Rounding Peloponnisos Again
14 March 2024 – Zakynthos, Greece
We are now in the northwest area of Greece, having spent the days since Kim left rounding Peloponnisos to pick up our new mainsail. We are making good time; after leaving Poros we sailed to Vivari, then to Yeraka, Porto Kagio, and Pylos. Those were all forty to fifty mile days over a flat calm sea due to there being barely any wind.
Jonas and my dad putting up the spinnaker – Ionian Sea, Greece
We used this time to practice using the sextant that my grandpa gave me and managed to take some semi-accurate noon sights.
Jonas using the sextant – Ionian Sea, Greece
My dad using the sextant – Ionian Sea, Greece
Though it wasn’t directly on our route, we wanted to go to Vivari because that is where we adopted Sirius six years ago and we wanted to see our friend Maria, who had been taking care of him. Maria drove out to meet us and we had a nice walk with her. As usual, Sirius didn’t really care where we were and remained unappreciative.
Vivari, Greece
Sailing out of Vivari, Greece
From there we were originally going to sail to the town of Monemvasia, as that had been another stop on our route when we sailed here six years ago, but my mom found a nicer place nearby by so we went there instead. I’m glad we did, because Yeraka is beautiful - the bay is bordered by tall hills and the dock is slightly around the corner, blocking the sea and making us feel cozy and protected. The water continues further inland to form a sort of marsh, which was beautiful to walk around in the morning as the sun was rising. Though we were at a dock, there weren’t really any buildings around except for a few houses. There are the ruins of an ancient acropolis, so we walked up one of the hills to see them. They haven’t been excavated yet but the remains of walls made of massive stone blocks are still visible and, in some places, still standing. Nearby were some Roman and Medieval ruins, such as a part of what might have been a church.
Ruins of ancient acropolis – Yeraka, Greece
Yeraka, Greece
Yeraka, Greece
Our next port was Pylos with the abandoned but still functional marina, where we were in December on our way to Crete. The marina is free and well-protected, so it was a good place to wait out the strong southeast wind coming the next day.
We are currently on the island of Zakynthos which, unlike the previous days of travelling, wasn’t so fun to get to. The wind was twenty knots from the west and we were on a close reach, meaning Festina Lente was going pretty fast but we all got mildly seasick. Somehow Jonas made history by being the least sick out of everyone. Still, we got here without incident and spent yesterday hanging out and going shopping. Like Pylos, we were here in December when the streets were filled with beautiful Christmas decorations and strung with lots of lights. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the town is still covered in decorations and lights, but this time for Carnival, which is currently being celebrated. Jonas, my dad, and Sirius went to the marine store while me and my mom went yarn shopping and bought groceries. Though the store appeared to be a fairly small convenience store, it actually turned out to be pretty big and have a whole hidden second floor. We even found Japanese rice, which I had given up hope of eating again for the foreseeable future.
The mainsail will be in Lefkada in a few days, which is about two days worth of sailing north of here. Today, we will go to Kefalonia and spend a few days there, then head to Lefkada in time to pick it up.
