Lefkas

We have been sitting in Vliho for a week,  The few minor things that needed to be done turned into a couple of larger ones.  For one of these, we’ve been waiting for a part; for the other, we’ve been waiting for a conclusive diagnosis of the issue.  Modern boats seem to be an amazing combination of good overall design and technology coupled with poor implementation decisions and execution at the detailed level.  All this means is that the poor guys who have to do the maintenance end up scratching their heads in amazement, frustration, or some combination of the two.  Our outstanding issue seems finally to have been resolved (thanks Mark!), but the cause is something remarkably odd that Beneteau will have to address for us.

The good news is that we’ve managed to get some good walks in over the past few days - working off the food and wine. The bad is that an easy couple of legs to Italy and Montenegro are rapidly becoming a little more challenging.  (We may have to rely on our speed-sailing experience to get us to where we want to be in a reasonable timeframe).  Let’s hope for no extended periods of bad weather.  

To keep us even remotely on track, in the middle of all the work, we made a quick hop north to Lefkas. Lefkas is a vibrant little town that is running the risk of being completely overwhelmed by yacht charter companies who are abandoning the Aegean for the safer Ionian.  However, it has some good shops and restaurants that make a couple of days downtime productive and enjoyable.  Lefkas is the location of the other, much older, Corinthian-built canal.  The canal is narrow, two-way just deep enough (if you take deep breath).  It is especially fun when you meet a dredging barge coming the other way. The canal takes us pretty much directly into the marina that is the heart of the town. When we try to park there is 16 knots of crosswind; not good this early in the season and our execution was far from pretty.  Practice, practice, practice ….  Did someone mention 10,000 hours?

The immediate plan is to head north from Lefkas to Corfu and from there to the south-east coast of Italy.  We will hug that coast for a day or so, spend some time in Polignano and then head over to Montenegro.  All this will take about the next four weeks. There will probably be two overnight sails in this stretch.  If the weather is fine and the sky is clear, these can be incredibly pretty(who knew there were so many stars) and very relaxing.

Kioni

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.

Exactly How Many Places Are There Called "Vathi"?

Yesterday we left Mesolonghi early still without a decision on our final destination. Fortunately, it wasn’t a pressing matter, no matter which of our ports we ultimately choose, we start off by going down the channel and turning right.

The weather was much better, the wind that had brought the clouds, rain, thunderstorms and sand (what, no plague of locusts?) had reverted to a more normal strength and direction but was still quite cold.  We motored into the wind for a while and decided that we would make it a short day and spend the afternoon and evening in Petallas, a remote bay on the mainland just south of Astokos.

This is a lovely shallow bay that is pretty sheltered and has a beautiful panorama of water, hills and mountains with almost no habitation in sight.  Lori parked very smoothly and we settled down for a lazy day.  Tomorrow we will sail the 20 miles due west to Vathi on Ithaca.

Petalas 2.jpg

The night was windier than forecast but was otherwise uneventful.  Given the short distance we had to go, we had a leisurely start and motored off in gentle winds westwards to Vathi. About halfway over, we decided that, even though the winds are light, it would be fun to sail (slowly) to our destination.  We are a little rewarded by the winds picking up to about 7 knots and we “purposefully drift” at about 4 knots the rest of the way.  Ever optimistic, we convince ourselves that the wind is less cold and the sun warmer than previously.  Maybe the summer is arriving at last.  The Greeks look like they will be glad to cast off their padded gilets and long pants.  And so will we.

This is the second place on our journey called “Vathi” and there is a third one just a few miles north of here but on a different island.  Apparently the name comes from the word meaning "deep".  Certainly the places we know with this name resemble that remark. Today’s one is known as “Big Vathi” and is the capital of Ithaca.  It is a large landlocked bay with the town on the hills around it.

Like many towns in this area it was very extensively damaged in the earthquake of 1953.  It has been rebuilt with modern homes but retains a charm and an evident work ethic.  We are tucked into the North East corner of the bay (which we have not done before) and want to see how sheltered this spot is from the afternoon winds which can blow into here with some force.

