We have been slowly heading south with our visitors heading for Zakynthos. This photo was taken from a village up a very long, hot road from the sea. This is the very famous ship wreck cove on Zakynthos. A good example of a place overwhelmed by it's own popularity. Each day dozens of tripper boats unload many hundreds of people on to this little beach. It's like the D Day landing. We found a place just a nice down the coast a bit without all the crowds. There are hundreds of caves along the rocky cliffs to explore. I made a kayak paddle out of an old set of oars. It's great for exploring on the paddle board if it's a bit rough or windy. Yes I am very clever.
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We now have Sally and Dave, friends from NZ staying with us for a week or so. We are showing them around the islands, visiting some quite anchorages and some town harbours. We are making our way south and will drop them off in Zakynthos.
It is with much sadness that I advise the loss of a valuable member of the Aztec Gold family. Big Balumba was a fender that we acquired in France in unusual circumstances near the start of our first season. So we have been through a lot together and BB has saved us from a few scrapes.
But yesterday in Astakos he disappeared and a search of the bay found no sign. We are very upset. On a brighter note our air conditioning worked fine once the shore power came back on so it seemed we were not responsible for blowing the fuse. We have come to Astakos, a little town on the mainland coast. We were lured here because they have free electricity and water on the town quay.
Unfortunately a few hours after we arrived the electricity stopped and stayed off all night, all along the quay. We suspect it's because some selfish morons tried to run their air conditioning and it overloaded the circuit. In our defence, we have had the AC unit since the start of the season and we have only been able to use it a couple of times so we were keen to give it a go. The power is back on this morning, so we will give the AC another crack tonight. It's been a few days since my last post. We haven't been doing very exciting things, just poking about in the islands of Kastos and Kalamos, and the little towns. This was one of our anchorages, very quiet and secure. It got a bit windy that night and lots of boats had an uncomfortable night, but we were fine. It's peak season now so you have to pick where you go. This little harbour (Kastos) is popular with the charter fleet. We counted over 100 yachts in the harbour or anchored outside. We were in a bay 2 miles down the coast, with 6 other yachts. And here is a photo for Kelvin, by special request.
We tend to think of New Zealand as a small country but if you compare us to Greece, or indeed many European nations we are quite large, in terms of land area. I think it's because we are used to looking at ourselves next to Australia, which is unreasonably large. What we are lacking, in comparison to most other countries, is people. But that is not a bad thing. Amanda thought this shot was amusing. We were motoring along with no wind so I was doing a bit of stainless steel polishing, as well as keeping watch. Very practical use of time I say. Here is Amanda casually relaxing by the sea. Doesn't she look fab.
After finally peeling ourselves off the dock at the free marina we have been slowly making our way northish. We have been in this area before so our challenge is to find places we haven't visited previously. It is so good to be back in Greece. We really love the people, the culture, the wine, the food and the places we get to visit. We are currently in Poros, a little town on the coast of Kefalonia. We are in the harbour. In this photo you can see our new boom tent. This keeps the sun off the boat and makes an amazing difference in keeping the boat cool. Also featured is Amanda walking the plank.
Since arriving in Greece we haven't gone anywhere. We are still hanging out in the abandoned marina. If anyone is looking for a fixer-upper boat there are lots to choose from here. From the marina it is a short bike ride over the bridge to town. On the south side of the bridge is a turtle sanctuary. There are also lots of big turtles in the marina. I have been trying to get a photo of one but so far they have not been cooperating. We also needed to replace our batteries. These power our instruments and most importantly the fridge, so quite important. The old ones were on the boat when we bought it, so slightly overdue for replacement. We found a battery shop in town and they delivered them the next day, great service.
Today is a bit windy but we might go somewhere the tomorrow. Unlike most countries in Europe you are required to check in on arrival, even if you have sailed from another EU country. Here was our experience:
The first step is to find the port police office which was handily near the port. We found their office and started the process. However, to pay the fee you need to go to the tax office. We found that and were told to go to room 11 on the first floor. A bit of a queue here so after 20 minutes it was our turn and we were told to go to room 12. In room 12 we were told to go to room 13. In room 13 after a short wait the person filled in a form, but to actually pay we went back to room 12. Paid the fee (€50) in room 12 then back to the port police office. Lots of form filling here and then, there is another fee to pay, the port police fee. But you don't pay the port police fee in the port police office, you have to go to another building. After being redirected another couple of times we paid this fee at a little shed (€15) and then back to the port police office. We then completed the paperwork and saints be praised we were finished. A long process but not our first time so we knew what to expect. All part of the rich tapestry of life. And all the officials we dealt with were very nice, they just work there, they didn't invent the process. So the secret is relax, set aside the day and enjoy the experience, you are after all entering one of the loveliest countries on earth. Oh and I didn't mention the new, additional on-line process (and fee) that you also have to do, which isn't straightforward but that's a whole other blog. |
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October 2019
CategoriesWelcomeCheck out what we have been up to lately. Most of it is even true. |