Rounding the Greek Peloponnese Peninsular – Zante (Zakinthos) to Athens
Ulendo V – 19 September to 3 October 2011
By Bill Anstead 4 December 2011
Introduction
Having wintered ashore in Monfalcone, Italy, our Wauquiez Centurion 40s was sailed south through the Adriatic and Ionian by my wife and myself to Zante. Chris then flew back to England whilst Bill was joined by sailing friends Ron and Dave for the cruise round the Peloponnese to Athens. Bill and Chris then sailed across the Aegean to winter Ulendo in Marmaris, Turkey.
The attached table summarises the sailing and mooring details with the following paragraphs providing some background. Heikell 11th Edition was mostly accurate and very helpful in choosing where to stop and entering places new to us, as was CA’s Cruising Information.
Ulendo V is 12.5m overall with a draft of 2.3m. The 50sm mainsail has a slab reefing, the roller genoa has a similar area and we have an asymmetric spinnaker. All lines lead back to a large aft cockpit. She is a sound boat in heavy winds and seas although we do not normally start a leg if winds above BF6 are forecast. We carry 60m of 10mm chain, plus 30m of rope, on a 20kgr Delta anchor. She is quite slippery and, unless in a hurry, we usually maintain sail down to about 3 knots. The 55hp Volvo engine, saildrive and folding prop give 6.5 knots at 2,000rpm in smooth water and we try to keep engine hours less than 10% of the trip miles. Since she was launched in 2004 we have cruised Ireland, Scotland, Norway and in the last 5 years the Med, covering 13,984 nm with 1,406 engine hours! She has a holding tank which we always use in harbour or anchorages and we limit our grey water discharge of chemicals, soaps or detergents in such places.
Thurs 15 – Sun 18 Sept (Zante)
Ulendo berthed stern to the NE quay in Port Zakinthos at lunchtime Thursday. Somewhat warm at 32 - 34C as it had been all month, so the cabin fans were welcome. The NW quay also offers berths, particularly for larger vessels, but without electricity and water. We were assisted into the berth by a marina official who collected SSR and Crew List with the berthing fees and returned them the next day. The quay was only about one third occupied and this doubled by evening but it proved to be a comfortable reasonably quiet stop. The next few days were spent exploring Zante, including a climb up to the castle, and preparing for the new crew who arrived on Easyjet mid- afternoon Sunday. Plenty of mini markets and fruit stalls and a good choice of tavernas where we could get wifi. Laundry cost €16 per 8 kgr load and was a 10 minute walk away. Gas refills could not be arranged except for Greek exchange cylinders. We had not received navtex for some days so used zyGrib for medium term weather patterns and Poseidon, accessed through the marina wifi. These showed favourable winds for the next few days except strong winds on Tuesday, which fitted well with our intention to visit Olympia.
Mon/ Tues 19/20 Sept (to Katakolon)
Chris took a taxi to the airport for €20 and Bill, Ron and Dave cast off for Katakolon. We enjoyed a super start to the cruise with beam winds surging us along in warm sunshine at 6 – 8 knots. This stop is almost obligatory with the London Olympics looming. It is the gateway to Olympia, about an hour from the port, where the ancient Greeks flocked every four years for more than a millennium to celebrate the sacred games dedicated to Zeus. Even to this day the Olympic Torch is lit here before its journey to the country holding the event. The harbour master, Leon is a stickler for doing things his way but proved to be a helpful knowledgeable fellow with modest charges. This an attractive stop for cruise liners and during our stay between one and three berthed nearby but they did not intrude on the yacht area. The next morning Ron volunteered to remain on board whilst Dave and Bill explored the archaeological site, using the train which ran on time in both directions. We were not receiving navtex here but using local taverna wifi zyGrib and Poseidon both confirmed the earlier forecast for strong easterlies which would come straight in the harbour mouth so we had put out plenty of chain. Bill had warned Ron he would probably need to tension up the anchor but omitted to remind him where the windlass trip switch was. Inevitably it tripped for the first time this season and it took some engine and a breast rope to keep Ulendo clear of the quay in 30 kt winds before a phone call established that the trip switch was behind the hinged instrument panel and all was under control.
