Erikousa...something new!

The weather over the next few days is supposed to be very calm – with winds perhaps hitting the 15 knot range in the late afternoons. We decided to head up coast and to Erikousa to check out the beach there. It’s about 20 miles directly upwind today (of course) and a bit off the beaten path. 

This year we have further perfected the slow cruise –1200 to 1500 revs gives us between 4.5 and 6 knots towards our objective Erikousa. I have pitched an anchor there before with Ross, Matt and Mike Fedak, on our way up the coast to Croatia. We had left Gouvia and encountered adverse wind and 2 meter waves so I decided, much to Ross’ chagrin, to hide behind Erikousa and wait for the lower winds in the morning. We dropped a hook off the beach and then had a very early start – like 05:00 so we could get to Croatia some 200 miles north. Ross wanted to go back to the beach in the morning, I wanted to leave early so that we would get to Croatia in the daylight … the proverbial early bird got the worm, and by the time Ross woke up at 10am we were already 40 miles down range.

As we made our way to Erikousa I was reminded that once off the beaten path a little bit you are often a population of one. Where there might be 50 boats going to and from Paxos and Corfu, there appeared to be only one boat heading in our direction. Sometimes we wonder what the others know that we don’t – or perhaps it is something simple like we have the ability to take a little bit more time. When you are on a 1 or 2 week schedule a 50 mile sailing day can be a bit of a vacation-buster. But when you’re here for a month … it’s no so bad. 

We got into Erikousa and there were about 10 boats also anchored so we felt relieved we weren't totally against the grain. Marina and I SUP’d onto the beach … what an awesome beach. About a mile long and the sand is perfect. It shallows quite a ways out – like 15 meters from shore it is only shin deep. We pulled the SUPs up on shore and walked the entire length of the beach, encountering a number of people including a topless 60-something and walking by a kid who was pitching sand into the sea and having him pitch sand all over me. His mom gave him the what for, but Marina and I found it funny. We hoofed it all over the town, if you can call it that, and then back to the SUPs as the local ferry made its way to the ferry dock with what looked like a hundred people waiting for the Sunday departure back to Corfu. 

Spelling in Greece often brings a smile...

Through the day the harbour filled up, a boat here, a boat there. You know that comment about being off the beaten path -- well … that was a bit premature. Just before dusk more than a dozen Italian boats with what looked like all teens on board came into the bay and dropped anchor. They were all with OceanMedSailing and seemed to be on a floatilla adventure. While I originally expected a lot of teen partying, their boats were very quiet … maybe they have really good manners.

We had dinner on board, I read while the ladies watched Big Fish, one of our favourite movies...and then to bed. There was a slight swell from ferries or something causing us to rock pleasantly back and forth – but it might be one of those nights where you need to sleep sideways otherwise you roll around like a log in a lumberjack show.