top of page

9 October 2025 Taranto Marina - Marina Cala del Sole, Licata N 37 05.770 E 13 56 745 Distance Traveled - 324.4 NM Time Traveled - 3 days Weather - Mostly sunny, chilly from Taranto until south coast Sicily then 23C. Full moon. Wind NW 7-9 m/s on Day 1, no wind during Day 1 night, Day 2 NE 4-6 m/s, no wind during night, Day 3 ENE 5-6 m/s FINALLY! We left the dock at Taranto at 06.00 when it was still dark out. Wind was about 4 m/s but backing out, even with the prop drawing to the left, was an easy proposition. Much easier than I imagined it to be. We went off into the dark and the first thing that happens is that a fishing boat comes out and cuts across our path with no lights on so I did not see him till we were almost upon him. He swerved out of the way and simultaneously put on a head light so we could see him. Knucklehead. We motored out of the big bay called Mare Grande. You can’t just head straight out, there are shallows and navigational yellow buoys in the middle so you have to go to the left and then to the right before you can head straight out. We put the sails up when we got out of the bay and set off directly south 180 degrees. The sun came out as it got light and although it was not warm due to the north wind, the sun did warm us when it shone on us. The wind kept up almost the whole way to the other side of Taranto Gulf before dying completely. We motored through the night. There was a full moon out and it gave a lovely light to the sea so it almost felt like day. Masses of stars were out too. And not a single boat. We thought it very odd, even looking on Marine Traffic there were no sailboats out in the gulf or down the Italian foot. We kept to our watches, every other hour during the day and 3 hours on 3 hours off during the night. The night lasts for 12.5 hours now, so a lot of darkness. Lucky for us, it was not terribly cold. We did not need our survival suits, jackets and HH foul-weather trousers were enough to keep us warm. We put the tent up with sides open and that, of course, kept heat in. For dinner we had a beef stew that I made a couple days ago, it was delish. We do things very simply when on passage; I warm the the food in a pot and serve the pot with 2 spoons or forks. We drink water, sometimes Dan has coke. He likes Red Bull and snickers candy bars during his night watches. I don’t have anything on my 01.00.04.00 watch but on my 07.00-10.00 watch I have Miso Soup or Nescafe coffee with a melba toast and tomatoes. For lunch we had warmed up leftover pizza. On Day 2 we put the sails up and turned off the engine at 06.00 and sailed pretty much the whole day. The wind died at night again but by then we were just crossing over to Sicily. We motored through the night. Dinner was Turkish Chicken with Rice and cherry tomatoes. Once again, we saw very few boats during the day. At night, as we sailed along Sicily’s east coast, there was much more traffic; a sailboat going north, a cruise ship that I had to make way for, and several tankers. It’s very nice seeing them all on the plotter’s AIS system. You can see what course they are on, what speed and what time they will be closest to you. If it’s within 400 m we change course to make the difference a bit bigger. 800 m is good. At night it still looks very close. On Day 3 we rounded the east coast and started along the south coast of Sicily. I had hoped to stop in Syracuse but the winds were really good just today for going to Licata. We didn’t want to get weather bound again like Taranto so we passed Syracusa with a longing glance and continued on. Another time. Once we were on the south coast, lots of sailboats started appearing all sailing westwards like us. It felt good, the sky was blue, it was warm and the wind was balmy. Seems Fall hasn’t come to this part of Italy yet and we were very happy for it. We stripped down to shorts and t-shirts after being in long underwear. At mid day we had a very unpleasant experience with a tanker called BBG Linyang, that came out from Pozzonella harbour, started tooting it’s horn though we couldn’t see why, as he had a straight shot out to sea. There was another sailboat behind us but enough space for the tanker to easily pass between us. But then he turned and steered directly towards us. We altered our course slightly without changing our sail formation but he kept turning towards us no matter what we did. We had both sails up in a downwind butterfly formation so it’s not an easy task to take it all down and change course but he just kept coming at us and though we radioed the ship they didn’t answer us. So we had to move. We were pretty angry I can tell you. I flipped them the bird as they went by. They probably didn’t see it, but it made me feel better. The rest of the day was uneventful. It was a lovely day for sailing. We decided to skip dinner till we were docked. Varga of course had to have her dinner, she’s a real stickler for time schedules. Other than that she was very easy to have onboard. She did her business on deck and mostly slept in the cockpit cuddled up to one of us. At 21.30 we motored through the first break wall at Licata. Even though we have the plotter, sometimes it’s hard to make out the navigational lights what will all the city lights messing things up. Dan was at the bow with his iPad and his nav app SavvyNavvy from Navily. As we slowly approached the second break wall, we had to do a zig-zag turn and he got worried that I was cutting the corner to sharply and going into shallow water. On the ship’s plotter we were in deep water so we had a bit of spat about which one was to be trusted, but I had 6 meters under our keel so I just kept on with my route. We radioed the mariners who was prepared for us with a flashlight and we entered our berth on the North side of dock L2 which is the outermost dock on the port side. Same as last time but this time on the north side which is more protected from south wind and waves than the south side. So I steered FRAM into our berth, the mariners caught our bow lines and Dan took the mooring lines to the stern and attached them while I used the bow thruster to keep us straight. It was dead calm so no worries at all. Just as we finished a couple came up to us and said “Hej Svenskar!” It was Anders and Irmeli Paulsson whom we met at Camaret sur mer on the Atlantic French coast in 2022. They live in Limhamn. It was nice to see them again and we will connect in the next week or so. Once we were settled we shared a whiskey and a beer and then ate dinner of leftover chicken. We both felt really good about being here. It sure is a nice marina. There’s lots of space between docks for manoeuvring. It was midnight before we went to bed. It’s been a long 3 days but everything went well. We motored a total of 37 hours out of a total of 63 hours for the passage. We enjoy passages like this one when the sailing is good and the weather is good. The full moon was an added perk as well as the stars in the night sky. We used the autopilot a lot, especially at night. Dan has found that it draws very little electricity and due to the heaviness of the rudder, even though it is better than before, the wind pilot can’t really hold a course unless we have a strong beam wind with no gusts. Our total mileage for the season is 2275 NM. Not bad. We sailed from Lesbos south through the southern Sporades, across the Cyklades, to the Saronic sea, through the Corinthian canal and out into the Ionian Sea then across to Italy’s heel and along the south coast, rounding Sicily’s east coast and half way along the south coast before coming to rest here in Licata. It’s been a very good sailing year with lovely sails, mostly good weather and wonderful new friends like Holger and Karin Binz on RiverCafé, Christina and Robert Mattuson on Vision and Heike and Peter Klaus on Heike. We have come to appreciate Greece much more during the second phase of our sailing from August to October. It is an amazing place for sailing. The islands, the beaches, the coves, the anchorages, the people, maybe not the food so much, but you can’t have it all, can you? We still have no idea what next year will bring or where we will go, but stay tuned come April and we’ll all find out together!

7 October 2025 Taranto - Day 10 Ho Hum, we’ve now been here 10 days when we planned on only 3 or 4 days. The expected storm came in full force on 28 September, just a few hours after we arrived making a difficult docking with cross winds of 10 m/s (20 knots). We had assistance from the marineros and docking was without incident. Thunder and lightning and pouring rain started just a few hours after we settled and instead of going out to dinner in the old town, we decided to stay on board. The next few days were windy but dry. We explored the old town which is on an island and connected to the mainland by an old bridge. This part of Taranto is really very old. The buildings look hundreds of years old. Many are derelict and cordoned off. If you are ambitious, you can buy a building for 1 Euro with the proviso that you renovate it. Once over the bridge we found ourselves in the modern section with pedestrian streets, shops, cafés and restaurants. The pedestrian streets are very wide and have the yellow sandstone street tiles and are lined with palm trees. It’s very beaufiful. On our second evening here, we set off to the old town to have dinner at a little trattoria that specialised in seafood and especially mussels. Taranto is known for its mussel farms in the Mare Piccolo. Unfortunately, we learned that a water pipe had been cut by a construction team in the area and they had no running water, so no dinner here. We were hungry so continued on across the bridge and found a small restaurant that had mussels. I ordered mussels marinara and Dan ordered a steak. They didn’t have the Cozze Tarantina with spaghetti so I settled. The mussels were lovely but the sauce was not marinara, it was just white wine and a few quartered cherry tomatoes. Bloody expensive too. Dan enjoyed his steak. On Day 3 another sailboat came in, this one from Germany. They are also going south; to Tunisia for the winter. They asked us if we were aware of the toxic mussels and not to eat them. WTF I thought!! Toxic? I immediately went to my GoTo AI advisor, Claude, and asked him about it and he said, sadly, it’s true that one should not eat the mussels. He gave me a brief history lesson about the steel industry here. We did notice that there are a lot of cranes and large warehouses and terminals here, the bay is huge and there are tankers anchored both inside and outside the bay, but the main industry is an iron works factory that dumps all its waste into the Mare Piccolo where the mussel farms are. There is a very high incidence of cancer among the citizens in Taranto and environs; apparently a 70% higher incidence of cancer here. Kinda scary and making us really want to get out of here. In recent years, authorities have regulated the mussel farms and forced farmers to move their mussels from Mare Piccolo to Mare Grande which is the big harbour. The other boat waiting to move is a Canadian catamaran named Gidget. Gidget has a dog, a very tiny dog that barks and generally acts like a fiend. This couple that own the dog and the boat, are You Tube-ers. Their dog is the star of the videos and they go to pretty places to show off the dog who is named Mr Gidget. Instead of business cards for their boat, they hand out a kind of Pokemon card with pictures of Gidget in different outfits. Go figure. Neither boat was particularly social so we kept our contact to short chats on the dock. The marina is nice with modern pontoons, decent facilities and right on the old town. We felt well protected during the gales that assailed us every day. On the weekend we rented a car and drove to Lecce which is about 100km to the south down into the heel of Italy. It’s known for its buildings of the yellow sandstone and indeed the whole old town is lovely nuances of yellow. The architecture is Baroque and the cathedral has an incredibly ornate facade. The inside which I paid 7.50 euros to go in and see and waited in the ticket line for nearly 30 minutes, was a much simpler affair than the facade. But still beautiful, though maybe not 7.50 euros worth. Dan stayed outside admiring the facade and chatting with his old boarding school buddy Phillip Lindsten who is wintering in Brindisi and joined us in Lecce for lunch. We strolled around the town and had a lovely lunch of a huge charcuterie platter with fresh bread. Dan treated for lunch and Phillip bought us all ice cream for dessert at one of the many gelatorias. The countryside was not inspiring. I had such high hopes as have heard from so many people how lovely Apulia is, but all we saw were wild over-grown olive groves, flat brown earth and squalid cement-block buildings. The towns were horrifically boring with dingy boxy apartment buildings and electric wiring hanging everywhere. No green grass, very few trees, no flowers. It was rather depressing. On Sunday we drove the opposite direction to a town called Matera. There have been inhabitants here constantly for 9000 years. Up until 1950 people lived in caves carved in the mountain side. You can’t see anything of it when you enter the town, only once you are upon it do you see anything because it’s in a valley that is surrounded by 2 rivers. It almost looks like a crater. There are 3 main churches partly carved into the mountainside but with very grand facades. Also baroque. It’s difficult to describe but unlike anything we had ever seen. We walked all along the narrow streets up long staircases, down staircases, winding back and forth with an amazing view at every turn. The next 4 days we spent checking weather and hoping it would change so we could leave and set off for Licata. But it didn’t. The gale carried on until late Wednesday night. I made dinners for our passage and arranged drinks, soups and things for sandwiches in easy to reach boxes. and All in all we were happy to have experienced Taranto and environs but were a little put off by the iron works factory and the black soot that gets on everything. I kind of feel sorry for the people to have to live here. I certainly would not want to although Taranto is one of the Italian cities where you can buy an entire house for 1 Euro. Of course you have to renovate but still, not worth it to me. Southern Italy seems to be very poor compared to northern Italy. While some things are interesting and beautiful, it is on the whole rather depressing.

