Transiting the Corinth Canal

Zakinthos, our first Greek port of call, is part of the northern Ionian Islands. The Ionian Islands are not the sun baked islands with white washed houses that are so common in Greek travel brochures. These islands are very green and more reminiscent of Italy. But make no mistake – this is Greece. We had a very pleasant afternoon and evening exploring the port and enjoyed our first traditional Greek meal, mousaka for Jan and roasted rabbit for Craig. We also had the wonderful surprise of a slip which cost only 19 euros for the night! What a welcome change from Italy and Spain.

The next morning, September 17th, we were off by 9AM. Our route for the next few days would take us through the Gulf of Patras, Gulf of Corinth and ultimately the Corinth Canal. Our first stop was Mesolonghi, 43nm away. The journey was not the most pleasant – 15 knot winds on the nose with light rain showers and confused seas. Midway the skies did clear and the seas laid down making the ride much more comfortable. Mesolonghi is located at the entrance to the Gulf of Patras. To get to the harbor you must motor up a 2nm canal lined on both sides with salt marshes and houses on stilts. It looks more like something out of SE Asia than Greece. The harbor itself is completely protected and is an excellent place to wait for good weather. The “marina” is a work in progress. What was once an old municipal marina has been taken over by a Dutch/Greek Partnership with ambitious plans to develop it into a world class place. As for now, there’s no electricity but great WiFi and no charge for the night. It’s a 25 minute walk into the town which is where the poet Byron died.

Anxious to move on we were once again underway by 9AM the next morning. We entered the Gulf of Patras and had a fabulous downwind sail averaging 7 knots. We passed under the Rion Andirrion Suspension Bridge, longest in the world, and were side tied to the quay on Trizonia Island by 3PM. The island is lush and green but the marina has a reputation for being a grave yard and dumping ground for abandoned boats. Once again no facilities at the docks but no charge either. We’re starting to like this concept. As cheap as anchoring but you don’t have to hassle with the dingy.

The actual fishing village along the harbor is quaint with several tavernas which of course we had to check out.

We were up early and on our way by 7:00AM. Our port of call, Galixidhi in the Gulf of Corinth, was only 20 nautical miles away, but we wanted to get in early to have time to explore ancient Delphi. We motored the entire distance and were in by 11:30AM. Galixidhi harbor is absolutely charming and the facilities are first rate. The harbor was recently renovated with both electric and water available and once again only 19 euros for the night. In the 18th century it was a prosperous port until the Turks occupied the area and captured the fleet. A unique local character, the unofficial harbor master, assisted us with docking and then, when he learned we planned on going to Delphi in the afternoon, with taxi arrangements. Speaking a mix of Greek and barely recognizable English he insisted we follow him through a maze of streets to a home where an elderly woman greeted us and gave us glasses of water. A conversation between the woman and Capt Zorba (as we came to call him) ensued followed by a telephone conversation between Capt Zorba and a taxi driver. Arrangements were made and at 1PM we were picked up in much to our amazement a legitimate cab, a new Mercedes no less, and driven to Delphi. It turns out that Tonas, the driver, is the son of the woman whose home we went to. In ancient times Delphi was regarded as the center of the world. The place is spectacular, set high in the mountains amidst rocky bluffs and steep cliffs. The Greek gods Apollo, Dionysus and Athena are most famously associated with the site. Unfortunately the day before we visited there was rock slide and part of the Delphi was closed. We did enjoy what we were able to see and the museum is excellent.


Back on board Lone Star late that afternoon and evening we had several interesting experiences. First was a conversation with fellow Texans! Bill and Mary, currently from New Braunsfels and touring Greece with their son and his girl friend, strolled by the boat. Conversation followed and we learned they had lived in Kingwood for 10 years. Second, a group of about 20 “seasoned” travelers from the USA on an organized bus tour walked by the boat. More conversation followed and the next thing we know they’re taking pictures of us and Lone Star! Finally, after dinner as we were sitting in the cockpit Thomas and Linda Wildung from Christina, the boat next to ours, happened by. After talking with them for awhile we invited them on board and had a wonderful visit. Most amazingly we learned that Thomas had been with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and was the original Captain of the Brilliance of the Seas the ship we sailed on for our Panama Canal Cruise with many of Craig’s relatives. What a small world!

