What we now know is that the bad weather was due to Storm Daniel which tracked across central Greece with storms and rain of huge proportion. In Alimos marina we experienced rain of biblical proportions and a lightning display to outdo any firework extravaganza.

On Thursday 7^th September we finally had a weather window to strike out towards the Corinth Canal, some 30 miles to the west. We sailed most of the way negotiating a ‘car park’ of anchored container ships waiting to access Piraeus.

The wind was increasing as we approached the eastern end of the canal and as it was late afternoon, we anchored to transit the next morning. Our efforts to pay online failed so Nigel took to the dinghy and motored a mile or so to the office to secure our booking for 7.30am on the 8^th. Strong winds all evening and the added effect of katabatic gusts off the mountains all night was not conducive to sleep, so it was a wakeful night for everyone. As Friday dawned grey, we were called to transit the canal, cameras to the ready. An exciting first for Peter; it is a magnificent feat of engineering and it was most interesting to see all the remedial work being done to repair the eroding sides. The canal is due to close for the season at the end of September for the work to be completed ready for reopening fully in 2024.

Nigel foresaw what was to come and in the shelter of the canal we took down our bimini. As we approached the end of the canal we could see a wall of white in the Gulf of Corinth, so life jackets were put on. Indeed it was a blast. 35 knot winds greeted us and we motored through tumultuous waves. We immediately decided to head for the commercial harbour of Corinth, just a mile or so to the south and although very bumpy inside the breakwater, we were glad to drop anchor.  Fortunately it was known to be excellent holding, which was just as well as it was to be home for the next 3 days!

Our plans to head to ports further west were thwarted, we were grateful to have some refuge. We were joined by several other boats who had made the same decision! As we took stock of the situation we were in we realized that the effects of Storm Daniel were not over.

High pressure over northern Europe was bringing hot weather to the UK and the low countries. A deep low had established itself over Libya and was stationary, blocked by the jet stream, and a high pressure over the Balkans was providing a corridor for very strong winds. Most Greek waters from Corinth and all parts east were sporting gale warnings for the forseeable future, and there were we, stuck in a washing machine of an anchorage!

It was certainly uncomfortable as the winds were consistently stronger that forecast by some 5-10kt.   At high wind speeds this difference means a lot.. Our only opportunity to move on came and went before we realized it wasn’t to be repeated for a while. Peter then decided it was time to go home so he booked flights for Sunday. We bounced around all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Nigel only just managing to get a wet Peter ashore in the dinghy with his slightly soggy luggage. Not the trip ending we or he had hoped for.

The Sunday forecast did promise lighter winds, so we decided to make a dash for the west. Less than 3 miles out we had to decide to turn around. Gale force winds had greeted us with a big sea so we returned to the anchorage leaving us with no choice but to wait for the low pressure system to move east and fill, which it is expected to do by Tuesday.  Another boat that tried the same trick after us also returned but sadly with a broken boom, snapped by the force of the wind.  He will not be sailing for a while.

There is a small boat harbour in Corinth, but our previous experience here reminded us that there is a bar at the entrance little more than our boat draft. With the incoming high seas, we deemed it untenable to attempt. However, during Sunday evening, there was an unexpected lull in the wind and the sea become flatter. We made a split second decision, up anchored and ran for the small boat harbour, just scraping in and in the nick of time before the wind and sea reestablished itself and night fell. We were blessed to find 2 charming Greeks on the quay who took our lines and helped us moor up; Mo decided they were angels and we were mightily relieved to have the chance of a more secure night and, importantly, some sleep and then the chance to walk ashore next day!

Tied up in the small boat harbour looking back out; the anchorage we had left to the left behind the breakwater, the boat at a jaunty angle getting soaked with salt.

Today is Monday, the wind is still mighty strong. The boat is tied onto concrete parallel to the harbour wall and spray crashing over the harbour wall is drenching the boat as well as us when we go ashore. Nigel purchased some lovely seabass from the fishing boat that came into port overnight, so much preparation was required to get them into the freezer.  

