The first trip
My last post ended with our shakedown sail aiming for Vathi. The next day we managed to reach our objective.
Saturday 9th to Monday 11th May 2026: Away by 10am. Completely different today. The wind and sea were calm. We passed the other side of Moni island. There wasn’t enough wind to sail so we motored most of the way.
The village of Vathi sits on Epidavros Bay, looking towards the hills on the other side of the bay, and from the harbour you can see the umbilicus of land that connects Methana to the bulk of the mainland.
The harbour itself is tiny, with room for maybe 10 sailing boats. There were a few spaces and by 1pm-ish Libra was tied to the harbour wall. Once secure I checked Google maps to see if there was a supermarket nearby. Nope, but there was a place labelled ‘Ancient Acropolis of Methana’. It was about a half hour walk. Some things have to be seen.
The route took us along the waterfront.
There were a couple of restaurants, full of Greek people chatting, all with plates of delicious looking seafood. We walked and walked. The sun shone. We hadn't brought any water so told ourselves it wasn’t that hot. Eventually we found a tiny turning off the main road, only wide enough for one vehicle, with low walls either side. The flowers were blooming and there was plenty of shade from the trees by the roadside. This gave way to prickly pears on both sides of the road.
We passed an ancient looking well, next to two stone constructions, like dishes. Wonder what they were used for? Maybe grinding flour?
A little further on was a tiny blue roofed chapel to our right (the photo at the top of this post) and, on our left, a sign saying ‘Ancient Acropolis’.
We saw what might have been a path but it soon petered out. A high wall of big slabs of stone loomed over us. We made our way alongside and looked for where to go next.
Although the site was overgrown you could clearly see the remains of solid stonework building foundations, which even in their ruins had a sense of purpose.
It was difficult terrain for walking, loose rocks, spiky plants and steep but we reached the top. The remains of a lookout post with a curved tower still sufficiently preserved to give an idea of its purpose gave a view over the countryside and the sea.
In every direction on land were more of the low walls, the remnants of streets and buildings. It must have been quite a city.
The site is completely undeveloped.
There is no information, no paths, no facilities. Is there no will or funds to excavate it? I have a feeling that if you visit in 20 years’ time you would have a very different experience. Given that the Acropolis (meaning ‘high town’) dates back to the Mycenaean era and figured in the Peloponnesian War surely someone will take an interest.
On the way back we noticed that the lava outcrop that the belvedere is built on had the shape of a face.
Hint: if you do this walk take very good footwear. I wore hiking sandals, which are pretty strong and well made, but my feet got so hot and sweaty that they were slipping all over the place. Not a good idea when you’re going down a steep, stony hill.
In the evening we decided to go to one of the restaurants we’d walked past, only to find they were closed. There are three or four restaurants on the quayside, all pretty good, so that was the second choice. A bonus was the very, very short walk back to the boat.
Vathy was lovely, so tranquil. I spent Sunday morning cleaning the coamings (edges of the deck) and the bottoms of the stanchions. Hard work but the skipper of the boat next door, a South African, was chatty so time passed quickly.
Igor and I decided to try again to eat at the restaurant that was closed yesterday. The 10 minute walk seemed quick after yesterday’s ramble.
The waiter gave us a menu and we chose our favourites, grilled sardines and fried anchovies. The woman who ran the place came to take the order but told us she didn’t have either. Instead she ushered us into the restaurant interior, to two massive stainless steel fridges. Each was filled with trays of bright eyed, gleaming fish. She kept pointing huge ones out and saying we could share. I wanted grilled squid so said no. Eventually we spotted a smaller fish. She asked Igor if he’d like two. No thank you. We were so overwhelmed with ordering the fish we almost forgot to order the sides, ‘beetroot salad’ and chips.
The ‘salad’ came first. Slices of roast beetroot cooked to perfection on a bed of boiled or maybe fried beet tops smothered in olive oil. This was so much better than it sounds. The chips were a revelation too, they tasted home made with love.
Igor’s fish was served with a lemon, olive oil and tarragon dressing. My squid was just perfect. We washed it down with beer and staggered back to the boat then slept for a couple of hours. This is the life.
A very friendly cat came to visit but he was so good mannered he stayed outside, not venturing into the cabin.
Monday 11/05/2026: Time to move on, heading to Old Epidavros.
We bought a Rocna anchor for our travels to the Med and beyond. I find it difficult to control. Igor has the skill needed to get it to sit correctly without drama. Today he suggested that I try raising the anchor instead of handling the engine, my usual task.
I suppose it’s important to face your demons. This job is just a matter of pressing a button on a remote control. The anchor chain (or rope) is pulled through the windlass and coils neatly in the locker below. You see the anchor nearing the surface, it keeps rising smoothly and just slips into place….in an ideal world.
