Although we acknowledged that travelling in the lee of Kafelonia Island would mean no wind, none was forecast, and it was the shortest route to Lefkás Island. It did, however, mean heading east ie backwards, for roughly two hours to clear the southern side of the island. What we weren’t expecting was the 15 Kts of wind on the nose as we rounded the southeastern corner of the island, slowing our SOG to less than 5 Kts. So, alter course, roll out the headsail and sail the conditions. Looking at the topography, though, we realised this was a local phenomena as the wind funnelled through the channel between Lefkás Island and Ithaki island. Once we passed that gap, the wind died and we were back to motoring, but we’d enjoyed a little bit of a sail for a few hours.
By 1430 we were approaching the channel between Lefkás and Meganisi islands. Given that this was charter country, there were plenty of yachts out and about, which, of course, meant dogging them as more than one tacked across our bow or cut across our bow while under motor in passing us. It was the typical “full steam ahead” mentality regardless of the circumstances.
In reaching our chosen anchorage then, it was no surprise to find that it too was a very busy anchorage, reminding us of Bum’s Bay in Southport, Australia, but Elaine wasted no time at all in finding the perfect open spot for Paw Paw.
Once settled, we dinghied ashore to stretch our legs and enjoy a snoop around, stopping at one of the many bars, restaurants and cafés lining the waterfront for a sundowner. What was striking, though, besides the beautiful flowers, was the price differential between what we paid for our drinks in the less touristy islands compared to more than €2 more for each of the exact same drinks we ordered.
Back onboard, while Roy removed layers of sand off Paw Paw, acquired by the numerous dirty rain showers we’d had on our journey through Greece, Elaine cooked dinner.
A hot shower and bed wrapped up our day, although we did manage to watch half a movie too before neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer.
By 0930 we were passing Zakinthos Island, where we had previously planned to stop, but went to the port town of Katakolo instead, in order to take the opportunity to see the ancient city of Olympia. We could, however, see Kafelonia Island in the distance; our next destination.
Besides a ferry crossing from Zakinthos Island, whose Captain insisted on nearly removing our stern, we also had a slight current against us for a short period of time, but we were able to maintain a SOG (Speed Over Ground) of 6 Kts and by 1430 we were anchored off a beautiful little beach in the village of Spartia, bordered by stunning white limestone cliffs and lapped by crystal clear deep blue water that changed colours with the angle of the sun; it’s been lovely to see crystal clear water again, much clearer than Türkiye.
The surrounding buildings were mostly villas and apartments, clinging to the cliffs and set amongst surprisingly lush vegetation. We’d forgotten how picturesque Kafelonia Island was, having visited here in 2012, when we first sailed around the Ionian Islands.
We originally hadn’t planned on continuing this far north through the Ionian Islands, but decided to save ourselves an additional night of sailing when we cross over to Italy, as well as give ourselves the opportunity to see some of southern Italy, instead of setting sail straight for Sicily, especially since we have a few days to spare in Greece before our Cruising Permit expires. Additionally, we wanted to avoid the risk of encountering any illegal migrants if we crossed to Italy too far south.
After we were anchored and deciding to stay onboard, Roy enjoyed a nap, while Elaine pottered around. Although there were two other yachts in the anchorage, it was so quite we could hear the birds ashore.
A light dinner was enjoyed before we both needed our beds; all the early morning rises were catching up, but not before we’d raised a glass to Keenan and Brooke on the closing of their new home.
The train arrived in Olympia at around 0930 and a short walk got us to the archeological site.
Olympia is a small town on the Peleponnese peninsula, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name, the birthplace of the most famous and important sporting event in the ancient world, where the ancient Olympic Games were held from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD (776 BC to 393 AD), every four years, as they are today and were restored in 1894 in honour of the ideal of “peaceful international contention for excellence”.
The site was also a place of worship, a sacred grove, dedicated to the Greek god, Zeus, from about the 10th century BC. Greek mythology credited the greatest of the Greek heroes, Heracles, whose name was later romanticised as Hercules, with devising the running races at Olympia to celebrate the completion of one of his twelve “Labours”, a series of episodes carried out as a penance.