After cleaning the fish and then the galley, we struck out into town for the inevitable chore of checking in with our transit log at the Port police. This is a real bore and unless change comes soon, we and many other UK flag yachts will just leave Greece.  The CA continues its campaign to remove this illegal document.

After 4 days of bouncing around at anchor it is such a treat to be able to walk ashore and a walk around the town of Corinth.    The town close to the harbour is quite pleasant with a good range of shops, cafes and restaurants.  Much of the area is pedestrianised which is rare in Greece.  After checking in we decided that we were due a treat and so went out to lunch.  Grilled sardines and salad washed down with Rose.  Things are looking up!

Tomorrow is Tuesday and we are hopeful for a weather change overnight. We shall see!

After the formalities of visiting the Poros Port Police to check in as we are bound to do with current legislation, we amused ourselves by locating a local beach for a swim. That evening Peter produced a very nice bottle of champagne and shared the good news of the safe arrival of a new grandson, Camillo Hornsby, born on 31^st August to Flora and Chris in San Francisco. The Hornsby dynasty is looking safe with two grandsons now on the scene; well worth celebrating! 

Glad we had Peter’s good news before planning the next stage of our onward journey.  What is going on must have something to do with our boat name. We are once again feeling as we did in May; disbelieving of the weather forecasts ahead, hoping to wake up from a bad dream.

Most forecasts allow us to look about a week ahead and we are looking at unrelenting strong head winds, storms and heavy rain both east and west of the Corinth canal.

 It was a tough call on Monday morning to strike north east to Athens and hole up in Alimos Marina just south of the city.  It was a miserable motor through bumpy seas fetched up by a strong headwind which averaged about 25 knots, but we eventually tied up in the Marina.  Alimos is vast; it took 17 minutes to walk to the administration building to check in and as Nigel needed to return to visit the police office the next day, a bike was commissioned!  The Admin office is only halfway around.  The marina itself is quite rundown, but has been recently privatized and there is hope that new management and some investment things will improve.  One problem remains that they insist on booking ahead which defies the fundamental rule of sailing, that things change and you need a safe harbour.  One hopes that in time they will become more flexible.

Our 3 night stay provided an opportunity to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon, which Peter had never seen before.

Unfortunately Nigel is suffering a knee problem which limits his walking distance, so Peter and Mo set off to explore the Acropolis. In vain however, as the long queues were untenable, so we switched to Plan B and spent a superb afternoon in the Acropolis Museum. A good choice as it rained hard all afternoon!

It is a brilliantly designed building over, but revealing, archaeological excavations, on a scale of the Parthenon itself. Set on 3 floors the exhibits were stunning and the stories engaging. The friezes of the Parthenon were on display in ‘in situ’ positions. Many of the missing parts, a lot of which had been plundered over history, were replicated in white plaster next to original exhibits. Plaques below showed where the originals were indeed housed today: the Louvre, the Vatican and of course the British Museum courtesy of Lord Elgin in the early 1800s.

We all certainly learned a lot about Ancient Greece and it did strike us all that the destruction of great treasures in this civilization was part of a pattern all too often seen across the world in other cultures. 

More pictures below give a taste of the richness of the exhibits we were privileged to see.

We had left Deja Vu in a boat yard on the Peleponnese having travelled 660 miles in May and June, nearly a record distance for us. We spent July and August at home ostensibly to enjoy the English summer, but we found it generally cool and wet so were looking forward to returning to the boat for September.

We tried to leave Gatwick on Bank Holiday Monday 28th August, but UK air traffic control had other ideas and we ended up back at home! We finally got away on Tuesday and arrived at the boat on Wednesday having overnighted in Athens as we arrived so very late. We had an unpleasant ride from the airport on the metro. It was late, it was crowded and we had been warned it was fertile ground for pickpockets and thieves. We witnessed their craft in our carriage which was quite frightening and feeling relieved to have escaped the train we mounted the escalator to the relative safety of the streets. However, we were immediately aware we were being targeted on the escalator with a thief positioned in front of and behind Nigel. Fortunately they melted away empty handed into the crowd. Clearly the Greek police have work to do!

