We had planned to come back to Greece at the end of August, but a combination of family plans and a lower back injury (Kerry) delayed us until mid/late September. We arrived after 12 weeks of wind and rain (AKA normal summer) in Ireland to find Greece just as we’d left it, basking in sunshine. It’s like a different world here, and when we’re at home (our land home), we find it hard to remember just how lovely the climate is here for our chosen floating home.
We reached the airport in Belfast in good time, secure in the knowledge that our changed flights were showing up in our BA app, so imagine our shock when we came to check in our (huge) bags only to be told that there was no record in the system of our having tickets for the flight? We’d changed our flights using a doctor’s letter, as advised by BA, because I had been far too sore to travel on the original date, and it had been a bit of a palaver, but we thought we’d succeeded once the new flights appeared on the app. How wrong we were! They tried to charge us an extra £375 before they’d let us check in, but as we were able to produce proof of payment and an email chain, after a FULL HOUR of wrangling (and serious annoyance to those queuing behind us, as well as a fire alarm going off, which everyone ignored despite being told to exit the building!), they finally conceded that we had paid and let us check in.
You’d think that was enough stress for one journey, but as we had to take our bags to the outsize baggage belt, we then had to unpack Fraser’s bag to show the alert security guard there that the dense objects on his x-ray were not bombs but bits of boat engine (a starter motor and a seawater pump). Good that he was on the ball; bad for our raw nerves. They say bad things go in threes, so I guess we shouldn’t have been too shocked when Fraser tried to scan his boarding pass to get through to Security and it set off an alarm that flashed red all over the computer screen. It turned out he was so frazzled after the other events that he’d accidentally presented the boarding pass for our London-Greece flight, instead of the Belfast-London one! After that, thank goodness, all went well.
There’s always a bit of work to do at the beginning and end of each sailing trip. We arrived at Barberry to find her covered in a thick coating of white dust from the yard, so the first job was to scrub her decks, cabin roof and cockpit with brushes and a lot of water so we didn’t walk the dust inside the boat. That was a killer job, but rewarding. Next, we had to empty the cabin of all the stuff we store down there to keep it good while we’re away. The sails are all bagged up under our bunk, and every available space is filled with items that normally live outside.
We were lucky with the wind when we arrived as it held off long enough to allow us to get all the sails back on, and the Bimini and cockpit shades up so we could work on deck without instantly turning into boiled lobsters (Irish skin is especially vulnerable to burning in the greek sun). We’re used to the routing by now, and I definitely prefer washing dust off the boat to trying to scrub green algae and mould off, which was a seasonal job in the chilly, damp home we left behind.
We were so efficient with our work that we were able to let the boatyard know we’d be ready to launch anytime they had a gap in their schedule. Luckily, they did find a gap and Barberry splashed several hours earlier than planned, allowing us to motor over the bay to our pre-booked berth in Preveza Marina so we could finish the last few jobs, the ones that needed to wait until she was afloat, such as inflating the dinghy and putting the extra sails into the dinghy bag and securing them up on deck to give us more space in the cabin.
We spent a couple of days in Preveza, enjoying the luxurious showers and our favourite restaurant there (Celest), but also taking advantage of easy shore access to offload the two Brompton folding bikes and use them to go exploring. The first trip was to our closest beach, just past the Sailor’s Monument, for a quick swim and a catch-up with the lovely lifeguard, Elena. We also used the bikes to cycle to a supermarket and stock up with provisions, as well as just cycling for a bit of exercise, using the excuse of a really good roadside fruit stall around 11km away to stretch our legs a bit and also buy some peaches and plums!
A welcome, development this season has been the proliferation of new cycleways leading out of Preveza town. We are loving the brand new tarmac, safely car-free, and use them to speed along the coast. The breeze in your face is so cooling, but you have to remember to keep your mouth shut in case of flies or wasps. It’s hard for me, particularly, because I’m constantly grinning with joy. If only Ards and North Down Council would take a leaf from Preveza’s book, we’d cycle a lot more at home despite the rotten weather.
We’d decided to head south on Thursday morning, but as the days are getting shorter now it’s late September, we opted to go for the 10:00 bridge opening at Levkas instead of our usual 08:00 opening so we could leave in daylight for the 90-minute passage. Fraser was happy to hear this as he dislikes eating his breakfast as the boat tosses around at sea, and this way he could have a lie-in to 07:00 and still have a leisurely breakfast. You might notice that I’m wearing a lifejacket in the above photo. We don’t always wear these when we sail in Greece (we ALWAYS wear them sailing at home in Ireland), but if it’s a bit choppy, or if we’re sailing at night, or if one of us is alone in the cockpit, then on goes the lifejacket. We also keep them in good condition, and make sure the firing mechanisms are checked and replaced if they go out of date. Lifejackets save lives, and that is something we never forget.