For those of you with any elements of a classical education in your past, you will recall that Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s Odyssey, is supposed to have lived in a palace on Ithaca.  Although it is disputed one possible location is in a little town called Stavros just up on the hill above tomorrows planned stopover, Kioni.

Mesolonghi

Mesolonghi is a dusty little town in the southwest corner of central Greece that makes its living from agriculture and fishing.  Right now it is not so dusty because it is raining.  Friday and Saturday are forecast to be wet and ultimately quite windy.  So far the “wet” part of the forecast is pretty accurate.  We will see what develops.  Along with other yachts we have decided to stay put herefor a day or so in a slightly scruffy little marina that nevertheless offers good services at reasonable prices.

Mesolonghi has a couple of claims to fame.  It is known as the Sacred Town of Greece because of the 1825-26 siege of the town by Turks who occupied Greece at the time.  The uprising failed with many thousands of people being slaughtered and the town has been honored since.  The siege raised sympathy in Europe for the Greek cause and one of the results was the seat battle at Navarino (Pylos) which was our original landfall in Greece after our trip to Malta.

The famous British poet Lord Byron (who supported the Greek independence cause) died here in 1824.

One of the most interesting features of the area is that the town sits at the head of a shallow lagoon which is part salt-marsh.  Along the channel that has been cut through the marsh to allow boat to reach Mesolonghi are fascinating little fisherman’s cottages.  These very basic structures are still in some cases occupied by fishermen.

Most people are quite dismissive of the town as it has a lot of charmless modern houses around the outskirts.  But yesterday we walked into the town from the marina and ended up in the largely pedestrian center.  The narrow walkways are the old streets and every now and then you come across a cluster of original buildings probably 200 - 250 years old and you get a very strong sense of what things looked like back then.  The building material looks to be some kind of limestone and the blocks have a rough-hewn character and charm. 

It’s been stormy so far this morning with strong winds first from the east and now from, the more common, west.  It’s raining quite hard (as forecast) and it looks like we’ll have to hunker down for a while.  We added extra lines to secure the boat.  It’s always difficult when a) you come in when the weather is calm and b) the rougher weather subsequently hits the boat side on (as it is now).  What seemed tight before needs some adjustment and tuning.  Another unusual phenomenon is that, under the appropriate wind conditions (today), the boat gets covered with a light yellowish-orange dust.  This is sand from the Sahara which is over 600 miles away!

One problem with this part of central Greece is that there is not much in it for the sailor.  Mesolonghi is about the only major stopping-off point if you don’t want to make a very long sail from the Gulf of Corinth to the Ionian islands.  Even with the stopover our next sailing day will either be a long leg across to Ithaca or a slightly shorter dogleg to a remote bay on the mainland north of here.  We will see how things develop.

The people who make islands

You would think that with 6000 islands and a coastline that is almost half as long as that of Africa, any small country would be happy.  Not the Greeks; and especially not the Corinthians.  As I will probably tell you later this month, about 2500 years ago the “island” of Lefkas was created by excavating a canal for reasons that are not totally clear.

Then in the late 19th century, the Corinthians were at it again but this time with a much grander vision.  They would take the whole of the Peloponnese (the blob of land that makes up much of the southwest corner of Greece and the bit we’ve been sailing round) and make than an island too.  It is joined to the rest of the mainland by a narrow isthmus close to the modern city of Corinth.  It took them just over 30 years to complete.

In addition to making a circumnavigation of the Peloponnese possible, the canal serves small cargo vessels, tripper boats, yachts and latterly bungee jumpers who leap off the bridges and plunge close to the water surface (hopefully not when something is transiting the canal beneath them).  it’s quite strange seeing them from this angle; they seem to dangle like inelegant spiders trying to make an impossible web.