Deja Vu was launched on Thursday and we journeyed on Friday from Kilhada to Poros, covering 40 miles in just over 7 hours. Sadly with only 3 hours sailing as there was little wind, but the engine had a good work out! We have just met up with Peter, a friend from Farnham, who is joining us to transit the Corinth Canal. The outlook is not good with strong headwinds for the next few days, so we are waiting patiently for a weather window to make some distance north.

Amazingly we seemed to be heading for some settled weather again, as the pressure was rising.

Leaving Poros on June 19th we had a 20 mile broad reach in glorious sunshine, making 6 knots in 10 knots of wind, couldn’t be better.
We headed for the island of Dhokus which had eluded us a few weeks earlier as it is open to the north and was then untenable. However this time with southerly winds it offered perfect shelter. We anchored mid way round the bay and spent two nights relaxing and enjoying swimming in beautiful clear water.

Next stop was Spetses, a first visit for us, and once again we chose a sheltered anchorage on the west end of the island called Ormomoryia Bay. There were quite a few large motor boats around, a few yachts, but nothing spoiled the peace and we felt richly blessed to be in such lovely surroundings with gorgeous blue water.

We continued west to the Eastern flank of the Peleponnese to Leonidihon, a favourite port that we had last visited in 2018 on our previous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese.  We were pleased to see that little had changed. Once tied up we received a charming welcome from Margaret, proprietor of the Michael and Margaret taverna, and were served a very tasty plate of grilled sardines and greek salad for lunch. We had the pleasure of the company of a young German couple, full of conversation and tales of their 3 month adventure in a camper van around southern mainland Greece. It turned out they were on holiday from their day jobs of being Christian missionaries and, in the short time we had, we enjoyed some lively debate. Was this serendipitous? We said our pleasant goodbyes with plenty to think about!

As we sailed north, deeper into the Argolic Gulf, we identified with the very predictable weather pattern; light northerly winds in the morning and a brisk southerly in the afternoon, locally known as the Bouka Doura. 
We chose to tack north to Astrous, a port favoured by Heikel, author of our pilot guide, and we spent a couple of nights tied up to a harbour wall in this busy town. It was hot and quiet during the day, lively and engaging during the evening but unfortunately the party music did interfere with our beauty sleep, so, although we enjoyed the visit, we were not sorry to depart on Sunday 25th June.  Images of Astrous below.

That morning we discovered a half eaten peach in the fruit basket and tell tale droppings on the decks and inside the cabin.  A worst case scenario manifested itself in our minds of a rat on board, now hiding in the bilges.

We anchored in a bay off Tolo, sheltered from the regular strong southerly afternoon breeze and addressed the possibility of a resident rat. We moved all our packets of food to sealed cupboards, searched as many hiding places as we could reach and simply failed to find any trace nor routes ‘Ratty’ as he was now called, could have taken.
Clearly there was a need for a rat trap, so we carried on north on Monday 26th June to the large port of Navplion in search of a hardware store.

Our stopover in Navplion was interesting and it turned out to present more problems than Ratty, of whom we found no further trace despite leaving food out. The problems we encountered were with the Greek authorities and the controversial, unclear bureaucracy that has arisen for British flagged boats since Brexit. Unfortunately we had to spend the best part of a day in police and customs offices until there was a resolution to suit them.  We now have to carry a document that has to be stamped in and out of every port we visit.  A royal pain in the whatsit.  At the same time Nigel has been closely engaged with the Cruising Association attempting to navigate a coherent and consistent path through this bureaucracy as all British flagged boats are affected and the arcane laws are being unreasonably and inconsistently enforced resulting in many skippers being faced with unreasonable fines. I am sure our first hand experiences in Navplion have illuminated many of the issues we, and others, are grappling with.  A formal complaint has been lodged with the EU commission and Greek government as it is appearing that some of the Greek regulations breach EU laws.

