P Kayio

S/V Goldcrest
David & Lindsay Inwood
Tue 27 Jul 2010 14:45

 

We left Limeni expecting another good sail, as we thought we could see wind out of the bay.  Fooled again!  Instead we had to motor all morning in lumpy seas which left first mate feeling a bit queasy for the first time in ages.  However we were treated to more wonderful views of tower houses and amazing coastal geology with many caves. The wind eventually arrived and we rounded Cape Matapan with two reefs in the sails which was exciting – we were hit by gusts of 30kts as we jibed around the cape.  This is the second most southerly point on the European mainland after the cape at Gibraltar.  Porto Kayio was a very romantic spot as it was surrounded by more of these Maniot settlements, plus a monastery and several chapels.  It was also a breezy anchorage and we ended up by using our second anchor to help keep us from swinging into a neighbour in the busy little harbour.  This is one of those places given a new lease of life by the arrival of yachties plus touring campervans in recent years.  Before that there were just a few fishermen and their families.