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A Cruise around the PeloponneseIn the Footsteps of Odysseus

Anthony Fawcett

In late April Colin Maclean, Digger Harris, two of my co-owners, and I arrived in Gouvia Marina, Corfu. Digger has sailed with me on numerous occasions including two voyages back from the Azores. Our role was to commission Moonlight Lady, a Sun Odyssey 49, and sail her to Kalamata on the Peloponnese, where my crew would leave me and I would sail on with another crew to Piraeus. This early season cruise has become something of a tradition for the three of us.

We sailed to Mourtos, which was something of a pilgrimage at it was the

The Skipper

Gouvia

Lakka

Mourtos

Lefkas

Sivota

Zakynthos

Katakolon

N. Paxos

Lefkada

Greece

Moonlight LadySun Odyssey 49

Ionian Sea

Aegean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

Corfu

Ithaka

PeLoPonneSe Pen

Kefalonia

N Zakynthos

Pylos

Methoni

o Lefki

MonemvasiaDiros

Kalamata

Porto KayioYerolimina

Poros

SpetsesIdhra

Piraeus

Zea Marina

AeginaPalaia epidavros

38N

22E

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first harbour we visited after we bought Moonlight Lady back in 2016. We had intended the next day to sail to Gaios on Paxos, but the wind was dead on the nose. We were barely making 3kts banging into a short steep sea. We bore away, let the genoa draw and headed off to Lákka at the north end of Paxos. We arrived in Lákka and anchored in the pool off the harbour wall. The wind kept on blowing until the evening when it began to moderate.

The wind was due to veer from the south east to the west around midday. We set off hugging the coast of Paxos to keep in its lee. At the southern end of Paxos with the wind now in the southwest, we rolled out the genoa and sailed down to the entrance to the Lefkas Canal. The bridge, which is a registered vessel, opened on time and we were off down the canal to Lefkas. We had spent much of last summer sailing out of Lefkas, so it seemed only sensible to move there. We had also found that the yachting infrastructure in Lefkas was very good.

Somewhat incongruously there is a Cuban Bar in Lefkas. The patron plays the guitar really beautifully and his wife, dressed to the nines in Cuban gear, serves 10- year-old rum: not a bad way to go.

After some repairs to our electronics, we were able to get underway and head south to Sivota, a delightful, sheltered bay on the south coast of Lefkada. This has become a favourite stop for us. We motored out of Sivota past some stunning modern houses and headed south down the Ithaka Channel in a light northerly wind. The wind picked up at the southern end of Kefalonia so we rolled out the genoa and started sailing. We had planned to go into Áy Nikólaos, on Zakynthos, but with the sea left over from the strong winds of the previous week, it was not much fun. We took the soft option and bore away for Zakynthos town. Zakynthos was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake that also destroyed Lefkas. Like Lefkas, Zakynthos was a Venetian city; the buildings have been rebuilt with colonnades rather than, as in Lefkas, in reinforced concrete and corrugated iron. We liked Zakynthos. It had a prosperous and well-cared-for air about it.

It was a beautiful day with a SSW breeze to give us a close reach over to Katákolon on the Peloponnese. What better day to christen our new mainsail. We set full sail at the entrance buoy and sailed all the way to Katakolon. There were no yachts to be seen, only a coastal tanker heading for Constanza. Katákolon is a delightful, if

Moonlight Lady

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Hermes of Praxiteles

Digger and Colin in the gymnasium, Olympia

slightly odd place. It has town quay and capacious harbour. It is also the port for Olympia, so it attracts cruise liners, quite often two at a time. The town comes to life when the cruise liners are in, but it falls asleep again when they leave. Conveniently,

there is a diesel rail car that runs from Katakolon to Olympia, which I have never managed to catch, either because it was a national holiday or because it was too early in the season. I can assure you that it does run, as I have seen it running.

We hired a car and drove up to Olympia. I had been there twice before, but every time I visit the site I marvel at its sheer

scale and the skill, both architectural and engineering, that went into building the complex. Any city, whose athlete had been caught cheating, had to erect a statue to Zeus, with the plinth inscribed with the details their misdemeanour. President Putin would surely have been very busy erecting statues to Zeus. The sad story is that the Emperor Constantine, having embraced Christianity, decided that the temples to the Roman Gods had to be demolished and the games stopped. An earthquake, or was it a tsunami, in 551AD did the rest. In the museum there are sculptures of various Roman Emperors and a sculpture of Theodora, wife of Constantine, which seems rather inappropriate. My favourite sculpture is the Hermes of Praxiteles.

We set off for Pylos in a light wind. By midday the wind had filled in from the WNW. We set full main and genoa and headed south. We passed inside Nisos Próti, where there is a handsome-looking monastery. We found that we were running in company with two other yachts heading for Pylos. Reckoning that there might not be much room in Pylos marina, we decided to take the short cut inside Nisos Pylos, with its natural arch, into Navarino Bay. Colin, who is a geologist, was in his element. We gained pole position and snagged the last berth in the marina.