Sunday, September 20th, we were off early again. Our plans were to sail to Corinth and take a spot in the harbor for the evening. The next day we would transit the canal which was only 10 minutes away. We started off with threats of thunderstorms and cloudy skies. We arrived at the harbor only to find it very small and quite full. Technically it wasn’t full because one sailboat had taken up two spots on the quay. Even though the crew was on board and saw us circling the harbor they did nothing to move their boat. We had no choice but to leave. After discussing our options – which were limited – we decided to transit the canal that afternoon. We motored to the canal entrance and after notifying the canal authorities and a one hour wait we were able to proceed. The canal is 3.2 miles long, 25meters wide and is cut into limestone which rises 79 meters above sea level. At 3PM we finished our transit, paid the fees and entered the Aegean. It was as if we had entered another world. When we exited the canal we left the dark clouds behind and had beautiful crystal blue skies and excellent winds for sailing. We still had several hours to go before we would get to a suitable anchorage. Finally at 6:20PM, after 60nm and almost 12 hours we were anchored off Salamis Island in a beautifully protected harbor. The lights of the town twinkled and the stars came out as we enjoyed a great dinner on board - our misfortune of not finding a slip in Corinth Harbor turning into our good fortune of ending up in this beautiful bay!

Mama Mia! Mama Mia! We’re in Greece

Greetings from the sunny island of Zakinthos, located in the Ionian Sea. Lone Star has finally made it to the land of mousaka, baklava and ouzo. Our journey to Greece started almost two weeks ago on September 5 when we said goodbye to our last guests of the season, motored out of Sorrento and pointed the boat toward Agropoli, Italy. Our sail took us along the Amalfi coast passing the beautiful seaside town of Positano. We had a great downwind sail across Salerno Bay and pulled into the Agropoli Marina at 1630 that afternoon. We spent three days in Agropoli recharging our batteries after several months of “turbo touring” with our daughters, future son-in-law and wonderful friends, catching up on boat chores and bringing our neglected blog up to date.

Agropoli is a charming port town set in a pastoral setting. Steep roads from the marina lead up to the town square with several blocks of pedestrian only streets perfect for strolling. From Agropoli we left Italy’s mainland and sailed overnight to Messina, Sicily departing on September 8 and arriving the next morning. We now could tell summer was ending and fall was in the air as the constant days of cloudless skies and high temps were departing. The weather was definitely becoming more unsettled and unpredictable and the temperatures had dropped just a bit. While the marina and marina staff was nice we found the town of Messina not so nice. No nearby cafes and not very well kept. We spent two days in Messina, one due to a weather delay and were glad to get underway on Friday, September 11. Our destination was Riposto, 32 nautical miles further down the Straits of Messina.

During the trip to Riposto we spotted Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, a cruise ship we were on for a family reunion cruise in 2006. Even more of a coincidence was the fact that at that very moment a friend of ours, Judie Tidwell and her daughter Amy, were on board. Jan hailed the ship on the VHF and was soon talking to the Captain asking him to send our greetings to Judie. The Captain asked if he could trade places with us and we were definitely in agreement with the idea. The thought of room service, massages, and umbrella drinks by the pool seemed very tempting! Alas, the switch didn’t happen and we watched Brilliance motor past on her way to Greece. That afternoon we got an email from Judie saying she received our greetings.

We pulled into the marina at 1330 and were treated with a beautiful view of Mount Etna from Lone Star’s bow. We spent our three days in Riposto tracking down an updated card for our chart plotter which included Greece and Turkey (since we were headed there we thought that might be a good idea) and getting the boat ready for a two night offshore crossing. Of course it couldn’t be all work and no play. On the day of our anniversary we took the train to Taormina, a picture postcard town high in the mountains overlooking the sea.
We toured the Greek amphitheatre, enjoyed a typical Sicilian lunch and capped it off with our last Italian Gelato. On Monday, September 14 after six weeks in Italy, we turned the boat due east and headed for Greece. We loved our time in Italy but it was 650nm to Turkey and we were anxious to get underway.

The winds were very light so needless to say the iron genoa did the majority of the work. We saw no wind but thousands of stars at night and bits of trash floating by during the day.The second day out we put time to good use and set up the downwind ballooner system. While the winds were so light it didn’t really help much we did accomplish our goal of retraining ourselves on how it worked. Thursday morning we motored in to the Zakinthos town harbor glad that we had made it uneventfully to Greece. It wasn’t long before Lone Star was rinsed off, we were officially cleared into Greece, we were showered and headed into town to explore our first Greek port.