28 September 2025 Gallipolli anch - Taranto Marina N 40 28.619 E 17 13.427 Distance Traveled - 49 MN Time Traveled - 8hrs 30 min Weather - Partly sunny, lots of thunderheads all around but over us. Wind NE 4-10m/s We left really early as did not register that we had had a time change. One hour earlier than Greece. The wind was with us though and we had another fantastic sail all the way here to Taranto. We had a discussion last night about where to sail. There’s a major low coming in with very high winds from N on Thursday and lots of rain. We could either shoot for Licata and avoid all of it, or sail to a place called Taranto which is right up in the NW corner of Taranto Gulf, between the heel and the toe of Italy; a place we had never heard of before. We have lots of time so in the end decided to sail to Taranto and stay there until we get good winds for sailing south. Taranto is located 4 NM into the deepest part of a huge bay. Looks like there’s a lot of industry here as huge cranes and cargo ships all over the place. There are cruise ship terminals here too, but currently only one cruise ship was here when we came in and no more have come in. Way back in BC times, the Spartans needed to get rid of men born outside wedlock, there were a lot of them and they sent them here to settle. They named the place Taranto after a son of Poseidon. The marina we are in is on an island and is the Old Town of Taranto. If you cross over a bridge you will be in the commercial district with all the shopping streets. Taranto is sometimes called the City of two seas as there is an inner lake behind the town where they have massive mussel farms. Mussels are big business here. We are going to be stuck here for some days so are looking forward to exploring this charming city.

26-27 September 2025 Kassiopi anch - Gallipoli Italy anchorage Distance Traveled - 110 NM Time Traveled - 21 hours Weather - Sunny. Winds NE 0-4 m/s in the morning freshening to 7-9 m/s in the afternoon and night. We took a walk on land for Varga’s sake before leaving this anchorage. I’m sure it’s lovely in the right conditions, but we didn’t have them so were very relieved to motor out of here. There was no wind to start but after about 2 hours it came up from NE and we put up the sails and drifted along the northern coast of Corfu. Not very many boats were out and the ones we saw were heading for Greece. We were on our way to Italy. I will miss Greece, it’s been such a wonderful time since we left Messolonghi. We’ve had mostly fabulous weather and stayed in the nicest bays and coves. Corfu Town was a real highlight. Such a cool town with the fortress ruins and the old town with its narrow cobblestone streets lined with Venetian style balconies. Now we are heading to Italy and hopefully better food:) By noon the wind freshened to 7-9 m/s (14-18 knots) It was a fantastic sail with the wind on our beam and the seas were not high so no bouncing and crashing down on swells, just smooth sailing all the way to Gallipoli. We sailed through the night and enjoyed the amazing display of stars. I finally saw Ryan’s belt and sword and the 7 sisters. The reason why we haven’t seen them is because they don’t show up in the sky until about 02.00. Even the Milky Way was bright. We saw very few ships, surprised at how little traffic there was. Although at 03.00 I was surprised by a rib boat coming up from behind at break-neck speed. As soon as I heard the engine it was upon us and sped by at about 50 m distance from us, ridiculously close. I wonder if he actually saw us until he got close. It was still dark when we passed Leuca which was our harbour of choice but we didn’t relish going in at night so kept on to Gallipoli which we arrived at around 07.30. We anchored right outside the castle in 10m sand. We were just a hundred meters to a little natural harbour for small dinghies where we could go on land. Varga and I took the dinghy in as soon as we were settled to get provisions. Most places were still closed when we got there and the whole town (old town) looked very sleepy. I managed to find a little mini market where I bought prosciutto, fresh bread, foccacia, and a bottle of chianti. I still miss Greece, but this is really nice! We went in again in the late afternoon just so Dan could have a look around. The skies clouded over in the late afternoon and we had a nice cozy evening on the boat. Dinner was really nice, I made a prosciutto spaghetti for dinner and a salad.

25 September 2025 Corfu Town - Vourlias Bay Anchorage Kassippi Distance Traveled - 12 NM Time Traveled - 2 hours Weather - Sunny 26C Wind N 5-10 m/s After we lost sight of Madeieine’s plane, we motored northwards. There was no wind until there was suddenly 10 m/s (20 knots) right on our nose. We checked out our trusty Navily to find a more protected anchorage on the east coast but the only one that was viable was very deep except at the shore and it was chock-a-block with boats, so we decided to stick to the plan and go to Cassiope figuring the wind would die down by the time we got there making the anchorage good for the night. Not so, the wind was actually going down but the swells weren’t. We anchored amongst 5 other boats very close to shore as it was so deep. Our anchor held so we settled down but couldn’t relax because we were being blown towards shore so if the anchor slipped we would have to scurry to avoid washing up on shore. Dinner was a sorry affair, a hooch made from leftover sausages and pasta. Dan stayed up in the cockpit until about 02.00 when the swells were smaller but not gone. FRAM rolled back and forth and side to side all night long. Even Varga had trouble sleeping. Ugh, it was an awful night.

20-25 September 2025 We left Corfu Town bright and early. Madeleine was still sleeping in the v-berth even though the anchor chain was rattling away as Dan pulled it up. Most of the 5 days were sunny and warm, though not as warm as the week before. The top temperatures were about 25-27C. Very comfortable. We stopped at Fanari Bay for 2 nights, hiking, swimming and paddle boarding with visits to a bar one night and a lovely restaurant called Roxani where we had fresh sea bass. It was a big bay with nice sandy beaches. The town is called Amoudia but really doesn’t have much. Looks like a vacation spot for mainly Greeks, some Serbians and Montenegroans judging by the car license plates. Basically only restaurants bars cafés and bakeries in the village. The holding was good and protection from north winds was excellent. We moved on to Two Rocks Bay, our favourite greek anchorage where we spent 2 positively idyllic days lounging, walking, running, paddle boaording and eating good food. Dan got Madeleine working by helping to haul up the anchor. We have a remote anchor windlass but Dan seldom uses it preferring to go manual as part of his workout routine. Madeleine didn’t know about the remote control…. She did a great job though. She brought along her mask and snorkel so became our official anchor checker, reporting back on the condition and position of the anchor. Two Rocks Bay doesn’t have a restaurant per se but there’s a bar up on the bluff that is very bohemian and swerves mainly drinks. They have hotdogs and hamburgers however. On Tuesday it was Holger’s birthday and we were invited to Rivercafé for champagne and cake. Karin made a cheese cake but she said everything went wrong with it; the gelatine boiled over, the butter she used for the cookie crust was too salty and her oven wasn’t working so the garnish she’d planned was a no show. But it was all fine and the cake got eaten. We spent a couple hours there before separating to go swimming before dinner which we had up at the bar. The hamburgers weren’t the best I’ve ever had by far, but the company was lovely. On Wednesday we bade a fond farewell to Rivercafe for this year. They left early and went south to Preveza for dry dock and we left right after heading north for Petritis Bay on Corfu island. We had a good sail for part of the trip and motored for the rest. Petritis is really lovely with good protection from the South and West sectors and good holding. We rowed the dinghy in and had dinner at Savvas taverna, a terrace restaurant overlooking the bay. On Thursday we left early again in order to get to Corfu Town so Madeleine could catch her flight back to Neom via Athens and Istanbul. The seas were flat so motored the whole way. Madeleine and I went in to town for some shopping and a quick lunch before she caught a taxi to the airport which is just 7 minutes away. We have had such a wonderful time with her these last 5 days that we were all a bit caught off guard that her time was over so quickly. Our days were filled with lovely chats, activities, meals and connecting, filling in all the gaps since we were last together. She is an incredible woman with an adventujrous spirit, an amazing career and we are chuffed that she wants to spend some of her vacation time with her parents. As we sailed away from Corfu Town heading north, we watched the planes taking off until we saw her plane lift off and fly southeast. We both felt a little bit lonely as she disappeared over the horizon.

17-19 September 2025 Spilios Beach - Corfu Town N 39 07.039 E 19 55.522 Distance Traveled - 10 NM Time Traveled - 2 hrs Weather Sunny 30C Wind NW 0-10m/s There was no wind while we were traveling to Corfu Town. It was a sunny clear day though so comfortable. We anchored in the bay and then the afternoon wind came from NW at 10 m/s (20 knots). Our anchor held for which we were thankful as this place has very bad holding. Posidonia everywhere and rock under a thin layer of sand. It’s not a place to anchor in bad weather. But for us it was fine. The afternoon wind blows normally from the N sector and is very gusty, coming up at around 15.00 and decreasing again at around 19.00. We generally stay on the boat until it calms down, just in case the anchor drags. 18/9 I took Varga to the Vet to have a blood test and check her liver values hoping for a decrease so she can have her teeth cleaned. But the test showed that her liver values had risen instead so no chance to do teeth. The vet thinks she should have a thorough sonogram to check her liver. We will do that when we get to Licata. She is not bothered by it and he said her teeth aren’t so bad so not to worry about that. 19/9 We were very busy with errands to get ready for Madeleine’s visit. We bought another paddle for the second paddle board we got from RiverCafé, stocked up on water, beer, wine, food and junk food. In the evening we joined up with an old school friend of Dan’s, Philip ,who had just sailed in and anchored today. He was with his wife Eva and her cousin Pia. We met at the Naok Aurz cocktail bar at the marina. It overlooks the bay so we could keep an eye on our boats. Philip and Eva are on their way to Brindisi Italy where they will leave the boat for the winter. They left it in Messolonghi for the summer. It was a lovely interlude and Dan and Philip enjoyed their reunion. Madeleine arrived by taxi to the bar at 20.00 and we set off for a Greek restaurant for a late dinner. So nice to have her with us again. We found a really nice restaurant called The Olive Tree, better than the normal Greek fare with super nice ambiance in a square in the old town. After dinner we took a walk through the old town before dinghying out to the boat.

16 September 2025 Igouminista - Spilios Beach N 39 40.252 E 19 51.122 Distance Traveled - 25 NM Time Traveled - 5 hours Weather - Sunny 27C No wind, flat calm A very uneventful day. We were looking for somewhere other than Corfu Town so went sightly north. There’s a huge full service marina at Gouvia that is reported to be the most expensive marina in Greece. Outside of Gouvia there is an anchorage that looked really nice on the charts but when we got there it was a bit deep and only private residences surrounded the bay so no where to go on land for a walk or a run. We tootled out of there and went around the corner to another cute bay where there were no sailboats. Hmmm we thought, what’s wrong with this place? The water was clear, the protection was good and the bottom was mud so very secure and there were beaches for Varga to run around on. So we dropped our anchor just outside the swimming buoys which turned out to be a course for water ski racing. That’s why no one comes here we thought! There were a couple resorts on either side of the beach but luckily no one who wanted to water ski while we were there so had a very quiet night. Dan went for a run and I went for a walk with Varga. Nothing much to see just more resorts.