Navplion itself is an old historic town with castles, ruins, fabulous old streets full of shops, bars and restaurants. We tried to rediscover places we had visited here some 30 years ago, but either much has changed or our memories don’t serve us well! We enjoyed the holiday ambience in spite of the other issues! Images below of the old, the history and some dereliction.

We’re back in the anchorage opposite Tolo, too nice to leave!  We had a lovely meal ashore which reminded us of Caribbean shorelines.  No sign of Ratty we are pleased to say but we are the proud owners of a trap now and will be ready if evidence reappears. In this case we think Ratty must have obligingly got off the boat after gorging on the peach and leaving his trail of poo!

Our final anchorage is Khaidhari, a fjord-like inlet east of Tolo, sheltered from most winds, although we are being buffeted by the southerly swell from the afternoon force 5 breeze.

Tomorrow we head down to Koiladha where the boat is to be lifted out on Monday 3^rd July. The next couple of days will be busy cleaning and packing up before we fly home on Wednesday 5^th July. It is promising to be very hot here next week, so this is perhaps a timely exit, as we understand the UK is cooling down!   Back again end of August for a return trip to Preveza, hopefully via the Corinth Canal.

After Tom had  left,  it was our turn to get back to the UK.  We had booked to leave the boat in Lavrio in a marina there, so we waited one more day in Perdika for a favourable wind direction to head east.

We then set off first to Sounion bay which is at the extreme end of the peninsular which marks the beginning of the Evia channel and just around the corner from Lavrio.  It is a popular anchorage which is overlooked by the temple of Poseidon.  It blew hard all of the afternoon and most of the night, testing the holding of Mr Manson, our anchor. 

The next morning the wind revved up even more and we decided that it was not worth trying to sail against the strong winds to the marina,so we motored 5 miles round the coast. With the boat safely tucked up in the marina we flew home for just a couple of days to satisfy our travel insurance and home insurance.

We returned to much better weather with about 5 days of fine weather forecast.  This gave us the opportunity to visit some of the nearer Cyclades islands.  This group of attractive islands sits right in the path of the strong Meltemi wind and from about Mid June to the end of September it is a risky area to visit in a yacht for fear of getting stranded by strong winds.  Climate change has made the Meltemi blow harder and for longer than before.  Once we cleared the island of Makronisos we had a clear run to the first island in the chain, Kea.  We headed for Pisses, a sheltered bay in the west coast of the island.  It was a delightful anchorage, quiet and good holding. Scenes of Kea and Pisses Bay below.

In settled weather we moved on the next day to the next island, Kythnos, heading again for an anchorage, Apokriosis.  This was again a pleasant bay but we struggled at first to get the anchor to take.  The bay sported two tavernas both of which we visited in the course of our two day stay.  The northerly one was very rustic and Greek, the southern one was pretentious although welcoming, expensive and not very Greek.  The beach was great, with soft sand. Pictures of Apokriosis below, taken when calm, it was very windy most of the time!

Our next stop was Merikhas, the main town on Kythnos.  It turned out to be a delightful place with plenty of mooring space for yachts with excellent amenities.  The typically island Greece town sported many restaurants and one of the highlights of our visit was eating sardines and drinking Rose wine on the beach in one of them.  Another great advantage of the place was its shelter from the persistent strong northeast wind, a blessing after being blown around in Apokriosis bay. Few shots of Merikhas below.

Sadly the forecasts showed a change in the weather with strong westerly winds due , so we reluctantly decided that we needed to head back, with the nearest destination being back to Poros.

It is now June 18^th and we have stayed on Poros a couple of days waiting for the weekend storm to blow itself out.

Our target next is to sail west to explore a bit more of the Argolikos Gulf before heading to Kilhada where the boat will be lifted out for the Summer.

Tom arrived on time from Piraeus having been travelling for 18 hours and missing a night’s sleep. Hungry we hit a delightful restaurant, Posiedon, on the north quay and sated all the needs before a much needed night’s sleep.

