Jas is now about ten weeks old and made herself completely at home. She's a bundle of fun and i get woken up at about 5am each morning with her doing her wall of death around my cabin. Last night it was like having a full bodied acupuncture session.
Here's Jas, she's found her spot on the boat where she feels safe when we are heeling over, the winch handle locker.
Life is soooooooo tuff.
This has to be one of the most photogenic beaches in Greece. It sits at the bottom of an arc of pale cliff that seem to have the clean lines and a natural wonder. As well as the white lines of the cliffs, the water is bright, bright blue and the cliffs have grassy topped fringes.
Not a fantastic pic but i only had my small camera with me. Katsiki is only 35 km away from Lefkada town, near Athani village, you must vivit it if you can. The unique view of the white cliff over the beach combined with the surrounding green of the area and the cyan water of the sea made it a "must visit”. It’s been consistently rated Top European Beach of the Year. It’s a long stairwell down to the actual beach from the cliff parking but a stairway to heaven.
The beach is lined with blue striped longing beds with umbrellas but at 8 euros for two we declined and lay in the shade of the cliff on white sand. A little toasting from the sun and the amazing blue water beckoned. Last year I bought a bikini and thought this a good time to give the top at least an airing, I did have bottoms on too by the way I’m not that brave in public.. A tan always helps cover any lumps and bumps or should I say make them less obvious.
On our way home we stopped off so Helen could buy some local honey. The bees who produce the amber nectar feed of wild Thyme and the honey is just delicious.
We also decided to have supper in one of the high positioned tavernas and watch the sun go down.
Carol reflecting in the glow of the sunset.
Carol has needed a change of scenery and had wanted to visit the Vikos Gorge so we decided to take a few days out and explore the area. The Gorge was a three hour drive from Lefkada and we packed all but the galley sink into the back of the car.
Our idea was to find camp sites however, on talking to folk in the marina I found out that not only do they have scorpions, wild dogs, lynx and snakes up in them there hills but also bears. Carol is very welcome to sleep under a thin sheet of nylon to protect her from the elements and wildlife but this cookie is not going to be tuka for any passing bear, wild dog or large cat. I’ll sleep in the car with all doors and windows locked. I’m not a complete woos, I did tell her to sleep with her mobile and if she finds herself surrounded by a hungry bear, dog or wild cat to call me and I’ll beep the horn to scare them off. That of course is providing we get a signal. Having driven through several packs of what looked to be wild dogs protecting goats’ sheep and cattle we decided to forget about the ‘being at one with nature’ and stay in a B&B.
Not far out of Yanana we came upon my first sighting of a tortoise, not in an open field like i was expecting but walking along a major road. Carol braked and turned the car around and we moved him to a safer place, I had a check to determine the sex’. Having tortoises of my own i knew the tell tale signs.....We couldn’t believe our luck, not just one tortoise sighting but three and all walking along the road, would you believe it.
The Gorge is also famous for its little stone bridges so following the guide book and maps we went in search of them. We first drove to Monodhendhri which like all the Zagori villages has these wonderful limestone houses. The coaches can’t navigate the roads here so it’s not as commercial as the villages below. From Monodhendri we drove as close as we could to the first view point, we then walked to the Oxia natural balcony giving us our first view of the Gorge which was spectacular. If you suffer from vertigo hold on to a friend. We were the only people there and sat for a while in silence just taking in the breathtaking view. Unfortunately being so high up and the cloud level so low we weren’t able to get the full impact but even so it was spectacular.
Vikos Gorge is located in the mountainous area of Epirus, to the North West part of Greece. It's the second deepest Gorge in the world, after the Grand Canyon.
The steep walls rise to a height of 1,040 meters in several places. The Voidomatis River crosses the Vikos Gorge and gives beautiful natural sceneries.
It's a place to sit and contemplate, there's no need to speak in fact, it's best not to so you can take in the enormity of this natural phenomena.
From Oxia we drove towards Koukouli, having the gorge tower above us with its magnificent rock formation as we drove along was unreal. We slalomed along the narrow road where we were confronted with an enormous free standing rock and our first sighting of one of the unique single arched bridges. We pulled over to take in the vista and get some good shots of the bridge.
Carol stood on the bridge just so we could get an idea of the scale.
It was then throw away where we found our bed for the night in Koukouli, a fabulous little village with hardly a soul in sight. This little place is off the beaten track. The traditionally built house was like something out of a fairy tale. The National park homes have remained the same as they were when they were first built in the 1800 and any renovations are obviously strictly regulated and there are also new builds and although built in a more modern way using bricks the fronts are faced with limestone and the roofs are made using the same stone they have used for almost two hundred years. The materials are taken from the surrounding area so they all blend in beautifully, no concrete here.
Tritoxo a B&B run by Eleftheria and Papa Kostas was a great find of Carols. Eleftheria didn't speak any English and as my Greek is zilch and Carols not much better we had a slight problem when we were showed our room, one double bed. I was rather suprised Elftheria didn't seem at all suprised that two women were being offered a one bed bedroom. Carol and i looked at each other and shook our heads, sharing was going to far. We really wanted to stay here so it needed a bit of drawing pics, Carol drew two beds with a stick man in each but this just caused a titter amongs the three men having coffee one being Ppa Kostas, a priest. Eventually the daughter was phoned and as she s[oke good english we were eventually offered a twin bedded room Phew.
