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.

As the weather forecast for the next day promised strong NW winds we decided to leave our little haven and make for the NE corner of the island. This proved to be a mistake. The strong winds never appeared but when we entered the port of Fiskardho we discovered a very small harbour full of charter boats and not much room to manoeuvre. As part of the quays was blocked off so everybody was turning in circles trying to find somewhere to go. No harbour authorities but eventually someone shouted to us that the ferry was about to leave and that we could moor in his place. Then the fun started. C’est la Vie is heavy to manoeuvre particularly in a NE which was blowing us away from the quay. Our Bruce anchor would not take and although we got lines ashore we were constantly being blowing against the quay and to top it all there were underwater rocks jutting out quite far so we were worried for the rudder. Svein does not give up and he rowed out to place a second anchor. This took but as it was on a rope with just a small amount of chain we continued to hit the quay. Eventually after several hours and attempts to secure the boat we decided to leave the harbour and find a quiet anchorage.
We continued down the East coast of the island and after a short time found an empty bay and a deserted quay. Here there was no problem with the wind and we tied up alongside using chains to protect the ropes against chafing. A quiet bay with clear blue water and peace and quiet – until the next morning when the tourist boats started visiting the anchorage and explaining that at the bottom of the bay against the quay was a 30m wooden boat that had sunk!
We stayed here for another day and then left to make the crossing to Lefkas Island. After a couple of hours (motoring) as there was no wind we came to the harbour of Sivota. Here we found a mooring against the quay and this time all went well.