Kioni is, as I said, one of our favorite places in the Ionian. Lori really likes it because of the restaurants, the location and, especially, the wonderful little jewelry shop here that sells only hand-made accessories made by this guy who we have met each year for the past five years.
It is less than six miles from Vathi to Kioni and last night was no real test for our new mooring location in Vathi. The night was almost calm with at best a gentle breeze fro the south. We left a little later than normal because of the short hop and made it to Kioni by just before noon. We found a good space and moored with the help of Steve (our new friend from Poros and Trizonia).
Kioni is quite small and we had forgotten the impact of the charter boats and the flotillas that are common here. Along with others our anchor chain stretches across the harbor almost to the other side. Later arrivals are supposed to pay attention to the ground tackle that is already in place. This nicety is lost on many charterers sadly. Anchors are dropped wherever is convenient and we have already seen two fouled anchors and it’s only the afternoon. A boat comes in late next to us and squeezes in while dropping its anchor across our chain and that of the boat on the far side of us. We point this out and suggest that it would be polite (and necessary) for the newcomers to leave before we do. We can hardly wait to see what the morning brings. Patience and timing will be needed in great amounts.
But the bay is as delightful as we remember. The little tavernas line the fishing quay and we have a light lunch looking at the incredibly clear water. It is one thing that is well worth remarking. In most of the harbors and bays we stop in in Greece the water is beautifully clear and you can see fish all the way to the bottom. A really good indicator of the cleanliness of the water is the presence of sea urchins. These black spiny things are not good to step on but they only thrive in unpolluted water. There are many here.
We spend post-lunch on Steve and Pam’s boat (a lovely Hylas) telling travel tales facilitated by crisp white wine from Cephalonia.
At the head of the bay is the little notch in the mountains where Odysseus’ place is supposed to have been. We have been up to the village there a couple of times, but from the other side of the island. At the little bay on the other side, Bronze Age artifacts have been found that are contemporary with the time of Odysseus and have some inscriptions that refer to him. Not conclusive but indicative.
A pleasant dinner at the Mills restaurant (which always has an adventurous menu) with Steve and Pam and a quiet night. In the morning the wind is picking up a little and it is forecast to each 20 knots by the ned of the day. The boat next to us does leave before us barely avoiding scraping along the side of True Colors as they exit at speed.
This leaves the way open for us to leave also and we get off the dock without incident. Unfortunately we find that someone has laid their anchor over ours, but fortunately we can bring their chain to the surface and pop it off using the boathook. The weight of the chain then forces us to sacrifice our boathook to Kioni harbor. No good way to retrieve it without bumping into other boats. Ah well! Lori wanted a new one anyway.