Arrival in Greece
Flinns
Terry/ Nicola Flinn
Tue 18 Jul 2006 16:59
slowed right down, and are firmly in the gentle cruising mode.
The leg from Rocello Italy to Corfu was a very mixed bag. It started out as
a gentle reach on the cruising chute for 4 hours,until the wind died
completely and we were forced to have a refreshing swim before we started
the engine. Shortly before " happy hour" we met a pod of over 30 dolphins,
making their way in a very leisurely manner. They were much bigger than the
common dolphin and they swam in a very sedate style. They had round heads
and many of them were almost white; we think they may have been Risso's
dolphins and they stayed near us for about 30 minutes.
That first night, the wind built steadily until it was a constant Force 6
gusting 7 and, of course, it was right on the nose. It lasted for the next
24 hours, all the way to Greece and was pretty uncomfortable. Because of our
enhanced speed we were ahead of schedule and decided to anchor in the lee of
an island just before it got dark on Sunday night. Even though the wind was
still howling, the shelter was greatly appreciated and we were able to catch
up on lost sleep.
We planned to spend a couple of nights in Corfu town, but when we got there,
the whole harbour was a giant building site with no room for visiting
yachts. We ended up in Gouvia marina which is rather expensive, but it
boasts many facilities including a swimming pool.We are moored alongside the
landing strip for the seaplanes as they ferry their rich clients around the
Ionian.
From here we plan to move slowly south through the Ionian sampling lots of
the little bays, islands and small harbours with their welcoming tavernas.
After that we intend sailing up the Gulf of Corinth towards the Corinth
Canal
