Sailing Away to Greece - By Sol & Jim Taylor (Part 1)

Another exciting adventure with the amazing sailing duo Marina and Matt Alexander on Tara!  This time our visit would coincide with their time sailing in the sunny Ionian Sea.  Weather is ridiculously predictable, sunny and hot mid 30s with “cool” evenings in low 20s.  Winds come up around 2pm in the afternoon reaching low 20s knots, and Tara can sail!

July 29: we met Matt, Marina, Ross and Ross’ old friend Philip in Corfu town after a 23 hour journey from Vancouver via Toronto and Athens. 

The plane flew in low over Corfu island’s green hills, close to the coast and just over the heads of sea side homes.  We stayed in the town centre, close to Corfu’s old and new castles.  There is so much heat in Corfu compared to wet coast Pacific cool.  After a 10 minute walk through winding, narrow streets to one of the Alexanders’ favourite Italian restaurants, we had a chance to catch up, with Ross and Philip telling stories and sharing a video about their recent visit to a Munich hofbrauhaus where Ross was the last man standing! 

Matt and Marina shared plans for the coming trip and we had our first taste of ouzo (yuck!).  Got to bed around midnight with plans to see the old town in the morning but...

July 30: Old style Hotel Konstantinopolis had a much too comfortable room and AC, so we slept in by accident!  We agreed to meet Matt at 11am at the NAOK marina but only woke up at 11:11 am.  After a quick change, we rushed out the door and trundled our carry on suitcases through sweaty hot Corfu town’s shopping district to the marina.  Curses!  No brekkie, sad not to visit the impressive Venetian castles around town, and feeling bad about being late, on a day when M & M were up at 5am to see Ross and Phillip off to Corfu airport and on their way back to Vancouver.  In any case, we climbed aboard Tara’s dinghy with Marina, made our apologies, and finally boarded ship!  After powering our way southeast to Sivota town on the mainland, we anchored in a narrow channel between Muertos Island and a very nice marina on the mainland, just around the corner from the town.  Time for a swim with lots of silvery blue fishes under the boat.  We met another Canadian (rare!) from Montreal who had bought his 40 foot hurricane damaged catamaran for peanuts, then brought it back to life, and now sails around the Med on a five year plan - tough life!  We took a dinghy into shore, walked through a posh marina, and then wound our way up and over a hill past small olive orchards (occasionally with a friendly doggie) to the small town and harbour.

The town had a lot of nice restaurants with a wide boardwalk, and we had a very nice meal followed by gelato (a nightly ritual) before retracing our steps back to Tara.  Back on board, we had late sundowners (the sun had already set) leading to Matt and Marina figuring out the precise location of Corfu town with much arm waving and laughter, before our first night’s sleep in the heat - no need for covers!

July 31: woke up early, hung out with a book and lots of brown and silver fingerlings around Tara.  Seems the fish hang out waiting for bread crumbs tossed over board, but only the bigger fish (silver with a black ring around the tail) take part in the feeding frenzy - fun to throw crumbs and watch!  After a morning swim to cool down, we went into town for breakfast and groceries, on a scorching hot day, in a town over-run with day tripper boats and tourists.  Back on board Tara, we powered out and around Muertos island, then headed southeast in rolling seas towards Lakka on Ormos Paxos Island - the ride was a little uncomfortable for Solange, but we were starting to get our sea legs.  Lakka is a smaller town than Sivota, but again it was really busy with tourists from all over Europe. 

We had a relaxing, long supper at a restaurant owned by a 30 something friend of the Alexanders, Giorgio, who helped Matt and Jim get nicely buzzed, finishing with a shot of grappa (yuck again!).  The restaurant was crazy busy, a young British server was literally running to and from the kitchen to keep up with orders.  Seems that sea side restaurant owners in Greece have to make hay while the sun shines, then pack up and go home to do other things for the winter. 

Hard working Northern European tourists (and the occasional Canadians) finance this so called “lazy” Southern European lifestyle, but we saw a lot of hard working Greeks while tourists (mostly French, Italian, Dutch and German) lazed around, in and out of the water!