14 September 2025 Gaios town quay - Gaios cove N 39 11.870 E 20 11.421 Distance Traveled - 400 meters Time Traveled - 10 minutes Weather - Sunny and hot 30C Wind none Dan had enough. The night was stupefyingly hot with not a breath of breeze. It was noisy too. When I came up to the cockpit with my coffee, the Italian boat beside us asked me if I knew that our dog had jumped off the boat and was running around the quay. WHAT! I asked in shock. I couldn’t believe that would be possible given that she had to get off just like I do, from swimming platform to paddle board to stone pier which is a considerable jump for Varga. He had no other details. But when I was on a morning walk with Varga a Greek man with a small dog stopped me and said that Varga was in the water and almost drowned last night. He thought I should keep her on a leash so she couldn’t jump off but I told him that doesn’t work on a boat, there are too many things for her to get caught on. Once back at the boat, the picture cleared. Varga did indeed jump off the boat over the paddle board and onto the stone pier. The Danish boat on our other side saw it and got out and the woman lifted Varga onto the paddle board and told her to jump on the boat which she did thank heavens. Lots of thank yous were in order and then Dan decided it was time to leave. He told Holger he only gets 2 stars for this place. All the other places they have taken us to have been 5+ stars. Holger tried to increase his star standing by pointing out the great restaurant, the town and the ice cream so Dan put it up to 3 stars. As soon as the boats on either side of us left, we got things going and moved out to the cove outside the harbour. We spent about 30 minutes there. Once the anchor went down Dan snorkelled over to see how it was laying and found that it was in front of a big boulder with big rocks all around and lying on its side. He was afraid it would get wedged underneath the boulder so back on with the engine and we ever so slowly lifted the anchor being careful not to pull it so it would wedge under the boulder. It came up and we sailed off northwards. Due to the strong NW winds coming on Monday, we needed to find a sheltered bay. Gaios cove - Igoumenitsa Bay, mainland N39 30.896 E20 13.939 Distance Traveled - 18 NM Time Traveleld - 5 hrs Weather - sunny 30C Wind SE 0-3 Igoumenitsa bay is very sheltered from all directions and plenty big for lots of boats. A good place to sit out high winds from NW. We sailed for a while but when the wind died as it does, we motored. We’ve noticed a wind pattern now in the Ionion. A nice breeze from East comes up in the morning but dies around 10.00, is calm until about 15.00 when a westerly wind comes up and blows strong about 5-10 m/s for about 3-4 hours until the sun goes down and then it’s calm again. During a the night it goes from dead calm to a breeze of about3-4 m/s so we get a good flow of wind caught in our wind sock which sends it down to us in our bed. It’s lovely and keeps the mosquitos at bay. There were only 4 other boats here when we arrived. It’s quite shallow except for the channel that the ferries use. Igoumenitsa is the biggest shipping harbour on this side of Greece. Ferries between the islands and Italy dock here. A ferry comes through every 30 minutes, but the bay is so big that where we are on the other side we hardly feel any waves or hear much noise. The down side here is that due to the shallow water, you have to row almost a km to shore. I took Varga to shore on the paddle board as was easier to negotiate for that distance. It worked out fine but sure was a long way. We went swimming, the water is turquoise due to the white mud but you can’t see the bottom even though it’s only 3.5 meters where we are anchored.

13 September 2025 Syvota - Gaios Town Quay, Paxos N39 11.782 E20 11.224 Distance Traveled - 14.3 NM Time Traveled - 3 hrs Weather - Sunny, 29C Wind SE 1-3 m/s (2-6 knots) Our little flotilla left monastery bay at 08.00 and set off for Paxos. Dan insisted on trying to sail. Rivercafé motored. The wind died at 09.30 and we motored the rest of the way. It was a beautiful day, as usual around here. We are not crazy about town quays in Greece as everyone has to throw in a anchor and back into the stone pier. If one anchor doesn’t hold, everyone is screwed. I’ve described this before, so we had reservations about this, but the place looked adorable and it was calm settled weather though high winds were coming on Monday and we all wanted to be tucked away safe…. Dan dropped our anchor and I put the boat in reverse using the bow thruster to keep us going straight back. Dan could feel how the anchor hopped over stones and rocks down on the bottom but then seemed to grab hold of something. We threw our lines to Holger and in short order were settled. Karen went down and checked their anchor which was fine. But our anchor was not. Dan went out there and could see it was just lying on its side not really dug down into anything as it was all rocky. He was not happy with this. During the day lots of boats came in and the quay was full. Tour boats came in and out all day dropping hundreds of tourists for a few hours of strolling along the quay and enjoying the place. One such tour boat docked right next to us, spitting out its passengers and keeping its engines on making a terrible din. They stayed there for 3 hours then all the passengers came back and off they went. The other thing we don’t like about town quays is that they are made of cement and in a harbour there can be a bit of surge from big boats going by or waves coming in. So Dan always keeps FRAM a safe distance from the stone pier which means a challenge to getting on and off the boat, at least for Varga and me. His solution this time was to put our paddle board between the stern and the stone pier. So to get off one has to first climb down to the swimming platform, step onto the paddle board, balancing on it and pushing off from the stern over to the stone pier and climbing onto said pier. It seems that it can never be easy to get on and off our boat. Dan says it keeps us limber… Gaios is a lovely town, very touristy but charming. We went for a walk through the narrow streets and I nipped off to buy some food in case Dan suddenly decides to up sticks and get out of here. We went out for dinner together with Holger and Karen and left Varga on board FRAM. Normally she’s fine once we are away and out of sight. After dinner we walked back to the boat and stopped at an ice cream parlor for dessert. The Greeks make great ice cream. I had mango, Dan had chocolate, Holger had coconut lemon, and Karen had pistachio. The town was hopping until well into the wee hours of the morning; music, motorcycles, cars, and voices shouting and laughing.

10 September 2025 Without really noticing it, we spent a whole week here in Corfu. It’s a lovely old town with narrow cobblestoned streets, lots of greenery and masses of shops, cafés and restaurants. Lots of tourists too, 2-3 big cruise ships came in every day releasing their passengers on the town. They moved about in big groups with a guide and when it was in English we sometimes latched on to hear some history. Corfu was first colonised by the Greeks in the 8th century BC and became a powerful naval force. Later it passed through Roman, Byzantine and Venetian hands. The Venetians ruled over Corfu for 400 years from 1386-1797. Venetian architecture is evident everywhere from the wrought-iron balconies, the buildings and the churches. In the early morning, if you are up, you can hear the church bells sounding all over town. It’s really lovely. The French, Russians and British also had periods of colonising and all left their mark as well. The fortress is magnificent and towers above the old town on a rocky outcropping. At night it’s lit from below and looks beautiful. Also good because when I wake up at night I look out to find the fortress and then know what way FRAM is facing. We strolled through the arcades, stopped in cafés for coffee, found Cinnamon rolls almost as good as Swedish cinnamon rolls thanks to Holger, so went to that bakery almost every day to get our morning treat, and hiked out to Mon Repos which is a beautiful neoclassical palace in a grand park just outside the city abutting onto the sea. We had a lunar eclipse cocktail hour on the 7th to watch the eclipse. unfortunately, thunder clouds came up on the eastern horizon so we only got to see the end of the eclipse but the moon was definitely red:) We had drinks on Rivercafé one evening and went out to dinner together a couple evenings. All very enjoyable. Holger and Karen are very entertaining and interesting to be with. By the end of the week we found that we could navigate the city and find all the places that we liked or wanted to revisit. We are not used to this type of cruising. We normally stay one or max 2 days at a place before moving on. But with Rivercafé we have learned to relax and enjoy the place we’re in. Very healthy for the soul. My former boss Morten from 3DK celebrated his 20 anniversary at 3 on 11 September. I couldn’t go naturally, and unfortunately, so was asked by his PA and my friend/colleague Hanne to do a 90 second video message to him. Of course I complied but honestly, it is so difficult for me to speak nonstop even for 90 seconds. I wrote a script that I was happy with and Dan downloaded a teleprompter app that we put the script on so I could read it while he videoed with my phone. We practiced a lot! Then we waited until the boat’s stern was backing to the fortress here in Corfu and I stood at the wheel and Dan videoed it. We had to do many takes as I kept flubbing my lines but finally got a decent one done. I sent it off to Hanne and hope for the best. The holding in Corfu bay was, as suspected, not good. We had to move twice due to our anchor slipping. Dan is getting disillusioned with our Bruce anchor and looking to buy an Ultra or a Mantas. We have had trouble with our anchor holding several times now so a change is due. Also after a week in Corfu Town, we all decided it was time to move on. Corfu Town - Monastery Bay, Syvota N39 24.676 E20 14.075 Distance Traveled - 20 NM Time Traveled - 4 hrs Weather - Hazy 27C Wind None. We left early, 0730 together with Rivercafé and motored all the way. Holger and Karen have asked us to keep our VHS radio on. We never do usually, but they always do and find it a good way to communicate at sea, so we switched ours on. Two hours into our journey a boat hailed rivercafé and said he was on a collision course with them and could they please move. Dan and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, Really? If he sees a sailboat in front of him, why doesn’t he just adjust his course? There was plenty of space for everyone. A few minutes later it was our turn. He hailed us and us to please move. I asked him if he was a commercial vessel. He said no, he’s a sailboat but he has right of way. ? I thought. His AIS signal kept going in and out so half the time we couldn’t see him on AIS and there were 2 sailboats coming towards us, neither one was anywhere near a collision course with us. Holger came back on the radio and asked the guy to switch to channel 11 and once there he asked him if he was German. He was, so they switched to German and Holger corrected him about right of way and said that he was already past us, so what was the problem. Turns out the guy was navigating from inside his boat and only going by radar and AIS. Holger told him to go out and have a look around the real world which he did and then agreed, the danger was over. Good grief. Not so keen to have radio on if it’s going to be like this! We got to our chosen anchorage; Monastery Bay but it took quite a while and a few tries to get the anchor to hold. The water was crystal clear so Dan could snorkel over to the anchor and see how it set which was on its side with only one flange in. Not happy. However the winds were light and nothing was in the offing so we finally settled for it. Karen always goes down to look at their anchor to make sure it is in. They have an Ultra and depend fully on it and it delivers every time. She also checks on our anchor while she’s out there. Syvota is a lovely place on the mainland with a few islands surrounding it, so several anchorage spots to choose from. We spent the day swimming in the clear water marvelling at how incredibly clear it was, like a swimming pool. Every place we go to with Rivercafé is amazing. What a bonus it is to travel with sailors who know the good spots.

3 September 2025 Petriti - Corfu Town N39 37.034 E19 55.500 Distance Traveled - 11NM Time Traveled - 2 hrs Weather - Overcast with great dark thunderheads 27C. Wind NW 0-9m/s (0-18 knots) Just as we left our anchorage, great dark clouds appeared in the western sector over the mountains. RiverCafe was with us and we kept each other in sight. We sailed on the genoa alone most of the way and averaged 6 knots. As we approached Corfu Town the wind died and we motored in to a great big bay with lots of boats. Still, there was room for more. We each found a place not too far from each other and settled our anchors. There’s a lot of posedonia so weren’t entirely trusting our anchor to hold but the winds were light.