The canal is a big deal.  It has submersible bridges, traffic flow control, 24/7 operation (except for Tuesdays when its closed for dredging).  It is 25 meters wide but feels a lot narrower when you’re driving your boat through it.  Lori and I took turns steering (not difficult at all really).

This was to be the highlight of a long day from near Epidavros to one of a couple of places in the Gulf of Corinth.  The day started with Lori raising the anchor and steering the boat out of the anchorage gracefully into a wind blowing on our nose again and us motoring into 20 knots (foercast to be 2 -5.)  As Lori said, when she grows up she wants to be a Greek weather forecaster - you don’t even have to pretend to get it right)

On and off the quay at the canal without issue (and even with some style); through the canal; out the other end and into 25 - 30 knots of wind blowing, you guessed it, onto our nose.  This is more than just irritating because there are comparatively few placesclose by to go once you are through the canal .  We got to our chosen one about a couple of hours later and found it full with a very large tanker and five sailing yachts squeezed in around it.  The only open spot didn’t look too inviting - at the very end of the quay at the harbor entrance; not be best place to be with big winds and waves.  The only other good destinations are across the other side of the gulf but at least this way the wind is on our beam.

We try to make a little progress down the gulf as we cross but the weather has other ideas.  It’s much faster and more comfortable to angle slightly downwind and get to a landlocked bay area about 14 miles away.  This would be pretty hard work for Otto (our auto-pilot) so I take the helm. Motor-sailing but fun with a moderate swell giving me good surfing practice.

By the time we get to our destination the boat and we are covered in a thick layer of salt.  We find a spot in one of the arms of the bay.  Anchoring in 25 knots of wind is a mixture of skill, finesse and luck.  But after a couple of circles through the area we manage to dig the anchor inon the first try and wait for the wind to die down at night as it usually does.  It doesn’t.  The pilot book says this spot is sheltered from westerlies.  It isn’t.  Or maybe I should be charitable and say that the winds in the gulf must have been pretty strong this night because in our ”sheltered” bay we have a wary night watching and listening to the wind that continues to gust up to 30 knots until.  Lori and I take turns on watch.  Our Rocna anchor is superb.  We are solid as a rock (their pun not mine) all night. The wind seemed to diminish about 3:30 in the morning so we both got some sleep until about 7:00.

Failure to launch

Well, planning wasn’t very conclusive.  We had two option “A” or “B” and we kept leaning very heavily towards “or”.  The problem is that the routes are very different; one goes out to the Cyclades islands (cute and exciting) while the other heads more directly back to our base (pragmaticbut a little more dull). 

Our masterly inconclusiveness enables a potential weather problem to reveal itself this morning.  When sailing, you can download fairly specific maritime weather charts for three-hour intervals covering the next few days.  This is a big deal and tremendously helpful.  We have four of these forecast apps on our iPads.  (You’ll see why in a minute).  The weather or route A is starting to look bad for the few days we’ll be down there.  Three of the apps agree whereas the fourth says it’s no big deal.  So we decided to stay another day here in Angistri and see if the models converge onto a single forecast.

It is not exactly a hardship to be stuck in this lovely spot.  We have a lot of administrative and logistical things to do.  One of these is, as you know, setting up the “subscription” option for this blog.  Hopefully that’s done and our subscribers should get an email each day that there is new blog content (at 4:00am Arizona time).

It’s not as hot as it was yesterday (maybe I was a bit premature about the switch being turned on).  So most of our tasks are below decks but it is still pleasant enough to sip a glass of wine on deck at the end of the day.

We have some movies on board and we watched “Failure to Launch” last night.  It has a few brief sailing moments but ,more importantly for Lori, Matthew McConaughey with his shirt off.

Administrative Update

Due to overwhelming popular demand (you know who you are Gigi), we have added a subscribe page to this site.  It may even work...  Please try it and we will sort any of the kinks that you all uncover.

Off the beaten track

Sometime between noon yesterday and the same time today, somebody flicked the switch.  The wind that was cold and biting from time to time is now mellow and starting to follow the usual patters throughout the day.  The sun now feels warm and it looks like summer has begun.