We were treated like royalty and after a little wonder around the village we were offered supper of kebabs and a good supply of tea. The next morning Carol went for a long walk and having suffered a tummy problem for the past few days a declined. Breakfast was waiting for me when i came down at 9am and Carol arrived just in time for a well earned cuppa, eggs, toast with home made honey and fig jam.
This was the little terrace where we had our breakfast on our first morning.
Where does the time go? I can't believe it's a month ago since i last blogged. I also can't believe how fast that month has gone.
We have squeezed in so much. One event where people have been very generous was on May 29th. Over the months people have been donating and raising money to help Mark and Maureen who I mentioned in an earlier post. Mark was paralysed in a tragic accident in March and is now back in the UK at Pinderfeilds hospital in Wakefeild.
He’s making slow but steady progress but will be wheel chair bound from now on. Mark is a very intellegent and get up and go guy. He wont take his dissability lying down beleive me.
A group of close friends decided to have a race and all proceeds go to Marks fund. It wasn’t just the Brits who took part but Greeks, Irish, Scottish, a Cornish person and several other nationalities too.
Kevin, myself, Bob, Big Tony (TT) and one of the Greek lads ,Gilley (can’t spell his name but that’s how it sounds) set out the starting marker. The day was perfect, warm and breezy.
Hmmm i think i was down below getting the guys a beer when Keith took this one.....
The race started in Lefkas and went to the halfway buoy just outside Previsa. It was then a qick as you can manouver and leg it back to Lefkas.
About thirteen boats took part, some old veterans and a few youngsters. As usual there were favs but I always like to cheer on the underdog.
As they got underway the more experienced jostled on the line, tacking port and starboard and all working to be first over the line and on a good track.
Waiting for the gun for the off is always exciting and the time when a few T bones, scrapes and swearing goes on.
Gilley suddenly let off a blast on the horn warning everyone they had five mins to the start. Being on the committee boat meant we had a great view of the mayhem. Another blast and they were off, heeled over and cracking along. Time to crack open the beer soak up sum sun and wait for their return.
Unfortunatly about an hour into the race the wind went and there were talks of abandoning the proceedings, a couple did retire but the competition amongs some of these guys is second to none and no way were they retiring. Although the wind eluded some, others found small pockets and sailed home in good time.
All these sailing pics were taken by Little Keith, photographer to the rich and famous.
This is the old veterans boat with a young backup, they came in first....Well done Jungle.
The presentation evening was great. Lots of people Brits and Greek had donated prizes for the raffle. I'd done a cartoon and had it framed. Having looked at the list of prizes i had already chosed what i'd like. Forget the holiday villa for a week, a day sail on a super yacht, a fold up bike, scuber gear and the nice sailing jacket, I wanted the paragliding. How cool must that be to throw yourself off a cliff attached to a nice young man........
Guess what.......................................... I won, second ticket out of the hat and the first one the people weren't there. There was no hesitation i bound up with a smile as wide as the Vikos Gorge and selected my envelope. Am i mad?............yes.
Some of the motley crews taken by me on my little Panasonic so excuse the poor quality....
Above - Jungle
Above - Izola
Jane, hubby Shawn and Bob
This is Linda one of the organisors and great friend to all.
Tony and Liz, they chose my cartoon as their prize so i had to add their pic.
It was a lovely day all round and every one their attended for the support and love of Mark and Maureen. We hope they find strenghth in their time of need, we're with them every step and push of the way.
Love to you both.
May 4th and at 10.30 am I'm at position 38°41.4 - 20°42.1 we pulled up our anchor to start our real season of sailing. Our destination was a Abeleki Bay on the island of Meganisi 30°39.9 - 20°47.3. Well sail is not quite right, we motored.
Blue skies and sea, just a hint of breeze and we made our way out of Vlyho bay and towards our first real anchorage.
As we drifted into Abeliki bay there were just a few boats at anchor and three boats tied ‘stern too’ to the shore. These three had obviously made camp here, one even had what looked like a make shift conservatory on the fore deck and a bee hive on shore. I did wonder if it was illegal plants they were growing but as nothing other than sun power was used i decided it was probably tomatoes or something similar.
Of course a walk and rekey was on the agenda and we set off in a shower of rain. Up hill, down hill, up hill and down till we reached another inlet called Vathey.
Charter boats tied up to the local quay were fendered off amongst local fishing boats draped in nets, buckets, plastic boxes and other fishy stuff.
Neat piles of red fishing nets sat on the pavement while small shops selling everything from sun hats, to reading glasses, aubergines and oranges.
Little tavernas with their sun bleached chairs and bright blue table clothes dappled by the overhanging plants spilled out along the water’s edge.
Every shade of blue through to turquoise sums up Greece. Sky, sea, wooden window shutters left to weather in the sun, fishing boats whose reflection is almost mirrored in the still waters sea.Painted terracotta pots full of geraniums and trees with their white painted trunks to stop insects devouring their fruit. Blue and it’s many Mediterranean shades has become my favourite colour.