Deciding to walk to the furthest point, we passed the various excavated ruins, including the Phidias workshop, the Palaestra, a center for wrestling, and the Leonideum before reaching the more well known constructions.
The Council House Bouleyterion (6th - 5th Century BC) was the meeting building for the Olympic Council. Here the athletes and the judges took the sacred oath before the beginning of the games. An Ionian portico was added on the east side of the complex in the 5th Century BC.
The Base of Paeonios’ Victory (5th Century BC) where the statue of the winged Victory, made by the famous sculptor, Paeonios, stood on the tall triangular base. The base is 9m high and, combined with the statue, stood 12m in height. On the front side of the base there was a votive inscription, now on display, together with the statue of Victory, in the Museum of Olympia, detailing the triumphant victory of the Messenians and Naupactians, the donors of the statue to the Sanctuary, over the Spartans in 421 BC. On the lower part of the base a later inscription was engraved by the Messenians around 135 BC.
The Votive Monument of Ptolemy II, a construction sponsored around 270 BC by the Ptolemaic dynasty, based in Alexandria, Egypt, during the turbulent Age of the Successors following the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC).
The Temple of Zeus (470-457 BC), a model "canon" of the Doric Order peripteral temples, with six columns on the narrow sides and thirteen columns on the long sides, designed by architect, Libon the Elean. Positioned in the cella, the inner chamber of an ancient Greek temple, was the colossal gold-and-ivory made cult statue of Zeus, sitting 12m in height, and is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, fashioned by the renowned Athenian sculptor, Pheidias. The two pediments were decorated with marble sculptures depicting mythological scenes; the east pediment depicted the contest between Pelops and Oinomaos, while the west pediment depicted the fight between Lapiths and Centaurs. The “Labours of Heracles” were depicted on the twelve interior "metopae", a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze. Unfortunately the temple was destroyed by the earthquakes of 522 and 55l AD.
The Bases of Zanes (4th - 1st Century BC); the Zanes (plural form of the name Zeus), were bronze statues of Zeus placed on the sixteen bases. They were erected with the fines imposed on athletes who had committed the offence of cheating. The inscriptions on the bases named the athlete and the nature of the infringement, for which he was penalised. The position of the Zanes along the way to the Stadion was a warning to all competitors.
The Stadium (Middle of the 5th Century BC); the present (final) position of the Stadium is that of Classical times, with track dimensions between the stone starting and finishing lines set at 192.27×28.50 m. The embankments did not have stone seats, except for the “exedra" (platform) for the "Hellanodikae" (judges) of the Olympic games on the south side. On the north embankment, still visible, is the altar of Demeter Hamyne. The capacity of the Stadium is estimated to have been 45,000 spectators. The "Krypte" (monumental arch entrance) was erected at the west side in the late Hellenistic period.
The Metroom (4th Century BC), another Doric Order peripteral temple, with six columns on the narrow sides and eleven on the long sides. It was dedicated to the Mother of gods, Rhea or Kybele. During Roman times the temple was used as a cult place in honour of the Roman emperors and the cella was adorned with their statues.
Hera’s Altar, where the lighting of the Olympic Flame took place, and is still lit today, signifying the official start of the Olympic Games.
The Temple of Hera (End of the 7th Century BC), also known as the Heraion, is the oldest temple of the Sanctuary and one of the earliest known examples of the Doric Order in Greece. The temple is amongst the best specimens of archaic Doric peripteral temple architecture, with six columns at the narrow sides and sixteen columns at the long sides. According to legend, the “Iphitos' Bronze Disc”, known as the Disc of the Sacred Truce, was kept here. In Roman times, the statue of Hermes, constructed by the sculptor, Praxiteles, was positioned in the cella.