Refreshed, we left Poros on 29^th May and had a good sail north, even though we were beating! It was Monday and most of the charter boats that had descended into Poros from their charter bases in Athens were heading south, returning north later in the week. These fleets will continue to affect our decision making as there is always hot competition for mooring places.

Our first stop in the Saronic Gulf was a small harbour on the north coast of the island of Angistri. It was fairly shallow and there were not many berthing options, but we went side to a pontoon in front of a live-aboard cruising boat. Unfortunately not a lot of pontoon space and Déjà vu protruded a third of her length. As it was forecast to be calm overnight we decided to stay and enjoyed a walk around the small local village, a beer at the bar overlooking the harbour and then supper on board.

Culture beckoned the next day and we set off after breakfast to Palaia Epidavros without the wind as we knew mooring options would be fiercely contested. 

Mooring alongside the quay there we were bounced by the afternoon breeze, but happy all was well, we got in a taxi and went up to the ancient site of Epidavros, which includes one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres. The acoustics in it are legendary. Apparently the angle of incline of the theatre around 26:5:1 provides the optimum angle for soundwaves to reach the top row of seats without significant reduction in strength. In addition to the theatre were remains of the town beside it, famed as a place of healing, and the museum held many interesting finds including a set of medical instruments which rather resembled objects of torture!

Tom was in for a cloudy and windless few days with the sun making occasional appearances, which we now suspect the Saronic is famous for. We had to motor to our next stop Korfos where we anchored in the bay and enjoyed a swim, dinghying ashore for a Fix beer and cooking on board. Shots around Korfos below.

The charter boats were heading back up toward Athens and Tom needed to be able to get a ferry to Piraeus himself, so the island of Aegina became the target for us and them!

A small amount of sailing at 5 knots before the engine was on again, but we tied up in the tiny fishing hamlet of Perdika on the south west coast of the island around lunchtime.  The afternoon’s entertainment in a fresh breeze, was watching boat after boat seek a mooring, some successfully, others less fortunate. It is a place almost guaranteed to get crossed anchors as mooring was not easy and it was a shame that there were so many catamarans amongst the charter fleet taking up all the space in the deeper water that should have been the providence of the monohulls.

Tom departed this afternoon, Friday 2^nd June from Aegina Town where the ferry ride to Piraeus is only 45 minutes. We all went up the coast in a taxi as the reputation of the harbour being a crazy place to take a boat was evident for us to see when we arrived.  Yachts were moored on quays together or amongst fishing boats in a relatively small harbour shared with the Flying Dolphin and High speed ferries, ensuring a constant wash of water.  Unfortunately it rained quite heavily, was certainly cold, but we enjoyed a last Greek meal together washed down by a jug of rose wine. It was great to have had Tom on board for the all too short 5 days. We enjoyed his very good company and miss him already.

Ever onwards the remaining crew on board, Nigel and Mo, will cross 25 miles to the mainland peninsular tomorrow, hopefully in a good sailing breeze. Not sure about sunshine yet, so we may still be in long sleeves and wet gear! From there we are set to leave Déjà Vu in Olympic Marina as we hop home for a quick 4 day visit, returning on 9^th June.

We left Kalamata on Monday 22^nd May.  All of our contingency time had been taken up with waiting for adverse weather to pass through so we were on a mission to have an uninterrupted journey forward!  This we did and arrived in Poros on Saturday 27^th May for a crew change.  Peter could depart to Athens by fast ferry on 28^th and Tom could arrive from Athens later in the same day.

The journey along the southern tips of the Peloponnese was a mixture of motoring in no wind, sailing in some wind and motoring into too much wind.  Sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny and hot, often cool but importantly we did manage to avoid the rain which was ever-nearby and often threatening.

We   stopped overnight in Mezapos on the western end of the Mani Peninsular.  This proved to be a surprisingly good anchorage with the boat held firm in strong offshore winds.  We did not venture ashore but there is reported to be a tavern and a smart hotel.  We then travelled around Capo Grosso, a huge lump of rock and the tip of Mani in the cool, early morning calm and sailed 20 miles east into the southern bay of the island of Elafonisos. This was a pleasant stop in crystal clear blue water off the sandy beach.  Good holding despite the swells that continued through the afternoon but as the wind died in the evening a peaceful night.

