces for a long time.
Laurie beside lifeboat in Avalaki - Envoy in background
Corfu+(4).JPG)
We stayed in Avalaki for three days until the southerly blow, rain squalls, and thunderstorms finished, but while there visited the pretty village of Kassiopi using our RHIB
Looking down from Venetian castle on village of Kassiopi, near our Avalaki anchorage
.JPG)
TECHNICAL: Nothing to report – great!
LOG: Up to 15 September had spent 169 days aboard, and cruised 1,542 miles for 298 engine hours.
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