The wind was definitely having a rest and the next few days were disappointingly windless, so the engine was put to work to take us from Galaxidi to Trizonia and on again under the Rion Bridge to Messolonghi. Trizonia holds a special place for us; so often it has been the haven from storms; but this time we enjoyed mooring up inside the great concrete ‘marina in waiting’ in tranquil and calm conditions. There was plenty of evidence of tidying up work being done all around. Old boats had been removed, old junk had been taken away, the bins had been rationalized, a superb new children’s play area had been built alongside the quay, and the paving was clearly being repaired. Our stop over was brief, but we met some other Brits who have made Trizonia their boat’s home location by setting up their own mooring inside the harbour. No-one apparently needed to be consulted, give permission, or seem interested in the initiative, so DIY prevails!
We had had our fill of Messolonghi on previous trips, so as it was to be another brief stopover we dropped anchor at the head of the approach channel. For the very first time we saw and passed a cargo carrying ship leaving the quay and heading out down the narrow channel, their load likely to have been salt.
We did do some gentle sailing under a full Greek sun from Messolonghi to the island of Oxia where we decided to pick up a buoy off a taverna, in the middle of nowhere. It was utterly beautiful, we were surrounded by uninterrupted landscape with the dramatic island of Oxia to the south. It transpired that an entrepreneurial fish farm owner was developing a new business opportunity, charging boats 20 euros to stay on the buoys and also offering excellent fish meals ashore. There was a good proportion of landside visitors too so they were quite busy. We had no qualms about buoy integrity, they were robust and well spaced, as they had been laid by professionals! It was altogether a super stopover.
Next stop Efemia on Kefalonia for two nights where we were warmly greeted by Makis who is the face of the busy harbour. I don’t think we had ever seen it so busy with boats hanging off the breakwater as well as filling the small anchorage. Fortunately the weather was settled so everyone was seemingly accommodated.
In Vathi on Ithaca we anchored off the small island in the west side of the harbour which afforded a bit more shelter from the late afternoon sea breezes. It was excellent holding ground with serious mud keeping us in one place.
We began to see a change in the weather ahead so decided to head up into the Inland sea area and enjoy some beach anchorages before the forecast storms arrived. Our stop in Vliho bay was not as good as usual after both of us felt unwell after our supper in the middle of the restaurants on the east side of the bay. Most unusual, but we did not linger there either and had a brilliant sail across to Varko Bay, our favourite beach anchorage in this area. We stayed two nights and caught up on swimming and reading, cooking on board, we even barbecued our remaining fish and generally enjoyed some normal sailing weather.
It was not to last and our next port of call was Preveza where we planned to dig in for the storms to come 25th-27th September. We did find an excellent spot on Preveza Quay behind the commercial dock. A large ship was docked there seemingly unloading a large cargo of grain and we enjoyed watching endless lines of trucks passing under hoppers to receive their loads. The ship also afforded some protection from the north easterly winds.
The storm did come on Nigel’s birthday. There was lots of thunder and lightning and deluges of rain, this pattern has followed us all year. We did manage to escape to find some sardines which were especially delicious. After many years of lobbying, Mo finally capitulated and gave into Nigel’s suggestion of an electric scooter for his birthday present. It is fun and fully operational now, saving loads of time buzzing around running errands.
We have started on the clean up and tidy up operations before lifting out in a few days. Nigel was hoisted part way up the mast to clean salt from the rigging and we managed to get the outboard motor serviced in the local chandlery. We plan to hop round to Vonitsa for a couple of days at anchor as normal weather promises to resume from tomorrow. Mo plans to Boracol the teak decks, clean and organize everything down below as Nigel concentrates on the other deck work.
Once on dry land we plan to empty the port fuel tank and do the deep clean we did on the starboard tank back in July. Messy and unpleasant work ahead but it needs to be done and we hope to rid ourselves of the dreaded diesel bug for once and for all. The tanks will be left with minimal fuel and additives with the recommended filters in the breather pipes to prevent any moisture providing the right environment for the bugs. Wish us luck.
This year we have travelled just shy of 1000 miles; a record! The conditions have been challenging, especially in May and September, and I think it is fair to say we are both looking forward to a winter break this year. We fly home on October 6th.
Deja Vu 
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