Mljet National Park, Croatia May 25, 2011

Having had our fill of sightseeing at major cities, we left Dubrovnik and sailed to Mljet Island for some back-to-nature relaxation. Mljet is well known for its lush forests and beautiful lakes, and it has been established as a national park in Croatia since the 1960’s. We were not disappointed. The waterway leading to the anchorage at Polace goes through a meandering stretch of turquoise blue water, surrounded by lush green pine forests on both sides. The anchorage at Polace is a well-sheltered, beautiful bay. Even though this is not yet peak season, the bay was quickly filled up, and by late-afternoon there were close to 20 yachts at anchor. We stayed here for several days, using our dinghy to get to shore for long hikes.

View of west part of Mljet, after a long hike....

Monstery at St. Mary's Island

Beautiful color, clear water.

Anchorage at Polace

Enjoying a beer and a great view

There are walking paths throughout the park, connecting several small villages that are all within easy walking distances. Some trees are carefully labeled, in Croat and English: Prickley Juniper; Strawberry Tree (no fruits yet, but are budding); Mastich Tree (fine leaves); Rock Rose (defiantly growing from cracks in rocks); Aleppo Pine (spreads tall and wide); Holm Oak (undernourished version of those at home)…

The park entrance fee includes a bus ride and a boat ride to the lakes nearby. The lakes are actually a salt water extension of the sea, fed through a narrow channel from the Adriatic. The color of the water of the lake is astounding. The small ferry brought us to the tiny St. Mary’s island, where there’s a medieval chapel. A pretty walking path circles the island. There’s a nice restaurant by the water, and we sat there and enjoyed the warmth of the late afternoon, watching this lake which has the color of the sea and the temperament of a small mountain lake. There was no boat traffic on the lake, just the lone ferry puttering away. A light breeze crosses the lake; ripples of catspaw; the pine trees murmur in unison.

Guest Blog - Matt & Inga

Guest Blog - Matt & Inga Cowan May 21

We are concluding 2 weeks aboard Three Rivers and have enjoyed fabulous hospitality from Ben and Eliza!
We climbed aboard at the harbor of the gorgeous little island of Poros (not to be confused with Paros- which will get you on the wrong ferry entirely), just a one hour hydrofoil ride from Piraeus. Lots of boats from all over the world moored stern or bow to on the pier. Takes some getting used to this squeezing into a tiny spot by backing in and rubbing bumpers with your neighbor.
Lamb and Greek salad for dinner washed down with some pretty “fresh” Greek wine in a tiny taverna, up the steep hill, along a narrow winding alley that has been there for a thousand years or more, makes you feel like you’ve really arrived in Greece.
If you sail with Ben and Eliza you will never go hungry. Ben is in charge of treats and will have sussed out all the places in any harbor that serve ice cream or sell cookies. “Sampling the local cuisine” after all! Eliza’s well stocked galley and precise menu planning deals with main course. Housekeeping on board is down to a fine art- no one can wash dishes as well or with less water than Eliza- don’t interfere with her carefully honed method!





Snacks.

In 2 weeks we have had all manner of different sailing conditions. No wind until noon seemed to be the main pattern in the Ionian Islands (look those up on your atlas!) but one afternoon we were gliding along on a close reach at 6 knots with main, jib and mizzen in the warm sun with rugged little islands floating by - as near to perfect as it gets.




Three Rivers with main and mizzen masts at anchor

One nice blowy afternoon got us up to 8.8 knots- honest speed over ground with Three Rivers just racing along through white caps on aqua coloured water. We won’t mention the times when we ran out of wind and had to motor. We also will not dwell on the breathtaking price of diesel fuel.
One night it was blowing hard in the tiny harbor of Galaxidi where we had tied to the main jetty to go off and find wisdom from the oracle of Delphi (apparently though she was not in residence). At 11 p.m. the harbor master asked us to move around the corner of our pier so that a mega yacht named Chi Qui (pronounce that how you will) 40 meters long! could have our spot. Well, executing a 90 degree turn in a howling onshore wind in the dark took our crew, plus assorted other boaters and locals, all with opinions and unintelligible Greek suggestions. In the howling crosswind we had 6 lines tying the boat to the dock. Our grumpiness was assuaged by the crew (in matching embroidered T-shirts) coming over with a nice bottle of wine to thank us for our trouble. A tour of the boat would also have been nice but our cooperation comes cheap. Next time we are getting “Three Rivers” gear made up!