August 1: Garbage day!  In the morning, we headed into Lakka town and walked up to the garbage dump (stinky!) before breaking our fast at a sea side cafe with fantastic savory crepes and a view of Tara at anchor in the bay - another Alexander favourite and totally yummy. 

We motored over to Anti Paxos next, a picturesque bay with only two tavernas.  Typically, Marina manages the anchor and Matt the steering while we stay out of the way, and then we watch that nobody anchors on our anchor or too close to Tara.  Sometimes, it’s a “shit show,” as amateur hour can lead to hairy eyeballs from each skipper, occasional shouts and warnings, and ultimately boats bumping into each other.

The anchorage was windy and risky so M & M stayed on board while Sol and I swam into shore and then walked up perhaps 200 feet to a fancy taverna with a view to die for.  But our wet clothes and the somewhat posh surroundings led us back down the stairs (Sol nearly stepped on a lizard along the way) and across the beach to a more casual taverna where Jim tried lemon Fanta for the first time, not too sweet, try it!  After a refreshing swim back to the boat, we pulled up anchor and set out for Pargas next.  

Pargas was perhaps the largest town on our trip, two bays split by a hill maybe 1500 feet high with a large old Venetian fort on top.  The anchorage was crowded and the town was far enough away that a water taxi for only 5 euros each was the best way to get to and from supper.  This was our first encounter with a group of perhaps 30 Dutch tourists in roughly 8 rented 40 foot sail boats, who all piled into the water taxi with us.  After disembarking at the boardwalk in town, we set off towards another favourite M&M restaurant, climbing steadily up the hill past the entrance to the old fort and many tourist shops filled with crafts, leather goods, souvenirs, and gelato. 

Only the castle walls were above us when we reached the restaurant, sadly finding that they were booked and we would have to wait for a table.  Luckily, a very nice Norwegian couple (Inga(?) and Helga) overheard and came over to offer us their table.  After a short wait, we were treated to a corner front table with a fantastic meal (lamb stifado for Jim, lamb for Matt, sea bream for the ladies) and a breathtaking view of the harbour perhaps a thousand feet below. 

Tara rested at anchor in a line of five sail boats, with roughly 30 in total at anchor, and many more tied up, stern to, along the harbour wall.  Small colourful houses dotted the hillsides with olive trees and bougainvillea climbing the walls.  This was a highlight meal - thanks again to the Alexanders for sharing it with us!  On the way back to Tara, we stopped for a brief visit at the fort, checked out an art gallery, had more gelato, and then climbed back into the water taxi with the same Dutch tourists as before.

August 2: Brother Pete’s birthday so Jim texted happy 50th wishes!  We heard that Jim’s cousins Lisa and Rachel would be sailing in Greece as well, but unfortunately their timing did not coincide with ours.  After another breakfast in a seaside cafe and then fetching more groceries and ice,

Matt went for a long walk in town while Sol and Jim went for a snorkel.  Waving goodbye to Pargas, we headed out to Two Rock Bay, named for, you guessed it, two nasty rocks that stick out in the middle of a bay, lying in wait for unwary sailboats.  This bay has not yet been overrun with tavernas, cafes and tourist shops. 

There is a sheltered sandy beach with a lot of local Greek tourists and a food truck on the hill over-looking the bay.  Limestone bluffs have been undercut by waves creating sea caves, and the calm waters are perfect for SUPping and snorkelling. We saw more marine life in Greece (including a Mediterranean eel) than in a previous visit to Croatia, but the snorkelling is not as diverse and vibrant as Maui! We swam into shore, played volleyball in the shallows (record 39 touches before splash down) and then headed up to the food truck for a few beverages and a snack.  

Sadly for Jim, he left his Aussie-looking hat at an outdoor shower near the food truck and the hat is now gone to a new owner.  Marina barbecued chicken kabobs on board and Matt broke out his guitar to sing Toby Keith tunes, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once, as I ever was...”. There were a few mosquitoes buzzing around our ankles, but Matt’s G&Ts and guitar play helped us ignore their bites, and the night sky was brilliant with stars (Marina taught us how to find the North Star), shooting stars, and the Milky Way).