ONWARD TO ITHACA IN THE WAKE OF ODYSSEUS – DAYS 105 – 109

ONWARD TO ITHACA IN THE WAKE OF ODYSSEUS – 11 to 15 AUGUST, DAYS 105 – 109

On Saturday morning we went ashore to the lovely Taverna in Abelike Bay for device battery charging, cold drinks and zucchini balls.

Job done, we returned to the boat expecting a second windy afternoon to sail on south. We chose to take the channel to the west of Meganisi, the opposite side being tall majestic Levkas. This channel is reported to be the most beautiful in the Ionian islands. The sea was still glassy flat as we motored west past the northern inlets of Meganisi.

As we came to the NW tip we felt wind and were soon sailing close hauled on port tack. There is one small island and we came into it’s wind shadow. Such a beautiful area. I put the motor on just to get past the island and continued with less speed tacking down the channel. 

By the end it was almost windless again as we set course for Ithaca, home of Odysseus / Ulysees who had returned to his island and waiting Penelope after 10 years adventures away.

Without trusty Yamaha in the unreliable winds of the area I can see why he took so long. As we left the shelter of Levkas island we were exposed once more to the swell from the “outer” sea and were happy to enter the calm waters in the lee of Arkodian island. Seeing two yachts anchored at the island which does not get a mention in the pilot book we decided to go in close to assess the possibility of anchoring for the night. We edged into a small steep sided creek which the electronic chart showed to have our anchoring depth and felt we were there at the time of Odysseus. At the head of the tiny beach were goats, donkey and some “shelter”.

Fearing wind blowing in later to this narrow slot we came out and looked at the area where the two yachts were anchored, lines ashore, which the chart only showed as rocks.

We decided to continue motoring and made coffee and biscuits “with extras”, meaning marmalade and Greek yogurt. Before coffee was made we hit bigger swell and wind. I set the genoa close hauled on starboard and in the evening gusty winds force 4, 5 and perhaps 6, we held course towards Frikes Bay.

Arriving before dark we checked out the difficult deep anchorages and the first two were just not possible for us with boats there and darkness falling plus difficult manoeuvre in the gusty wind. Across at Markenas Bay we saw two smaller yachts and went over to join them. 

The chart showed that we could anchor in 5 metres, but we found a swim zone and very steep sides and carefully chose the shallowest available place at 9 m and I put down the new lighter kedge anchor. It held us for the night but we were within 3 m of the rock at times.

Ithaca is tall, steep, majestic, beautiful and challenging. The highest point is 808 metres above sea level, but still less than neighbouring Cephalonia. The steep slopes bring gusts, anchor holding is often not good, and locations for us few and far between as we are not equipped with long heavy chains like larger yachts.

On Monday morning we motored to see the inside of tiny Frikes harbour, even seeing a space where we could have tied to the wall, but we wanted nature and swimming so went round to Ag Nikolaus Bay in which we had seen 12 yachts at anchor the night before. We anchored in another little paradise in 3.5 m off the pebble beach, partly shaded by trees, with a few tents behind under the olive trees.

The early evening was gusty but all was well so we went ashore to walk and explore. We went up the unmade road through terraced olive groves and where goats were grazing on apparently nothing. It was beautiful, and quiet except for the wonderful chorus of cicadas.

We awoke to swell from the sea but it died down and we watched many large yachts come and go, some dragging anchors, even 60’ yachts. I thought we were holding but after a few violent gusts swam to check the anchor and could see the drag line through the sand, also a rock caught in the three arms of the Bruce anchor. That one in a million chance happened to Apataki before leaving her stranded on a beach in Malta in 2012 while I was ashore.

Of course I put the motor on and hauled up the anchor. The rock stayed firmly in place and I needed super human strength to bring it up and to release the heavy football sized rock, much to the astonishment of the Italians anchored close by. My finger suffered a little and the boat suffered a breakage of a bottle screw on the forward beam triangle from the stress of the weight on the wire.

We re-anchored at the north end of the bay only to have a small superyacht, Malaga (London) under British flag but with Italian crew and owner family on board come very close to us. Flags of registration are becoming meaningless.

The night was calm and we awoke to glassy swell and crystal clear view of the bottom. Soon people came to the beach and small boats anchored all around us and we were ready to leave, motoring two miles to pretty Kioni. It is a gem but the harbour is tiny and as one yacht pulled out from the Quay the next was waiting to take it’s place. We should return out of high season.

We continued on into the large Gulf of Molo which almost cuts the island in half, except for a 200 m strip of high land at the west end. It is like being in a fjord with the high mountains rising from the sea. We anchored in 5 m over sand in Aetou Bay with just one other yacht, the red and yellow Italian Fragola we had seen in Preveza.

There is a narrow beach and road but neither were intrusive, nor affected the beauty of the place. We love to find shallow uncrowded anchorages in August.

As the sun went down behind the mountains the wind gusts started and pulled hard at the anchor for a couple of hours, causing us to stay on board for security instead of taking an evening walk ashore.

Morning started with misty flat calm. After a swim we motored into the more protected Vathy harbour, the capital of the island.

There was lots of room to tie bows or stern to the walls but without electricity to top up batteries, and with warnings about poor anchor holding and gusts we anchored in 3 m. Later I made a rough count of about 100 yachts at the walls and a further 60 anchored in the enclosed anchorage.

We went ashore for much needed fruit and other fresh shopping and found two laundries, one self service so made a load of washing while charging appliance batteries and using wi-fi in there.

We expected evening gusts but the most was a change of wind direction as the sun went down behind the mountain.