Three Rivers with the 40 meter motor yacht ChiQui behind.


Corfu Yacht Club. Privileges with Conestoga sailing club?

From a sailing point of view, the big event on the trip was the 42 hour passage from Corfu to Dubrovnik (Get out your atlas again here, we certainly had to). Apparently Albania is not boater friendly and you don’t stop there unless the water is rising over the floorboards. We sailed just inside the territorial water limits – to stay out of the shipping lanes. (According to the chart, we transited an old world war 2 mine field.) Next came Montenegro which wants insane sums of money for the privilege of touching their coastline, even if it is only for a day, so off to Croatia it is. It was our longest passage ever and we got it all. Gorgeous south wind on the aft quarter pushing us along at 6-7 knots at the start. Then the wind moves forward, the waves build up and Three Rivers starts to heave up and down. The resulting standing waves were 2 meters high and under full engine power, Three rivers is occasionally pushed to a stop. Inga heaves once too, but the rest of the crew are made of sterner stuff. Inga then took some fantastic anti seasick drugs we bought in Greece (and found them to be a miracle cure) - better living through chemistry! So we had waves, then we had calm, we had wind from all directions and a fabulous enormous rainbow that would lead us to believe there is a pot of gold buried on the north shore of Corfu.



Sunset at sea


Not a lot of sail up in this picture! (nor many ripples on the water!)

Entry and exit from countries by boat is very…bureaucratic which is to say frustrating if you are doing it, more amusing if you are watching. I naively thought when it was time to go you just hauled anchor and sailed into the sunset. Not without the proper stamps and papers you don’t!
Leaving Corfu was like something out of a bad cartoon
Scene 1:
We are in a marina 5 miles north of the port of Corfu and we are a non-EU boat (Canuks are special). With 550 boats in dock the marina office amazingly doesn’t know the exit procedure (or perhaps won’t tell us so they can watch the fun) and refers us to the Port Authority office next door which is …closed. We are a resourceful lot and drive our Corfu touring rental car down to the Corfu port where we are told to come back tomorrow when there may be someone there who knows or cares.
Scene 2:
We whistle off to Corfu first thing because the car is due back at 10. After much shuffling from one indifferent but officious sort to the next we are told the port authority back in the marina must first stamp the log and then we must all present ourselves and our passports back there. Back into the little car- Ben driving like the ex-taxi driver he is –to the marina where we cool our heels until the Port Authority doors deigns to open its doors around 9:20. The extra 20 minutes were no doubt for the official to iron her immaculate white outfit. She is young and keen and finds every word of Three Rivers log fascinating and review worthy-- sloooowly. Matt and Ben forgive all because she is gorgeous. “But the Corfu Port should have done all this for you”, she smiles.
Scene 3
Back into the car. Mild mannered ex taxi driver now driving more like Italian cabbie late for lunch. Careen into the Corfu Port Authority waving passports and much sought after stamp only to find that the room we were so recently shooed out of is … closed. By now I’m all for the” sailing into the sunset” scenario, officials be damned. I find it unlikely those gun emplacements have been used recently and we are a small target in any case. Our skipper is, however made of sterner stuff and after corralling an unsuspecting official who carelessly stood where he could be seen, we were hustled past exits and into a small office where a guy in jeans ceremoniously gets a stamp out of a special drawer (like this happens once a decade) stamps around a bit and sends us on our way. As we leave another official shakes his head and tells us the marina port office should have done all this!
By contrast, our arrival in Croatia, in the pretty little port of Cavtat, at 8 a.m was more orderly but much more expensive. We hoist the yellow Q flag to signal we are entering the country and are whistled and waved over to the pier with the big Q painted on it and a silly roped off area like at the bank, which everyone just climbs over. Ben goes off to the port office where he is duly stamped and relieved of 311 Euros for cruising permits and assorted taxes and we are shooed along. Now that our pockets are suitably lightened they don’t want us cluttering up the dock for other potential marks. I can’t believe the pirates of old made out any better although there was no ravishing of damsels (perhaps we were just not their type).
The town of Dubrovnik is amazing. Perched on a peninsula surrounded by huge fortified walls and framed by even higher rugged hills, its red tiled roofs huddle together in an amazingly preserved town from the 1600’s or so. As a UNESCO world heritage site it is a magnet for tourists from everywhere- us included. All evidence of the siege in the latest Balkan war of 1991-2 has been obliterated except for some plaques which show you where the Serbs dropped every mortar and pictures of burned out houses (actually only 6 burned, many more lost their roofs) with the motto “Lest we forget”. A guide gave us a remarkable history lesson on the war and the politics. He quoted Winston Churchill who said “The Balkans produce more history than they can consume.” The same could be said for us- while we learned a lot I still don’t understand why the Serbs hate the Croats so much and where does Bosnia fit into all this? It is amazing to imagine those great stone fortifications coming into use only 19 years ago and gazing up at hills where soldiers launched mortars on civilians below and now it all looks so peaceful. Speculation on when this might happen again is rife.
All in all it was a grand adventure. We are so grateful to Ben and Eliza for having made it possible and for being such great hosts. We’d do it again in a heartbeat. They are right though, it really needs more time and they have made that time. We wish them fair sailing, gracious officials, good company, and may there be an ice cream shop in every port.