Weds 21 Sept (to Kiparissia)
Tuesday night was the coolest yet at 18C with heavy rain, thunder and lightning but we were secure with 45m of chain out and the strong winds eased overnight. By 1045 when we slipped berth for Kiparissia it was 22C with cloudy sunshine. The 6 – 12 kt winds went from easterly to westerly with varying strengths and we had the chute up for more than 2 hours with temperatures rising to 24C. We saw only a handful of other yachts, the occasional commercial vessel and not over-many fishermen. This was to be the pattern at sea until we approached the Saronic Gulf and Athens 10 days later. A gentle sail in fitful winds, with the routine enhanced by a visit from a school of 6 dolphins. The coastline included long sandy beaches with moderate mountain backdrop and limited signs of habitation. There were just 3 other yachts and no official on the quay as we entered the quiet harbour, in so we tied up alongside. There was water available from a rudimentary stop cock but the electric towers were well spaced out so we did not connect. Kiparissia is a working town but makes a convenient overnight stop and has plentiful supplies. We climbed the hill into the town square for drinks, a wifi link and a meal and enjoyed a Greek coffee and oozo by the seafront on the way back at midnight.
Thurs 22 Sept (to Pylos)
After a cool, calm night Bill walked up into Kiparissia for fresh bread and fruit whilst Ron produced a fry-up. Soon afterwards the Port Police arrived and politely asked all 4 skippers to accompany them in their jeep with ship’s papers to the station about 1 km away. All they wanted was to check the documents, stamp our Dekpas and collect €8 harbour dues. They wanted us all to be processed together and they would run us back but because one skipper made a fuss about his Dekpa being stamped and another’s insurance was one month expired there was a delay, so a couple of us walked back. In the event the police accepted a fax in English from his insurer confirming renewal. We eventually slipped berth at 11.30 and once at sea received Kerkyra (Corfu) navtex – the first time since 11 Sept in Ithaca - which confirmed our web forecasts. We headed for Pylos in brisk northerlies up to 18 kts covering 17 nm in the first 2 ½ hours. It became quite rolly so we dropped the main, had a late lunch and finished the leg under genoa only, still doing 6 knots. There was no attendant in the marina and it was almost full of resident boats and a few live-aboards. We moored alongside at the northern end of the outer marina wall. No services but the Hotel Philippe on the cliffs above provided free wifi. Then the customary walk to explore the pleasant town and decide which of the many tavernas to favour with our custom. The well protected lagoon to the west of the marina has interesting naval history and offers good anchorages where we had intended to linger. On the basis of a 2 ½ week programme we had planned a few rest days and aimed to round Cape Maleas half way through. However, we were now picking up medium term forecasts showing several days of strong N – NW wind building up to BF 6 - 7. We could not afford the delay of possibly 5 days if we had to wait for it to blow through, so we agreed we must press on with longer legs to round Ak Maleas and make progress up the east coast before it arrived in earnest. Had we enjoyed a more relaxed timetable and/or quieter weather there is a good choice of attractive spots on the west coast to explore or in which to shelter.
Fri 23 Sept (to Porto Kayio)
So we made a relatively early start at 08.00 in light NE winds less than 8 kts and were soon passing the lovely area around Methoni, unfortunately without stopping since it is one of Heikell’s favourites. We motored for 3 hours during the first 5 before the stronger NW’s set in at up to 16 kts true and we could sail with them dead astern with a poled out genoa and full main. The mountain scenery was becoming much more dramatic and barren and at exactly 18.00 hrs we dropped all sail and entered the bowl of Porto Kayio in winds gusting down from the surrounding mountains at 25 kts. Inside the basin it was calm and there was only one other Spanish yacht at anchor so plenty of space to drop ours fairly close to the shore. There were only very few holiday makers in the two tavernas. We found it an enchanting spot and were tempted to go ashore but nobody volunteered to pump up the dinghy, which in fact we did not use at all rounding the Peloponnese. So we had a few drinks enjoying the surroundings, although the premature sunset discouraged swimming, followed by the skipper’s piri-piri chicken served in the cockpit.