Pictures of Mezapo, Mani, Maleas and Elafonisos below

We had a superb stopover in the lovely Monemvaisa,  home to an ancient and fascinating Byzantine town, after rounding the infamous Cape Maleas (dubbed the Mediterranean Cape Horn). The redoubtable restauranteur and unofficial harbourmaster, Mateo, helped us find a berth in the harbour which is still under reconstruction.  It will be great when finished.  In the afternoon we took Peter to the old town which was as interesting as the last time we visited.  Well worth the effort of getting there and there are many really attractive places to stay.

The next day we headed north, again in virtually no wind, so under motor.  The lack of wind and common sense prevailed and we shortened the planned trip to stop at Kiparissi, anchoring in the south part of the bay and from there we all managed our first swim in Greek waters! 

We then crossed to the eastern most part of the Peloponnese and overnighted in Ermioni having abandoned plan A which was to spend the night in an anchorage on the island of Dhokos.  Nigel had a premonition that the wind would strengthen from the north overnight, making the anchorage unsafe.  As it turned out he was right and we were glad of the quiet night and good meal in Ermioni. The next day lived up to and exceeded the forecast with a very strong and gusty northerly wind.  Attempts at sailing were abandoned as the wind gusted so hard and we ended up motoring  to Poros, a bit of a copout but everyone was happy and the boat was not over stressed.  This experienced proved that it is not all plain sailing in Greece.

Poros is pretty and very busy. There is a huge waterfront able to accommodate lots of boats and it fills up every day.  There has been a fresh wind blowing all day making mooring up challenging for anyone but especially for the new charter boat skippers fresh out of Athens.

We waved Peter off on his ferry at lunchtime today having enjoyed having his company, expertise and good humour with us for the last 10 days, travelling about 200 miles together.  He is off to explore Athens meeting up with his wife Irene.  We are waiting for Tom, watching the weather to decide on where to sail with him but it looks like north and west for the few days he is with us. We shall see.

We spent 3 days in all in Kiparissia as it was decided to be the best option for shelter from the gales due Sunday and Monday. Sunday 14th was a sultry day, Monday saw the wind.

Had this account been written on Tuesday, the language would have been very colourful, but now, a few days later, it can be given a more objective perspective.

After the event everyone was safe and the boats were unscathed. The real takeaway from what was a very unpleasant experience was the camaraderie and pulling together of all the crews similarly battered whilst sheltering in the harbour.  We made some friends in those adverse moments and the caring and concerned attitude of all nationalities was truly uplifting.

The wind strengthened from 3pm with the forecast 25knots. Anchored out and lying back against the quay,  our anchor jumped as the wind exceeded 30knots causing our boat to drop back onto the quay, protected, thankfully by a raft of fenders we had deployed for that eventuality. Fortunately our anchor retook as we hauled it in, so we only lost 10 metres of chain from the 60 metres we had laid. 30knots became 35 knots and the committee decision of the 4 boats in the same position as us was to link them with a line to the quay to take some pressure off all the anchors. This together with keeping engines on and motoring forward kept us in the battle with the wind. The core wind was about 35knots but there were frequent gusts of 45knots and around midnight, it topped 50-55knots, almost certainly due to the topography of the backdrop of mountains. Unrelenting, the forces of nature were totally humbling and quite terrifying.  We took it in shifts to take watch and get eye closure; sleep was a long way off. Finally at 3am the massive winds abated and we fell into a fitful sleep.

Most of the crews were decided to stay put another day. We left in heavy rain with another 3 boats to make more distance south whilst the wind forecast was very much lighter. Needless to say the sea state was confused and Mo had to resort to sea bands to cope. We anchored up at Methoni and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Although sheltered  from the prevailing westerly wind, the anchorage suffered a huge swell and took the adage of ‘being rocked to sleep’ to a whole new level which was most uncomfortable and not at all conducive to sleep!