What a day May 20, 2011

What a day May 20, 2011
Our two guests, Matt and Inga left 3 Rivers to return to Ontario. We missed their company. They both are knowledgeable sailors and fun to be with. They not only obliged to 3 Rivers’ do’s and don’ts, but also were not frazzled by 3 Rivers’ heavily indulged meat and sweets diet. With Matt’s help in trimming the sails, splicing the lines, and cleaning the wrenches, 3 Rivers certainly is in better shape than 2 weeks ago. In the mean time, Inga had been busy feeding the crews and she's one great story teller. With her great sense of humour, we're entertained and charmed by her stories everyday. And as soon as we’re on land, we’re ready for “happy hours”, with ouzo “Mini” and party red wine on hands reminiscing over the great sailing we just had. Well, all good things must end somehow as we waved goodbye to the Cowans on the early wee hour when they boarded the bus to Split.

Ben had the master plan of inviting James, a Canadian sailor from Montreal on board to chat about places to visit; change engine oil; and depart the marina by noon when Eliza is done with laundry and provisioning. James did show up, but the oil change didn’t go according to plan. A slight human error had caused oil discharged into the entire engine room, and all sort of pads (mainly baby diapers) were used to absorb the spillage. This hard learn lesson will forever be remembered and hopefully, never to repeat again. On the bright side, Ben was extremely clean, from head to toe; laundry was returned, also extremely clean, from sheet to sheet. We didn’t leave ACI and happy hours continued with our neighboring boat Sideways - Roger, the skipper and his crew, Nick.

What a day!

Dubrovnik May 19, 2011

Dubrovnik May 19, 2011
On a refreshing morning we entered the port of Cavtat, the first official port of entry at eastern Croatia. We raised the Croatian courtesy flag and the yellow quarantine flag, and were waved to set aside at the Q town dock for yachts checking in. The check in process was efficiently done. The fees, even though we knew it would be high, were still a shock – about 360 Euros for a cruising permit and taxes. Afterwards, we intended to stay at Cavtat and check out the town, as it seems to be a nice historical city. But we were told that it would cost 35 Euros just for docking for a few hours. We left in a hurry.

Yes, Croatia is expensive, as we had been told. It seems the high price is not hurting the market demand; the area is packed with tourists even though this is not high season yet. We checked into the ACI Dubrovnik Marina, which charges 90 Euro/day for docking for the size of 3 Rivers. It is expensive, but we liked the convenience of a short bus hop into town for sightseeing.

Dubrovnik harbor and old town, viewed from sea

A guided tour on the war of 1991

Up on the city wall

From a distance, the old town of Dubrovnik is striking. Protected by an impressive fortress wall, and gradually rises up on a hill, the town is dotted by houses with uniform red tile roofs. The same uniformity continues in the city outside the castle walls; although on closer inspection some newer houses, especially those built in the communist era, are of lesser quality. The redeeming feature of the city, we find, is the trees: everywhere there are graceful, old growth trees, pines and cypress, their large, weathered trunks holding tall and straight, soaring above human dwellings and reaching into the sky. Somehow these trees manage to survive the eons of human development, and wars.

