Our friends Brian and Michele arrived late on Monday 15th September, but they did not take long unpacking and settling into Greek life aboard Deja Vu. They have sailed with us many times and have given us unstinting help with pre-launch chores on more than one occasion, so they know their way around the boat.
We set off early the next day and had our first excitement unwrapping our anchor from our Italian neighbours, who had laid across our anchor when mooring up. After our unsuccessful efforts to shake their anchor, the Italians had to ship lines and come out to raise their anchor to free ours. Just as well we started early as we were later leaving than planned!
Modest sailing and some motoring took us to Poros for a pleasant overnight stay then choices presented to weather the next couple of days in shelter from some strong Easterly winds forecast. Decision making was tricky, but ultimately Ithaca prevailed and we moored on the north quay in Big Vathi for 2 nights. We explored the town together and managed a hard won BBQ on the quay just as the wind came up to make it difficult.
We enjoyed their good company and the time flew by visiting Sivota, Vliho and Port Athene before heading off to Paleros from where they disembarked for a taxi ride to the airport and home. The advantage of Paleros was avoiding delays at the Levkas Bridge. Actually the refurbished floating bridge had been towed back to Levkas the day before and was quickly reinstated. Paleros below in evening light, the sunset and the interesting wall art we discovered on the town walls.
Our final week took us to Varko and Porto Spilia where we enjoyed Babis’ hospitality although we were shocked to find there are now harbour charges due to the local authority! Babis was complaining that it was his lazy lines and his water and electricity but they didn’t give him any of the money. Nigel celebrated his birthday in the sunshine with a lovely swim, a beer or two and a hard walk up to Spartakori to get Peter H his Greek mugs. Happy Birthday Nigel!
The weather was in decline and storms forecast ahead so we booked into Cleopatra Marina for a couple of nights prior to lifting out. The storm came through early and we took shelter in Varko Bay which was fine apart from the late arrival of a charter catamaran whose anchoring technique was very suspect. This resulted in us both being awake at 3am when the winds came up, swinging very close to each other. Fortunately we did not hit and in the morning we both left.
We had chosen to delay our trip north due to strong winds that were forecast, but rain also entered the equation. The forecast was for the rain to end by midday, so we delayed to the 2pm bridge opening. The trip up to the bridge ended up being very wet and windy, fortunately from behind us. Full wet gear was needed along with lifejackets. North of the Bridge the wind was most fickle, gusting from nothing to 20kt and back again, and shifting direction by 45 degrees frequently. This was a measure of the unsettled weather we were in. Fortunately the berth we were allocated in Cleopatra marina was sheltered and we were grateful to get out of the torrential rain that had been falling. Happy to be moored up in Cleopatra Marina just prior to our lift out on 30th September.
We have sailed about 1200 miles this season, a record for our time in Greece and we have had pretty good weather right up until the last few days, so we are not complaining.
October 2nd and stormy skies over the yard as we set about the laying up jobs . Biblical rain and strong winds lashed the boat all night and by morning the yard was awash. The cover was due to be put on and it was touch and go in between rainbows, showers and sunny intervals to get it on in time, but we made it with plenty of hired help!
October 3rd we set off after lunch, in the rain, for our road trip to explore the southern flank of the Pindus mountains. We took the easy route on the motorway to Ioannina where we had reserved some boutique accommodation.
We stayed just beside the lake and the castle walls, it was a great central location and enabled us to explore the old town streets with our umbrella to hand! Plenty of cafés to amuse us and we enjoyed a lucky find of a rather nice restaurant close to our hotel.
Next day was much brighter and we continued on our motorway route, retracing our steps to Meteora before dropping down to Trikala which was to be our springboard into the southern Pindus mountains.
It was serendipitous that we booked a hotel in an outlying village in the mountains, en-route to the ski area. We were away from the town and found ourselves surrounded by stunning scenery.
Elati was an interesting mountain village, where life seemed based entirely on subsistence and simplicity, which was refreshing and humbling. The recommended restaurant was very good and the atmosphere in the town was great. The main product on sale was the most delicious local honey! Elati images below.
We had to return to the boat on the next day, Sunday, and the real tour began as we took the A905 route across the backbone of this part of the Greek mainland. It was challenging driving for Nigel with fast rising roads, plenty of hairpin bends, debris on the road from landslips almost everywhere, yet nevertheless moderately good road surfaces most of the way (Surrey residents eat your hearts out). The scenery along the whole route was absolutely stunning and well worth visiting.
All in all we travelled nearly 500km in 2 days and we feel blessed to have experienced the wondrous scenery, occasional mountain villages and the wonderful medieval bridges which are so typical of the whole region.
Glad to be back to Preveza and the boat yard, we have the final jobs to do as we close down the boat for the winter season. The weather has definitely turned in, we had storms and torrential rain all night, we could actually see for the first time how the cover leaks! Also a significant drop in temperature, enough to acclimatise ourselves for going home. Time to go, we fly on October 7th and we have left Deja Vu as winterised as possible until next year.
Deja Vu 
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