Wednesday started as day broke to move to calmer waters and we covered 40 miles into Kalamata Bay, sailing past Koroni and up to the beach resort of Petalhidion. The first part of the sail was brisk and bumpy with the residual sea from the storm still running but around the corner and into flat water with a good wind on the beam we were hammering along at over 8 knots.  Sadly a few miles north of Koroni the wind died altogether and it was back to motoring. We anchored in deep sand off the beach at Petalidion in a strong off shore wind which heralded a heavy rain storm accompanied by thunder and lightning. The wind eventually dropped and at last we had a peaceful, calm night and both slept very well.

Thursday into Kalamata Marina where we have moored up for a few days as there are Easterly gales forecast where we want to go next. Peter arrived safely and together we have explored the old town on bikes, blitzed the nearby AB supermarket who delivered to the boat, tried out most of the immediate restaurants and generally caught up on life in Portugal and Britain.

Saturday evening turned into a treat when Graham and Marsha the brother of Farnham friends Elisabeth and Paul, journeyed up from their home on the Mani peninsular to meet us for dinner. We had met Graham very briefly last year but other than that we needed to get to know each other. No difficulties on that front. Graham and Marsha were delightful company. We exchanged tales of olives and vines, sailing and putting the world to right over a lovely fish meal, I hasten to add, in the rain!

We are suffering a succession of low pressure systems and the forecasts change daily. This makes it frustrating and difficult to plan the next leg of the journey around the two most southerly arms of the Peloponnese. The current plan is to leave Monday 22^nd May as the gales have given way to calmer winds, but not always in the most desirable direction. We suspect the trip will be one of compromises.

Before recounting the tales of our first week on board Déjà vu this season, it seems a good idea just to remind all readers that, as I write, it is 13^th May and we are in Greece, at a latitude of 37 degrees north, on the west coast of the Peloponnese, in  the small town harbour of Kiparissia. It is just after noon and the temperature, under a dark cloud-clad sky and in a brisk and cool southerly breeze,  with rain just starting,  is 15 degrees. It should be 25 and blue skies. This unusually bad weather has actually been the pattern since we launched Déjà Vu on Monday 8^th May.  It appears that the jet stream has flipped a long way south and is now firing a succession of depressions into Greece instead of the usual track which is further north.  Until this shifts back then we may be destined to experience weather a bit like the UK!  Not what we came to Greece for.  It has been unsettled for a long time and the sea temperature is well down on the normal levels.

Since we  got off the plane we have worked non-stop to prepare for our launch. The first day was so wet we had to paddle in mud across the boat yard to get supplies and use the shore facilities.

It was a joy when the second day dawned dry with some sunshine so that we could prepare surfaces for anti-fouling and wash the dusty decks. Even though we were well clad with protective clothing, it still was not possible to escape rings of toxic black dust around goggles and masks. Much showering was required afterwards.  Then anti-fouling, then hull polishing making use of the 3 level staging provided for the task. 

It was noticeable that Mo was flagging with these jobs, her usual energy levels sadly depleted as there were frequent needs to sit on the tiny stool under the boat to recharge!  It turned out that she was Covid positive, but stoically carried on working during the day and crashing in the evenings.  Nigel departed to the fore cabin to sleep and we both kept well away from others until Mo began to feel better.  It has been a great relief that Nigel did not succumb to the same fate.  Jobs done in spite of everything, we launched on 8^th May and headed south.

Great to be afloat and sailing in moderate winds we made Sivota on the south coast of Lefkas where we were warmly greeted by the regular faces on Stavros’, pontoon and there we had our first grilled fish of 2023.

