We like Mesolonghi! We are still here and have been doing some work on the boat and enjoying the town and its attractions.

As far as repairs go: The water tank that sprung a leak has been fixed, the engine has had an oil change, the toiler pump has been changed, the floor has been varnished and both the bicycles have been repaired (essential as the distance into town is a couple of kilometers). The ropes have also been washed, the stays all controlled and adjusted, the genoa repaired and the step behind the steering wheel has also been repaired. Svein has also been called upon to exercise some of his many skills amongst the boats coming here to winter or just passing through.

We have got to know the town a lot better and with the help of some locals have found a very good cheese shop, a laundry (again essential for washing bedding and towels) and some good eating places. We have also tried the local swimming areas and had a mud bath. The mud stank like rotten eggs but one became accustomed after a short time although whether it does any good waits to be seen.

We also were invited to the official opening of the marina complete with religious blessing and a party to follow.

It is very easy to get into a rhythm here as the weather is still very hot (over 30°) and quite humid but the harbour is free (so far) and we have electricity and water. There are a number of boats coming ashore for the winter and also boats coming through each day using the harbour as a stop before going either East or West. We have seen a variety of nationalities (French, Italian,German,English, and Greek) but everyone is very friendly and there is a good atmosphere.

The harbour is still being built up and has not reached its full capacity yet but as this is Greece things are going slowly. Since we have been here we have seen some showers and toilets opened, the water brought to some of the quays but we are still waiting for the electricity to come to the quays although the state electricity company surprised us all by installing 3 pylons, a transformer and connected them all up in just 2 days. It looks as though the next stage is for the harbour to bring it to the quays.

We had some excitement when a firefighting helicopter (looking like a wasp) scooped up water from the canal in order to fight a fire up in the hills. Later that night the fire engine came to the outer perimeter of the harbour as a fire had been started in the bushes but fortunately it was quicky under control and there was no danger to the harbour installation or the boats.

It is our intention now to visit the Corinthian Gulf before coming back here in October to start work on the deck.

We weighed anchor and proceeded to make our way to Mesolonghi to wait for them. Our luck was not with us and we motored all day with a head wind. However the trip was interesting and we saw very varied countryside coming into the Gulf of Patras.
We had thoughts of Port Napoleon on our approach to Mesolonghi as we were surrounded by very flat land with salt marshes and the entrance to the harbour is via a long canal. There was however a very big difference in that the canal is bordered by old fishermen’s houses on stilts that have now been converted into holiday homes. It was very colourful and each home had its own quay. We reached the harbour that is partly Dutch owned and moored alongside.
The harbour has been under construction for many years and is still not complete. For the moment there are pontoons but no electricity or water and the buildings are not ready so there are no facilities. However the staff are very helpful and there are quite a few boats moored. The fact that we do not have to pay anything for the moment also helps!
We have met up with people we saw in Argostoli and Astakos as well as finding a boat that we had seen in Port Napoleon last year. If and when the harbour is finished it will be a very good one where people will be able to winter before deciding on their next port of call.
We walked into town to explore – a very long way – and when we got back to the harbour the first thing that Svein did was to repair the punctures on our bikes! Next time we will be cycling into town. At least we can say that we are getting plenty of exercise. We have also had a small thunderstorm and some slight rain which did everyone a lot of good as the humidity level is very high here. However the sun is now out and the temperature is getting back to normal.
Mesolonghi is a university town that comes alive in the winter and is definitely not known as a tourist town although some Greeks come here for their holidays. It is a pleasant town to wander around and has a wide variety of shops that cater for the locals. The surrounding countryside is also interesting and in the canal the locals go frequently to cover themselves in the mud that has therapeutic values for rheumatisms. We also tried the local bathing spot although it was more like taking a warm bath in muddy water so were far happier with the swimming pool that we were able to use in one of the local hotels.
Since we have arrived in the harbour we have already seen some changes: two showers were opened and some electricity outputs have been installed and connected. It would seem that they are getting there slowly but surely. There are certainly boats taking contracts for the winter.

After our neighbour, who was rafted to us, had departed we also left the quay to make our way over to Ithaca island where we were due to meet up with Laerke again. The day started out well and we were able to motor to the head of the bay and drop our anchor in Marathia Bay to go for a swim and wait for the wind to blow up. This duly happened so we were able to leave the anchorage under sail without starting the engine. We set curse for Ithaca but were unlucky with the wind direction and had to hold a very close tack (something C’est la Vie does not like) in every strengthening winds. We rolled in the genoa and took 2 reefs on the main and battled through the stiffening sea to reach Kioni on Ithaca. As we were approaching we got a call from Laerke to tell us that the harbour was full of charter boats and there was no room. We then started to go South to find an anchorage for the night. We eventually anchored in Kaminia Cove but there the story did not end.
Just as we were finishing dinner on Laerke we saw the two boats approaching each other in such a way that Svein was able to hop on board ours. We were both drifting so we again weighed our anchors and started off to find another anchorage. We came into Pigadhi bay in the dark. When you are sailing in the dark you suddenly realise how few boats use anchor lights at night!!!! Again we were not very lucky but I managed to get back on board and we then started trying to anchor. After several attempts we eventually managed to get a line ashore so we were sure that we were safe for the rest of the night which by this time was getting very short!!!!!
We woke next morning to crystal clear water and lovely surroundings which made the hassle from the previous night worth the while. In the meantime Laeke had returned to Nidri to collect the spare part but when Svein went to install it – it was incomplete. A piece had been left behind so they weighed anchor and returned to Nidri again to collect it.

We waited to leave Kastos until the wind had blown up and then made our way across to the mainland. We managed to sail for 2 hours today and in the afternoon we reached the town of Astakos at the end of the bay. Not a tourist town but not one to be recommended either. We decided to treat ourselves to a dinner out but the restaurant we chose was not a wise choice. The prices announced outside did not match the prices on the menu and in the end we walked out in disgust after we had waited over an hour for Svein to be served a dish that had been recommended by the owner of the place. He ended up eating a Pita Gyros!!!!!!!