Today we left Poros.  There were many boats on the town quay and at least one had laid its anchor chain across ours.  But we were in no hurry and we let them leave before us, thereby avoiding any repetition of the Porto Heli incident.  Lori felt that everyone was watching us as we left.  Most of the boats on the quay were charters which means that they are a little smaller than us and have about three times as many people on them.  So sometimes we can show how two people can maneuver a 48-foot boat off a quay without words, signals (or shouting).  Sometimes we do it right but on other days …. Sigh.  So much to learn and practice.

We are not sure where we are going to go.  It seems too soon to head back through the Corinth canal to more familiar waters.  Especially so now that the weather has changed. So we went into a holding pattern today and motored for a couple of hours in pretty much a flat calm to the southwest corner of Angistri.  It is described as a charming spot with a few beautiful sheltered coves.  We would wholeheartedly agree.

We are alone in a big cove sheltered by an offshore island.  Around us is a little wood of pine trees with ancient (we presume) walls and terraces.  The water is 15 meters deep but you can see all the way to the bottom.  We have anchored and taken a couple of lines ashore for the night.  If we are fortunate, we will have this gorgeous bay to ourselves.

Angistri Shore PMTR.jpg

It is probably a sign of our growing maturity.  The town quays and marinas have their place but sometimes close proximity to many total strangers who are not able to take their summer adventures quite as easily as we can is a little wearing.  With the addition of our solar panels and water-maker to the installed generator, we can go pretty much where we please and be as off or on the grid as we choose.  Provisions are our only concern but Ruairi showed us how to stock up for a long period at sea before we left for Malta.  It works well.

Tonight will be a planning night. But for now the only sign of other people and other places on the planet are the tiny lights of Epidavros eight miles away across the calm water.

A Goldilocks Moment

The night in Mandraki was completely still.  It’s weird when the world is so, so quiet.  There was not even enough wind to make the water lap against the hull.  Just quiet.  It is beautiful spot with white-walled churches perched on hill-tops and a little white-walled village with blue shutters and doors all standing out against the still-green spring grass.

Our trip today is a short one - to Poros a small island just off the mainland 12 miles to the north.  There is a narrow channel between it and the mainland but we end up parking on the north quay.  Well, eventually, parking on the north quay that is.

Our first attempt was just fine, but our neighbors suggested that we put out much more chain to accommodate the wash from the fast ferry that would arrive later in the day.  Not a problem.  Out we go again and drop all our 75 meters of chain at a point where it should just reach the quay.  But it doesn’t.  It doesn’t even come close.  Hilarity all round.  Somebody should be taking a YouTube video of this.  It has viral hit written all over it. Out we go again.  This time we put out just over 50 meters of chain and are quite nicely at the quay.  We need to measure how much chain is in our locker.  It’s supposed to be 75 meters.

Like Goldilocks we got to try three beds (berths) before finding the one that’s just right.  Or that we hope is just right.

Ferry wash can be a problem and we are sitting about a meter and a half off the quay to take account of the anticipated surge.  More on this later ….

Poros is a more prosperous town than many we have seen.  It’s proximity to Athens is a big deal.  You can get here in about an hour and a half.  But it might as well be half a world away when you compare the two.  Athens is grimy and struggling.  The islands may be struggling too but there is a feeling that they are well aware of where their income comes from and they are keeping up that front as long as they can.  Athens just feels lost.

Back to the ferry…. There is one thing that can be said for General Strikes; it means the ferries don’t run.  The Greeks are striking because of further intended tax increases and pension cuts.  I don’t know what the merits are here but these people don't make very much money and to try to take more from them seems to be unlikely to be successful.

We should be able to sneak out of here tomorrow before the first ferry arrives from Athens.  Tonight we ate in a taverna with Greek dancing.  If Mere and Jess are following along this was not what we saw in Sami.  (Something we all try to forget!)  This was the real thing not a drunken English misinterpretation.

