Hi all Sue here
Well after a lovely but hectic week back in the UK looking after my mum I arrived back to a nice welcome from our friends off Awake and Scrabbler. We then just chilled for a few days around Kephalonia before heading to Ithaca to do some exploring. Chris is renowned for leaping into the Dinghy when the rest of us just climb in gracefully but he had a shock in Argostoli when the sea in there was particularly bouncy one night, he leapt into the dinghy and ended up going straight out the other side!! I was with Francis and Erica and we tried to be very concerned and help him out but we couldn’t help laughing. In fact Erica said every time she thinks of it she has to laugh, poor Chris he lost his new sunglasses as well.
 |  |
| Busy Fishing Harbour at Astokos on the Mainland | Ice Clear Water at Pigades Bay, Ithaca |
Pigades Bay has the most beautiful water we have seen anywhere in Greece so far. We spent a couple of days here just swimming and relaxing. We then headed back to Ay Eufimia, Kephalonia to meet up with Mel and Carl off Thala and we also met Wim and Jacqueline off Zephyr. There was a festival on that night so we had drinks on Thala before heading off to try some Greek Dancing and local cuisine.
 |  |
| Calm Sunset Near Argostoli | Approaching Assos |
The following day we went to Anti Sami Bay and spent a day swimming with Mel and Carl and then had a BBQ at night on Nimrod. The wind picked up in the evening and just as we were going to start the BBQ we noticed a big Catamaran that was anchored by us making it’s way slowly out to sea with no one on board!! The owners who were ashore noticed it and gave frantic chase in their dinghy. Then whilst attempting to re anchor it we noticed their dinghy sailing by!! So Chris jumped in our dinghy and gave chase, they were very grateful he managed to catch it.
 |  |
| Venetian Fort at Assos | Stunning Views From Around the Fort |
The west coast of Cephalonia is generally quite high cliffs but there are some lovely beaches between the rocks and a few small harbours. Unfortunately this coast is wide open to the prevailing NW winds so is not visited by very many yachts because the wind and waves make most of the harbours and anchorages untenable. However if the weather is calm and settled then it is well worth making the effort to explore this side of the Island.
 |  |
| Sue Checking Out the Prison Buildings | Looking Down Into Assos Harbour. Nimrod is just to the right of the super yacht. |
Assos Harbour is a beautiful place in a stunning setting with a Venetian Fort built on the high peninsula overlooking the town from the West but the normal summer winds make it a pretty uncomfortable place to stop, even downright dangerous if the wind picks up. You need really calm weather and we were lucky to find the right time to go there as it is a very beautiful place.
We took an early stroll up to the Fort but it was still a very hot climb. The Greeks have spent a huge amount of money (probably EU money) on the road up to the fort and have also restored some of the old prison buildings, presumably to become a visitor centre or museum. Unfortunately the money has run out so the project is not finished and there is no information anywhere on the site to tell you what it is all about – a great shame because it could be a very interesting place. Regardless of that the views from the top and around the peninsula are really impressive and more than make up for the lack of info about the fort.
 |  |
| Superyachts at Fiskardo, Cephalonia | Part of Vathi Harbour, Ithaca |
After Assos we headed back to Fiskardo for a few days, this must be one of the busiest harbours in the Ionian and every boat seems to have to visit at least once. It is also the place of choice for many of the Superyachts so you can sit on your own deck and watch how the other half live, all very entertaining. The downside of all the Superyachts is that Fiskardo does seem to be one of the most expensive places for eating, drinking and shopping.
 |  |
| Very Small Church Just Outside Vathi | Don’t Think This is Going To Sea Again |
The weather forecast was quite settled for the next few days so we left Fiskardo to explore the East side of Ithaca, this is known as one of the windiest areas of the Ionian and last time we were here we had winds up to 40knts. This time the weather was kind and we explored Frikes and Vathi before spending a couple of days in Sarakinko Cove, all very nice places in the warm calm sunshine.
We then headed back South to Zakynthos to meet up with Claire and Eddy as well as seeing Zephyr again. We had a good sail from the south of Cephalonia all the way down to Zakynthos Town where we anchored outside the harbour before heading around to the very South of the Island and the anchorage at Keri.
 |  |
| Exploring the Caves, Marathonisi Island, Keri, Zakynthos | More of the Caves |
Opposite Keri is Marathonisi Island that has some impressive caves and lovely sandy beaches that the Loggerhead Turtles use as nesting sites. We did see turtles last time we were here but so far they have not shown themselves this time.
We are having a few lazy days here in Keri before we head across to the mainland Peloponnese and continue our travels South and East into the Aegean. We are not in too much of a rush to get into the Aegean because it is very windy at the moment with the infamous Meltemi wind blowing at F6 – F9 almost constantly, we don’t need to be anywhere near that!! The Meltemi generally starts to ease around mid to late September and we can then head slowly across the Aegean towards our winter destination of Finike, Turkey.