War as recent as two decades ago, resulting from the breakdown of Yugoslavia caused massive toll in lives and property damage, and even today the scars of war seem still much in the physic of Croatians. To get an understanding of the Croatian’s perspective of the war, we joined a tour in the old city that focused on the siege of Dubrovnik. The tour guide, who was sixteen when the war started, spoke of the age-old cycles of peaceful coexistence and conflict between ethnicities and religions. The old town was shelled during the siege, and pock marks are still everywhere, on century-old walls and stone pavements. At the centre of the town square stands Orlando’s Column, a carved armored knight who according to legend is the savior of Dubrovnik. If history repeats itself, as it often does, Orlando’s vigilance will be much needed indeed.

To appreciate what this medieval city has to offer, we walked the city walls, which’s 25 meters high and completely surrounding the old town. The walls are encrusted with towers and bastions, some parts date back to the tenth century, but most of the original construction was undertaken in the 12th and 13th centuries, with rebuildings and reinforcements carried out in the mid-fifteenth century when fear of Ottoman expansion was at its height. From the top, a sea of terracotta tiles is the predominant view, with domes and towers of the Franciscan Monastery, the St. Saviour’s Church, the Rupe Museum, the Jesuit Church, the stately Cathedral, the Rector’s Palace, the St. Blaise’s Church, the Dominican Monastery and the bell tower within. At the old port, yachts are not allowed to dock there. It’s busy with fishing boats. taxi-boats and tripping boats taking riders to Lokrum and Cavtat. And to relax, there’s no better place than to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of icy beer at the pavement cafés at the Luza Square.

Dubrovnik is rich with cultural activities and we attended a violin/piano and classical guitar concert at the St. Saviour Church. Afterward, the four of us slowly strolled along the limestone streets, enjoyed our last evening at this vibrant, magnificent city.

Passage to Croatia May 16, 2011

Passage to Croatia May 16, 2011
We had planned to sail directly from Corfu to Croatia, bypassing Albania and Montenegro, given our limited time. The route covers 220 nautical miles and goes through the open Adriatic Sea, so we were watching the weather carefully. A south wind behind our back would be nice. Failing that, motoring in flat calm would be alright too. With a full complement of crews, we were determined to sail whenever there’s wind. The forecast called for a strong south wind Monday and then it will clock around to north-west at 15 knots and more. We were ready for a rough sail.

The fresh north wind never materialized and both wind and wave calmed down by night, and we motored, under a full moon that lit up the sea behind shades of clouds. We passed by the dark coast of Albania, near a charted area identified to be ‘mined’, left over from the previous wars; although we’ve been told that those mines have long been cleared, but you never know.



Sunset. Heavy rain clouds to the right.

Onto Corfu May 14

Corfu harbor

Corfu town square

Achilleion Palace, summer home of Empress Elizabeth of Austria

Onto Corfu May 14
Corfu is our last stop in Greece before heading to Croatia. We have been stopping overnight at sheltered anchorages, sailing 40 to 60 miles by day, and dropping anchor by late afternoon at the usual picture-perfect Greek islands. Typically there’s no wind in the morning, so it’s time for the iron-sail (engine). Wind comes up enough to sail by early afternoon, and then by 4:00PM the wind screams at 15-20 knots. This is a beautiful sailing area, sheltered from the open Adriatic by groups of islands with tall mountains, which contributes to the thermal wind that builds up in the afternoon.

Lakka Ormos (Ormos means ‘bay’) on Paxoi is one of these beautiful anchorages we dropped our ‘hook’. We were motoring against the prevailing north-west head wind at late-afternoon. Once we turned into the bay, the wind and waves completely stopped. We were greeted by a calm bay surrounded by olive-clad hills. You can see the white sand in the bottom through 10 meters of wonderfully clear, turquoise water. We anchored next to several other sailboats, and took our dinghy to shore to explore the village. To end the day, we enjoyed a delicious meal of curry chicken on the boat, under a full moon shining on the sparkling water.