29 August 2025 Two Rocks Bay - Petriti Corfu N39 26.786 E20 00.425 Distance Sailed - 28 NM Time Traveled - 6 hours Weather - Sunny 28C Wind SE 0-4m/s We got an early start today; hauled up our anchor at 06.30. Sun came up at 07.15 over the Greek mainland. We sailed on the genoa for about 1.5 hrs before the wind died completely and we had to motor the rest of the way. There were quite a few sailboats out as we neared Corfu. We are sailing with our friends Karen and Holger from Rivercafé as they are great fun to be with and also have a lot more knowledge of the coves and bays of Corfu. Patriti is farthest into the bay and a really cute little place. Upon arrival Holger immediately went in to the Panorama Restaurant and booked a table for dinner for all 4 of us. It’s a little oasis of all kinds of palm trees and bougainvillea. Really stunning. We anchored in 4 meters of mud. We swam out with mask and snorkel to see how the anchor set but we couldn’t see it in the cloudy water, so hoping all is well. A rain storm is coming tomorrow to this area with strong southerly winds tomorrow but we feel we are well protected here. We swam a few times off the boat, the water is a lovely turquoise and about 26C. In the evening Holger and Karen picked us up in their big motor powered dinghy and we tooled in to the restaruant’s dock. Dinner was fabulous. We chose a big 2.4 kg sea bass that was caught by hook just north of this bay. They grilled it for us and served with olive oil/lemon sauce, grilled vegetables and French fries. The fish was amazing. Quite expensive but delicious. It was a lovely evening with good friends.

26 August 2025 Lygia - Two Rocks Bay anchorage N39 12.600 E20 29.526 Distance Traveled - 29.2 NM Time Traveled - 6 hours Weather - Slightly overcast, 28C Humid. Wind SE-N 0.6m/s Varga and I rowed in to shore while it was still dark at 06.00. Dan got the boat ready for the day’s journey. We left our anchorage at 06.45 and motored up the channel to Levkas and the bridge for the 08.00 opening. The sun rises here at about 06.45; the actual lightness of day depending on whether there are mountain peaks blocking it or there’s a clear shot to the eastern horizon which is basically never. Greece is incredibly mountainous. We were the first boat to start queuing up for the bridge which isn’t a bridge at all, we discovered when we got close enough to see it. It’s a ferry parked across the channel where cars and trucks pass from the mainland through the ferry and out the other end onto Levkas island. We couldn’t believe our eyes wondering how that thing was going to get out of the way so boats could pass by. And WHERE was the real bridge? But at 08.05 a bell rang, traffic stopped and the whole ferry swung sideways so that it was parallel to the mainland side of the channel and we were able to pass through. We were 7 boats going through in our direction and 3 coming from the other direction. Once through we were in open waters for thee first time since going through the Corinthinan Canal back in June. There was a 1.5m swell rolling in towards shore as we raised our sails and set off towards the north along the mainland. The wind came and went, we wailed, we motored. Dan got very frustrated when the other sailboats passed us using only their genoas. Our Najad is not considered a fast boat but every time we are sailing with other boats he gets competitive and is certain that with the right setting of the sails. And still they passed us and left us behind. We like to think they were using their motors. We arrived at Two Rocks Bay, which is named so because there are 2 big rocks across the entrance of the bay. Of course. Rivercafe was already here and we anchored in front of them. This is a super cute bay, or rather cove. It’s small but still big enough for about 15 boats. The water is crystal clear and cooler than we experienced lately. Must be due to the open water. There’s a beach and a cafe up on the hill over the cove giving a fantastic view of the cove and all the boats. We went there for drinks with Karen and Holger. The place is extremely bohemian and they only serve drinks. But we had a wonderful reunion with our friends and spent a couple hours catching up from the last time we saw them in Messolonghi in June.

25 August 2025 Pogonia anchorage - Lygia anchorage N38 47.468 E20 43.290 Distance Traveled - 7.2 MN Time Traveled - 1.5 hrs Weather - Sunny with big white cumulous clouds on the horizon. Wind SSE 1-4 m/s Our plan had been to leave bright and early to make the first bridge opening in Levkas and sail to a place called Two Rocks Bay where we were meeting up with our friends Karin and Holger on Rivercafe. But I got so many conflicting statements about the bridge schedule; from it being closed, which it has been but opened last week, to different times for opening during the day so I called the Levkas Port Authority and asked them. They told me it would not open until 19.00 tonight. Which does not work for us as it is too late in the day and would be dark by the time we got to the cove. So we implemented plan B; sail to a cove close to the bridge and take next day Tuesday when it would open at 08.00. There are several stories about what happened with the bridge. Apparently, the bridge broke and couldn’t be fixed so they improvised with a ferry that fit perfectly from side to side of the channel where the bridge had been. But, the proviso to use this solution was that there must be a captain on board the ferry because it is after all a ferry and ferries have to have captains. The dispensation they got last year ran out in July this year so they were shut down for a month until they could get their act together and get a new dispensation. Thus the bridge re-opened on 14 August. The closest cove to the channel leading to the bridge/ferry was Lygia Bay. It’s on the east side of Levkas and has a small village and a marina. We anchored in 4 meters of sand and the anchor stuck right away, as it always does. It’s a Bruch anchor. Most of the Med sailors use a mantas or a and of course they swear by them that there is no better anchor. Much like we do with our Bruce. Once the sun disappeared behind the mountain So I rowed Varga in to shore for a walk, Dan went running while I did yoga training on deck and had a lovely chat with Kimberly. We lounged about until 14.00 before setting off for Lygia which is right at the first channel marker. Down with the anchor in 4 meters of sand, anchor stuck right away as per usual. In the evening we rowed in to take a walk through the little town and bought some mineral water and melon, The melons here in Greece are fantastic. We share a half melon every day either in the morning or in the afternoon instead of tea. It was nearly dark when we got back to the boat so on with the anchor light and up with dinner which was a green salad. The wind had died to complete calm and masses of stars came out looking close enough to touch,

24 August 2025 Vlikho Baay, Levkas - Pogonia, mainland Distance Traveled - 11 NM Time Traveled - 3 hours Weather - Sunny 30C Wind NW 2-6 m/s Varga and I got up early and took the dinghy in to shore. We went to a bakery that was just opening and bought croissants for breakfast. All was quiet, no traffic, no boaters up and about yet. The surrounding mountains were a beautiful pale blue hue lending to the peaceful atmosphere. After breakfast, Dan hauled up the anchor and we set off to thread our way through the jungle of boats at anchor in the bay. Once out we raised the sails and had a fantastic sail from Levkas to Pogonia which is to the east and mainland. We passed Meganisi, Skorpios; Onassis’s island where Jackie Kennedy lived when in Greece with her husband. It’s now owned by some Russian Oligarch and lots of pretty coves on the mainland as we sailed around an outcropping through a narrow channel with a small island on our starboard. Pogonia bay is huge but shallow so we head to anchor rather far out, about 300 meters which is a long row for me and Varga in the dinghy, but it is very beautiful and the water is crystal clear. Once we anchored we could see our anchor in 3.5m of water as clear as if it was lying on the boat. We spend a relaxing day swimming and reading books. We had a long chat with Caroline who is living in Sao Paolo, getting news of the grandchildren and their schooling at the American school in SP. Once the temperature started to go down, around 18.00 we rowed shore for a walk on the beach. There were a few beach cafés that provide parasols and sun lounges. The beach was crowded with Sunday sunbathers. All Greek of course.

23 August 2025 Vathy anchorage Ithaca, Vlikho bay, Lefkas N38 40.971 E20 42.055 Distance Traveled - 22.8 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny with billowing white clouds, 30C Wind NW 2-9m/s (4-18 knots) Another beautiful day in Greece. We got up early, 07.00. Dan went for a run and I did my knee training and an asana rebel yoga work out. Knee is feeling good with this new regime. We went for a swim and then had breakfast when Dan was back. Varga and I took the dinghy after breakfast to go to a fruit/veg stand to get salad stuff. I passed a lovely dress shop that I eyed last night and bought some things. A bathing suit cover for Madeleine’s birthday and tops for Kimberly and Stephanie and 2 a dress and a skirt for me. Everything was on sale because they are closing at the end of the month for the winter. Once back on FRAM I stashed everything and we started the motor, hauled up the anchor (Dan) and left the anchorage. It was a really lovely picturesque place that I would happily come back to. We had to motor until we got out of Vathy bay before putting up the sails. There was a good NW breeze blowing and we were making 6.5-7 knots. Pretty good for FRAM. Once we entered the protection of Levkas on our port and Meganisi on our starboard the wind died and we had to motor the rest of the way, just a few miles. When we entered Vlikho Bay we were amazed at the number of boats. They were anchored tightly covering almost the entire outer bay called Tranquil bay. All the docks and town quay were chock-a-block with boats and there were hundreds of boats up on land. We had to weave our way through the forest of masts to get down into the back of the bay. I wanted to go thee because that is where we were when my Dad died on the Forrestel family boat LIBERTY in 1977. We’ve been here before and it always feels so peaceful to me. I feel like Dad’s soul or essence is here, somehow. Down at the end of the bay there were still lots of boats but no owners on them. They had been anchored here and left for who knows how long. It was nice for us though because it was quiet. We anchored in 6 meters depth in sand/mud. In the evening we got that same phenomena of a huge gust of wind coming from nowhere swooping through all the boats and setting everyone swinging on their anchor, us included. This time it lasted a bit longer and you could hear the roar of the wind coming just before it hit. This happened about 5 times before settling to a light breeze. So Strange. It's qite mountainous here so maybe it has something to do with swirliing winds gaining strenght between the mountain slopes and then coming down as catabatic winds. There were quite a few jellyfish around, the big brown ones with the tails that look like tree stumps. In the late afternoon I took Varga in the dinghy for a walk.We docked at the end of a pontoon and she jumped out too early missing the pontoon and falling like a shooting star straight down and under water. I lost sight of her and feared she would come up under the pontoon and lose her bearings. But after a couple seconds, her head popped up with an expression of total shock. It was pretty funny. I leaned over and picked her up and tossed her onto the dock before tying up the dinghy.

22 August 2025 Ormos Oxia - Vathy, Ithaca N38 22.024 E20 43.086 Distance Traveled - 22.2NM Time Traveled - 5 hours Weather - Overcast 25C later sunny 28 humid. Wind S/SE 0-4m/s An unusually cloudy sky greeted us this morning with a bit of a chilly temp for August; 20C at 07.00. The deck was soaking wet from the dew which we haven’t seen in months. Dan took Varga in for her business but she wasn’t interested so he rowed all the way back again feeling a certain enmity towards her for making him row in for nothing. He said there were a whole bunch of dogs barking near the beach and he was worried until he saw that they were in a pen. Maybe V didn’t feel comfortable making herself prone when there were predators about? We left our anchorage shortly after 08.00 as there was really nothing here to see, all flat marsh, a beach and a taverna. Once we were free from the small island sheltering us from the wind we could put up the sails and sail on a nice reach for about 2 hours when the wind died completely; as it does here in Greece. We motored and watched the clouds melt away and clear skies appear. The wind came up from SE and Dan hoisted the sails again. This time we sailed all the way to Ithaca and into the bay of Vathy. We passed humungous super yachts anchored in the bay before Vathy. It was like they were having a convention there, not a single sailboat just super yachts. The biggest was 90 meters and had 5 decks with palm trees on all 5 decks. We found a nice spot in 4 meters of mud to anchor and it set right away. We are close to the shore, close to the town and no boats around us. But that didn’t last long, by 17.00 there were so many boats here it was like being anchored in the pocqueroles in France. We had a Swedish boat on one side and a Danish boat on the other. The winds were light and all the boats danced softly round each other keeping their distance. Late in the afternoon when all was calm, hardly any wind, there are a sudden gust of about 14 m/s (28 knots) that sent all the boats reeling on their anchors. It lasted just a few moments and then disappeared leaving a shift in the wind of 180 degrees. Very strange. We went in to town in the evening and had a walk around, a beer and an ouzo and then felt we couldn’t be bothered to make dinner back on the boat so we went to a traditional Greek restaurant in the square and shared a gyro and a greek salad. Gyros aren’t what they used to be. Nowadays, you get a plate with cut warm flat bread in one pile, a pile of pork or chicken gyro meat, fried potatoes, some sliced tomatoes onions and cucumbers and a mayo sauce. Not even tzatziki. I do not call this progress. The taste was fine but the whole holding a gyro-wrapped-in-your-hand experience is gone and the platter takes some of the pleasure out of it. The town has all kinds of shops and cafes and restaurants. A lot of tourist bling-bling and you can see the tourists in town wearing some of the outfits similar to those hanging in the shops. The dress shops are a bit more upscale here than Messolonghi and Poros.

