Two days we’d rather not repeat

We (Jonathan and I and my sister Julia) thoroughly enjoyed staying in Lakka on the small Ionian island of Paxos, despite the increasingly crowded conditions. 

You wouldn’t believe how many boats ended up anchored in that pretty little cove with gorgeous turquoise water! However, watching the antics of both experienced and inexperienced boaters trying to anchor was wonderful entertainment! 

Fortunately this little cove is very sheltered and has good holding so being anchored extremely close together wasn’t too much of a worry but I’d hate to see the results if unexpected cyclonic winds swept in!

Although it was very overcrowded we felt safe enough to leave the boat for a day so we decided to hire a car and take a trip round the island. 

Paxos is actually a tiny island – only 25.3 square kilometres (or 9.8 square miles) but the roads are mostly rough and meandering so it felt like we covered quite a lot of ground!

Our first stop was the small but sweet port town of Gaios. The picturesque harbour was full of fishing boats and small boats for hire and there were numerous quaint cafes and tavernas. 

We found a couple of really good gift/artisan shops where we were able to buy a few gifts for birthdays and a 25th wedding anniversary coming up soon. 

After a walk along the seafront we found a really great spot to have a drink right on the water’s edge. 

Later we had a very enjoyable lunch at one of the tavernas in the harbour. 

After more driving and looking out for suitable swimming beaches we found a pretty little cove which was easy to access and had the clearest water you can imagine. We had a beautiful swim before heading back to Lakka. 

Julia’s week aboard Sunday went far too quickly – the day after our trip round the island we took her to the “new” Gaios port where she boarded the fast ferry back to Corfu to catch her plane home. 

We had a quick turn around as the next day our prospective buyers Jarrod and Kat from Western Australia were arriving to have a look at Sunday. 

While Jonathan drove to pick them up at the new port in Gaios I did some last minute cleaning and bed making. 

We had already met Jarrod and Kat on a video call and while chatting realised, in true cruising yachtie fashion, that we already had a couple of connections in common. 

We were telling them that we used to have a boat called Bali Hai which we sold to a couple in Western Australia who had renamed her Sandgroper. 

“Did you say Sandgroper?” Jarrod said as he disappeared from our screen for a moment.  He returned waving a beer cooler bearing the name Sandgroper. “We had a drink aboard her just the other day,” he said. 

Just in case they didn’t recognise Jonathan, he wore a very bright turquoise shirt so they could pick him out easily. 

The next few days we got to know each other and Jarrod and Kat were able to explore Sunday extensively and thoroughly. 

After a couple of days of recovery from their long flight we headed over to the mainland to the Preveza area where Sunday would be hauled for the survey. 

On the way there we were shocked to see a large sailing vessel that appeared to have gone aground on the Panagia reef, which is just east of Gaios in Paxos. 

It turned out to be a 46.5-metre Perini Navi sailing yacht called Tamara. This reef is clearly marked on the charts and can also be seen clearly by the naked eye so we cannot think how the captain managed to miss it. Very strange! 

We have heard since that after an extensive rescue effort the yacht was removed and towed to port. 

On the way to the main land we were able to raise the sails and we were very pleased to see they were all in great condition despite the fact that they hadn’t been stored on shore over winter – something we normally do but didn’t do this season as we couldn’t find a sail loft in Montenegro that provided this service. 

We spent the first night at Koukounitsa Island in Vonitsa Bay. This is a beautiful spot which we found first in 2019 when we drove our camper van to Greece to see Sunday for the first time.  Staying here with Jarrod and Kat when they were seeing Sunday for the first time provided a strange synchronicity.

After a couple of days at Vonitsa we had a really pleasant sail to Preveza in preparation for the survey the following day. 

We were anchored outside Preveza Marina and it happened to be the final of the  UEFA EURO 2024 soccer match between Spain and England. We thought about going ashore but the game didn’t start until 10 pm Greek time and none of us thought we would make it through to the end as we’d had a busy day and had an early start the next day. 

We tried to download some vision on our phones but to no avail. However, we did get to watch some of the match on a neighbouring boat’s large screen!

The surveyor started his work bright and early. It was a sizzling hot day and we were all feeling the heat. The first part of the survey was conducted with Sunday in the water and the following day she was lifted at Aktio Marina – the lift was executed very efficiently, expertly and speedily. 

Nothing prepares you for the total disruption that a survey brings. Especially nowadays as surveys (in Greece anyway) have graduated from a survey and sea trial all in one day to a two-day marathon. I think it’s easy to forget that it’s someone’s home being pulled apart and although it’s all totally necessary, any surveyors out there should be reminded to be respectful. 

Literally everything we own was pulled out of cupboards, drawers and lockers, not just once but multiple times. For example, the engines were inspected at one point so everything was taken out of the bays for that and then put back. Then later, the engine bays were opened up again to check the through hull fittings.

The two rear cabins were pulled apart to check batteries etc and had to either stay in that state as they were to be checked for something else the next day or everything could be put back but it would all need to be removed again on the second day of survey. It was disruptive and frustrating. 

I think the heat played a factor in making the experience so difficult – as I said, it was extremely hot and the surveyor had to have several swims to cool down (he was English and obviously struggled with the heat) and he needed several iced coffees to help sustain him. 

The boat was put back into the water around 3.00pm but there was more work to do apparently. I think the surveyor eventually left around 8pm. 

It had been a long and exhausting couple of days and probably two days I would not care to repeat again.