From Epidauros we headed for the Corinthian canal arriving about 10 am to process our paperwork and pay the fee. Within the hour we were underway for a passage thru this amazing cut traveling with a couple of other boats.
The Gulf of Corinth is not very interesting so we decided to take advantage of the calm seas and push the 120 miles out to Missolonghi so we would be positioned to make the run to the island of Zakinthos were we planned to meet Luke and Veronica. Missolonghi turned out to look more like the intercoastal than Greece with its long docks and fishing shacks.
With Luke and Veronica on board had a chance to catch up on their activities since we last saw them in Oslo. Next stop was Ithaca with some great swimming along the way. From there we headed to Lefkada where Luke and Veronica left us and headed to Paris. With about a week before we were scheduled to meet the Nobles in Lefkada, we decided to head back down to the Island of Kefalonia.
Our first stop was Agia Effimia with its crystal clear waters. We then moved the boat down to Sami then rented a car to tour the island. Lots of mountain roads, goats, terraced hillsides, beaches and quaint seaside villages. Moving up north again, we stopped in Syvota on the south end of Lefkada where once again we were in a majority sailboat harbor. Back to the marina at Lefkada where we joined up with Charles and Melorie Noble.
After an overnight at Preveza on the mainland, we head up to Paxos, about a forty mile run. Paxos turned out to be one of our favorite islands where we spend three days in three different harbors. The north side of the island is very steep rock cliffs with many caves at water level. Dan managed to back the boat all the way into one of the caves. Leaving Paxos we head for Corfu with a last swim stop along the way for the Nobles.
At Corfu we stayed in the marina at the Fortress. From the marina one is required to pass thru this enormous fortress to get to the charming town of Corfu. With our last guest departing and having arrived at True East’s winter home, we still had ten days before our departure from Greece. We moved the boat over to Gouvia Marina, then rented a car to tour the island of Corfu for a couple of days.
Returning to Gouvia, we met with our Greek friend Costis and Ilias who will oversee the works on the boat over the winter. Having gone over the list, we decided to give Ilias time to get some of his team together to ponder our requests. So it was off again, this time to visit the northern and western most Greek Islands. Both we small and primarily owned by Americans of Greek decent. A great many Greeks migrated to America after WWII . Back at the marina, we met again with Ilias and team and put the boat to bed for the winter.