21 August 2025 Messolonghi - Ormos Oxia N38 29.177 E21 06.909 Distance Traveled - 20 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 30C, Wind W 2-4 m/s (4-8 knots) We arrived back to Messolonghi and FRAM on 12 August. Dan had a bunch of spare parts for fixing the rudder stock which has been very heavy since we left Ostia in September 2024. Since we were on the hard, it seemed a good time to get it fixed. He had already disconnected all the steering cables and taken the cap off the rudder stock before we left for the summer, so he continued down into the rudder stock, thinking he would have to take the rudder off completely to get the job done. After a few calls to Jimmie at Najad in Sweden he set to work, first cleaning out the hardened fat around the stock which was quite a chore because it was so hard and the space is so minimal. He also sanded down through the copper coat to reach the screws on the boot holding the rudder in place. But once he got to the screws he felt that this was a bigger job than he wanted to undertake. There is no one in Messolonghi who can do this kind of work so we would have to wait till we got to Levkas and see if their boatyard could take us. But the crane guy that would put us back in the water was on vacation. Dan continued with the rudder stock, he cleaned up the cap and replaced the waxed rings, 3 of them, added a whole bunch of fat and put it back together. Miraculously, the helm became very light and easy to spin. Go figure. Now the only question was; would the cap hold and keep out sea water. On Monday 18 August crane guy was booked and we looked forward to getting launched. I provisioned, did laundry, cleaned up the boat and we had a last dinner with the live aboard group. Monday came and no crane guy. The office said he would come Tuesday. But he didn’t. Wednesday, they said. Nope not Wednesday either. We finally got launched on Thursday at 11.30. As soon as FRAM was in the water, Dan checked all the sea cocks and the rudder stock; all dry. We left the marina at 12.30. Our friends Heike and Peter from Germany were off on errands so we didn’t get to say good bye to them. They had been incredibly kind to us and we shared many a drink at the Sunset Café. They have a Najad 320 that they are completely renovating. It’s been a very hot summer for them and difficult to get work done due to the heat. It was bliss to set off down the channel to the Patras Gulf. A beautiful day, light winds that would be against us once we set our course for our chosen anchorage of the day but the sea was flat and we were just happy to be on our way again, Our friends Karin and Holger from Luxembourg sent us a message to get moving so we can go to Corfu together. They are up in the Ambracian Gulf which is a lagoon just east of Preveza. We were able to sail on the genoa once we turned northwards towards Ormos Oxia and had a lovely hour drifting along. This bay has a taverna that has put out buoys so we grabbed one. So much more convenient than anchoring. We spent a nice evening until the swells appeared out of no where, there was very little wind. A dinghy came up to us around 19.30 asking for 20Euros for the buoy. They couldn’t take cards, they didn’t have change. We managed to find a 20 euro bill in Dan’s shorts. Dan grilled pork chops for dinner and I made a greek salad. This was the first meat we have had since we got back. I didn’t do any cooking when we were on land, just made salads for dinner. So this was a treat. The swells didn’t go away, the rolled in all night, not terribly big; just enough to feel the rocking of the boat. We will leave here tomorrow morning and head for Ithaca.

26 June 2025 Messolonghi Greece Another hot and sunny day with almost no wind. We were surprised when a marinero came up to us and told us it was time to lift. Surprised, because we have learned that the owner of the crane company is very unpredictable and hard to pin down. All week they have told us “maybe Wednesday, maybe Thursday, maybe Friday, but we can’t confirm”. Anyway suddenly we were directed to go to the lift pier for our departure from the water at 08.30. We got the engine going and then dropped all our lines and tootled over there, took 10 minutes. A marinero was there to take our lines and then we sat and waited for the crane truck to start up and come over along with a tractor with a cradle that would transport us to our land cradle. It took awhile so Dan took advantage of the time and ran fresh water through the engine. This prevents the salt in salt water from eating away at the pipes in the engine. At about 09.30 everything got started and we were soon in the clutches of the crane truck. They were very professional and our initial stress about having FRAM lifted, melted away. All went very smoothly. They took it slow and easy and FRAM was nestled into the tractor cradle and trundled away to a spot right near where we’d been docked; near the facilities and the Sunset Bar, our new living room. Securing the boat into the cradle took about 2 hours of adjusting, measuring to make sure all was level. Dan, Varga and I sat in the café drinking water and granitas while we waited for them to be finished. She wasn’t all that dirty on the bottom, a few barnacles but not bad at all. We are very happy with the job they did. They took up an additional 2 boats, both now our neighbors. In the evening a marinero came and cleaned our hull so she is beautifully green again. Love that coppercoat. We (Dan) have some things to do before she is ready to be left on her own. So, although the stagnant heat is dreadful, we’re glad we have a few days to get everything done We try to work in the sections that are in the shade and move with the sun. We leave Messolonghi on 1 July and will spend one night in Athens before flying off on the 2nd. This spring sailing season has been really lovely. We have had good winds, sailing most of the time, only one meltemi, and seen fantastic places like Patras, Milos, Monemvasia, Epidavros, Galaxidis, and Delphi Sanctuary. Passing through the Corinthian Canal is always a high point, so dramatic and beautiful. The weather has been cool until about 2 weeks ago when the high temps kicked in. We have had guests, Carl and Leslie in Poros and our daughter Stephanie with her husband Harvey and two children Viggo and Margaret; also in Poros which was a perfect place to have children. Short distances, nice bays and big playgrounds. Check back with us in mid-August when we will be back and ready for new adventures!

23 June 2025 Macynia - Messolonghi marina N 38 21.632 E 21 25.007 Distance Traveled - 15NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 30C No wind I got up early, did my yoga workout, took Varga in to the beach and came back to FRAM for a morning swim. Dan got up, swam and we had breakfasts. This was our last swim in the wild, so to speak as we are headed in to Messolonghi today to life FRAM onto the hard for 7 weeks while we go home to Sweden. By 08.00 in the morning it is already 23C. The water temp is about 25C. The water at Macynia was clear and lovely. We left our anchorage at about 08.00 and motored in. Once we got to the channel leading in to Messolonghi we still had about 4 NM through a very narrow channel through a salt marsh. We saw a turtle and a lot of cranes walking around only a few meters from our boat. So I had to really pay attention to keep us in the middle of the channel. Half way through the channel I radioed the marineros on channel 69 but got no answer. I tried a couple times then called the office and was told that I would have to wait till we got much closer for them to hear. Holger very kindly called me on the phone to see if we had gotten in touch with the marineros. When we got right up to the marina itself, I called but still no answer. So called office again and she got in touch with the marineros who waved us in from the middle pontoon. We got a spot farthest in right next to the marina Sunset café. Once we were settled with our mooring lines, I went to the office to sign in. They still didn’t have a confirmation from the crane company of when we would be lifted, which is a bit annoying but hey, we’re in Greece! The marina is big and quite nice, there’s a lot of construction going on to make it a charter hub and first class marina. The facilities are really nice and there are a lot of sailors here settling in for the summer months. We are quite a few boats scheduled to go up on land so will see when our turn is. Hopefully Thursday or Friday. The town is 2 km away. We took a walk there next day, 24th, and nearly keeled over from the heat. Varga had a really tough time so we have decided that she will only do short walks in the early morning and after dark at night. Messolonghi has a good reputation as a winter haven as it’s very protected and the services are good, but being so far from town is a real disadvantage.

22 June 2025 Nafpaktos - Macynia anchorage N38 20.763 E 21 20.403 Distance Traveled - 10.3 NM Time Traveled - 2 hours Weather - Sunny 30C Wind E 6-12m/s (12-24 knots) It was a windy day when we decided at the last minute to go to Macynia. As we were originally planning to go to Messolonghi on Monday, the weather forecasts were showing rather strong West winds from 11.00. So we all decided to go on Sunday and get half way there, finishing the trip early Monday morning. We had a really nice weekend in Nafpaktos hiking with Holger and Karin up to the top of the hill to see the castle which was built in the 15th century. Varga and I were kicked out; no dogs allowed. But we had made it as far as anyone can without buying a ticket to see the museum, so it was OK. It was a beautiful walk up with lovely views at every corner. We walked along the crenelated walls on small paths, sometimes on small roads. As we ambled up and down we chatted away on all sorts of topics, nonstop. They are a very interesting couple. Karin is a bubbling personality with curly blond hair, laughing blue eyes and delightful humour. Holger is more serious but with lovely wit. He wears his thick white hair in a ponytail at his neck. They both tell the most interesting stories of places they’ve been and people they know They lived in Luxembourg until they made the decision to sail long term. They have crossed the Atlantic 4 times on 2 different boats and had many adventures to share. A 45 foot Lepard Catamaran is their mode of travel now and it is truly a beautiful boat. Such big spaces and lounge areas. Amazing. They still work, though on a smaller scale, Karin designs websites and yacht logos, Holger runs the infrastructure and admin. They have a daughter and 2 grandchildren. It was pretty windy every day and while calm-ish in our anchorage, was difficult for us to row from land to the boat so Karin and Holger very kindly picked us up in their dinghy which has a motor (note to self, motor on dinghy very handy) We went in to the harbour and left the dinghy there then found a place overlooking the harbour for a drink. The view was beautiful, the sun was almost down but still cast a slanted light across the sea. We found a little restaurant just to the side of the harbour nestled in a little alley with a big plane tree shading the area. Had a lovely dinner and celebrated Swedish Midsommar and Luxembourg’s Independence Day by ordering marinated anchovies and smoked herring. On Saturday we went out for drinks with Karin and Holger and met a new couple, Dutch Bert and Nelly on Eyecatcher, also a catamaran. They are also on their way to Messolonghi to leave their boat for the summer. It was a very pleasant evening. On Sunday morning Eyecatcher left the anchorage and in the early morning headed for Messolonghi. Rivercafé left in the late morning for Macynia. We sent them a message that we would join later in the day. We waited for the winds to come down but they didn’t and since they would be following winds, we figured it would be all right. We sailed on genoa alone and kept a good speed of 6 knots a good deal of the way. We radioed Rion Bridge Traffic from Nafpaktos which is the required 5 NM out, to announce our approach and after giving them our boat name and mast height were given instructions on where to pass under the bridge. North side keeping one pylon to starboard and 3 pylons to port. When we were 1 NM away we radioed again and were given permission to proceed. It was very turbulent under the bridge as there is a current, the gulf narrows down to a kind of bottleneck and then the strong wind of course. Dan thought we could just sail through without the engine, but I find it safer to have the engine on just in case. All went well and we passed through and then dodged a ferry before turning right towards the coast. It was a calm anchorage wave-wise but still catching the wind until about 20.00 when it went totally calm. Macynia is a quiet place, nothing much happening, the beach is small stone and very difficult to walk on. Varga did not like it at all so she refused stray far from the dinghy.

