Ionian sailing

SteveGorst

SteveGorst

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Earlier in the year I asked for advice on sailing in the Ionian. I've got to report that it was a fantastic experience. We visited the islands of Levkas, Meganissi, Ithaca, Keffalonia and Paxos folowed by Sivota, Parga and Preveza on the mainland. I've posted the pictures here click on the slideshow link to view as a slideshow. I hope you enjoy them and thanks for all the advice /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Good pics, I remember some of the spots from when I took our family over there... Quite nostalgic, and good to see it has not changed. Thanks
 
Great pics steve and an excellent link to the site...we are off out there for 5 weeks at the beginning of September...your photos have got us in the mood already!!!!( pity about having to work for the month of August though). Hope you didn't drink all the wine!!. If you were only there for 2 weeks you must have got a shift on in order to visit all these places!!!
 
Good to see some good pics from a nice part of the world

Went to Parga some years ago on a package holiday and found it to be a lovely place. There was a Gorge a few miles away with ice cold, clear water from cave resurgences , itwas an interesting day out.

What proportion of sailers are British ? Is it all charter ?
 
A large part of the sailors where British. There was a sunsail flotilla in at the same time as us and a sunsail bareboat and we were bareboat also so we had plenty to talk to on the taxi. I would advise anybody to visit Parga if they can it really was an interesting place with an interesting history. That Ali Pasha guy was one sick sob!!
 
We didn't quite drink all the wine but we had a good go. Last time I was out in Greece the wine was pretty dreadful, Retsina and Domestica, but the wine is really palatable now. We didn't have to get all that much of a shift on as most of these places are quite close to each other and I suppose we are used to longish passages here in the Irish Sea. We meandered from Levkas down to Fiskardo during the first week then blasted back up to Levkas Marina under motor and refueled and laundered. Then blasted up to Paxos the following day and spent the next week meandering back to levkas. Levkas to Paxos about 5 1/2 hours was the longest passage.

You'll have a great time. 5 weeks... I'm envious!

Steve
 
Re: Retsina

When we did our Day Skipper course in Greece,wine sampling was an unofficial part of the syllabus. We quickly learnt that retsina always tastes better after the first glass . It's true!!!! You seemed to have done quite a bit of "blasting" when you were there...what were the winds like? PS ..Parga is the best place around to fill up with water as it comes from a spring on the mainland and is very fresh and drinkable.
 
Re: Retsina

The winds were light all the time. I didn't have to put a reef in at all. One evening in Vassiliki was a bit breezy but it stopped for the night. The rest of the time the maximum wind we had was 15 knots. Perfect. I do think it was worth putting a couple of longer passages in to open up new sailing grounds. The north Ionian is very different to the South and I very much wanted to visit Parga and Paxos as well as Fiskardo. Total diesel consumed for the fortnight was £57 worth. Most days were spent with a short morning sail, stop for a swim and lunch. Sail on at about 3:00 to our destination aiming to arrive about 4.00. Possibly another swim shower and dinner.

What a nice place to do a day skipper course, I hope you worked out the tides correctly /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Mind you, if you do run aground in Greece how long do you have to wait for the tide to rise!!
 
Re: Retsina

Thanks Steve. We were in Sardinia at about the same time and kept getting weatrher reports of gales under thunderstorms in the Ionan sea. Sounds better than that from your account. Brian
 
Any odd winds at Frikes?

Saw your Frikes pics - think it was about 2 miles off Frikes when we were almost flattened by a freaky wind that funnels down from the hills there. Freaky Frikes.
 
Re: Any odd winds at Frikes?

Yes I experienced that sudden gust as well.

Steve that wasn't the bar "Penelope" in Frikes by any chance?
Remember there was a real stunner of a waitress there - oh happy days.
 
Re: Pics

Good pics, Ionian was our first hot water charter, remembered more than I thought looking at your pictures. Must get back there (when the wind is blowing)
 
Re: Any odd winds at Frikes?

hi I've just enlarged the photo of the quay to check and yes it was Penelope. Don't remember any stunning waitress though I'm afraid. However in Levkas......
 
Re: Any odd winds at Frikes?

Well it was the bar owners daughter who really was quite something, she's probably moved on now.
Never mind just means I'll have to go back and explore!
 
Great fotos, Steve.
Pleased you had a good time.
Who did you decide to charter from, and would you recommend them?

Fenders
 
We chartered off a greek firm. Golden Sails . Overall given the huge saving we were very happy. It was a 10 year old Moody 336 but that's still a big improvement on my own 1985 Etap 26. Everything worked, it had been re engined 2 years ago and the sails where fairly new as well. The electrics were a bit temperamental when put under load such as winching with the lights and fridge on but they were up front about it and showed me how to reset them before I set off, which I only had to do once. The boat itself was solid and made easy work of sailing to Paxos in what was initially a bit of a chop. They gave us a full inventory but unfortunately the promised autohelm didn't materialise. As for recommending them, it depends on your circumstances really, I would be happy to use them again but if I was on a city salary and perhaps not used to slightly cranky boats I might go more upmarket. Don't get me wrong though, we were very happy, I am just a bit wary of recommending them to someone that may have different expectations of a boat. £1400 for a fortnight by the way.
 
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