Sat 24 Sept (to Monemvasia, rounding Ak Maleas)
Before leaving Porto Kayio we again failed to receive Kerkyra navtex for local forecasts but had received the 232000 from Limnos. This only covered north and central Aegean but was consistent with the previous web forecasts so we anticipated N-NW’s up to 20 knots in our area. On most days we had reasonable vhf reception although have always had trouble deciding which channel to switch to and often found it too late, so have not relied upon that source of weather. We noted Heikell’s commentary on the difficulty of predicting conditions around the Cape. So we weighed anchor with the plan to round the Cape if conditions allowed but knowing that, 10 nm to the west of it, Elafonisos Island offered good shelter. With our generous sail area we tend to reef early, although we had not had to reef the main since leaving Zante, so we now took one slab in before it was really necessary to ensure everything was in order. Once at sea we received navtex from Iraklito (Crete) which confirmed N 5 locally 6 later. We enjoyed a good sailing wind on the port beam for 5 hours, gradually increasing from 13 to 20 knots true, at which stage we pulled down the second reef in anticipation of what might lay ahead. We passed Elafonisos Island and noted the southern anchorage, which was empty. By the time we approached the dramatic Cape the sea state was becoming quite rough – about 2 metre waves, sometimes breaking – so, with the wind beginning to back us, we started the engine at 13.15 and furled the genoa. It was becoming a bumpy, wet ride with gusts of up to 25 knots (30 over the deck) so we pulled the spray hood up and the helmsman clipped on. One hour later we were round, the wind and sea were easing, the coastal scenery became progressively greener and softer and Dave cooked up bacon sandwiches. “Little Gibraltar” was visible to the north in the distance and by the time we reached Monemvassia 2½ hours later the wind had almost completely dropped and since it was fine on the bow we had mostly continued under power. A liner was anchored behind the causeway ferrying passengers ashore. The compact inner harbour to the south was well sheltered but totally full and many of the occupied boats appeared to have been there for some time, no doubt waiting for the aggressive weather to pass through. A crew member on the ex RNLI lifeboat moored in the harbour indicated we could berth stern to on the outer side of the harbour north quay, which was empty. We were joined later by two other yachts. Whilst the sun set early behind the mountain we relaxed over drinks in 27C in the cockpit after a somewhat tough day, congratulating ourselves that our strategy to press on round the Cape ahead of the forecast stronger winds had been accomplished.