Sailing in Circles

If you're getting the backwards nature of this section of our trip, you will be correct in guessing that we had no wind overnight.

Another undercurrent to the last few days is that we have needed to check into Greece.  When you move from country to county with a boat you have to get the necessary paperwork to bring the boat into the country.  In Greece, this involves Customs and the Port Police.  Port Police are, as their name implies, pretty much in every port but Customs are only in what's called a Port of Entry.  One of the great things about the EU is that our personal passports are not really a major part of this process other than to confirm our identity.  It is the boat everyone is interested in.

So when we checked into Greece it was in the afternoon of the day before Easter in Pylos.  The Port Police were open, but Customs had already closed for the holiday.  One of the nicest things about Greece is how helpful everyone tries to be.  The Port Police didn’t want to ask us to stay five days in Pylos until the Customs opened after Easter.  So they said go straight to Porto Heli and clear into the country there.  Everyone was a little uneasy about this, but the alternative was not very attractive. We all had visions of gunboats appearing in the night and demanding our papers.  The only gunboat we saw was parked next to us in Pylos!  It was Finnish on some sort of joint EU mission with their Greek counterparts.  When they called out “Sir!” we all looked at each other….. But all they wanted me to do was come on board and take their group picture.

So here we are in Porto Heli five days later and we go to the Port Police.  They look a little confused, concerned or something at our story but point out that there is no Customs Office in Porto Heli (despite what it says in the Pilot Book).  We have to go to Nafplion 25 miles away “as fast as possible”.

So we up-anchor and motor up the gulf to Nafplion which is the former capital of Greece,  A very nondescript port conceals a charming old town of narrow streets and some very nice boutique stores. 

The Port Police look harassed and say that we can’t stay there because there is a boat show the coming weekend and all the yachts have to be off the quay to make room.  We explain we need to check into the country.  This seems to trump their concerns and they say we can stay till the next morning.

Off Lori and I go to find the Customs office. while Ruairi works on the bow thruster.  It’s an involved process which includes one of their guys coming back to check out our boat on the quay.  It turns out that he is just back in Greece after 3 years in Worcester, Mass.   His perspective on the Greek situation and the US one is quite illuminating.

We provide all the documentation needed but their computer system is down and we will have to come back the next day.  Back to the Port Police who say that that we are fine.  

The next day (after a windy night) Ruari leaves us to go back to Vliho.  We are now down to just the two of us.  Fifteen minutes after he departs, the Port Police say we have to move now!!!  We politely protest but to no avail.  We easily slip away from the quay and into the harbor basin.

The suggested mooring was to go alongside on another part of the quay.  The choice between large rubber tire bumpers and iron staples in the wall is not a good one for us.  Lori is unhappy when we are alongside the tires - they are too low below the quay for her to get on and off safely.  The staples are dangerous because if the wind blows hard they can damage the boat.  Fortunately it is calm.  We come nicely alongside and tie up.  I leave Lori on the boat and go as fast as I can to the Customs office.  All is in order and 30 minutes later we have our paperwork.

Back at he boat we slip away from the quay and head back to Porto Heli for provisioning and laundry.

This time we get more of a chance to appreciate Porto Heli.  It is a beautiful harbor from a shelter perspective.  The town quay has some spaces but fewer than we would have expected at this time in the season.  Some boats are still in their winter “plumage” and not yet ready for the season.  Stern-to again with help again from some gypsy kids who want a few Euros for helping tie the boat.  Not a problem.  However when another kid comes by later and says he wants money because this is “his waterfront”, this is a problem.  We say “No” and he comes back a couple of time more but we ignore him but feel uneasy about the whole thing.  This is the first time we have ever seen anything like this in Greece. Porto Heli should take care that this does not get out of hand.

