Bitter sweet moments aboard Sunday

Our second day of exploration by car around Lefkada Island in the Ionian Sea was interesting and varied – and a great way of keeping cool in the car’s air conditioning!

The temperatures in Greece had risen to 35 plus again and even constant dips in the sea weren’t enough to keep us cool. 

Our travels took us to a unusual monastery – Faneromeni – which not only had a beautiful chapel, some interesting rare Byzantine religious icons and other artefacts but also had a small zoo, lovely gardens and beautiful views of the ocean. 

After visiting the monastery we drove to the southern tip of the island to a place called Vasiliki which is world famous for its excellent winds and much loved by wind surfers. 

Apparently in the mornings the wide bay is calm with a light onshore breeze, ideal for beginner watersports lessons and stand up paddleboarding. 

In the afternoons a reliable katabatic wind (named Eric by wind and kite surfers) flows across the bay. It’s a very brisk breeze but since the bay is sheltered the sea doesn’t become rough. These are perfect and much sought-after conditions for watersports experts. 

It was buzzing with holiday makers taking lessons in various water sports activities so there was plenty to watch as we ate lunch. 

We had a few more days based in Vlicho Bay and then decided to go back to where our time with Hannah and Pieter started – around the Vonitsa area in the Ambracian Gulf. There were just too many people, too many charter boats and just too much going on around Lefkada. We were all longing for some peaceful laid back time. 

So off we went through the Lefkada Canal again , this time arriving well before the time that the pontoon bridge was due to open.  

It’s always interesting to see how different boat skippers behave in this kind of situation. There are some who try to over take every one else during the lead up to the bridge. Others are over cautious and have so many fenders out that you’d think they were expecting to be knocked into from every direction. Some people are very laid back and pleasant while others are nervous and snarky. Some people are plain rude and think nothing of aggressively pushing past you while you’re trying to avoid hitting a buoy. Such a fascinating display of humanity!

It was a relief to be out of the scrum and happily sailing to our favourite anchorage at Koukounitsa Islet. Seeing dolphins on our way also helped us feel we’d made the right decision!

We were able to relax here and enjoy walking on the little island, taking the dinghy under the bridge to Vonitsa for shopping or a meal, or to buy a delicious ice cream. 

In between outings we ate good food, swam, read and played games.

One day some local boys who regularly paddled out on boards or in kayaks decided to board a boat that appeared to have been unused for a while. At first we thought that maybe it was bravado and showing off to the girls (who we hadn’t seen out there before) and that they would soon jump off and paddle away but instead we noticed that they actually managed to get access to the boat’s interior living area and were concerned that they would cause damage if left to their own devices. 

Jonathan decided to go over on our dinghy and asked them what they thought they were doing- we were concerned that they might think having got away with it once, that it would be OK to board other people’s yachts (including ours!) when the owners were away. 

He took some photos of them and gave them a thorough telling off, saying if they ever board any boat anchored there again and he got to hear of it that he would show their photos to the police! I don’t think any of them will be inclined to do that again in a hurry judging by the way they scooted off!

We got up early one morning to walk up the hill behind Vonitsa to the castle- something we’ve wanted to do for ages but due to Covid, adverse weather, time pressures etc we hadn’t managed to achieve. 

We were so glad we managed to explore this amazing spot at last.   There has been fortifications on this hill since the 10th Century and the original castle was built in the 11th century and was added to over the centuries by the Venetians, the Turks, the French and finally the Greeks. 

There are wonderful and commanding views on all sides and because of its position the castle was very well protected from attackers. 

Inside the walls of the castle are traces of the central gate guardhouse, a building in the lower acropolis and a church on the southwestern side, dedicated to Agia Sophia.

By royal decree, the castle was declared an “outstanding Byzantine monument” in 1922.

On another day we took a trip to a tiny island just across from Vonitsa which has been named “Turtle Island” due to the number of turtles that can be seen round the island. 

While we were there we saw both loggerhead and green turtles – over a dozen individuals in the space of an hour. We also saw quite a number around our anchorage at Koukounitsa Islet which was lovely. 

We had heard about a hidden anchorage not too far from Vonitsa in a bay called Loutraki and decided on a whim to go there just before Hannah and Pieter (our daughter and son-in-law) left the boat. 

What a delightful surprise it turned out to be!  The water was clear and beautifully clean, we were the only boat anchored in the cove and there was a a fabulous taverna on the shore run by a guy called Lucky Bardis and his lovely wife. 

They had given up a successful business in Athens to build their dream. The food was delicious – many of the vegetables, olives etc were home grown in their fabulous garden and the meat and fish were sourced locally. 

On the last morning we went back for breakfast and were served delicious fluffy omelettes and a traditional Greek breakfast dish with brown bread soaked in olive oil and baked at the base and a tomato, onion and cheese mix on top. Delicious!

We went back to Koukounitsa Islet in Vonitsa for one last evening.  There was a new moon and a glorious sunset. 

The mood was bitter sweet as the following day Hannah and Pieter were leaving after almost three weeks aboard. 

This would not only be their last sailing holiday aboard our boat Sunday but were also our last boat guests ever as the very next day we were going to haul Sunday onto dry land in preparation for selling her.