Sun 25 Sept (to Porto Kheli) and Mon 26 Set
We awoke to relatively calm conditions and walked the 1 km into town for breakfast, shopping and wifi (which confirmed strong northerlies up to gale 8 for several days ahead). There is a wide choice of tavernas, several shops and a good bakery. We returned to the harbour, with Ron intending to remain on board, whilst Bill and Dave hiked off to explore the ancient fortified village across the causeway to the island, before heading off into the wind again to the good shelter offered at Porto Keli. However, Ulendo was already bobbing around so, remembering the experience Ron had keeping the boat off the quay in Katakolon, we changed plans, slipped our stern lines and weighed anchor in 20 knots of wind. We had to content ourselves with passing close to the old village, already thronging with tourists, and studying it through binoculars. Once clear of the protection of the island we plugged into a 2 metre plus sea and winds of 25-30 knots true for the next 3 hours, albeit in 25C sunshine so we did not need wet gear under the protection of the spray hood. Sea and wind eventually started moderating but only gradually and with a course of 006 degrees we were straight into the wind. We watched a catamaran roll past heading south under genoa whilst the only yacht heading our way was enthusiastic enough to be tacking under full reefs, but as it receded rapidly behind us, additionally hampered by up to 1 knot of adverse current, we were not tempted to stop the engine. Generally around the Peloponnese currents were below 1 knot and did not affect us significantly. This long leg, and the next leg which was short, were the only ones which we covered almost entirely under power, but as we bore away onto 335 degrees for the final few miles approaching our destination we were able to give the engine a break and log some sailing. The approach to Porto Keli is clearly marked and the natural harbour well protected from all directions. If the hurly burly of the main harbour does not appeal, there are several sheltered anchorages nearby. The western quay wall looked full of residents and visitors of all nationalities but, as we stooged around taking care of the shallow depth, we spotted one remaining space which we squeezed gently into, tipping a local lad who helpfully took our stern lines. It was more sheltered from the wind than in the extensive anchorage, although the water was flat everywhere. We had covered over 250 nm in the first week and now had only short hops in more sheltered water between us and Athens, so we celebrated in the usual manner after showering off the salt. There was a wide choice of tavernas ranging from cheap and cheerful at the northern end, where we enjoyed tasty roast suckling pig for €9 each to posher more expensive establishments to the south. We had a rest day the next day. There was no water or electricity to connect to so we took on 300 litres from a small bowser for €8 and had a couple of loads of laundry done nearby for €15 per 6 kgr. We stocked up at the large supermarket 15 minutes’ walk away but could not find exchange gas cylinders of any kind. There was a good bakery just across the road, which was far enough removed from the quayside for traffic noise to be minimal. No one appeared to collect any money and, although police occasionally drove past, they showed only casual interest.
Tuesday 27 Sept (to Ermioni)
We made a lazy start on a cooler, somewhat cloudy morning after Dave had treated us to a fry-up brunch. We were soon heading east with 6 rolls in the genoa and a 25 knot beam wind. The only other yacht to come out with us turned back, although we saw a few enjoying the brisk wind as the day progressed. Since it was a short leg we did not bother unfurling the main and all too soon we had to come up into the wind for the last 10 nm into Ormos Kapari. We thought this quay on the south of the peninsular would be somewhat more sheltered than the harbour of Ermioni which is on the north side, and so it proved to be, although we saw later that those tucked into the harbour or anchored outside it were fine. Fortunately the 20 knots of wind were dead astern and the owner of the adjacent taverna took our lines. An official gave us a slip to pay the harbour dues at the police station which is west of the harbour about 1km away. A good choice of tavernas, (including one only 10 metres from our cockpit!) and near the harbour plenty of fruit stalls, a bakery and a supermarket which exchanged Greek gas cylinders. There was rather more space on the south side quay than implied in the pilot book with some 12 yachts moored.
Weds/Thurs 28/29 Sept (Ermioni)
This is a pleasant spot on both sides of the peninsular with attractive scenery which provided good walking and some swimming spots and we enjoyed a relaxing rest day. During the afternoon a flotilla came in and managed to foul our anchor but the leader soon sorted it out using his dinghy. In the evening we strolled up the hill to a fish restaurant and then all sat in the cockpit until late enjoying a nightcap and some quiet music. Ron had been feeling unwell during the day but had declined a doctor. He was late arising the next morning and when Bill entered the aft cabin to rouse him we were shocked and distressed to discover that he had died in his sleep. The medics and police were soon with us and dealt sympathetically with the situation, greatly assisted within a couple of hours by the British Embassy and insurers in Athens. Ron was 66 and an unattached man one year into a well-earned retirement. He had sailed with Bill and Chris in four “Ulendos” over some 20 years and it was comforting to reflect that he had passed away peacefully whilst enjoying the sailing he loved. Arrangements and formalities retained Bill and Dave in Ermioni for one more day.
