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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
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Postcard from Leonie December 2014
Postcard from Leonie - December 2014
LEONIE felt right at home in Corfu where she, and we, were invited to take part in the island’s first ever classic yacht race which led to spending our first few days in Greek waters with a jovial crowd in the pretty setting of Mandraki Yacht Harbour under the old fort in Corfu Town.
Three days and a couple of hangovers later (having enjoyed two party nights featuring free bars courtesy of the whisky-producing race sponsors) we waved goodbye to our fellow competitors, armed with a cup for coming second in our class (more by luck than any skill on our part as the other yachts failed to finish the course in the allotted time).
We were also armed with lots of grease as too much water is coming into the bilge through the stern gland. At some point Leonie will need taking out of the water so we can fix the problem but for now pumping the stern gland with lots of grease seems to be holding the water at bay.
On our way south to an isolated anchorage called Ormos Valtou we managed a reasonable sail in a choppy sea and a Force 3 south-westerly wind but conditions must have been much more severe further north, probably in the Ionian sea on the other side of Corfu, as the Greek Coastguard put out two mayday relays to all ships in the space of four hours.
Our anchorage in a sheltered inlet was like a millpond. We dropped the hook in the innermost bay, alongside a couple of other yachts.
We stayed two nights in the peaceful spot waiting for the blustery southerly wind to change direction to make our passage south easier.
We walked over the hill and sat on the beach with a beer from the shack on the shore, watching the turbulent waters seethe under a leaden sky.
When we walked back to our tranquil anchorage it was hard to believe Leonie was afloat in the sea, the water was so calm.
On the third day, the wind had died away to nothing and we motored round to the small mainland town of Mourtos to fill up Leonie’s water tanks. We aimed for the quay stern-to, snagging the chain of a day-trip boat on the opposite quay in the process.
Carl untangled us sending his back muscles into spasm in the process, so I fed him a couple of painkillers after we tied up.
Minutes later a huge thunder and lightning storm erupted and the heavens flung hailstones the size of blueberries onto our heads.
When the flash-storm was spent a couple of bedraggled crews limped into the port and showed us photos of the waterspout they had seen spinning about in the sea.
Returning from a shopping trip that afternoon, I was unable to clamber aboard Leonie as the wind and swell had picked up so much that Carl had pulled in the passerelle and hauled in some of the anchor chain to keep her off the quay.
He was having a drink with the neighbours, Nick and George, so I scrambled onto their yacht and joined him. We stumbled back onto Leonie some hours later full of red wine and cherry brandy (and a take-away Greek giros) ready to hit the sack.
Leonie stopped thrashing about in the night when the wind eased but our short-lived peace was broken by thumping disco beats replacing the silence until daybreak.
For fun we left Mourtos by the southern exit, between the mainland and a small island, which was a bit scary as we could see the sea bed – it was just half-metre deeper than Leonie’s keel.
Two hours later we had reached Paxos and the beautiful Lakka Bay with its sandy bottom and startling crystal clear turquoise water.
We spent a few days in Lakka Bay, swimming, snorkelling, exploring Paxos on a moped and walking around the coast.
A German couple anchored nearby provided the on-board entertainment as every yacht entering the bay disturbed the middle-aged man from his naked sunbathing.
He would jump up starkers and if the yachts anchored anywhere near him (which they all seemed to) glare at the unsuspecting crews.
His wife got panicky and excited too and one evening the tension culminated in a tantrum of magnificent proportions. Two French men flew in, dropped hook close by, waited a few minutes to check it was holding then blithely leapt into their dinghy and sped ashore oblivious to the glowering stares aimed in their direction.
Ten minutes later, the thing the German couple feared most happened – the gentle wind changed direction and the French yacht slowly drifted onto theirs.
It was easily held off with a fender and a few minutes later lazily floated away never to return. The German lady wasn’t appeased though and began literally stamping her feet and shouting at her husband.
When the French returned she threatened to call the police if they didn’t move on. Her voice bounced around the anchorage as she continued to holler at them for a full half-hour until they eventually gave up and moved.
We left Paxos for Lefkas to fix our leaky stern gland problem. A friend who owns a yacht charter company recommended an engineer on the island so we headed off to meet him.
The entrance to the canal which separates Lefkas from the mainland is impossible to spot from the sea until you are almost on top of it. Once inside it was like being back on the French waterways we had traversed during our voyage south.
Attempts were being made to tow a yacht which had strayed off the narrow channel and gone aground in the shallows.
The canal opens out into the Inland Ionian Sea and stunning views of the mountainous mainland to the east, Lefkas to the west and the island of Meganisi and Kalamos to the south.
As we were anchoring off the fishing village of Ligia our gear lever cable came off as we were moving forwards. We had to switch the engine off to slow down and wait for it to cool off before putting the cable back on.
The tavern opposite beckoned and we enjoyed a ‘Shirley Valentine’ moment at a table set up on the water’s edge.
We thought we would just have a beer as we only had 10 Euros on us and the taverna didn’t accept cards (there was no ATM in town) but the owner said breezily ‘Don’t worry, eat now pay later, when you are passing again’. What amazing trust and another lovely welcome in Greece.
First published By The Dart December 2014