The Rocna anchor has a swivel where it joins to the chain. On one hand, this makes it very good at digging into sandy seabeds. On the other, it spins around so can end up in entirely the wrong position to go where it should. I misjudged and the whole bloody thing jumped off the metal fitting where it was supposed to sit and banged down, hitting the front of the boat each time the vessel bobbed on the water. Igor needed to come forward and retrieve it.
Once underway the water was dead flat - calm, sinuous, not a ripple. Libra chugged along, revelling in the peace and quiet. As we neared Old Epidavros I saw something big and brown floating on the water surface. My first thought was ‘ugh’. Then it moved and I realised it was a turtle, not a turd. What a sight!
Libra passed through the pillars to the port of Ancient Epidavros with their red and green lights indicating the deepest channel into the bay.
Where to moor? Stern to at the quay, and have access to power and water? By the harbour wall a little further along, very few boats there? Or in the popular anchorage to our right, nice and handy for getting to shore? Or go left, where a few boats were attached to permanent mooring buoys and no neighbours. Of course, we chose the last option and anchored about 50m from the shore. Another turtle raised its neck above the water near us as if to say hello.
Epidavros is a very popular destination and by evening most of the spaces along the quay and the harbour wall were taken. Lots of people learn to sail here, and we saw a Polish sailing boat practicing approaching the harbour wall repeatedly, an exercise known as 'pontoon bashing'. They had the logo of a Polish sailing school displayed. Back in the day Epidavros was the base for RYA (Royal Yachting Association)approved sailing schools. You just don't see their logo any more. Times change.
We took the tender across the bay and tied near the waterfront restaurants, where there is a tiny little quay just for tiny little boats like ours. It was lunchtime but we weren't hungry and only needed a supermarket.
The walk took us along the waterfront. There are quite a few diving schools, a great idea as the next bay along has a sunken ancient city not too far from shore.
The supermarket was a couple of minutes’ walk further on but it was closed for lunch. We wandered round town. Almost everywhere was closed, apart from a restaurant full of teenage schoolkids eating giros. Seemed like a good idea. We got some and sat on a bench looking at the harbour to eat them. They weren’t very good.
They were wrapped in a cone of greaseproof paper to keep the bread tight around the meat, tsatsiki, tomatoes and fries inside, but the tsatsiki somehow melted into a messy puddle at the bottom of the cone and leaked all over our t shirts. The only good thing to say about this culinary marvel is that we wouldn’t be tempted to eat it again from that place.
Went back to the boat, washed the greasy muck off our clothes and later on went back and got the shopping, successfully this time.
After dinner we sat on deck while a warm breeze carried the scent of orange blossom to us. Perfection.
Tuesday 12th May 2026: This season’s plan is to try and stay a couple of nights at every place we visit to get to know it better. We've been to Epidavros a few times before. The first time we took a taxi to the ancient theatre nearby. It's a couple of thousand years old but still very well preserved. The acoustics there are so perfect that someone in the highest seats can hear a whisper from the stage. Well worth a visit, it's really impressive.
On previous visits we’d only gone for walks near to where the boat was moored as it was high summer and stinking hot. Today it was in the low 20s C so better for exploring. There was a path along the headland nearest to us so time to have a proper look around!
Initially the road led to a beach, the sea on our left and a signposted pathway heading off to our right. The beach was edged by tamarisk trees, with clear blue water and a sign stating that the water quality was generally excellent, unless there were a lot of boats in the harbour. Yep, a lot of people don’t care what goes over the side but today there weren’t many.
Next we took the path, which said it led to the small theatre. Well, actually the sign was in Greek with the words transliterated into Latin characters below, not translated. Thankfully it’s not a huge intellectual exercise to realise that ‘mikro teatro’ probably means small theatre.
The walk was almost overwhelmingly lovely. It led through orange groves, mingled with lemons and old olive trees. The scent was heady.
The path twisted, then abruptly we were at the small theatre.
No entry charge, no box office, no tea room. Some excavated ruins to the side of the path, maybe the box office or concessions from ancient times, then, behind a wire fence, the theatre itself.
It was very similar to the impressive main theatre but we couldn’t check the acoustics as the wire mesh gate was locked. Rows of seats in a semicircle led down to a stage. It was the Burnham Rio cinema to the big theatre’s Leicester Square Odeon.
There was a noticeboard, giving context to the theatre's position in relation to other ancient sites in the area.
The path continued uphill so we followed it. It was steep with fruit laden orange trees on either side.
It climbed up and up, then petered out at the entrance to somebody’s farm, blocking the view that usually rewards a climb like this. The whole walk was a show of nature’s abundance. Oranges, olives, lemons, nectarines, pomegranates grew with abandon. I’ve never seen pomegranate plants before, the flowers are bright red, their base developing into the fruit.
The walk down was much easier and quicker than the walk uphill.
Once again we sat on deck after dinner revelling in the scented night air. What a wonderful spot. It seemed a pity to move on but there are so many places to see, and this year we are resolved to see as much as we can.
I could carry on writing and writing but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the next instalment before you find out where we went next!
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