19 June 2025 Trizonia - Nafpaktos anchorage N38 23.481 E21 49.950 Distance Traveled - 13 NM Time Traveled -3 hrs Weather - Sunny 27C Wind NE 0-1 m/s Lovely day, we left our anchorage bright and early; 06.30 and motored the short way here, there was not enough wind to sail on. Rivercafe was an hour behind us and we both anchored just outside the tiny little medieval harbour. There is a little village inside the castle walls that stretches up the hill to a fortress/castle ruins. It’s a spectacular site from the sea. The rest of the town is on either side of the walls to west and east and there are beaches on both side a couple km long. Today is our 44th wedding anniversary. Time sure flies, sometimes I still feel like we’ve only been together for a short period, but then I look back on all our memories and marvel how much we’ve done together in that time. It’s a very nice feeling. Once we were settled and had our morning fika of fresh honeydew melon, we got in the dinghy with our shopping bags, recycling and trash and rowed into shore leaving the dinghy high off the beach. Nafpaktos is a thriving town, there was motion everywhere; buses, taxis, cars, motorbikes and people going from shop to shop. Morning seems to be the time Greeks get all their shopping errands done. It was invigorating after the sleepy quietness of Trizonia and Galaxidis. We found a baker, green grocer and supermarket all on first street we strode up. Later in the afternoon after the siesta, shops close between 14.00 and 18.00, we went back and walked into the old town inside the castle walls. The harbour is tiny and we are thinking it’s been rebuilt since it’s time of glory in the 15th and 16th centuries because there are sketches on boards along the harbour wall showing a huge ship anchored in the middle and many smaller ships on the quay which would never have worked in the harbour we were looking at now. Sailboats mostly anchor outside and leave their dinghies in the harbour when they go in to town. We walked about and found a butcher. There was no meat in the shop; just a big wooden cutting table. The way it works is that you ask for what you want and the butcher goes into his giant cooler and brings out a cut of meat and you choose what you want of it. When we were first in Greece, I would look in and think, hmm, they have almost no meat! What kind of butcher is this? But I’ve since learned and honestly it’s much better to tell them what you want and they cut it just the way you want it. We found a good baker and green grocer as well.

16 June 2025 Galaxidis - Trizonia N38 22.116 E22 04.590 Distance Traveled - 20 NM Time Traveled - 5 hours’ Weather - Sunny 28C, wind E 0-4 m/s (0-8 knots) We had a wonderful weekend in Galaxidis. We went for a long hike on Saturday, Dan went running on Sunday while I did my yoga exercises on the deck. We took life very easy, swimming when we felt like it, Varga too. She really likes the water. We read our books and puttered around the boat. We have started getting up at about 06.00 as when it’s hot out, this is the coolest nicest time of day. Dan runs in the mornings now instead of the afternoons. He finds it cooler and the air fresher. We bought ice so had ouzo cocktails before dinner and grilled meat and had a salad to go with it. I have stopped cooking in the galley, it’s too hot. So dan grills and I make a salad or I buy grilled chicken and make a chicken salad. High temperature makes me lose my appetite. This morning we went to do our errands before leaving the anchorage. The place we’re going to has no stores, only tavernas. So I bought a bunch of vegetables for salads, zucchini for grilling, Greek yoghurt to make tzatziki and a kilo of oranges to press and make juice. I also make my own lemonade now too. We buy lots of limes and lemons. All citrus is super cheap here now. We left the anchorage at 08.30. Freja is staying another week here and then going towards the Corinthian canal. River Café left super early this morning. I saw them go when I came up on deck at about 06.30. There wasn’t a breath of wind so we motored the first 3 hours, then a light following wind came up from the East so we rolled out the genoa and floated along at a very slow leisurely pace for the last 4 NM. Trizonia is a little gem of a place, an island with no shops only restaurants. There are several anchorages and a rather large harbor where boats can tie up alongside the stone piers or drop and anchor and go stern to. There were very few boats on the big stone piers so we decided to tie up instead of anchor which was a big mistake. Dan got all the lines and fenders ready as I made my approach which I must say, was perfect. We glided alongside and Dan threw the bow line and stern line to 2 people from a nearby boat who tied them round bollards. Unfortunately, the lade tied the bow line around a bollard that was midships to us instead of up in front of the bow. She locked it down and walked away as FRAM was yanked into to the stone pier when the rope went taut. There was a ghastly crash as we hit the stone pier with our bow and the rigging shook so I was afraid to look up and see the mast fall down. It didn’t thank goodness but we had some serious scratches on the gelcoat. Dan did a great deal of yelling, the two people, Swiss, and apparently not experienced sailors, felt offended and worried that we were going to make them pay for damages. Of course we wouldn’t, but there was a bad feeling between us all. And here we were docked next to each other. Ugh. I tried to smooth things over and say, “thank you for trying to help” but they spoke very little English and can only hope they heard in my tone that we were not upset with them (we were). Once we were settled with spring lines, Dan set about mending the damage to our bow. He filed down the dents and scratches and then filled them in with gelcoat. Tomorrow he will sand that down flush with the rest so it will look like new, well almost. I took Varga for a little walk and found an ally way covered with bougainvillea that led to a waterfront with lots of restaurants and people swimming off the beach and eating and drinking the restaurants. It was lovely. Also a bit embarrassing as Varga chose 2 restaurants for her expelling; she peed right beside a chaise-lounge and pooped right outside a restaurant. I took an ashtray from one of the tables and swabbed down the pee and picked up the poop as discreetly as I could which, I mean, how discreet can you be when bending over to pick up a poop. Good that I had my big-brimmed hat on so I didn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. When we got back to FRAM, Dan took a walk while he waited for the cleaning agent to dry on the gelcoat. While he was gone, the harbourmaster came up to all 3 boats on our stone pier andr said we had to move because a big 40 m motor yacht was coming in shortly. I said I couldn’t move the boat till my husband got back and he got very stressed. He kept looking towards the entrance of the harbour expecting this big boat at any minute. We were rather happy to move out to the anchorage but felt it was bad form to make boats move for another boat just because it’s bigger. There is no cost for staying here so find it odd that they would go out of their way to accommodate a bigger boat. Anyway we were much happier with the anchorage just outside the harbour. It’s just a short distance to row in but we can swim and have privacy. As we were having our afternoon dip a Malö sailboat came in. It was JOY from Licata. Peter and Doris. She’s the one that helped me with knitting my cap. We waved to them, I think they had no idea who we were. Funny that we remember people but they seldom remember us. Even after a whole winter of chatting or just saying hello every day when we would walk past their boat. At about 19.00 we rowed in and went over to the restaurant side to have a beer and were hailed by Holger and Karen on River Café. They invited us to join them for a drink which we did. It was delightful. They are such an interesting and pleasant couple. They are from Luxembourg and have an advertising/marketing bureau. We spent a lovely hour with them and then planned to get together tomorrow for drinks on their boat and dinner at a taverna. From there we walked over to the pontoon where JOY was docked and said Hello. They finally remembered us when Doris saw Varga. Varga was overjoyed to see Doris and jumped right onto their boat. She didn’t even snap at Peter when he lifted her up and carry her off the boat. She’s been very stand-offish to people over the last few months. She snaps at anyone who tries to touch her, especially men. She snapped at Lone and at Claus and she always snaps at people on the street or in the stores. So embarrassing, I¨’m constantly apologising. So far she doesn’t bite but she is very threatening showing all her teeth and growling menacingly. It was still hot even after the sun went down so we had a French omelet and sliced tomatoes for dinner.

13 June 2025 Itea - Galaxidis anchorage N38 22.827 E22 23.194 Distance Traveled - 3.8 NM Time Traveled - 1 hour Weather - Sunny 33C no wind After filing our water tank and turning diesel truck down for fuel because they charge a 10Euro delivery fee for every boat even though we are all on the same stone pier. Go figure. We were only topping up so no worries, we’ll fill up in Messolonghi instead. We headed out across the bay to Galaxidis. There is a big bay with plenty of room for a lot of boats. We anchored close to the shore and then took the dinghy in to have a look around. As we walked along the waterfront and marina we saw a Danish Halberg-Rassy 352 that we recognised. It was Lone and Claus on Freja whom we met in Corsica at Port Taverna. We had a drink together at a café just across from their boat. It was nice to catch up with them again. They wintered at Ragusa when we were in Licata and of course tried to convince us that Ragusa was a fantastic place to stay. We still think Licata is better for us. As we were chatting, another couple showed up that we know; Holger and Karen on River Café, a catamaran. We met them in Monemvasia and really liked them. They also know Lone and Claus. They were chasing down the car rental guy as were going to Delphi next day. They are sailing in the same direction as us so will do doubt see them again. Galaxidis is a very cute town, built on a hill overlooking the sea. It used to be one of Greece’s biggest ship building towns. Its heyday was between 1829 and 1910. You can see that it was once quite affluent as many houses are big and very grand. Bouganvillea is blooming everywhere and is so beautiful. This area including Itea has been and I think still is an iron-ore mining area. You can see the red rock and dirt everywhere. The dust is red. Shops close between 14.00-18.00-ish so after drinks we strolled off to find a supermarket to buy beer, a butcher to get something for dinner (pork loin chops) and some kind of hamburger patty though round and made from what sounded like pork beef and sheep. We tried 2 of those, then a green grocer for tomatoes cucumber onions and a honeydew melon. The melons are in season now and taste amazing. I put them in the fridge to get cold then halve them and slice them in slices that we eat as a snack. Divine! Bakeries are often closed for the day at 14.00 but we found one that was still open and bought a small loaf of bread. We still haven’t found bread that we like. Everything is semi-sweet and yellowish. The weather is very settled right now, no wind in the mornings, a gentle breeze in the afternoon and then calm in the evening and all night. We had a lovely near thunder/lightning and rain spell while we were having dinner on the boat. It all stayed on the far side of the ridge over the village so we only got the lightning show and the lovely thunder. The hamburger patties turned out to have cheese in the middle, not sheep. This is the kind of thing that happens to us all the time around here trying to figure out what Greeks are saying to us. We both interpret it differently and often are both wrong.

12 June 2025 Delphi, Greece The summer heat has kicked in here in our part of Greece. All week we have had temperatures around 33C and very little wind, except for Wednesday’s crazy day. Itea is a typical modern -Greek seaside town. A long waterfront with tavernas and cafes and a marina that has basically no services or facilities. We are laid up along the break wall with a bunch of other foreign boats. It’s a big harbour and could really be an impressive marina but once it got built they couldn’t agree who would run it or how it would be run so they just left it. The best thing about it is its proximity to the Delphi Oracle which we went to by bus yesterday. We got up early and took the 07.30 bus to avoid both the heat and the tourist buses loaded with tourists. The drive up was spectacular with mountains all around; Mt Parnassus can be glimpsed every once in a while when we come around a hairpin turn but it’s mostly olive groves and rocky outcroppings. The trip took 20 minutes and we were let off right at the entrance. We had to wait a few minutes for the ticket office to open and then we were one of the first guests of the day which was lovely. We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Even though it’s mostly ruins, you can imagine how spectacular it was in its day. The Pythia (issuer of oracles) sat in a small room in the Apollo temple and received clients one at a time. Each reading took about an hour. The people waiting their turn sat in a small round room with marble benches along the walls, next to the Oracle. The reason the Pythia was in this room was that there were noxious gases coming up from the mountain rock which put her in a trance. She would start muttering all kinds of strange noises and sounds which would be interpreted by the priests and then relayed to the client. The answers were always ambiguous. When one Greek King was going into battle, he asked her if he would win the war. She told him that one king would win and one king would lose. It turned out to be he that lost and was killed. One of the most famous truths of the oracle is “Know Thyself”. We walked all the way to the top of the city and saw the arena where they had athletic games every 4th year. These were the Pythian Games and were second only to the Olympic games. The events were mainly running. The track was 178 m long and there was a one stretch race, a two-lap race, a 10 lap race, a race run with spear helmet and boots, and a pentathlon. The arena was mostly intact and really stunning set in the mountain side with a backdrop of tall cypress trees and other pine trees. It could hold about 5 thousand people. After the tour of the Delphi Sanctuary we walked through the village of Delphi which is all hotels, knick-knack stores and restaurantas. We had to wait 3 hours for the bus from Athens to take us back to Itea which was rather annoying. None of the bus schedules had the correct times, even the lady at the bus station didn’t give us the correct info. Back at the boat we went swimming to cool off after the bus ride back and bought a grilled chicken for dinner served with cut up tomatoes cucumbers and onions.

