Nydri to Itea
26th to 28th May 2024
As you can see from the previous post, we arrived yesterday in Nydri, on the Greek island of Lefkada. Following all the kerfuffle with the mooring everything calmed down. A meal at a touristy restaurant (Zorba the Greek playing, plates smashing, very average food). A good night’s sleep followed.
Around 7 ish next morning there were sounds of people moving around on the boat next door. We hid, didn’t want to have to speak to them. After a while another couple arrived. I was making coffee and looked out of the window. The woman looked very much like the lady from last night, maybe her sister? The handover took place and the wheels of the neighbours’ suitcases trundled down the pontoon and out of our consciousness.
It was now safe to exit the boat to use the facilities in the hotel opposite. This is standard practice in a lot of Greek resorts. Hospitality establishments make a lot of money from visiting boaters so you can ask pretty much any café or restaurant if you need to use a loo and just be waved through.
Afterwards I followed a sign advertising a bakery and bought a couple of spinach pies. They seemed expensive, five euros for two, but when I ate them I didn’t begrudge a penny. The crispiest pastry I’ve ever eaten surrounded a delicious spinach filling. I’d only intended eating half of mine but it was just too good. Igor said the same and finished his off too.
We’d been in touch with Vik as we thought he might want to join us and arranged to meet him at Preveza Airport on Tuesday. I went online and booked a hire car for tomorrow and Tuesday as this would be cheaper than the taxi fare. It also gave us an opportunity to do a bit of exploration.
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. Our main task was to find the car hire office so we’d know where to go tomorrow. This doubled as an opportunity to walk around the town and explore.
The waterfront is pretty much restaurants on one side and tour boat operators on the other. The people working at both call to you as you go past, to the extent that we avoided going there if possible, it got a bit tedious.
It looks like a new marina is being built at the northern end of the road, the pontoons and electrical points seem to be more or less in place but incomplete.
The 'local hero' is the late shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis. He bought the nearby island of Skorpios, 3 km away, and married Jackie Kennedy there in 1968. There is a statue of him on the waterfront. Presumably, when they visited nobody tried to sell them boat trips!
Another street runs parallel to the waterfront. The restaurants here are smaller, mostly cafes, plus souvenir shops, car hire and supermarkets. Behind this is the residential area, very nice houses and a lot of holiday homes.
The address for the hire firm wasn’t obvious from the booking form, it just said Nydri Port so we trudged along in the heat, asking at every car hire office in town (there are a few) if it was the right one. I called the hire company. Their office was in Cephalonia so they didn’t know the area and told me to go to ‘the ticket office’. Which ticket office? The ferry company? The other ferry company? The pleasure boat office? I called back and the person I spoke to finally mentioned the name of the hire company. A quick Google search and the office, staffed by a lovely lady called Anastasia, was really easy to find being situated a little further along the street than we had walked.
By the time this was clarified it was dinner time. Yesterday's restaurant was disappointing so I just made a salad for dinner and we ate on the boat.
I have to say I wasn’t impressed by Nydri. We’d gone there because my American nephew, Chris, highly recommended it. He’d visited around 30 years ago when he was a young and impressionable teenager. He had a fantastic time, meeting lots of European students and going out carousing. Nowadays it’s like a retirement home for the elderly middle aged British. The only language you hear is English. Of course that means that it’s very convenient in terms of things we need as tourists but the gains in convenience are outweighed by the loss of the things that make Greece worth visiting. OK, I know I’m a late middle aged tourist but I’ve been to far nicer places.
Next morning we picked up the car, very glad to have located the office yesterday. The hire cost was only 29 euros but Anastasia tried to sell me an insurance policy for 50 euros. I already have an annual policy for this sort of thing which cost about the same amount for the year. ‘But 29 euros is just too cheap for this car!’ she pleaded, but it didn’t work. We had a lovely little red Fiat Panda for the next two days.
There are waterfalls not far from Nydri town, about an hour’s walk. I’d be happy to do this if the weather was cooler but it had really warmed up, probably 28-30C, so we opted for the 10 minute car drive instead. Driving along we saw red faced people trudging up the sloping road. I parked the car in the shade of some tall trees and from there followed the signposted path to the waterfalls.
It was beautiful. Tall green broad leaved trees grew at the base of a canyon, plants growing up the steep sides and big yellow butterflies fluttering past. The riverbed at the bottom of the rocky walls was dry, and we heard someone say there wasn’t much water in the waterfalls. No worries, it was cool and lovely here.
The rough path went up and up. We heard a loud croaking sound like hundreds of frogs, then turned a corner and there was the waterfall…sadly lacking in falling water. A mere trickle dropped from the top of the rocks down to a series of green pools, where the frogs swam and sat by the water’s edge. If I’d been walking for an hour in the heat I might have felt a little disappointed. As it was, having driven, I could just enjoy it for what it was.
We sat for a while by the ponds, watching the frogs trying to climb the steep, slippery walls without much success then walked back. A café was selling freshly made lemonade, so we treated ourselves. Perfect.