With our intention to get to Athens by the end of May we could not linger and so travelled south to Kefalonia, an overnight stop in Efemia and then on another 30 miles to Zakinthos. Great beam winds but an ugly sea greeted us off the bottom of Kefalonia which made for an uncomfortable ride to Port Zakinthos three quarters of the way down the island on the East facing coast.  Uncomfortable although it was the journey was quick with the boat surfing along at over 8 knots for nearly three hours.  Hooray for us, it was a new port of entry. We tied up stern to on the north east harbour wall, ably assisted by the local wide gang who gave us forms and took our money. It all seemed to work out well after Nigel had renegotiated the harbour fees to a more sensible level!

The sun came out at last for an enjoyable evening strolling the streets of Zante town, seeing the church of St Nicholas where we were invited to light a candle and make a wish. We are sure to have made the same wish for fair winds and safe sailing as we were peering at forecasts telling of storms and gloom ahead! Pretty back streets, it was an enjoyable visit and we were pleased not to have encountered the lager lout clientele for which this town is infamous. It was obviously too early in the season, too cool, too cloudy and too wet!

On the move again the next day, feeling somewhat jaded when greeted again with 22 knot winds in the harbour. Lifejackets on, we were prepared and set off with a reef in each sail. It didn’t last long and we were becalmed after an hour and had to motor across to Katakolon for our overnight stop on the north coast of the Peloponnese. It was a gloomy and cold day with poor visibility.  Katakolon is famously the gateway to Olympia, as this port accommodates huge ocean liners disgorging thousands into the tiny pop up settlement that exists only to serve the tourists. At night when the ships are gone, it takes on the form of a ghost town. Having said that we made the climb up the hill to a bar that had a sublime view out across the harbour into the bay. It was worth the effort. We were moored near another British couple who now live in Weymouth, but had spent many years living in Farnham, Ann from Broomleaf Road and Paul from Crondall Lane! We had a vague sense of Déjà vu about having met them before but couldn’t put a finger on it. We did establish we had mutual friends and acquaintances; always a small world.

Needing to get further south we left Katakolon for Kiparissia , a further 30 miles in the right direction. Once again the wind died on us after an hour of good sailing and we ended up motoring the remainder of the journey.  At least this gave us hot water and full batteries.  We arrived to be greeted by a couple, Bob and Andrea whom we had met in Zakinthos, and we moored up next to them, ready for a stay here of probably 4 days.

Kiparissia harbour is a reasonable size, quiet and underdeveloped which gives it a certain charm. Most importantly it is sheltered from weather coming from the south. Water is available if we join 2 or 3 hoses together but no shore power so we will rely on our solar power, which if current cloudy conditions persist may be a challenge! We were visited by the most entertaining harbour master soon after we arrived to whom we were happy to pay our harbour dues in return for his inimitable sense of humour. There is big reconstruction of the harbour wall going on and round and about there are long beaches. It is much too cool to be remotely interested in swimming though! The normal working town sits atop the hill and is busy, full of shops, so we will not be lacking in supplies. The forecasts ahead are unbelievably disappointing and will keep us here a while. Strong south easterly winds will blow until next Tuesday so we are making preparations here to be as safe as possible; it will certainly be exciting and we may not get much sleep; but we are in a harbour along with several other sailors of the same intent, and we are all fortunate to have some shelter. We have done about 150 miles so far, averaging a speed of 5/6 knots. We have a rendezvous planned in Pylos, the next port another 30 miles south for May 18th; 5 days hence, where our sailing friend Peter is joining us for the next exciting installment of our ‘Round the Peloponnese’ trip.

It is May 2nd and we are frenetically getting packed up to fly off to Preveza tomorrow. The usual round of maintenance awaits us: antifouling and polishing: shopping and stowing before we launch Deja Vu on Monday 8th. We are missing the King’s coronation but hope to see some of it on one screen or another from Cleopatra Yard.

We hope to set off south immediately,weather permitting, as our mission this year is to sail around the Peleponnese west to east, stopping in Kalamata to meet up with friend Peter, who is joining us for the leg to Athens. Once there, Tom is joining us for a few days in his half term holiday. Lots to look forward to! It will be fairly non stop but we hope for fair winds from a northerly direction and will post at regular intervals on the trip.