We reached Corfu the next day and checked into a large marina, as we needed to go through customs and port procedures to check out of Greece. We rented a car to explore this popular island. Over the centuries Corfu had been under the control of the Corinthians, Byzantine, the Romans, the Venetians, the Turks, the French, the English, and then finally Greece. Today Corfu reflects many of these cultures and architecture. We had an enjoyable walk through Corfu old town. The temperature was still at the cool side at around 20C, but very comfortable to us Canadians. Greek women were walking around in jackets and high boots in this weather. Flowers were blooming, vibrant colors. The tourist season has not quite started yet, and it’s mostly local people milling about the streets on this Sunday afternoon. One could see fashionable young couples strolling through ancient alleys and parents pushing baby strollers through the city square, which faces a 500 year-old Venetian fortress with shop keepers trying to entice passer-bys, politely and not overly aggressive. I think I will stay here for a while.

Delphi May 10, 2011

Delphi May 10, 2011
From Corinth Canal we reached Galaxidi by late afternoon. During the morning the wind was calm, but by noon it began to pick up, and soon we were sailing at full speed in white-cap condition. With our two new crews on board, we were happily sailing with full sails and experimented with different sail configurations. Reefing and dousing sails is so much easier when you have help, especially from experienced sailors! We pulled into Galaxidi harbor after a great day of exhilarating sailing.



Ancient inscriptions on stones at Delphi




The wonderful setting of the Delphi temple

Crossing the Corinth Canal May 9, 2011

Crossing the Corinth Canal May 9, 2011

Our friends Matt and Inga joined up with us at Poros on the 6th. After some sightseeing on the island, we were ready to continue with our trip. The next major point of interest was Corinth Canal. Providing a short cut between the Korinthiakos and the Saronic gulfs, the canal stretches 4 miles long and 60 ft wide, and was built in 1883. Cutting a narrow slice through vertical limestone cliffs, it is one of the most impressive canals in the world. On a per mile basis it is also one of the most expensive canals to cross.






Docking at the Canal entrance. A freighter went by.






A group picture. The lady on the left, Brenda, is from the boat docking next to us.

Hydra – one of the Saronic islands May 5, 2011

The 'Flying Dolpin' goes at about 25 knots...somewhat faster than our sailboat.

Hydra has no private vehicles. Donkeys are it.

Cats everywhere!

Hydra harbor

This is spring time in Greece. Lovely flowers!

Donkeys are the work 'horse', hauling constrution material here.

Hydra – one of the Saronic islands May 5, 2011
According to one of the guidebooks, if you can see only one Saronic island, let it be Hydra. So of course, we MUST go. We could sail there on our boat, but it’s a small harbor and we were concerned that it may be full. We boarded a hydro-foil ferry instead, the Flying Dolphin XVIII, and 30 minutes later, we’re at Hydra. The small harbor, in crescent shape with two ends flanked by stout cannons, was crowded with wooden trawlers, passenger ships, water taxis and sailing yachts. Similar to Poros, first glimpse of the island was the white homes with orange clay roofs, and waterfront lined with restaurants, cafes, jewelry, boutiques and souvenir shops. What set Hydra apart from other islands is that there are no cars at all on the island. You either walk or commission a donkey ’taxi’ to see anything. So we walked. Once away from the dock, the narrow back alleys was eerily quiet. We walked through some long and hilly ways, saw some three-story high mansions, with the Saronic Golf in full view.

Hydra was picturesque, but after seeing Simi, Thira, Poros ….. not sure the island was all that ‘impossibly picturesque’. The town at one point was home and retreat of many Greek artists. We therefore came with high expectations, and we must have been one of the few unfortunate ones that did not encounter any of the creative genius at work. There were no art galleries, as described, in the back streets --- perhaps it’s not tourist season yet?!

Beautiful town of Poros May 3, 2011

The waterway approach to Poros



Beautiful town of Poros May 3, 2011
Considered as one of the most beautiful areas in Greece, Poros certainly lives up to its reputation. The town is situated on a small volcanic peninsula, on the shores of the mountainous Peloponnese. There are no shortages of well-protected anchorages in this stunning emerald-green body of water.

Poros is also known as a haven for yachties, and boats with international flags (mainly charter boats) can be seen tied up along the waterfront. Other than the regulars (GER, UK, FR, NTH), there are also sailors from Russia, Czech, Austria, Croatia, Lithuania, Chad …. very international indeed.



