2009 Ports of Call 21 - 27

 

Click on this link and you will be directed to pictures of all 2009 trips.

 

Greece:  Corfu Island to Lefkas Island

Jul 2 - 9

 

We arrived in the Ionian Sea after an overnight, 17 hour trip from Montenegro, bypassing Albania and spotting a whale.  Over the next 10 days we saw most of the 120+ Ionian Islands, of which only 28 are inhabited.  We stayed at 5 of the 7 major ones plus Scorpios, pictured above.  This was Onassis’ getaway where he married Jackie. It was the most beautiful anchorage:  the scenery, water, sun, moon...

 

Corfu, the most northwest part of Greece where part of its coast lies opposite Albania, is the birthplace of Prince Philip of the UK.  It has mountains and beaches, lots of ruins, and a place to get a Tex Mex food fix.  A nice first stop.

 

A confusing thing in Greece is the multiple names and spellings of the same place, even in the same book.  So is it Paxoi or Paxi?  Anyway, it was an interesting anchorage.

 

Lefkas/Lefkada (’the white one’) is connected to the mainland by a bridge.  It has shear white cliffs on the west side where the 6th century BC lyric poet Sappho leapt to her death after Phaon rejected her love.

 

Then on to Skorpios/Scorpios and a wonderful evening.

Greece:  Cephalonia Island to Ithaca Island

Jul 9 - 12

 

Upon leaving Skorpios we had the most beautiful cruising day of flat water, warm temperature, and beautiful scenery all around.  We even took a detour to look at Sappho’s Leap near Cape Lefkas before proceeding to Cephalonia.

 

Cephalonia/Kefalonia is the largest island with the highest mountain in the Ionian Sea.  Ann & Bob Musser (Shell friends) and Bill & Barb Lane (Lee’s college friends), who now live near each other, joined us in the capital, Argostoli.  This island is famed for its wine, honey, and a special cheese and it has a wealth of archaeological finds.  However, we didn’t venture too far from the center of town where we were docked.  Shopping, eating, and being merry took most of our time.  It should be noted, though, that Lord Byron lived on Cephalonia during the Greek War of Independence against the Turks in 1823 where he wrote Don Juan.

 

We cruised to Ithaca, home of Homer’s Odysseus, and found a beautiful place to anchor.  Getting the anchor to stick was a challenge and an overnight concern, but swimming in the gorgeous water, pictured above, was worth it.  And we had a wonderful seafood dinner, toasting Richard & Johanne’s 9th ‘meeting anniversary’.

Greece:  Gulf of Patras

Jul 12 - 13

 

There are two water routes from the Ionian Sea to Athens.  You can go south around the Peloponnisos and then north through the Aegean Sea or go east through the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth.  We chose to save 150 miles by going east, taking us through the Corinth Canal.

 

Cruising out of the Ionian Sea was a bit rough, and even at the anchorage we were wondering if the evening would be pleasant.  But true to forecast, the wind died and we had the most gorgeous evening, including an incredible sunset, as recorded in above picture.  We even had the entire huge cove to ourselves, which was a blessing since the music got rather loud.

 

The last major sea battle using galleys rowed by slaves was fought at the entrance to the Gulf of Patras.  The Christian fleet defeated the Turks and effectively demolished Turkish control of the sea.  Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, lost the use of his left hand in the battle.

 

The Rio Bridge divides of the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth.  This impressive structure, completed in 2004, is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.