Couldn't Have Said it Better!

Kathy kept a journal while in Italy. We couldn't have described the visit any better. Enjoy!

Kathy and Mike's Italian Vacation Journal

August 20^th, 2009

3:00 pm…..and so our adventure begins…all checked in and about to board the plane. Mentally trying to prepare for the next 14 hours of travel.

August 21^st

12:15 am Texas time... 7:15 am Paris time….watching the beautiful sunrise as we are less than an hour outside of Paris! Getting pretty tired of being on the plane!

11:30 am…leaving Paris…heading to Rome!!

1:30 pm….arrived in Rome AND our luggage did too!! Our friends who we came to vacation with…Jan and Craig…were there waiting for us! Went to their boat and have now survived our first very loco taxi ride! WOW!…..unpacked after our tour of their beautiful sail boat ….waited for the afternoon heat to die down and went out to see the Ostia Antica ruins which date back to 2 B.C. Doing anything to stay awake at this point!

Now we sit on the deck with our sundowner in hand…enjoying the cool evening breeze, a light meal Italian style and catching up with great friends that we have not seen in a few months. WELCOME TO ITALY!!

Saturday, August22^nd

Early starts to the day…taxi, train, metro subway…finally made it to the Colosseum. Quite impressive…also saw the Arch of Constatine and the Forum. Had a wonderful long Italian style lunch (Mike even tasted mussels)…Had Great Pesto!! Then it was off to the Pantheon and Capitol area, Palatine Hill and three beautiful duomos. Mike lit a candle at St. Pius V station in honor of school days! Made it back to the boat for snacks, drinks great music but best of all a SHOWER!! Mike has five nasty blisters but never wanted to quit walking around Rome. Even saw a church that had the same name as Mike’s mom!! All in all a very good day!!

Sunday August 23^rd …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Our day started with a vacation coffee or Bailey’s Irish Cream then we were off to the Borghese Gallery. A beautiful collection of art and grounds that have been made into a park. We met a family from Sioux Falls and another from Maryland. We had pasta and wine for lunch then headed off to the shopping district which is known as Rome’s Rodeo Dr. Then we sampled our first gelato!! Once again today we saw three beautiful churches. They are EVERYWHERE!!

We then found a little outdoor pizzeria where we sat and enjoyed the evening waiting for dusk. I had a Long Island Ice Tea and the waiter brought us snacks when he found out it was my birthday.

To complete the day of sightseeing we made our way to Trevi Fountain and threw in our three coins!! What a way to celebrate one’s b-day!!

Now once again we find ourselves sitting on the deck of the boat on the Tiber River sipping a glass of wine, visiting with wonderful friends and listening to Willie Nelson!! LIFE IS GOOD!!! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

P.S. My gift from Craig….I could pick out anything off the cart in Rome that cost less than $2. I got a shot glass of Rome!!!

Monday August 24^th

A leisurely start to the day…..coffee, breakfast, and a little preparation for our departure tomorrow for Tuscany.

Left around 11:00 to make our way to Vatican City. Took a tour with Angel Tours. Jimmy (from Ireland) was our guide. He had been an art history major and really brought the whole experience to life. Quite informative and entertaining. He even knows RICK STEVES!!

As far as seeing Vatican City…the museum…Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica….WOW…A THOUSAND TIMES WOW!!!

Now we are back on the boat once again enjoying the company, music and a little drink as we continue to prepare for a new adventure tomorrow.

Once again……LIFE IS GOOD!!!

Tuesday, August 25^th

Picked up our rental car (a FIAT) and left Rome in our rear view mirror!

First stop was Civita di Bagnoregio. It is simply not possible to describe the views. You reach the hilltop town by climbing a pedestrian bridge. Had a wonderful lunch of sausage, grilled vegetables and bruschetta. Mike even ate eggplant!! The food is cooked in an open fire pit! All this food plus wine and coke for four people only 25 Euros!! Pretty good.

As we left to make our way to our agriturismo (the farm house where we would be staying) we were not aware that the town we plugged into our GPS exists in more than one place in ITALY!! After two hours of driving (at least thru beautiful country and hill towns) we finally were convinced….most of us anyway…Craig was a holdout…that we were lost!! Got back on track and two hours later than expected we arrived at our destination. The views are more than you can even imagine. We were welcomed with a glass of the wine made at the farm by lovely hosts and got settled in to our new home base for the next few nights. We went to dinner and wondered around San Gimignano. Ended the evening with a gelato and an early bedtime. Very tired and tomorrow is another adventure as we head off to Florence!! CIAO!!

