Nisís Trizónia - Itéa

Pyxis
Karen & Richard
Fri 6 May 2011 22:58

Friday 6th May – Nisís Trizónia – Itéa

38:25.821N 22:25.210E

 

As the forecast was for sunshine (no rain at all) and light winds, we decided to get up early and go for a day sail, try out the sails and take a slow jaunt down to Itéa, possibly even tacking into the light easterly breeze – we also decided that if all was going fine, we would continue down to Kiato, a port near to the Corinth Canal, to allow us to pass through tomorrow as the weather down that end of the channel was due to start lively and decrease in the afternoon.

 

So, we were up early and motored out in hardly any wind for a couple of hours.  In the distance we could see the last of the clouds clearing from the end of the gulf. We had breakfast, and waited for wind.  It appeared as we neared the point rising sharply and then settled, we pulled the sails out and had a great sail, for half an hour, and then had to motor again as it died completely.

 

As the sails were performing (as was the engine) and it was still early, we decided to motor/sail on to Kiato rather than turn left and go up to Itéa.  This sadly was a bad decision!

 

We trundled on for a while and then had another great sail, close hauled for an hour, after crossing into another band of wind, before becoming becalmed again (we took the opportunity to have lunch).  We were visited by a couple of pods of dolphins whilst sailing, our first this year, and they were delightful, playing at the bow and jumping clear of the water to entertain us.

 

After a good morning, in the afternoon things began to deteriorate.  We entered another patch of wind, which then picked up further, this time from the east (straight on the nose).  We continued, expecting it to become light but it continued to build.  We were about 10 miles from Kiato when it really kicked in hard and we were being tossed around from wave to wave like a cork – the sea was steep (almost vertical) and about 1.5 to 2m.  It was systematically dislodging all the ships stores and sending them across the boat.

 

We continued as we hated to turn back after all the effort and we motored into it; so much for a decreasing forecast.  We started to slow down as the waves stopped us each time we crashed into one and by the time we reached the 4-mile-to-go-point we were barely making progress and we, extremely reluctantly, and totally frustratedly, turned back.  Although we would have made the port it was clear that it wasn’t going to be a tenable place to enter and stay with the wind and swell as it was.

 

Once we had turned, we were able to make rapid progress, but the rolling action of the swell up the rear dislodged the remaining ships stores!  Gradually the wind eased from a F6/7 to a F4.  We headed back to Itéa, our original destination this morning, and arrived in the evening, just as it was starting to get dark - amazingly the wind and swell followed us round and right up into the gulf where the port is.  We were worried that there may be no room for us and we were shocked to find that the marina was totally empty.  We were a bit disconcerted by this but as we are so tired and in need of rest, we have simply tied up and gone to bed.