Thursday, June 15, 2006,
Hi from Tapestry,
On Wednesday morning we lifted the carpet and the floor under the pilothouse
and changed oil. That is always a messy business, but after changing a small
hose on the oil pump we did the job with not even a splatter. The filter came
off smoothly, but the shaft gland was dripping more than we wanted so we ended
up tightening that as well. It took most of the morning.
We left at seven Thursday morning and continued our journey east. The friendly
dogs on the pier were there to say good-bye to us, but that was all. The Port
Police came by Wednesday night, but when we told them we had already checked in,
they left. The weather was sunny and there was nearly no wind. The narrowest
point of the Gulf of Cortinth is a mile wide and a new bridge has been built
there between the towns of Rion and Anti-Rion. The bridge actually spans the
waters between mainland Greece, which used to be Athens, and the Island of
Peloponnisos, which used to be Sparta. It is a beautiful span, but to cross
under it one must call for permission five miles before one arrives and again
one mile before the bridge. The Coast Guard answers in English and makes sure
they know who you are before you are allowed to pass. I'm sure it is all a
precaution against the ever-present threat of terrorism. As we approached the
narrows the wind sprang up rather suddenly from behind. We pulled out the jib
and motorsailed under the span.
We were headed for the Medieval harbor of Navpaktos, a tiny harbor under a
spectacular Venetian castle. As we approached the wind continued to increase
until it was steady at 20 and gusting to around 25. It was all we could do to
keep control of the boat. We reeled in the sail and motored into the tiny
harbor, but as we swung around we could see that a large yacht had taken the
outside spot on the pier and it was questionable whether we could fit in the
remaining space. With the winds as they were, we would have just one chance to
moor and should we have difficulty the winds would drive us into the shallow
side of the harbor. It was a bad risk so we abandoned it and headed back into
the Gulf. Winds were still on the increase under sunny skies and we had a wild
sail, under just our jib, to Nisis Trizonia, a small island with an
"abandoned marina." Our speed reached nearly eight knots along the
way, and it was delightful downwind sailing. We found two spots on the wall
when we pulled in and we were safely moored by lunchtime.
This small island is really an interesting place. There are dozens of yachts
here from all over Europe. Many have been left while their owners returned home
for whatever reason. Some have fallen into sad states of disrepair. One is
sunk to the bottom with only its mast above the water. Another huge yacht has
its sails in tatters, blowing in the wind as it rots away from neglect. At the
same time there is an immaculate pre-war (WWII) yacht here, complete with smoke
stack, beautifully maintained and draped with white cloth covers from waterline
to cabin top. The piers are concrete and in good condition, but, of course,
there is no water nor electricity. Most of the dozens of boats here are in fine
shape and manned with vacationing Europeans, convivial and responsible people.
There is a small town ashore with a several restaurants, and Lizzie's Yacht
Club, another restaurant on the hill. We will try that on Saturday.
June 16
On Friday we rose early and took the ferry from Trizonia to the mainland. Our
plan was to return to the castle and medieval harbor at Navpaktos. The ferry is
a 30 foot wooden fishing boat, tiller steered, with a small cabin forward. We
opted to take the 9 o'clock run, but as it turns out there was no run at nine.
We had a frappe, or iced coffee while we waited. The driver told us we would
have to wait until ten. At ten, the boat was there, but there was no driver.
Finally someone went to find him. He was asleep.
We got to the mainland town of Hainai at about 10:30, and asked about a bus.
We found three people who claimed to know the schedule and all three gave
different answers about the time of the next bus. It would be either at 12,
12:30, or 1. Finally, we found a cab. The driver took us on a half hour drive
down the coast to the Castle above the town of Navpaktos.
The castle was spectacular. It was begun in 300 A.D. and protected the mouth of
the Gulf of Corinth. Here was a sea route to Athens and an overland route to
Constantinople. It was a key to trade in the ancient world. It was conquered
and rebuilt again and again by Turks, Greeks Byzantines, Ottomans and finally
Venicians. It is a sprawling fortress that caps a hill with walls which descend
to make several complete defensive enclosures. Each entrance is protected by
ramparts and at the top there is a small chapel, complete with chairs and
relics, with an open door, completely unrestricted. We were imressed because we
were the only people at the huge castle today; there were no guards and no other
tourists, and there was no sign that there had ever been any vandalism anywhere.
The site must cover several acres and there are narrow stairways to the tops
of the walls that lead to three- foot wide ledges where sentries and defenders
stood to shoot at invaders. It is very impressive and all the more so because
of the stunning vistas of Gulf and Bridge from the Castle walls. Below us was
the tiny harbor that we tried to enter yesterday. It was calmer today and a
small yacht entered and tied up as we watched. The town was delightful and
friendly. As we descended the road from castle to town, a Greek gentleman
picked us up in his small car. As it turned out, he had worked in Michigan
painting schools for the blind and deaf for his career and he and his American
wife had just returned to Greece for their retirement. He took us to his
favorite restaurant where we had a delightful Greek lunch.
Right on schedule, our taxi driver returned to pick us up for the ride
back to the Ferry. The ferry driver was not asleep this time and returned us to
Trizonia where we found Tapestry right where we had left her. All the best,
Hank and Julie