More thoughts from Lori

We are in our third week sailing.  Stern-to moored in Porto Heli ... N 37. 19.5'.  E 23. 8.6'.  We sailed over 1,000 nautical miles in the first two weeks, and are now going to slow down.  We are taking two days to freshen up our boat, our beings, and our clothes.  Oh yeah!

One of the things that I notice about the sailing life, is it's ability to help you really appreciate the little things.  Like, the act of getting a shower, with fresh, warm water (not too much of it though); oh... and we're not heeling!  Yahoo!  

I honor people like Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Bhuddist monk who I've listened to, read abut, in awe of his ability to be IN the moment...  Be it taking a walk - noticing each step - the movement in your leg, foot.  The feel of your heel making contact with the ground, and the almost imperceptible sound as it makes contact with the earth.  Or enjoying the task of washing the dishes.  Doing a on well.  All jobs, any job.  

I've also been focusing on remaining calm in stressful situations. I imagine that sailing has a similarity to fire fighting... Big lulls in activity, and then the fire alarm sounds. Whatever you were doing must stop, and all focus needs to be directed to the situation at hand.  As our sailing coach, Ruairi puts it - "Stress only creates stress.  Do NOT create it" Don't give it any mental or emotional room. I have begun the journey, and will really work to stay on the path... Stay with me!

North to Porto Heli

The night passed without any major event.  Ruairi and I each got up once in the night to check but everything was fine.  The only problem was that the wind was still blowing in the morning when we wanted to leave.  Ordinarily this wouldn’t be too much of a problem but over the winter we had had some work done on our bow thruster (a cool thing that makes us able to turn sharply and powerfully if we need to).  Unfortunately it had been wired incorrectly and now when we press the “bow right” arrow the bow dutifully turns to the left (sigh).  

Conditioning your brain to handle this doesn’t take too long but we have another wonder-gadget on the boat called “Dock-and-Go”.  This enables us to control the boat with a joystick rather than the helm and the throttle.  The effect is just like a video game which would be good if I liked video games (which I don’t).  Again that wouldn’t be too bad but the reversed wiring also impacted the Dock-and-Go.  Trial and error (while a 20 knot wind was blowing us onto the quay) didn’t reveal any clear logic to what was going on, so a series of tentative moves with quite a few “No, the other left’s” got us off the quay without mishap or cursing.

After the days spent coming round the capes on the south of the Peloponnese, we should have know that the forecast of light 4-5 knot winds meant only one thing - the winds would NOT be 4 - 5 knots.  Couple of miles out from Ierakas on the 30-mile leg to Porto Heli, the clouds started to build over the mountains to our west.  The sea started to look quite aggressive and soon we had 25 - 30 knot winds on our beam.  We were used to this by now, but the flashes of lightning in the grey clouds and the driving rain were a couple of extra dimensions.  Fortunately, the winds ere strong enough that were were going faster than the storm and we missed most of the rain and all of the lightning.

Of course, an hour or so later the winds died again and we motored the last of the way to Porto eli.  But I must say, I have really enjoyed sailing in these conditions and how well True Colors sails throughout.  Doing over 9 knots on Genoa alone is quite exhilarating.

Dinner tonight was to be ina little bay called Khinitsa just outside of Porto Heli.  the charts would imply that we cant make it into the little bay because it’s too shallow.  These are Ruairi’s old stomping grounds and he knows different. Our 2.2 meter draft had no problem with the depth whatsoever and we anchored comfortably in time for dinner.  The restaurant is reputed to be quite good but in the early season it is operating on a much-reduced menu.  The quality was good but just not enough data points to form a conclusive view.  But location-wise it is pretty ideal - especially when you are the only boat in the anchorage.

Our long and varied day was not over yet.  During dinner clouds had been building to the west and Ruairi became concerned that we might have problems.  So prudence again dictated that we move in the gathering dark into the shelter of Porto Heli itself.  Sten-to mooring in the dark was a new experience for me but there was sufficient light from the town to make it relatively straightforward.  But no-one, please, suggest that my next challenge should be doing it blindfold!