We have now been one month in Greece and despite the fact that we have not been sailing around a great deal due to family commitments we are enjoying the scenery and way of life.
Svein’s children and their families arrived in Nidri for their holiday. On their arrival Svein got a very big surprise as his parents also turned up. He had no inkling of their arrival as the family had kept it a secret from him. Our friends on “Swedish Girl” Kay and Doug also arrived and are moored opposite us. The next arrivals were the three brothers and their families whilst the sailors gradually arrived in time for the party: Niels and Ellen on “Lærke” having come from Spain, Nigel and Rochelle on “Crackerjack”, Robert and Chantal (ex ”Solent Wader”) arrived from Belgium and finally part of “Anelo” Anne Laure and Antoine as Laurent had left to return to his ship. They came by camping car with her parents. The count was complete.
The weather had become a little unstable and we juggled with thunderstorms, showers and sun for part of the time whilst we caught up with the news from everyone. One outcome of the unstable weather was a drop in the temperature so early one morning Svein and I decided to visit the famous waterfall inland. We started out on foot and followed the signs going through winding lanes, along main roads and finally off into the hills. Several 3km signs later we finally approached the site having gone through olive groves, lemon and orange orchards all covered in the smell of wild herbs and now following 400m signs. After several of these we started climbing the gorge and eventually arrived at a clear water pool. Exhausted and not very reassured by the safety rails I waited by the pool and Svein continued to the actual waterfall which he captured on video. We began our climb down and stopped for needy refreshment at the tavern at the foot of the climb before undertaking the return journey. This seemed to go much quicker and we even managed to find a shortcut. We arrived back in Nidri town with very sore feet and blisters from our walking shoes as neither of us had worn anything but sandals for 2 months. After a footbath in the sea and a rewarding Greek salad we walked home but after having purchased a pair of flipflops. We only hope that when you are all looking at the photos you will realise the “hardship” that was involved.
As some of our guests arrived in Nidri they were kind enough to take us on a few trips. “Anelo” took us to Vasiliki, a large bay on the South coast of the island that also has a harbour and plenty of taverns.
“Solent Wader” took us to Ammouso Bay another day. This little bay lies between Sivota and Vasiliki. It seems to be only known to the locals and has a tavern and water that is crystal clear and the true Mediterranean blue. It has a pebble beach but once past this discomfort it was glorious to swim and enjoy the cooling Southerly breeze that blew into the bay.
Currently days are being taken up with swimming in the pool of one of the local hotels or off the beach or off the boat (depending where we are moored), chatting with family and friends in person or on Skype and daily chores – a hard life away from the hustle of past working days.
The day of the party arrived and to all accounts it was a success. 40 people from all nationalities gathered in a local restaurant for Greek wine and food and the opportunity of getting to know one another and, for the sailors, to exchange tips and experiences. The last ones to bed got there at 07h00 the next day!!!!!
Whilst “Swedish Girl” sailed off to continue their holiday the others went on a sailing cruise on MS Christina (a Turkish caique). This was a delightful experience and for a whole day we were able to sit back and relax whilst someone else did the sailing. We visited a famous cave on Meganisi where the Greeks had hidden a German U boat during World War II, the islands of Kastos, Kalamos, Skorpios, Madouri . The visits were interspersed with swimming stops in clear waters and visits to local villages with a delicious Greek lunch also included. We returned to Nidri at the end of the day with our heads full of places and quiet bays to visit by ourselves when we leave here.
The family is starting to travel home and the first ones left at the end of their week’s holiday, the second group will leave shortly to be followed by the final group early next week. A visit from 25 members of the same family over a period of 3 weeks is quite something and although we have enjoyed the visit immensely we will be happy to return to our quiet ways.
We will be heading up towards Corfu for the next stage of our trip as we have 2 Norwegian friends coming for a week’s holiday who we have not seen for a few years.