By the time we got back to the boat it was quite warm. We didn’t do much for the rest of the day, only going out to buy something to cook for dinner. We could have done some tourism but the thought of trekking around in the heat really wasn’t that appealing, despite the aircon in the car.
Early next morning we got a call from Vik to say he was at the airport. At around 11.30am we set off towards Preveza to collect him. The route took us across the floating bridge (Agia Mavra) across the Lefkada Canal which we had had to wait for when we sailed to Nydri. Guess what? The sirens sounded, the road barriers came down and the channel opened for boats just as we got there!
We sat in the Panda, first in line by the red traffic lights. As we waited a taxi pulled out from behind us, passed us and positioned itself right next to the rising arm barrier by the water’s edge.
He must have been in a hurry, when the bridge reopened for traffic it saved him maybe 3 seconds at most.
The drive should have taken about an hour but there appears to be a new road that’s not on Google Maps and there are few to no signs pointing to the airport. We probably wasted around half an hour at least going back and forth looking for our turn off.
When we picked Vik up he was tired. He only had maybe two hours sleep. We set off for Lefkada to get some lunch.
We ate at a waterfront café, gyros and beers (non-alcoholic for me as I was driving). The food was very cheap and the quality was excellent. Our table was right by the marina, prime spot. The town seemed very pretty and interesting. Why hadn’t we stayed here instead of pricy, ugly Nydri?
Vik mentioned that he hadn’t brought any clothes with him as his washing was still a bit damp so he’d left it in the tumble dryer at home. He was wearing t-shirt and heavy jeans and the temperature was probably 30C. Our first job after lunch was to get him some shorts.
Once he was comfortably dressed we took advantage of having the car to do a big shop at Lidl, rather than the many small supermarkets in Nydri, then it was back to the boat, pay the marina fees, drop the car to Anastasia, cook dinner and have an early night in preparation for setting off tomorrow.
Vik spent the rest of the day asleep, waking up for dinner and a can of lager we'd bought in Sardinia and saved especially for him as it has his name on it.
Wednesday 29th May 2024
Time to leave Nydri! I emptied all the rubbish and recycling bins then bought three spinach pies and a loaf of fresh baked sourdough bread for the journey. We called the marina office to say we were leaving and the pontoon manager, an English guy, turned up to help us. Igor didn’t have very high expectations of him, he’d seen him ‘helping’ another sailing boat to leave yesterday and it had hit us (no damage thankfully). He was equally helpful today. Igor knows exactly what he’s doing when leaving a pontoon, releasing the various lines in a specific order. Pontoon guy helpfully released them without being asked. Hmmm.
Once underway it was breakfast time. Igor and I had our pies while Vik was allowed to sleep in to help him recover from yesterday’s sleepless night and the two hour time difference. By 11am the wind was in the right direction so we sailed most of the day until we reached Oxia Bay just after 4pm. A line of mooring buoys stretched along the bay.
Mooring buoys are great, as easy as anchoring but you know that the ground tackle will hold you in place. I picked up the heavy hemp rope attached to the buoy with my trusty boat hook and Vik wrapped it around the cleat. By 4.30pm Libra was secure.
There was a restaurant onshore and I had read some excellent reviews but couldn't tell from the boat whether it was open or not. I took the paddleboard and went to have a look. Yes, it was. No boat slup tonight!
I pottered around on the boat for a while. Igor had a swim, Vik took it easy. Boats arrived at the other buoys. Around 7ish we decided to go to the restaurant. Issue: only one paddleboard inflated and three of us. Solution: Go two at a time. Igor got on the board first, then I sat down behind him. The board was very low in the water. I was glad I was wearing my boardshorts as they were soaking by the time we reached the shore. Igor set off back to pick up Vik. I stood watching the sun set, hoping to be dry by the time I had to sit down in the restaurant.
The tender from another boat pulled up on shore and 5 or 6 German guys got out. They were dry and semi smartly dressed. I felt scruffy by comparison but can’t be bothered speculating what strangers may or may not be thinking about my sartorial choices. I did however contemplate how easy it would be to nick, I mean borrow, their tender.
Vik and Igor turned up shortly after and we went to the restaurant. There is a fish farm off the small island across the bay which I think is owned by the owners of the restaurant. I ordered grilled bream while Igor had calamari and Vik, who doesn’t like fish, had souvlaki (meat skewers). I ordered chips to go with my bream and they arrived with the tsatsiki. Good start to the meal, chips were dusted with paprika and rosemary and cooked to perfection. The tsatsiki was pretty good too.
When the mains appeared I had to wait a few minutes after Igor and Vik for my fish, but to say it was worth the wait is a huge understatement. I think it was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. The calamari was excellent too, even Vik had a taste and enjoyed it and he hates fish!
All in all a memorable meal. When Igor went to pay the waiter asked if we were moored in the bay. When he said ‘yes’ we were charged an extra 20 euros for the mooring. Very reasonable fee for the convenience and peace of mind knowing we were secure for the night and could sleep soundly.
