To Port Zákinthos again!

We left Vathi at 10 am on Saturday 26 July planning to sail 20 miles south to spend the night at Póros on Cephalonia; a convenient way to split up the journey back to Port Zákinthos. However, we had one more stop before we left Ithaca and that was at Pera Pigadhi near the southeast corner of the island.

Koraka above the narrow channel between Pera Pigadhi island and Ithaca

As we approached the anchorage through the narrow channel between Pera Pigadhi island and Ithaca we could see the crag above the bay called Koraka, Raven’s Rock, (pictured above) referred to as the Korax in the Odyssey.

The channel by Pera Pigadhi is about 4 metres deep and the water is beautifully clear and turquoise above the sand. We anchored close to the channel and snorkelled back through it. There were loads of fish and again it seemd as if we were swimming in an aquarium. On the rocks close to where BV was anchored Chalotte found several bright red starfish which resulted in the 2 facemasks being passed around so that everyone could get a good look.

We stayed in Pera Pigadhi for lunch and then headed south for Póros. The obvious valley behind the town came into view and we made our way into the port to its left. There was space on the old ferry ramp again, so we moored there and then found the place filling up quickly. Bob and Andrea, an English couple, who live and work in Greece, moored their yacht Dreamer, (a 40’ Cevit), next to us. They know the area well and as they had also kept Dreamer out in Turkey for a while (which is where we plan to end this season), we had some useful discussions on getting work done on a yacht and regulations to be aware of when checking into Turkey. The German yacht on our other side was crewed by a lively gang and, with boats arriving in quick succession and everyone helping with lines, Póros quayside suddenly got busy.

Sunday was Charlotte’s last full day on holiday with us. She wanted to have one last holiday swim and so we left Port Póros and anchored in a lovely bay just to the south; the same spot we had anchored in on 18 July. We all swam and enjoyed watching the fish and then it was time to head back to Port Zákinthos. Going swimming had allowed a little more time for the wind to build and so Charlotte also got a good sail for most of the 25 miles back to Zákinthos. Now very familiar with the port we were pleased to find space in the normal yacht area and were moored up by 16:30.

Sunday was inevitably an early start to get Charlotte a taxi and on to the airport for her flight home but that all went smoothly. With just the two of us back on board BV we spent the rest of the day tackling the list of chores. The mountain of washing was done, which took all day, and then we filled the water tanks and also topped up with diesel. The fridge needed a defrost and clean so, in preparation, we had eaten down our food supplies. Whilst Nicky tackled the jobs on board I made several runs for food so that we had some thing to eat for the next few days.

Several of the sailors we had met had recommended the Greek Pilot books by Captain Nicholas Elias so I headed further afield to try to find a chandlery. On the way I found the local fruit and vegetable market [Ed: which was handy as we needed lots of veg] and went past some of the Venetian style buildings, which had presumably survived the 1953 earthquake. I eventually found the chandlery and so got hold of the pilot books as well as some spare Greek courtesy ensigns. Cash only mind (a common thing in Greece at the moment) so I had to do an extra trek back into town to visit the bank because the pilot books cost a little more than expected.


Moored almost next to us were Barry and Catherine from Dinah, a very racy Jeanneau One Design. Having been nearly squeezed out of their mooring and onto the quay the previous evening, they moved alongside us when a space opened up and came on board BV for drinks. They are a really interesting Irish couple who live in Malta. The conversation flowed, as did the cocktails and we munched our way through a selection of baclava and similar sweet pastries which they had brought with them; absolutely scrummy! In the end they stayed for dinner as well. It was great fun and hopefully we will meet them again when we eventually stop off at Malta.

All in all it was a busy couple of days in Port Zákinthos but we got Charlotte away on her trip home and BV ready for heading north towards Corfu on Tuesday 29 July, as soon as the wind has built.