Nidri...Back to the very start

We left Mesolongion later than planned but we did manage to get the boat all nicely scrubbed up and by 11:45 on the 25th we were out of there. 

Two big differences this year. We have arrived back in the Ionian Sea much later than two years ago. It is way hotter which has a daily effect on the wind and it is high season so lots more charter boats and much livelier harbours.

As we entered the Ionian from the Gulf of Patras the wind started to rise and directly at us... Hmmmm 30 miles of this again! No way. 

We persevered but the waves they got bigger and we simply were not about to put ourselves and the boat through another slamming so we changed course for Frikas on Ithaka, one of our top 10 stops from season one. 


Up went all the sail we have, we pointed as high as we could and started enjoying the ride. The wind grew. Frikas started to look iffi. Kioni a little further south maybe? The wind grew. Vathi then, the safest harbour in Greece. 

So many boats had the same idea but with full sails we screeched through them at 9-10 knots looking the ducks nuts.

Here is the post on Vathi if you're interested: http://thesummeramy.blogspot.gr/2014/06/frikes-to-varthi-ithaca.html                                               



The big difference this year is the place was absolutely humming and so many charter boats, none prepared to chance a cross wing Med Mooring so plenty of room on the quay for us. No sooner had we moored and in they came realising it was not that hard. The wall was full in minutes.

A fun night in a familiar restaurant and an early start, take two for Nidri.




9:10 on the 26th we cast off and left and calm seas and arrived in Nidri before the daily wind got up. We had got in touch with Effi and Christos of the Iris hotel and arranged mooring on their jetty with a view to taking advantage of their superb facilities. 

The photo says it all.

William and Summer spotted bait balls near the jetty and grabbed their nets. Before long they had caught quite a few, seen here in their little red bucket. 

What to do with them? "How about we play Uno and the loser gets to swallow one of these live!" says Summer. "Yeah!" says Will, neither even considering they may lose... You have just got to watch this Youtube Video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C7IAuSVR-E

Just one night in Nidri, dinner at George's and it was time to get to Levkas, the place we'd spent 6 weeks at, waiting for our boat papers to arrive from Canberra.We would not be staying long.

Here is the original Nidri post. It was our very first independent sail and Med Moor some 4000 miles and roughly 160 moorings ago!
http://thesummeramy.blogspot.gr/2014/05/carol-anne-joins-us-for-first.html