Pylos was taken over by the Turks as a base during the Panhellenic Wars. In 1825 Ibrahim Pasha brought an army to the Peloponnese with the aim of laying it waste. The Treaty of London, signed in 1827, provided that Greece should be autonomous,

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but under the control of Turkey. This allowed the Western Powers to remain friendly with both Greece and Turkey, while allowing the fleets of the Western Powers to guarantee the treaty. Meanwhile an Ottoman fleet of 100 ships had

sailed to Pylos to support Ibrahim Pasha. Russia, France and Great Britain sent out fleets under the commands, respectively, of Count Helden, Count de Rigny and Admiral Codrington, to whom the other admirals deferred. Despite the allied fleets the Ottomans continued to harass the Greek population. On 20 October 1827 Admiral

Codrington lost patience and sailed into Navarino Bay with his 26 ships and 1,270 guns against the Ottoman fleet of 89 warships and 2,450 guns, anchored in a semicircle guarding the entrance. An Egyptian ship opened fire. The battle, fought at anchor, continued for four hours of ‘unabated fury’. Admiral Codrington’s fleet prevailed. French troops landed in Methoni and mopped up the remaining Ottoman opposition in the Peloponnese, finally putting an end to the Panhellenic War. The French rebuilt Pylos with an attractive triangular ‘square’ overlooking the harbour and a marble monument, with medallions of the heads of the three admirals, one on each face, in the centre of the square.

We motored out in a flat calm to Methoni, which boasts an enormous castle. We discovered that the only way into the castle was from the new town. The Venetians, had fortified the town along with Koroni further up the coast to the north-east. These two towns were called ‘the eyes of Venice’ and protected the trading routes to the east. In 1500 the Ottomans with a force of 100,000 besieged Methoni. The Venetians could only muster 7,000 men. The Venetians held out for a month, then on 9 August four Venetian ships managed to evade the Turkish fleet and bring in much needed supplies and reinforcements. So happy were the defenders that they omitted to man the town’s defences, allowing the Ottomans to storm the castle. The defenders made a last stand in the Bourtzi tower at the

Nisos Pilos and natural arch

Bourtzi Tower, with eastern ramparts, Methoni

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Annie in the Diros caves

southern end of the castle, but they were slaughtered to a man. The castle covers a large area, about 700m long by 200m wide. You follow a rough path along the western defensive wall all the way to the Bourtzi Tower. The Boutzi Tower is a beautiful sight, though it could not be considered to be a strong defensive position, more an elaborate watch tower.

After the Battle of Navarino, the French peace-keeping force demolished the old town of Methoni within the walls and built a new town to the north of the castle. The French also built the handsome 14-arched, stone bridge from the new town to the castle. The new town of Methoni is an attractive place with a happy atmosphere.

We headed south to Port Longos on Nisos Sapienza, where we anchored for the night. Nisos Sapienza is a nature reserve controlled by the Forestry Department. In the morning, we motored round Nisos Skhìza down past Ak Akritas and up to Kalamata. After lunch, Digger announced that he wanted a café coretto, which in Italian means a coffee with some grappa. In the absence of grappa Three Star Metaxa had to suffice. We berthed in Kalamata marina. The marina waterfront is full of agreeable restaurants. While the port area is rather run-down, the main town is modern and buzzing.

Our rectifier and the generator needed to be repaired. Thanks to the marina, we found an excellent electrician and mechanic, who repaired both the rectifier and the generator. My task was to pay the new TEPAI tax that had just been introduced. My initial attempts had ended in failure, so I threw myself on the mercy of two very helpful ladies in the Coastguard office. Success! Moonlight Lady was registered for the TEPAI tax.

Digger and Colin left and Chris and Annie Creak and Alison Miller (RCC) arrived soon after. Chris had sailed with me from Bermuda to Newport, RI, while Alison had crossed the North Sea from Bergen to Shetland and Annie had sailed with me in Norway.

As there was little wind we motor-sailed all the way to Ormos Limeniou, where we anchored off Karavostasi in the north-east corner of the bay, hoping to gain shelter behind the village jetty as the wind was forecast to move into the north-west. The wind dropped right off, but there was a residual swell coming in from the south-west wind that had been blowing for some days.

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Early in the morning we set off to the Diros Caves, about which Rod Heikell waxes lyrical. We anchored off the cave entrance and dinghied ashore. We were issued with lifejackets and punted through the extensive limestone cave system. Our guide was incredibly skilled, we only bumped once, despite the channel being barely wider than the punt. The ceiling was so low that at times you had to duck. The caves were beautifully lit showing off the stalactites and stalagmites to great effect. I have never been so up-close and personal with a stalactite before. The caves are well worth a visit.

We motored down the rocky Mani peninsular and anchored in Yerolimina for lunch. Many of the houses in the village had been beautifully restored. We headed down to Kayio to anchor for the night. I woke up at 0245 to find that the wind had changed and the adjacent yacht was but a foot away, with its dinghy gently nudging us. I let out 10m of chain and all was resolved.