Wednesday, August 26^th

We have now spent our first (rather noisy) night in our cute little farm house. We enjoyed breakfast on the terrace and probably gained another 5 pounds eating homemade pastries, cappuccino, organic fruits straight off their trees, etc. etc.!! SOOO GOOD!!

Then it was off to Florence with several stops for Kodak moments along the way. Once there we went to see “DAVID” along with a few other pieces of famous art!! Now that we know so much more about Michelangelo thanks to Jimmy from Ireland, it is really more interesting to see just what a genius he was. We then wondered thru the city and found our way across to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge lined with so many shops selling leather goods and gold and silver.

We saw the beautiful Duomo, Santa Maria del Flore then it was off to another great lunch. Mike has now learned that he likes pesto!!

Then it was off to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. It was neat to see but Pisa is a rather seedy little town. We even saw topless working girls at several points along the road.

Beautiful drive back to our home base….stopped at the market so we could have a picnic on our terrace. Great day in Tuscany!!!

Thursday, August 28^th

Started our day with another great breakfast and had a note on our table about it being market day in San Gimignano.
We made that our first stop and that was really fun to see!! Then it was off to Siena!! It was awesome…one of our favorites so far!

We gave ourselves the afternoon to relax by the pool before our wine tasting and tour of the farm. Very informative and quite tasty. For those who are curious….extra virgin olive is made by using only one press and colder temperatures!!

We came back to our room for another picnic dinner on our terrace and had a little more of our vino!! Lots of laughing….lots of fun!!

WHAT A DAY………AHHHHH SIENA!!!!

Friday, August 28^th

Said goodbye to our agriturismo and are now on our way to Cortona!!

Home of “Under the Tuscan Sun” it was a beautiful place to see. Mike was even able to find Bramasole which is Frances Mayes’ home. We also found the best gelato in all of Italy right in Cortona!! A fun morning.

Next it was off to Assisi to see St. Frances. After lunch it was time to start making our way back to Rome. We stopped to do some shopping for supplies before we start the sailing part of our trip in the morning.

One of Rome’s crazy drivers actually tried to ram the side of our car while Mike was driving. That was a scary moment. We were all happy to turn the rental car back in and go back to very overpriced taxis and public transportation. OUR ROAD TRIP TO TUSCANY WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!!

Saturday, August 29^th

Started our preparations to leave Rome and sail south. We had a slight delay when an alarm kept going off - something to do with an engine…minor detail!! The guys finally decided trash was probably the problem we left the river to see what happened.

Once we were under way the alarms stopped going off and as we cleared the harbor we were finally for the first time in the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The colors change from a cobalt blue to navy.

Craig began teaching Mike how to handle Lone Star and before long he was actually sailing the boat and took us all the way to our next destination. Calm winds, bright sunshine but not too hot. We stayed only about a mile to a mile and a half off the coast so we always had great views. I even put out a line and trolled the Med! No bites!!

Sailed for about five hours before we made it to our marina. Got settled in and then walked around the marina full of cute little shops. Came back to the boat to enjoy sundowners and a fantastic steak dinner an oh yeah….a game of rummy cube!!

About 10 pm we went for a walk into town for a gelato and you would not believe what Saturday night in Italy looks like!! It is really a happening place from newborns to the elderly. Amazing to see….everyone just comes out to enjoy each other’s company.

GREAT DAY ONCE AGAIN!!!

Sunday, August 30^th

Sitting on deck enjoying coffee and watching the marina activity. Waiting for Captain Craig to complete his beauty sleep!! This lifestyle takes it out of him so we must be patient!!

Left Nettuno and encountered very large swells just outside the harbor. For the next six hours we sailed in less than favorable conditions. Never got sick but I was sure praying for calmer seas. The weather was fine but the swells were not!!

Sailed to Ponza which is a vacation destination for locals and tourists? The swells seemed to calm as we came closer to the islands. Found a spot to anchor and enjoyed swimming in the Med for the first time. I was just thankful to be in calmer waters. Had a nice dinner of grilled chicken and we are all retiring early.

