Now if you're thinking that this trip is just a round of popping from island to island, lounging around on beaches, imbibing in tavernas and making sure the boat has a good supply of local vino I have only one thing to say to you.....You'd be right!
Xi Beach was the target for the day. Famous for its 'red' sand...
Perfect for the kids!
Perfect for the adults....
It's a long beach, I'd left the car at one end and we'd walked all the way to the other looking for the best spot with the most inviting taverna. I left Sal and the kids to find a place to hang out while I went back and brought the car around nearer to where we'd be.
Trust Sal.... thatched umbrella just didn't cut it!
A great day at the beach. It felt like ages since we'd connected with our kids and we just had a ball on all the floating apparatus.
Day two and Jack and Stina were arriving at 5:00pm so we had the day to sort the boat. We had 'done' Kefalonia and it was time to move on. As you do as a student, they had taken the cheapest flight they could find.... Three hour train to Copenhagen, flight to Istanbul then to Athens and on to Argostoli. All up 21 hours! Quicker from Sydney...
They'd be shot so we'd spend the evening dining at a restaurant in the town square where we were known and the service was great. Early night and good winds to blow us south to Zankinthos in the morning. The Argostoli Port Police managed to get another 30Euro out of us before we left.
Catamarans have large battened sails which hold the mainsail in shape to maximise the power. These battens are held into the batten pocket by a large threaded lug and we've lost one. I'd taken another one out to use as a sample so a very steep learning curve for Jack saw us removing the two lugless five meter plus battens from their pockets out over the back of the boat as we pounded into the wind and waves.
Replacing these lugs is going to be a mission....
Soon after the wind died, we were joined by a pod of 5 dolphins diving and dancing between the bows. Such a pleasure and an amazing first sail for our guests. I took a video and uploaded it on YouTube. Here is the link if you're interested...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n_2zais7nM
or just go into YouTube and type 'summer amy dolphins'
Given the high wind, with higher winds predicted we were going to head for Port Zakinthos down the south east side of the island. Well protected and power and water on the dock. It had not been since Eufimia that we'd enjoyed that luxury.
Since the wind had died off, we decided to stop in at Nikolaos on the northern tip and the port closest to the famous blue caves. A must, apparently. By the time we got there, the wind had come up again and was strengthening as we entered the harbour. It is a deep harbour with average holding, not a good situation in a big wind but we were fortunate to find enough space on the wall to go alongside.
It got really windy. This booth was blown over, Summers thongs were blown right off the peer and all the dirt off this flat area made its way onto the boat, in through the open hatches and covered everything inside and out.Really really happy about that after having spent the entire previous day in 40 degree heat cleaning the (insert some very unsavory language here) boat!!!
We woke to settled weather and planned to sail around to the caves, anchor and dingy it right into them. By the time we got there a north easterly was blowing chop right into the caves making the dingy idea untenable.
Resolving doubtfully (hows that for an oxymoron) to return in better conditions, we set the sails and turned for Port Zakinthos, power and water....
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