We had a 25nm crossing to the south-east corner of Nisos Elefonisos. We were able to sail most of the way until the wind died around midday. We anchored in Ormos Frangos in the early afternoon. Ormos Frangos boasts a long beach with a

tombolo sand spit running out to the off-lying island. All the crew went for a swim save the skipper, who claimed that the temperature of the water was well below his bathing limits. There was a swell coming into the anchorage, so we moved around the corner to Ormos Lefki for the night. The rolling stopped, thank heavens. That night the wind blew like crazy, but our anchor held.

We weighed anchor and set off around Ak Zevola and Ak Maleas, with its apparently inaccessible monastery, where the monks pray for the souls of sailors rounding this notorious point. We moored in the unoccupied lifeboat berth in the southern Monemvasia harbour. Monemvasia is the Gibraltar of Greece. It is a huge lump of rock, not unlike Gibraltar in shape. The old town is on the rock to which there is a causeway from the new town. The walls of the old town extend almost to the summit of the rock. Chris and Annie walked up to the old town, where no cars,

Old Monemvasia

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Epidavros amphitheatre

only mules and donkeys, are allowed.We planned to spend the night in a small harbour called Ieraka about 10nm up

the coast. Ieraka is in a spectacular fjord, where we anchored off the town quay. We had an enjoyable dinner ashore, returned to Moonlight Lady and turned in. At about midnight there was a lot of tooting from the town quay as a fishing boat came in. The wind had changed and was now blowing straight down the fjord. Our anchor had reset and we were now too close to the town quay for comfort. So we re-anchored further off the quay. The wind continued to howl down the fjord all night. We had just experienced the katabatic land breeze that sets in overnight and races down the fjord. I learnt that is better to anchor further out.

Next morning all was calm. We set off for Spetses. By midday the wind had filled giving us a wonderful sail all the way. Sadly, we found Spetsis full to bursting, so we opted for Porto Kheli, where we found a berth on the town quay, opposite an enormous marina that was under construction.

We left early in order to have a chance of finding some space in ĺdrha. Despite arriving in ĺdhra before noon, there was no room. Chris had identified an anchorage on Nisos Dhokos, called Derrick Bay, where we dropped anchor for the night. Chris and Annie took the dinghy ashore. They found two houses and two almost identical chapels. We could only speculate why there were two chapels.

In the absence of any wind, we motored through the passage between Nisos Spathi and Nisos Skilli and moored in Poros on the new pontoon to the north-west of the town, away from the wash in the main Poros channel. The European elections and local elections were due to be held on Sunday, so the various political parties were out in force campaigning vociferously.

We had a gentle beat out of the Bay of Poros in light airs. The wind picked up as the morning wore on. By midday we had 20kts across the deck as we motor-sailed close-hauled around the north of the Methana Peninsula. The wind seemed to follow us around. We had hoped for a storming close reach into Palaia Epidavros. Palaio Epidavros means Old Epidavros, as distinct from Néa Epidavros or New Epidhavros. We found a berth on the town quay.

The reason for coming to Epidavros was to visit the famous amphitheatre. The

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amphitheatre was spectacular and the world renowned acoustics were brilliant. You could hear a person talking at the centre of the stage right up in the top row. The amphitheatre was built in two phases, the first in the late 4th century BC and second in mid-2nd century BC. The site was a temple to Aesculapius, who was the God of Medicine. There had been a 160-room complex for patients and their relatives, called the Katagogion. Epidavros was a centre for scientific medicine for

many years.On the way back to

town our taxi driver explained that they have performances in the amphitheatre in July and August and that absolutely no microphones or loudspeakers are used. He drove us to a small amphitheatre in Palaia Epidavros, where music is performed on summer evenings. From there we took the footpath back to

the town through orange groves laden with the most beautiful fruit. We slipped at 0940 and headed for an anchorage off Nisos Angistri, opposite

an island called Nisis Dhoroúsa, which had a small chapel on the summit with an enormous Greek flag flying beside it. After lunch we upped anchor and headed into Aegina Town for the night. Just to the north of Angistri is a low-lying island with a reef extending out from it, something to be avoided. We sailed most of the way to Aegina Town and found a berth on the town quay between two super yachts. The town quay was a hive of activity. Chris, Annie and Ali went exploring in town.

We said a fond farewell to Chris and Annie, who sped off to Piraeus on the Flying Dolphin. Ali and I set off for Ayia Marina. There was no wind so we pootled under power past Perdika, inside Nisis Moni and anchored in Ormos Portes for lunch and a swim. We then went on to Ayia Marina where we moored stern to the town quay. We repaired to the taverna for a well-earned Mythos and dinner. The owner warned us not to spend the night on the town quay because of the surge that comes in there. We came back after dinner and found that indeed Moonlight Lady was surging back and forth. We re-anchored out in the bay nearer the beach, where we spent a very peaceful night.

In the morning we visited the Temple of Athena. We could see Moonlight Lady at anchor in the bay below. The temple was in good condition so we were pleased that we had visited it. We upped anchor and headed off towards Piraeus. Not long after we set off the wind piped up giving us a very good sail to Zea Marina. The cruise turned out to be a delightful combination of cruising, culture, caving and cuisine, despite being so early in the season.

Ali in front of the Temple of Aphaia