Summary of Greek Transit Covers the period Sept. 20 to Nov. 19, 2002 Let me give you a summary of our voyage across Greek waters to Turkey. The first three logs of the # 23 series took us from Dubrovnik in Croatia down the Adriatic into the Ionian Sea off the west coast of Greece. We entered the Ionian Islands at Corfu, then visited Paxos, Levkas, Skorpios (without landing), Cephalonia, Ithaca, Meganisi, and Zakinthos. After we finally got our Plastimo stove replacement, (expected the first week of Sept., but did not arrive until mid Oct.), we crossed to the southern Greek mainland, the Peloponnisos, at Katacolon, making a day trip to Olympia, the original site of the Olympic Games. From there we sailed around the southern Peloponnisos, to Pilos, Methoni, Cape Matapan, Port Kayio, and finally to the island of Elafonisos, just west of Cape Maleas. Finally we rounded Cape Maleas, entering the Aegean, and stopped in Monemvasia, the Gibraltar of Greece. My favourite was Methoni, a lovely well sheltered anchorage with good holding, overlooked by a picturesque Turkish/Greek fortress, and with a long curving sand beach. It was in Port Kayio we were stormed in for four days, and found the interesting monastery with human skulls haunting one of its crypts. >From here we struck off across the fabled Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey. The Aegean islands are divided into several groupings. Our course eastward across the southern Aegean took us 70 nautical miles to Milos, in the Cyclades, the island of the Venus de Milo (actually, the Aphrodite of Milos, to use the Greek names). After some storm damage to Sprite while there, we made the eleven hour (52 miles) sail to Thira, also known as Santorini, still one of the Cyclades, where the gigantic volcanic eruption of around 1440 BC, which ended the Minoan civilization, possibly formed the basis for the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis. As we were getting short of time to get to Turkey by mid-November, we did another thirty hour (141 miles) sail to Rhodes, the easternmost of the Dodecanese, to Mandraki Harbour (its entrance reportedly once straddled by the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). We had to wait there for a few days for the next Force 9 – 11 storm to subside before yet another thirty hour trip along the southwest coast of Turkey (Asia at last!) to Kemer, 36 36.0N, 030 34.3E, just twenty nautical miles south of the major city of Antalya, our furthest east so far. Our arrival was November 19. We had three heavy force 8 to 11 storms of several days duration each between Oct. 25 and Nov. 17 while crossing the Aegean. We don’t like sailing the Med in the winter. The distance we traveled from Dubrovnik, Croatia, down the west coast of Albania and Greece, around the Peloponessos and across the Aegean to Turkey was a total of 1032 nautical miles from Sept. 20 to Nov. 19. Greece was OK, but we like Croatia and Turkey better so far. Hallelujah! We have arrived at our winter mooring! We are very happy with it. Secure, all the amenities, including a telephone, electricity, water, a laundry, and TV (We actually have a TV on board now!), and ….. Hot Showers! In the past three days here we have had a Turkish language class, I have had a haircut (first in six months), and excursion to a movie and a large shopping complex in Antalya, and a Thanksgiving Dinner. We’re hoping to be here, safe and secure from the heavy winter winds that blow across the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean We will have some work done on Veleda while she is out of the water, and while we are back in Canada from mid-December to mid-February. I’ll write more detailed logs when back and send them from my new computer on a P.C. format.
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