The Philippeion, probably the most iconic landmark of the complex, was a “tholos”, a circular memorial in “chryselephantine” (Materials of limestone and marble), which contained ivory and gold statues of Philip II of Macedon, King of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. The statues were of himself, Alexander the Great, Olympias, Amyntas III and Eurydice I, made by the Athenian sculptor, Leochares, in celebration of Philip's victory at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. The importance of the “chryselephantine” material used is that it was also the material used for the Statue Of Zeus at Olympia and it was the only structure inside the sacred grove dedicated to humans, thus comparing the Macedonian royal family to the gods.
Before catching the train back to Katakolo, we enjoyed a coffee and some very tasty baklava at Café Rodon, then enjoyed a stroll around the little town centre, packed with throngs of tourists as was the archeological site.
By 1400 we were back in Katakolo, although it too was busy, given that there was another cruise ship in town, following which we found a little shop that was somewhat comparable to a grocery store to top up our provisions before clearing out, enjoying a cold beverage at Azzurro Expresso Bar and returning to Paw Paw for dinner and an early night, delighted, though, that we’d had the opportunity to visit ancient Olympia, another highlight of our circumnavigation.
With calm winds and flat seas forecast, we hadn’t expected to sail or, indeed, motor-sail, but, by 0900, we had a light breeze out of the west. Unfurling the headsail gave us a little extra speed and a slightly earlier arrival time. Regardless, it was another long day.
Having passed a few nondescript towns along the coastline, by 1100, we could see the headland we were heading towards in the distance, but we had noticed the scenery had changed quite significantly; it wasn’t as rugged and it was much greener.
To pass the time, Elaine had a nap in the afternoon, following which we received word from South Africa that her brother was out of surgery and in recovery after a second procedure. Unfortunately we received a message later this evening, indicating that a problem associated with his first procedure a few weeks ago, had been identified. We await the outcome of that.
By 1600 the westerly wind strengthened slightly, which would have been far more beneficial than half an hour before we anchored. Nonetheless, we were anchored by 1630 in the port town of Katakolo.
Once settled, we dinghied ashore, finding a rather precarious dock, but deciding it would suffice until we’d had a chance to snoop around, before heading off in the direction of the town harbour and the Port Police to clear in.
What we found was a building near the cruise ship terminal that looked derelict, but formalities were completed nonetheless, before Roy returned to the dinghy to move it to a far more robust dock we found inside the town harbour.
With the cruise ship departing, the town was somewhat deserted, but we enjoyed a sundowner at Azzurro Expresso Bar, before having a tasty dinner at Mouragio. By then, though, all we wanted was our hot shower and bed.
Once we worked our way through all the anchored cargo ships in the Gulf of Lakonikós, we unfurled the 150% genoa, put it on the barberhauler, increasing our SOG (Speed Over Ground), helped by a west setting current, and continued on under overcast skies, both still kitted out in our winter woolies to brace ourselves against the cold temperatures.
By 1015 we had full sails up, enjoying a broad reach sail with an average SOG of 6.8 Kts in a 10-15 Kt breeze out of the northeast. Unfortunately it didn’t last and by 1300 we’d dropped the mainsail and we were back to motor-sailing on the headsail. Regardless, it had been a fun few hours and had helped hone some of our skills again. With the wind dropping, though, the further west we went, the more lumpy the sea state became; probably residual turbulence from the storm, but the sun was trying to peek through and we could see patches of blue sky.
After transiting the Gulf of Messiniakós, the western most peninsular of the Peleponnese could be seen in the distance at around 1330; always a welcoming sight seeing the destination you are heading to.
By 1800 we were anchored of the picturesque port town of Methoni, but it was the Bourtzi and the Castle of Methoni that captured our interest; it was spectacular, but it was only later this evening that we came to appreciate the enormity of the structure, occupying the whole area of the cape and the southwestern coast.
Once settled, we dinghied ashore and enjoyed dinner in the festive little square of the town surrounded by tavernas. We chose the Mohon restaurant for our light meal, before taking an evening stroll along the outer edge of the castle and the bordering cliffs and what a treat this turned out to be, in particular the magnificent sunset.