Svein went to check if it was possible to come into the charter quay as we needed to do some work on the boat and required electricity. As long as we were gone by Friday it was no problem so we moved over to the quay and installed ourselves. For 10 euros a day we have electricity (so hot water) and water and are just a stone’s throw from the town. We have been able to do a heavy load of washing and get the boat spruce for the arrivals. Svein has welded the protections that will prevent the chain from jumping from the roller and all we have to do now is update the photo album, get out the blog, answer emails and wait for the arrival of the first visitors (Svein’s two daughters, their husbands and their 7 children). The next two weeks look to be pretty hectic as we will welcome not only Svein’s three brothers and their families in addition to the friends that are joining us for the party at the end of the month.
We are constantly amazed by the short distances one has to travel around these islands. We have been used to all day sailing or longer to get from A to B but here in the Ionian is only takes a couple of hours to change scenery or island. However one does have to contend with the many charter boats that are hired in the area and that is not always easy as many of those on board do not seem to know what they are doing or just do not care as it is not their boat. It is easy to understand why the long term sailors who winter in this area travel home for the months of July and August and then come back again in September when the season dies down.

A very lively and noisy town that is popular with tourists. It is full of taverns that are occupied by both foreigners and the locals and the main shopping street is bustling until very late at night. Everything is to be found in and around with the different shops and restaurants plying for trade.
Having heard that there was a Lidl in Lefkada we decided to take the bicycles and explore. People here have a very different idea about distances. We were told that it was on the outskirts of town and was a 30 minute walk. After more than 30 minutes on the bicycles we found it and managed to do a fair stock up taking into account that we had to get it back to the boat on the bicycles!!! Not a bad morning’s work and exercise into the bargain.
Today we have nice neighbours: to starboard a Greek lady living in London and on holiday on her Princess 45 and to port an English couple who leave their boat in Preveza and come out twice a year to sail. We got many tips from them about the best places to sail. We were even given a homemade Greek meal which was truly delicious.
We also got the spare parts for the outboard engine (at long last as we had been looking for them since Porquerolles) and Svein fitted them. We also cycled to the local beach for a cooling swim and saw the Lefkada Bridge in action. There is consistent traffic going both ways and all nationalities passing through but the decrease in the long term sailors is noticeable as they are all going home until September. We will only have to contend with the charter boats soon.
Time is flying by and it is time to get back to Nidri to greet the first arrivals. We did the return journey in just over one hour and anchored again in Tranquil Bay.

A very busy holiday dedicated to catering for holidaymakers (both on land and off shore). A large number of taverns line the main street and the harbour is full of charter boats that have their base here as well as companies catering for other water sports. It has however a pleasant feel to it and being anchored in the bay we are away from the hustle and bustle particularly at night and we also benefit from a sea breeze (not always the case when walking the streets). The temperature is high and everyone is talking about a heat wave.
We have filled up with the water from Nidri as we were informed that it is the cleanest in Greece. Onassis ensured that when he lived on Skorpios (opposite Nidri) that he would be supplied with the water from the nearby wells and consequently Nidri also benefitted from the installation.
We checked out and found a restaurant that can take us all for the party and also found the hotel where all the Norwegians shall be.
With everything under control we decided to make our way up to Lefkada, a little further up the coast, to try and find some large supermarkets and do a fill up. We left late morning and by lunch time we were anchored in the bay opposite the town quay having gone through the Lefkada canal (somewhat similar to the entrance to PN). We went ashore and had a light lunch but as the wind were strengthening and we were not happy with the anchorage we explored the town quay with the dinghy and found a spot. We quickly weighed the anchor and moved to the spot before the evening arrivals filled it.

This is a delightful little fishing village that is extremely protected as the bay has to be entered by a dogleg. The people are very helpful and every morning the different vans come to sell you their produce (bread, fruit, and vegetables).There are little tavernas all around the harbour and three designated swimming areas. A few traditional houses are there and, of course, some new ones being built in the hills. The one thing that is missing is a bank or ‘hole in the wall’ but as everyone accepts credit cards even that is not a hardship after a time. This is definitely somewhere we will go back to and obviously the other sailors in the harbour were of the same opinion as they seem to go back there year after year.
After a couple of days here we needed to move on and decided to anchor in the next bay before making our way up the East coast of the island.
We arrived in the bay late morning and found it to be full of hotels and flats to rent and as it was a Greek public holiday the beach was crowded and full of families. However we anchored off the beach in 12m of water and immediately took a swim to cool off. After a late lunch we decided that we did want to spend the night there so we started making our way to Nidri. After a short two hours we were entering Nidri harbour and were anchoring in Tranquil Bay opposite the town.