The way back to the boat was a rerun of the trip to shore. This time I sat in front of Igor and was marginally less damp. It’s all part of the adventure.
Thursday 30th May 2024
After a calm and peaceful night we woke around 8 and set off at 8.25. It was clear, calm and sunny, no wind to speak of so time to motor again. I had work to do so made the most of the flat water to sit at my laptop in the cabin for an hour or two to get stuff done. Vik got up at 10.00, still on UK time. Lunchtime came. I heated some aging pitta breads in the frying pan (too hot to use the oven) and served them with cheese, sausage, fried egg and avocado. Gotta keep the crew fuelled!
We were now in the Gulf of Patras. When Igor and I drove to Greece in our camper van in 2019 we passed this way and now, far in the distance, we could see the suspension bridge which crosses the Gulf, the Rio Antirrio Bridge. It’s a toll bridge, but so lovely it was worth every euro of the crossing fee. Now, we could cross under it for free.
The bridge is massive and built to withstand earthquakes but despite its strength it is graceful and majestic. Even from a distance it’s impressive, the sheer size made it seem much closer than it really was. The span is nearly 3km. We tried to guess whether it was longer or shorter than the QE2 Bridge that crosses the Thames near Dartford. Eventually we turned to Google for an answer. Rio Antirrio is 8 metres longer.
Five miles from the Bridge we were obliged to call the control tower for permission to cross and instructions. They said to pass between piers 1 and 2 on the north side of the Gulf and call them when we were a mile away.
A 49 metre motor yacht was crossing at the same time as us. They were instructed to slow down from 13 kts to 9 kts. We didn’t need to be told to slow down. They passed us by and went under the bridge, and not long after we heard over the VHF radio that they were speeding up again.
We went under the bridge at 15:18, I know, I checked my watch. The span of the bridge towered above us high in the air. What a sight!
Funny, whenever we go under a bridge I always worry that the mast won’t fit. The eyes play tricks with perspective, obviously there was loads of room.
The original plan was to anchor at Nafpaktos but the wind had picked up to over 20 kts which rendered that anchorage very exposed. There were a couple of other anchorages, also exposed, so we ended up in the harbour at Trizonia Island, 20 km from the Bridge, which took us a couple of hours more than we'd planned. It was well protected but busy so we couldn’t get into the marina. There didn’t seem to be much to see on land, just a few tavernas, so I don't think we missed out on much.
All we had to do was to find a safe spot to anchor. Easier said than done, the water was shallow and the bottom was soft sand and mud, not a great medium to hold an anchor. As so often happens, another boat had grabbed the best place so we had to explore, dropping the anchor then lifting it again as it wasn’t holding.
There was an even smaller island in the bay so we went to see if this had better anchoring. The depth gauge told us we shouldn’t even think about it, very shallow, so it was back to the bay. By now the sun was starting to set so we chose a spot, dropped the anchor and it seemed to hold.
We had dinner (boat slup with Kabanossi for a change). Igor wasn’t 100% confident that the anchor would hold so it would be necessary to do anchor watches.
Vik volunteered for the 12-2 watch, Igor 2-4 and then me afterwards. I stayed up with Vik until around 11.30 then went to bed.
Igor let me sleep until 5.30, so I got to watch the sun rise and the world wake up, listening to the calls of the birds as they started their day and watching the reflection of the moon gradually disappearing from the surface of the still water.
Friday 31st May 2024
At 7.30 Igor came on deck. The boat hadn’t shifted overnight due in large part to the benign conditions. We raised the anchor and set off. It was covered in soft mud from the seabed. Igor had to clean all of this off, not just because it looked messy but also it's important to try and avoid transporting living organisms from place to place as sometimes anchorages can have invasive species living there.
By now it was sunny and very calm. We woke Vik around 11am.
Today’s voyage was short, thanks to the longer journey yesterday. Our destination was Itea from where we planned to have a day’s sightseeing in Delphi. If we had stayed in Nafpaktos as originally planned, we’d have arrived mid afternoon. As it was we got there around 12.30. Arriving early meant that the marina wasn’t very full and we easily found a space by the concrete pontoon. There was electricity though the supply box had seen better days.
It was battered and looked like it was falling to bits, on a brick pillar standing at an angle as though it had been bashed into repeatedly.
We did the usual explorations once moored. On shore a lot of gazebos had been set up for an event which turned out to be a motocross ‘marathon’, Hellas Rally Raid.
As it was lunchtime we bought pies and ate them sitting on a bench overlooking the harbour. Igor took a photo. We realised we were all wearing bucket hats.
We bought ice creams and food and found a beach. Igor and Vik swam though they said it was very shallow. I didn't, it was hot, but not that hot.
We ate dinner on the boat then went for a walk. It was still warm.
Our route back to the boat took us through the rally camp. Rows and rows of motocross bikes, all clean and gleaming ready for tomorrow.
Quite atmospheric.
Once back on the boat we had an early night, Delphia tomorrow!
You can comment (or ask questions) at Libra Sail | Facebook