11 June 2025 Agios Ioanus - Itea N 38 25.691 E 22 25.706 Distance Traveled - 43NM Time Traveled - 8 hrs 15 min Weather - Sunny 33C Wind Started at 09.45 with NE 9-14m/s, 11.30 SW 0-7 m/s, 14.30 NE 10-15 m/s, 17.00 N 9m/s, 17.30 S 9 m/s 21.00 calm As you can see from the winds and wind changes we experienced today, it has been a very challenging day. The sun shined all day, only a few puffy clouds in the sky. But we can completely understand the ancient Greeks believing that the Gods were playing with them. We prepared reefed sails for the beginning of our journey knowing it was going to blow a bit but it was much stronger than anticipated. Then after we got out into the gulf proper we saw ahead that there was no wind, it was flat calm ahead and when we got there it was like crossing a line from wind and waves to no wind no waves. We pulled down the sails and motored for about an hour before a lovely gentle wind came up from the SW. We kept the main reefed just in case as one never knows around here and had lunch; fruit yoghurt and musli. After about 2 hours, we started noticing waves coming from the shore, from N. Hmm we though,Odd. But after a while we saw white caps coming from the north as well and then the wind reached us from N and increased to 7 m/s. Also good but it didn’t stay at 7 for long, it increased in intensity to 14-15 m/s. The strongest gusts were katabatic winds off the mountains we were sailing along. It was very intense and difficult to steer as the boat veered up towards the wind when the gusts came and it was quite a muscle exercise to keep the boat on course. Once we entered the bay we were aiming for, the gusts decreased somewhat and the farther we got across the bay to destination the calmer it got until the wind died and we had to motor to our chosen destination which was Galaxidhis. But when we were one mile out, a crazy wind came up from NW kicking up big waves making an approach to Galaxidhis impossible. So we motored along the coast northwards looking for a protected cove. We found one but it was too deep for anchoring so we continued to Itea where there was a long narrow cove protected from N winds, but as we approached that one the wind switched once again to S so we had to turn around and try an anchorage with protection from S. We found a spot just outside the fishing harbour and prepared to anchor there when the wind changed yet again to N. Once again, we turned around and looked for an anchorage with protection from N. We ended up in complete resignation as we were tired and hungry and sick of looking around for a place to stop. We anchored here just south of the harbour entrance off a public beach rocking with the waves and a 9 m/s wind blowing. But lucky for us, it didn’t last and within the hour the wind had died completely and another 2 hours the waves came down so we spent a comfortable night.

3 June 2025 Neoriou Bay - Epidavros anchorage N37 38.385 E23 09.570 Distatnce Traveled - 20.9 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 27C Wind NE 1-2 m/s It was nice and warm for a morning dip this morning before breakfast. We took our time getting ready to leave Poros for this year. It’s been a super place to spend time in and excellent for having guests. I think it’s one of the cutest towns in Greece and I look forward to coming back next year. Dan pulled up the anchor and we said good bye to Sue and Martin. We set off by motor and indeed had to motor the whole way as there was not enough wind to sail on. We stopped the boat in the middle of the Saronic sea and dragged along holding the ladder. It was lovely and so refreshing. We chose to come here because there is an ancient theatre that is said to be the best preserved theatre in Greece. It’s half way between Epidavros and Nafplio and right in the Mycenae region. We had a tough time finding a good spot to anchor as it is so deep here in Epidavros. But we finally found a spot to anchor in 7 meters depth. We went ashore in the evening for a beer in a cafe and had a stroll around the waterfront. Very touristy, of course. But not a lot of people around. 4 June 2025 Epidavros We caught the 10.30 bus to the Ancient theater this morning. We were the only ones on the bus; a half-sized tour bus. I wasn’t sure if they would allow dogs and we had Varga with us but nothing was said when we got on. It was a 20 minute ride through mountainous countryside. Masses of orange trees and lemon trees with ripe fruit hanging from the branches. We were dropped off at the ticket office, paid for our tickets, 20 euros, and walked along a lovely treelined walk way, up some stairs and suddenly there it was, the theater. It was amazingly well preserved. The acoustics were incredible. We climbed up to the very top and from there we could hear a group of school children singing, not just that they were singing, we could distinguish the words they were singing and it was as if they were right in front of us. Then the teacher sang a solo acapella that was beautiful and we could hear her perfectly well. At one point there was a couple that walked across the stage down at ground level and we could actually hear their steps. Incredible that construction could be so precise and technically perfect 3000 years ago. As we were getting ready to go down and out of the theater, a functionary came up to us and said”No dogs allowed!” I looked at him and said “but there are stray dogs all over the theater” and there were, several of them sleeping in the shade of the stone seats. But he didn’t care, we had to leave the back way which was the woods path at the top of the theater. It was really pretty so we didn’t mind. But Greeks can be very inconsistent. When we got on the bus to come back to Epidavros, the driver said, “No dogs”. “Hmmmmm, but she was on the bus when you brought us here”. “yes, but I did not know. It’s ok for now, but no dogs”. Fine. At least we made it back!

2 June 2025 Galatas west - Neoriou Bay anchorage N37 30.976 E23 26.562 Distance Traveled - .6NM Time Traveled - 10 minutes Weather - Sunny 26C Winds ENE 1-3 m/s Today was a gorgeous day, warm and hardly any wind. After breakfast we left our mooring buoy, thanked Jakos for taking such good care of us and tootled over to Neoriou Bay to meet up with Martin P and Sue. Sue came with us for a hike up on the ridge behind the bay. It was slow going as Sue and I had so much to talk about. Dan was constantly ahead and urging us to keep moving. I’m sure he found it a dead bore walking with us! He had to shorten the route because we were so slow. But we thoroughly enjoyed it. Dan named the walk on wikiloc “M and S walking talking route” Martin couldn’t come because he has a heel spur and walking is painful. In the afternoon Dan and I went swimming several times and laid on the deck reading our books. I’m reading The Great Gatsby and Dan is reading a book on Swedish history during Napoleon’s reign. We had cocktails on our boat in the evening with Martin and Sue and then went in to the taverna on the water for dinner. Varga was left on FRAM and she did not like it at all. She was very angry and upset with us. I took her for a beach walk when we returned.

27-31 May 2025 Poros, Greece We have had 4 lovely days with our daughter Stephanie, her husband Harvey and their two little children Viggo (5) and Margaret (1.5). They arrived at lunch time on the 27th from Kea where they had rented an Airbnb with Harvey’s sister from Canada and her husband. Kea is in the Cyclades and true to form, it was windy. Conditions were much gentler here in Poros where the sun shone and it was a beautiful warm day. Jakos took us all out to the boat from the ferry platform on Poros Town and we had lunch of tuna salad and Greek bread. Viggo was keen to get in the dinghy and try rowing so Dan took him out after lunch. He picked it up really fast and was soon rowing on his own, tethered to FRAM with a long line. This was to be his favourite activity for the duration of their visit. As soon as we anchored in a bay, he was in the dinghy. We had lovely days moving from one anchorage to another; Neoriou, our favourite, where Dan took S and H on a 6 km hike to the Poros lighthouse, Ormos Porou with Kanali Beach Restaurant that makes the best food in the nicest atmosphere. It’s right on the beach so the the children could run back and forth and play with toys that the restaurant owner leaves out for his own kids. We had a fantastic dinner of fresh caught Grouper grilled with lemon and olive oil. Superb! One day we did a circumnavigation of Poros island,13 NM. Steph and Harvey swam off the back of the boat with a line dragging in the water in case they lost hold of the boat. The first day and the last day we spent on the mooring buoy at Galatas West. We celebrated Dan’s birthday with a souvlaki dinner and a chocolate mouse cupcake and a dark forest cupcake. Both Stephanie and I went shopping during the day and came back to the boat at the same time both holding cake boxes. Such a treat! They all settled right in and enjoyed being on the boat. Viggo snoozed every afternoon for an hour or so. Even Margaret took longer naps than usual. We loved having them onboard and were sorry to see them leave on the ferry to Athens on Saturday. We so enjoyed getting to know Harvey better and had many long and enjoyable conversations in the evenings once the children were in bed. The weather was mostly good though we did have an evening of rain and some thunder. We also had a whole day of wind but that didn’t stop Stephanie from rowing to and fro between the boat and shore. After we waved them off, we took a walk round Poros town, taking the route up and over the highest point. We met Christina and Robert on the waterfront for a drink and had dinner at the Buthcher's Taverna. Only meat of course, but nice place.

23 May 2025 Ermioni - Porostown, South quay N37 29.891 E23 27.261 Distance Traveled - 19 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 25C Wind SE 1-5 m/ks (2-10 knots) We managed to get 2 hours of sailing on the genoa as we rounded the corner towards Poros channel. Otherwise we motored. There was plenty of room on the south quay as all the charter boats left for Athens and the return of their chartered boats. We laid up alongside and decided to stay the night. We needed provisions and water in our tank. And we needed to clean FRAM up. She was looking like a pigpen! Her sides were dirty from the fenders and the strong surge back in Monemvasia and her deck was covered in sand and small stones from the dinghy that we store on deck when we sail. The windows were all covered in a brown sand so one could hardly see through them. Once Dan got the hose hooked up we gave FRAM a thorough bath so she will look her best with Stephanie Harvey Viggo and little Mini-Margaret arrive on the 27th. In the evening we took the boat taxi over to Galatas to have dinner onboard Aubade with Martin and Sue. Aubade is the boat that Dan and I met on way back in 1977. After meeting up totally unexpectedly last year here in Poros we have kept contact and get together whenever we come to Poros. The. Taxi boats run regularly until midnight, then every half hour for the rest of the night. We got back just before midnight. Poros has become our favourite place in Greece. The town is so cute with lovely little windy streets climbing up the hill and wonderful shops and restaurants and cafés. There is a constant bustle of activity when the ferries from Athens and Hydra come in dumping tourists and taking on those whose vacation is over. We found a laundry service that does our wash for 10 Euros per load including wash/dry/fold. I love it! Almost across the street is a library exchange with books in all languages. We have picked up a few books and contributed a few books. Across from the library is a baklava shop that makes superb baklava in small format. I buy some every time we go by there. The green pistaschio baklavas are out of this world:) There are great hiking routes all over Poros and we have been on many of them. Lots of pine trees, Eucalyptus trees and lovely smelling flowers abound. There are several anchorages nearby for when you want to get some peace and quiet and all have tavernas nearby.