Research revealed that the castle was built by the Venetians in the early 13th century and is among the largest in the Mediterranean. As we rounded the corner of the dirt pathway, we were in awe of the size of the castle, the moat surrounding it, which separated the castle from land, the fabulous stone bridge consisting of 14 arches, connecting the castle to the shore and where the celebrated symbol of Venice and the winged lion of St Marc dominated the main gate.
Various reliefs, emblems, blazons, inscriptions and the relics of two Ottoman bathhouses have survived, including the fortified islet, the Bourtzi, built in 1500; a prison and a place where many soldiers and inhabitants of Methoni were slaughtered during the Turkish Occupation. The Bourtzi is connected to the Sea Gate of the castle with a paved tiny road.
Also preserved are parts of the well constructed stones from the ancient walls of Methoni, houses where the Venetian lords lived, the Byzantine church of St. Sophia, remains of the British prisoner's cemetery from World War II and, in the interior of the walls, ruins of Turkish military establishments, as well as parts of the Byzantine fortification in one of the towers.
Inscribed plaques include the coat of arms of the families of the Foscarini, Foscolo and Bembo, to which the inscription denotes the construction of the Bembo battlement, just before 1500 and an inscribed plaque from the time when General Loredan was in command of the Peleponnese.
Throughout history, the castle has been occupied by the Venetians, on two separate occasions, the Turks during the Ottoman Empire and the French.
For us, though, it was a fascinating structure and a wonderful experience to have seen it.
A check of the conditions at 0900 hadn’t changed our minds; we were staying put. It seemed the low pressure system had moved northeast towards us, rather than southeast away from us, increasing the strength of the wind and, of course, whipping up the sea. There was absolutely nothing we could do, but wait it out!
Another assessment of the weather at noon determined that we were definitely not weighing anchor today after all, given that the conditions had not abated at all, as forecast, and there wasn’t an anchorage further west we could reach before nightfall if we left anytime after midday. Except for a few drops of rain for a minute or two, nothing had changed. However, the rain was, at least, a good sign that the front was moving over us, indicating improved weather behind it. Regardless, we were hunkered down for another night whether we liked it or not!
By 1700 the winds had started to abate, thankfully, making an early morning departure tomorrow more likely.
In between weather watch, we spent the day reading and lounging around, but also did a bit of cleaning, since we had the time. Aside from that, it was another uninteresting day stuck on Paw Paw in howling winds.
Dinner and a movie wrapped up the day.
Another perusal of the weather forecast indicated that we were definitely staying put, but we were surprised to see three of the yachts, that had anchored overnight in the bay, set sail, causing us to second guess our decision.
However, after another “conflab”, we stuck with our rules of thumb: we sail our own sail, we never leave on a closing weather window ie conditions deteriorating before they improve and we never sail on a schedule or succumb to “get-there-itis”.
As the day progressed, we acknowledged another good decisions, as the conditions deteriorated to near gale, rather than the strong breeze category of the beaufort scale. We were glad we’d stayed put; we had good holding in sand, plenty of swing room with a 7:1 scope and we were comfortable in a large shallow sandy bay.
A morning nap, followed by a late morning coffee helped pass the morning and by lunchtime the winds had subsided from 25-30 Kts sustained, gusting to 33 Kts, down to 10-15 Kts, gusting to 22 Kts, but actuals to the west of us were showing winds reaching speeds in excess of 40 Kts.
We whiled away the afternoon watching a movie, then enjoyed another nap before dinner, waking to find a few more yachts in the anchorage.
Although the winds calmed briefly they increased in strength again when the forecast rain arrived at around 1900; of course, just enough to make the already dirty decks even dirtier.
A final perusal of the weather indicated that conditions were moderating overnight, making us hopeful of another early morning departure. So, with the alarm set for 0515, our day was brought to a close, but not before we received videos from Brooke of William’s birthday party, adding a huge dollop of cheer to our day.