There are interesting and beautiful caves, Papanikolis is one of them, named after a submarine that sheltered there during World War II.
The sea here is amazingly clear and you can see clear to the bottom, small shoals of different fish dart around causing a swirling mass in the water. Today we have a sort of ring tailed bream and another stripy one with a forked tail sheltering under the hull of the boat.
By the time we returned to our boat via the hills I was ready to collapse and by 9.30 ready for bed. Being a night owl this is very unusual for me and I put it down to sun and hill climbs and the fact i no longer have Porto on my doorstep.
Painting is one of our must do’s this year, so having selected a subject i set too. I’ve been procrastinating, i pull out all my painting gear and set up then think, hmmmm I’ll just have a cuppa.
Now sat in front of a blank piece of A3 paper hmmm, now how should I tackle the subject, perhaps i should lie in the sun for a while and think about it. Two hours later and a rather red face and a few other red bits i sit down mask of my paper, pick up my pencil and at last start drawing. Why is it so scary making that first stroke of a pen?
Having spent the evening in the Porto bar which has become my local over the last four months, i said my goodbyes to Nicky, the forever smiling barmaid. An evening with Flash, Sharkey, Jane and Joe ended with us going back to Flashe's boat to sample his famous chips made in his special chip maker accompanied with Sharkey’s chilli.
It was sad not knowing when I would see them all again so this was a sad time for me. I’ll be seeing Flash during the summer as I’m boat sitting for him this winter on Andreas and will need to learn what all his knobs and dials do.
Flash belongs to a group called ‘Perverts in leather’ so enough said.
Joe is off cruising then possibley returning to the UK or Holland for the summer and Jane will be staying close by as husband is arriving on the 25th May.
Sharky is returning to the UK to get married however, Kevan and Lynda who are resident at the marina will be here when i return in the fall.
There are many others who now reside in Lefkas who I’ll see when i get back. And lots who have left to sail off towards Turkey for the summer.
I’ve also left behind my NEW bike, 'Fanny 11'. Although new to me 'Fanny 11' has had two other owners, Kevan and Jane. It’s a hand me down and i love it.
Before i left i went on a few bike rides with Jane, TT (tall Tony) all 6’7” of him, and of course Flash. As you can imagin it took some keeping up, not are they all much younger than me they are also fitter and i found the muscle commonly known as gluteus maximuse, boy does it ache. Although hard work and a ten mile slog, i felt great, i did this run three mornings on the trot and wish i’d had the 'grown up bike' with big wheels all winter.
We wanted to be underway by 1100 so with just a few last minute jobs, tank filling, sorting lines etc we cast off on time. A few last shots of the marina as we motored past and a sad goodbye.
I’ve had a great four months here but we now have a summer of new adventures and new friends ahead of us and possibly meeting up with old friends at some point.
I helmed us up towards Vlyho which is to be our base for this year. Our first night at anchor was strange and i didn’t sleep well, different noises to the ones i’ve become accustomed to had me waking up every whit and while.
The anchor chain grinding on the bow roller, feeling the boat moving differently and the silence all make for a very different experience from being in the marina.
Sunday May 1st is the 2nd anniversary of our living aboard and as we were busy we didn’t celebrate it on the ist but Monday we decided to make it a memorable day. Breakfast in the cockpit with the sun beating down we decided to go for a walk around this large bay to the other side from where we are anchored.
The small olive groves are abundant with wild flowers, fig trees, lemon and orange trees and the smell from the honeysuckle, jasmine and other fragrant plants and trees is amazing.This corner had us confused which way do we go??
Looking down over the bay where Wildbird sits on a blue still sea gave me one of those moments i needed to pinch myself, am i really doing this or will i wake up and find myself in Cornwall looking at the clock and getting up for work.
We wondered up hill and down dale and eventually came to a lovely restaurant/bar on the waters edge, it was stunning. Large pots of geraniums left dappled light on the stone floor and small boats reflected back in the still deep blue water. It’s so clear you can see the fish swimming about.
Grape vines and wisteria shelter us from the sun on overhead trellis, large lemons hang from trees, little tables with blue tablecloths, sun scorched pale blue chairs with raffia seats and Greek music playing in the background all help towards the ambiance, i could have sat here all day watching the world go by.
A Susie Valentine moment, where is my Tom Conti???
Across the bay the mountains rise up and dotted here and there clinging to it’s sides are a few houses with tiled terracotta roofs. It’s here we decided to have our celebratory lunch, a selection of traditional Greek food washed down with wine in Carols case and water in mine.
Although we had planned to walk to the headland, having sat for a while and eaten and supped we decided to mosey back instead of the steady pace we had taken on getting here. This time we would savour the flowers, take pics and just saunter.
By the time we had gotten back to the boat we were both wiped out. Although it’s barely May the sun is hot and even though we were walking in dappled sunlight i bare the dreaded white strap marks already, and the owl eyes due to wearing sunglasses. This now means I have to make a conscious effort and frighten the local wildlife by revealing my white bits so I don’t look like a tanned zebra.
Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