Monday, August 31^st

O M G……….so much for retiring early last night!!! The winds rolled in and made for very rough waters. Craig changed out location around 5 am and then Jan came to our cabin to tell us we were leaving completely. Conditions did not look as though they were going to improve so many boats were making their exit!! It was too rough to even get out of bed to I hid under the covers, prayed and held on tight!! It was rather scary although Craig and Jan assured me the boat was never in any kind of danger. GOOD TO KNOW!!!

We are now getting close to Ischia Island which according to the bible of Rich Steve’s rivals Capri for its beauty. I am SOOO ready to be on land!!

We arrived at our next marina about 2pm. It really looks nice with beautiful villas overlooking the sea. Now we can settle ourselves down after that last experience!! I think I talked to God all night long!!

We were all so tired from our overnight ordeal (especially our two captains). Got the boat secured in the marina and took a nap. Walked across the street to check out the town then came back to the boat for leftovers and an early bedtime!!

Tuesday, September 1^st

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DEAH!!!

Our first morning to wake up in Ischia. Everyone slept last night so now we are refreshed and ready to do some exploring of the island and seize the day. Checking on marinas in Capri to move on soon.

CHANGE OF PLANS!!! Marina in Capri costs 300 Euros PER NIGHT !! WE WILL NOT BE STAYING THERE!! Sorrento looks great and we can see Capri by way of a ferry boat ride to the island.

We strolled around Ischia, had lunch with a really fun guy who spoke English and taught Craig some Italian. We are now back on the boat for siesta time. Stores were mostly all closing after lunch. Italians take siesta time quite seriously. Had a really nice dinner on the boat…pesto pasta, bread with dipping sauces and of course a little vino!! Now leaving for our late night stroll in town to people watch and perhaps a gelato!! It is almost a full moon over Italy!! GREAT DAY!!!

Wednesday, Sept. 2^nd.

We are sailing once again and very thankful for calm seas!! We are sailing by a coastal town of Procida and Mike and I are going to take pictures from the dingy. Procida has so many houses of different colors. Really neat to see.

I had my turn at sailing Lone Star. Pretty neat. We even had a dolphin sighting today.

We sailed by Naples and all agreed to see it from afar!! Off to our marina in Sorrento which will serve as our home base until departure on Saturday.

Captain Mike took over and REALLY sailed today…no motors…just great winds. He got the boat up to 8.7 knots which is really moving!

After everyone was cleaned up and refreshed we headed up the cliffs into Sorrento city. What a beautiful place. Of course there was more shops to explore and once again the search continues for the gelato to our perform the best gelato of Cortona !!! Probably not going to happen!!

Thursday, Sept.3rd

The day began with a ferry boat ride over to island of Capri. We first did the Blue Grotto which was overpriced but fun and glad we did it. Our boat guy serenaded us in Italian as he rowed us around in our little boat. .

We then took the tram up into the city and walked around the very pricey shops. One stop at the restroom changed our whole day as my purse was stolen. My fault as I let my guard down and left it on a hook. It was gone in a matter of a couple of minutes. After filing a police report and having a quick lunch it was back to the boat to start calling to cancel credit cards, etc. Capri no longer felt good to me and I was ready to leave it behind.

Spent the hot part of the afternoon on the boat…had a dinner of leftovers and then it was back up the hill into Sorrento for the famous evening stroll and gelato. Tension still in the air. Ready to end this day.

Friday, Sept. 4^th

We have now come to the end of our dream vacation. Tomorrow starts our two days of travel.

The morning started with a big breakfast and lazy lounging. We went into town and saw the lemon groves. Then it was on to power shopping buying the last of the gifts. Mike struck gold when he found Captain Morgan in one of the little shops for Craig. Before the day ended we had brought back six bottles of it to the boat!!

We came back to the boat for the afternoon….packed, played rummy cube and watched as storms started building. At one point we saw two tornadoes which according to radar were only about 1 ½ miles from the boat. Boats were coming back into the marina at a rapid pace and we were prepared to take shelter in town if needed. Lucky for us we dodged the storm and our hope is that it hit Capri and took out my purse thief!!

We went back into town for dinner, strolling and our last gelato!! Next week…South Beach…Phase One!!

We are now back on Lone Star getting ready to call it a day. It will be hard to say good bye to Italy and the best of friends in Jan and Craig. They will be home soon and ITALY WILL FOREVER BE IN OUR HEARTS !!

What an adventure!! A once in a lifetime trip!! We are very blessed to have had this opportunity and truly grateful!!