Fri 30 Sept (to Poros)
We were cleared to depart early afternoon and with mixed emotions and the ensign at half-mast Bill and Dave were soon sailing briskly eastwards in 25 knot winds with double reefed main and 8 rolls in the genoa. We approached Poros at 18.00 and, not being sure how busy the quayside to the west of the island would be and having some misgivings about the shallow channel to the south, we anchored overnight in Monastery Bay to the east, with just one other yacht. Gusty winds continued through the night and there was moderate motion but not uncomfortable.
Sat/Sun 1/2 Oct (Poros)
With the sun not rising until after 08.00 and a temperature of 21C we were reminded that this was the 1st October and autumn was with us. Never-the-less Bill had a swim in water somewhat warmer than the ambient whilst Dave cooked up some eggs. The waterline was still remarkably clean and we had picked up very little fouling throughout this season. At last the winds were easing somewhat. The shallow channel to the south of Poros proved something of an anti-climax and, taking care to keep close to the island, we did not notice less than 5m. Although the town was busy with tourists, there was plenty of room on the quayside and the adjacent pontoons. We dropped anchor in 12m and had about 50m of chain out by the time we reached the quayside in 6m of water. The skipper of a nearby power boat kindly took our lines and soon after an official requested €2.50 to hook up to electricity and told us to report to port police to pay dues. We used a touring tanker to fill up with diesel. Poros is a super spot with lots of interest to explore so, being up on our schedule, we elected to stay a further day.
Mon/Tues 3/4 Oct (Zea Marina Piraeus)
The 022000 navtex from Limos forecast N 4 occ 5. We breakfasted ashore to use wifi and check Poseidon and were on our way by 09.00. We anchored 1 nm to the west in Russian Bay for a swim before our final leg towards Athens. The wind was fluky at times, involving some motoring, but, as often seems to occur, strengthened to 25 knots as we approached the marina. Thankfully it eased inside the harbour wall and we called vhf 9 as we approached an impressive line-up of multimillion dollar super-yachts. Promptly a rib appeared to squeeze us into a stern-to berth with tailed bow lines between yachts more like our own. Marina formalities in the nearby office were dealt with promptly and pleasantly although the attitude of the adjacent port police varied between officials, one insisting that our Dekpa should have been stamped at every port of call. He claimed the 30 day relaxation only applied if one had an annual marina contract He was over-ruled by another officer but we could not avoid the inconvenient requirement to visit the tax office in town to pay just 88 cents tax which is theoretically needed every time the Dekpa is stamped in (we bought 5 but have not since been asked for them elsewhere!) Earlier in the year we had been advised by our HLR, Paul Stafford that, whilst both are suitable marinas close to Athens, Alimos is more of a sailing yacht marina than Zea which is a mixture of small fishing boats through to mega yachts. He also advised that Alimos has more convenient transport arrangements. In the event Alimos advised us they were full whilst Zea gave us a reservation. Zea seems to be Heikelll’s preference. It met our requirements for a crew change and a tour to the Acropolis perfectly well but was a culture shock after the Peloponnese and the islands, being closely surrounded by high rise buildings, lots of traffic.
Conclusion
We had planned for Dave to return to England on 5 October and Chris to re-join the same day. Unfortunately one of the general strikes in Greece took place that day which would have put this back several days. So to use this hiccup to our advantage Bill and Dave sailed to Aigina Island just 18 nm south for a pleasant three days and both flew back to England on 8 October. This allowed us all to attend Ron’s funeral on 12 October before Bill and Chris re-joined Ulendo in Zea the next day for the cruise to Turkey.
Whilst we would have preferred somewhat quieter weather which would have allowed more stops, especially before rounding Ak Maleas and, obviously excluding the sad shock with Ron, both Dave and Bill found the cruise enjoyable and satisfying and do not hesitate to recommend the route to others. Ulendo covered 334 nm from Zante to Athens in 57 hours, including 26 under power.
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