22 May 2025 Molos - Ermioni anchorage N37. 23.151 E23 15.153 Distance Traveled - 9 NM Time Traveled - 2.5 hrs Weather - Sunny, dreamy light winds, 25C Wind E 3-4 (6-8 knots) We woke up to a beautiful day sun shining and light winds. The water is crystal clear and you can see every detail on the sea bottom. After a very leisurely breakfast we were disturbed by the chartered catamaran anchored next to us putting on their generator. Ugh. That was the end of that peaceful ambiance. Dan hauled up the anchor and we tootled off to Ermioni; one of our favorite places after Poros. Dan dropped the anchor close to the marina entrance in 5 meters depth in mud. The anchorage is really lovely off a wooded park and close to the town centre. I went ashore and visited the little supermarket, the butcher’s and the baker’s. Dan went for a run and we had cocktails in the c cockpit watching boats come in to anchor. By nightfall we were about 15 boats anchored there.

21 May 2025 Porto Heli - Molos, Hydra N37 19.428 E23 24.768 Distance Traveled - 18.3 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 24C. Wind 1-3 m/s (2-6 knots) We left Porto Helo after breakfast and made our way southwards between mainland Peleponnese and the island of Spetsai before turning eastwards past Dokos on our starboard and headed for a lovely little anchorage on Hydra’s northwest coast called Molos. As the winds were too light for sailing (we did try) we motored most of the way. Hellenic Seaways ferries plied the islands passing us back and forth and rocking us with their huge wakes. Molos is prone to the north but has a couple rock islands in front of it that break the waves somewhat making it a very calm anchorage. There were a bunch of boats anchored at one end with stern lines to the rocks. We were able to anchor in the middle of the cove in 7 meters of sand. The beach was small stones that hurt like hell to walk on so we mostly stayed on FRAM with short shore visits for Varga.

19 May 2025 Monomvasia - Porto Heli anchorage N 37 19.458 E 23 02.322 Distance Traveled - 42.4 NM Time Traveled - 13 hours Weather - Sunny, 23C Wind SW 2-4m/s (4-8 knots) Such a lovely sail we had and practically the whole way though it was slow going. We never reached 5 knots, mostly 2.3-4.5 knots but we didn’t care, it was warm, the sun was shining and it was ever so peaceful. We took turns taking hour long watches, sunning and reading our books. As we passed Spetsai there was a long string of charter boats beating a path to the harbour there. It’s supposed to be a very hot spot for tourists. We haven’t been there yet because the harbour is horrible. There’s no order and it’s crowded as can be. We continued past another couple NM to get here at Porto Heli’s anchorage. From the sky it looks like a key hole. A channel. leads you in to a big round bay surrounded by the pine trees, houses, hotels and a marina/town center. It’s very picturesque. Dan dropped the anchor in almost exactly the same spot we anchored here last year in 3.9m of water and close to shore for rowing. 2 of the Swedish boats from Monomvasia are here; Vision and Freya. We got things settled and then Dan took Varga to shore for a quick visit while I took a swim round the boat and got cocktails and dinner ready. Dan barbecued beef steaks and I made a very light pasta dish with just olive oil, garlic and parsley and a greek salad. Yum. We opened a bottle of red wine too. I bought a few bottles of both white and red at Monemvasia because they seem to have a reputation for great wines. I don’t completely agree having tried 3 reds so far. They are expensive too. So not going that route again. Ouzo and Greek beer (Mythos) are much better bets. Varga has had her last trip to a supermarket. She snapped at 2 employees the last time we shopped. I normally have her in a canvas bag sitting in a shopping cart. People think she is so cute that they want to pet her and that’s when she lets them have it. It’s so embarrassing and I find I’m constantly having to apologise for her. At the same time, I don’t understand why people, perfect strangers, feel that they have a right to touch a dog, just because.

May 15-18 2025 Monomvasia What an amazing few days we have had. We knew next to nothing about this place when we got here but by the time we left we were little experts. The rock fortress of Monemvasia has been inhabited since the 6th century making it the longest continually lived in place in Europe. The Spartans left their capital of Lacadonia in the 6th century due to new marauders called Goths swooping down from the north and raiding and killing. The Spartans needed somewhere they would be protected. The rock of Monemvasia was perfect for them. On 3 sides it is vertical rock cliffs rising 300 meters over the sea. On the south side it has a more sloping contour where the Spartans built their city. For maximum protection they built on 3 levels; the upper level was for Noblemen and the Military, the middle level was for villagers and merchants and the lower level was a high wall protecting the village from attack by sea. There4 is only one gated entry into the village. Over the centuries Monomvasia was ruled by the Venetians, Greeks and Turks. Monemvasia became a very important commercial hub for the Eastern Mediterranean until 1453 when the Ottoman Empire conquered all of Peleponnese. It became a backwater place until modern times when it has become a tourist attraction. The village is still active and its main street is filled with restaurants cafées and shops. Much has been restored over the years, especially the Hagia Sophia Church. The zigzag stairway leading up to the upper level has been renovated and we were able to climb up to the top and hike around the ruins up there. The view was stupendous and we were lucky enough to have a brilliantly sunny day. The weather turned sour on Friday with very strong southerly winds and some rain with totally overcast skies, very hazy. The wind and waves caused a very powerful surge in the marina and all the boats soon had extra spring lines to keep boats still. We had 7 different lines keeping us in place but we were still yanked around by the surging water. After dinner on Friday I was carrying a big cast iron pot down to the galley when the boat was jerked violently by the surge knocking the pot out of my hands and landing on my big toe. It was ghastly painful! I have a big cut just at the base of my toe nail and my toe is black and blue. Not sure if it’s broken, don’t think so as it is not very swollen. But I have a tough time walking. On Saturday it was still windy but the skies had cleared it was sunny and nice again. In the evening we walked up to the village fortress and found the loveliest restaurant for dinner called Matoulas. It was at the end of a little side street to the main street and opened up to a beautiful terrace with a old olive tree in the middle and a stupendous view of the sea below and the mountains off in the distance. Dan had a pork steak and I had roast lamb with potatoes that had roasted with the lamb. It was amazing. A Greek salad as per usual. One the way out of the fortress we met another sailor, an Englishman on a tiny boat called Edna. He was waiting for a taxi to take him back to the marina so we asked if we could join. My toe had taken about as much as it could for the day so was very happy to get a ride in a taxi. On Sunday we puttered around the boat and went for a walk in town and an ice cream. All the Swedes left on Saturday so we were alone. We will leave tomorrow for Porto Heli so got the boat ready for sailing;took down the tent and put up the bimini, stowed stuff, etc.

19 May 2025 Monomvasia - Porto Heli anchorage N 37 19.458 E 23 02.322 Distance Traveled - 42.4 NM Time Traveled - 13 hours Weather - Sunny, 23C Wind SW 2-4m/s (4-8 knots) Such a lovely sail we had and practically the whole way though it was slow going. We never reached 5 knots, mostly 2.3-4.5 knots but we didn’t care, it was warm, the sun was shining and it was ever so peaceful. We took turns taking hour long watches, sunning and reading our books. As we passed Spetsai there was a long string of charter boats beating a path to the harbour there. It’s supposed to be a very hot spot for tourists. We haven’t been there yet because the harbour is horrible. There’s no order and it’s crowded as can be. We continued past another couple NM to get here at Porto Heli’s anchorage. From the sky it looks like a key hole. A channel. leads you in to a big round bay surrounded by the pine trees, houses, hotels and a marina/town center. It’s very picturesque. Dan dropped the anchor in almost exactly the same spot we anchored here last year in 3.9m of water and close to shore for rowing. 2 of the Swedish boats from Monomvasia are here; Vision and Freya. We got things settled and then Dan took Varga to shore for a quick visit while I took a swim round the boat and got cocktails and dinner ready. Dan barbecued beef steaks and I made a very light pasta dish with just olive oil, garlic and parsley and a greek salad. Yum. We opened a bottle of red wine too. I bought a few bottles of both white and red at Monemvasia because they seem to have a reputation for great wines. I don’t completely agree having tried 3 reds so far. They are expensive too. So not going that route again. Ouzo and Greek beer (Mythos) are much better bets. Varga has had her last trip to a supermarket. She snapped at 2 employees the last time we shopped. I normally have her in a canvas bag sitting in a shopping cart. People think she is so cute that they want to pet her and that’s when she lets them have it. It’s so embarrassing and I find I’m constantly having to apologise for her. At the same time, I don’t understand why people, perfect strangers, feel that they have a right to touch a dog, just because.

22 May 2025 Molos - Ermioni anchorage N37. 23.151 E23 15.153 Distance Traveled - 9 NM Time Traveled - 2.5 hrs Weather - Sunny, dreamy light winds, 25C Wind E 3-4 (6-8 knots) We woke up to a beautiful day sun shining and light winds. The water is crystal clear and you can see every detail on the sea bottom. After a very leisurely breakfast we were disturbed by the chartered catamaran anchored next to us putting on their generator. Ugh. That was the end of that peaceful ambiance. Dan hauled up the anchor and we tootled off to Ermioni; one of our favorite places after Poros. Dan dropped the anchor close to the marina entrance in 5 meters depth in mud. The anchorage is really lovely off a wooded park and close to the town centre. I went ashore and visited the little supermarket, the butcher’s and the baker’s. Dan went for a run and we had cocktails in the c cockpit watching boats come in to anchor. By nightfall we were about 15 boats anchored there.

23 May 2025 Ermioni - Porostown, South quay N37 29.891 E23 27.261 Distance Traveled - 19 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 25C Wind SE 1-5 m/ks (2-10 knots) We managed to get 2 hours of sailing on the genoa as we rounded the corner towards Poros channel. Otherwise we motored. There was plenty of room on the south quay as all the charter boats left for Athens and the return of their chartered boats. We laid up alongside and decided to stay the night. We needed provisions and water in our tank. And we needed to clean FRAM up. She was looking like a pigpen! Her sides were dirty from the fenders and the strong surge back in Monemvasia and her deck was covered in sand and small stones from the dinghy that we store on deck when we sail. The windows were all covered in a brown sand so one could hardly see through them. Once Dan got the hose hooked up we gave FRAM a thorough bath so she will look her best with Stephanie Harvey Viggo and little Mini-Margaret arrive on the 27th. In the evening we took the boat taxi over to Galatas to have dinner onboard Aubade with Martin and Sue. Aubade is the boat that Dan and I met on way back in 1977. After meeting up totally unexpectedly last year here in Poros we have kept contact and get together whenever we come to Poros. The. Taxi boats run regularly until midnight, then every half hour for the rest of the night. We got back just before midnight. Poros has become our favourite place in Greece. The town is so cute with lovely little windy streets climbing up the hill and wonderful shops and restaurants and cafés. There is a constant bustle of activity when the ferries from Athens and Hydra come in dumping tourists and taking on those whose vacation is over. We found a laundry service that does our wash for 10 Euros per load including wash/dry/fold. I love it! Almost across the street is a library exchange with books in all languages. We have picked up a few books and contributed a few books. Across from the library is a baklava shop that makes superb baklava in small format. I buy some every time we go by there. The green pistaschio baklavas are out of this world:) There are great hiking routes all over Poros and we have been on many of them. Lots of pine trees, Eucalyptus trees and lovely smelling flowers abound. There are several anchorages nearby for when you want to get some peace and quiet and all have tavernas nearby.

© 2023 by NOMAD ON THE ROAD. Proudly created with Wix.com

  • b-facebook
  • Twitter Round
  • Instagram Black Round
bottom of page