As we approached the fort of Agia Mavra that marks the northern entrance to the Levkas Canal, we spotted a boat that flew some familiar flags in her rigging. Closer inspection revealed that she was called Moocher, a familiar name. We’d met her owners a few years ago at a Cruising Association seminar in London, and it was lovely to shout a quick hello across to each other as we motored briefly alongside. Sadly, they were on their way to lift out before heading home, so we’ll have to wait until next season for face-to-face catch up. They also took some lovely photos of Barberry!
The canal provided its usual shenanigans with a pushy catamaran causing chaos as it overtook everyone on the wrong side of the channel, but we’re fairly immune to this sort of idiocy by now. We did notice that they were breaking several rules of the sea, apart from the obvious overtaking and speeding, by flying a giant Union Flag in place of the legally required British ensign, as well as still showing their anchor ball and various other daft things. Sometimes it makes us embarrassed to be sailing a British registered boat (although other European nations also possess their fair share of twerps).
Any guesses where we headed next? If you guessed Abelaki Bay on Meganisi, then you’ve clearly been reading far too many of these blogs! And you’d be correct.
We had enjoyed cycling so much in Preveza that we decided to bite the bullet and attempt to take the bikes ashore here in Abelaki Bay by dinghy, a risky business. We succeeded and no bikes were drowned or even splashed with salt water during the exercise, so now we go cycling up and down the steep hills every day! I love the uphills, because I have an electric bike, and Fraser loves the downhills because his bike-human combo has less momentum than mine, he has better brakes, and he has the cojones I lack. I descend every hill with brakes fully applied and my bum hanging over the back of the saddle to help prevent me going over my handlebars. Fraser can’t understand why I say I’d happily tackle anything while riding a good horse but bikes terrify me. He’d rather trust to the machine and his own skill.
Our first night in Abelaki Bay, we cycled over to the next bay to have dinner with our lovely friends, Frank and Lyn, from Hamble Dawn. They’d spotted Barberry on their AIS and radioed us to let us know where they were, so that was a great start to the trip. It’s always a huge pleasure to catch up with sailing friends and exchange yarns, and these are two of the very best.
One of the downsides to living on a boat, mostly at anchor, is the lack of opportunity to stay fit and do exercise. Fraser decided that this year, he’d find a way to continue his running as well as the swimming and cycling we always do. Now, he swims from the boat with his running shoes in dry bag floating behind him, then gets dressed and runs for around half an hour to an hour before swimming back. Then I jump in and join him for a bit of snorkelling before drying out in the sunshine on deck with a ringside seat for all the anchoring and mooring panics as dozens of boats arrive mid-afternoon.
Our morning routine here is to eat breakfast aboard, then dinghy ashore for coffee at the restaurant, Minas Taverna, sometimes supplemented by a complimentary bacon omelette of other treat if Teli is around! After that, now we have the bikes ashore, we can either walk or cycle all over the island. Teli lets us keep the bikes in their garden, safe from passing traffic, and when he wandered over for a look at them he noticed that a tree nearby was bearing fruit ready to be picked. He’d no idea what the fruit was called in English, but our daughter identified it as Jujube, or Chinese Date. He picked some for us to eat alongside our dinner last night. Interesting! They look a bit like crab apples and taste not unlike them, except not so bitter!
We’re still alive today, and no ill effects have been experienced, so Teli was right. Definitely edible.
Our cycling adventures took us well inland, to Katomeri, as well as along the coast.
Sometimes we met a car, a truck, or a motorbike, but mostly we had the roads to ourselves. Once, we got stuck in a traffic jam, in the village of Spartachori….
The driver of the local bus is called Manolo, and he not only carries people but also provides a service to villagers, carrying prescriptions from the pharmacist in Katomeri and delivering them through open windows as he squeezes his minibus past in the narrow streets. Everyone knows to get out of the way, as the lady in the above photo did. We quite enjoyed following him through, as usually we’re inside the minibus not outside. It really is tight in places for him!
Traditional skills are still very much alive and kicking in the islands, and we passed a couple of these ladies still weaving on a wooden loom. We bought a towel from her, which she said took her two days to weave, and were more than happy to pay her the €30 she was almost too embarrassed to ask for. The towel will be hung on the wall in our summerhouse when we get home, in pride of place, to remind us of this other dream life in Greece.
I’ll end my blog here, exactly a week after our plane touched down in Preveza, and let Fraser continue the story next week of our adventures.