Eliza happily test riding the buggy


- A wonderful view from driving around the island


To explore the island, we rented a 4-wheel buggy and visited the Temple of Poseidon, saw the ruins left by Demosthenes, and the stunning view of the Saronic Gulf. Putt putt down the scenic coastline, passed the Askeli beach and we came upon the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigis, which was used as early as 200 C.E. Going along NW of the coastline, there were numerous coves and bays and the one that impressed us the most was the Russian Bay. A secluded bay that would fit several yachts, with crystal-clear emerald green water, bordered by a small sandy beach, it’s postcard-perfect. We ended our day of expedition with coffee and ice cream.




A picture-perfect anchorage called Russian Bay

Good Sailing

Anchorage at Kithnos

Good Sailing May 1, 2011

Taking advantage of an unusual South-East wind, we are sailing from Sifnos to Kithnos, a distance of about 40 nautical miles to the north. The wind started out directly behind us, at 15 knots. We flew the genoa only on the dead run. The waves started to build by mid morning, and we were happily surfing at over 7 knots, although this sailing direction requires a lot of attention at the helm. I experimented with the auto-pilot to see how it handles. Occasionally a wave pushes the stern off; the auto pilot over-corrects, and the boat goes too much into the leeward side, causing the genoa to flop around. And then the boat eventually gets back to the right direction, and the sail fills, with a huge ‘boom’. That’s not good. I set the course to 10 degree off, and everything worked a lot better. I really should set the whisker pole, which in the case of this boat is the spinnaker pole; but I am too leery to go to the foredeck to man-handle the huge pole in this pitching sea, so…those are the compromises.

By mid afternoon the wind has veered to a beam reach, and we are simply enjoying the ride, the boat sailing at 7 to 8 knots in 15 knots of wind. And then the late-afternoon fresh breeze arrives, gusts of 25, the boat complaints of getting overpowered and heads up into wind, so we reef in the genoa, ease the main, and arrive at our anchorage by 4:00PM. We have sailed the entire 40 miles, which is highly unusual. We drop anchor in a deserted bay called Ormos Apokriosis. The bay is sheltered on three sides by rocky cliffs, ringed by a small strip of sandy beach, a tavern, a chapel, and some shuttered houses overlooking the bay. A light breeze still comes in from the sea, but inside the bay the water is calm, except for the sound of the constant surfs rolling over the beach.

Misfortune at Thira (Santorini)

The dramatic scenery at Santorini. In the foreground is the volcanic crater.

Misfortune at Thira (Santorini) April 27, 2011
We ran aground. We were in the middle of the harbor entrance to the marina at Santorini, the only marina on this island that has a good harbor. Chart indicates a depth of 3 meters; our boat draws a bit more than 2 meters. But as we turned into the harbor, there was this dreadful sound of the bottom touching ground, and we came to a dead stop.
Let us explain how it all began ……

After 3 days sitting out at Maltezana, we were anxious to roam around. Our original plan was to go into Vlikadha, SE of Thira, a marina highly recommended in the pilot guidebook, and properly checked into Greece by taking a bus to port Fira. Thira, the island, more famously known as Santorini, is a popular tourist stop due to its spectacular volcano formation. But the port had neglected to clear the silt built up at the entrance, and the depth was a meter less than the chart. We ran aground, in the middle of the channel inside the harbor! Fortunately it’s only mud on the bottom, and we wiggled free on reverse. The harbor attendant waved us to try again closer to the starboard side of the entrance, where the chart indicates submerged rocks. But we tried anyway…and got stuck again. Thoroughly discouraged now, we got out of the harbor and went to look for other potential anchorages. But this side of the island is basically a huge crater, with lava rock and sheer cliffs all around. The afternoon wind was also beginning to pick up, funneling through the cliffs. Since it’s already 4:30pm, we went to check out Skala Thira, which based on the pilot guidebook is not a desirable port to dock. It was so true, especially when gust’s blowing at 30 knots, pushing swells into the harbour. In the entire harbour, there’s one 70’ power yacht and one lone sailboat, desperately tried to tie a long line to the drum/buoy. 3 Rivers said adios to Skala Thira. Docking in a deep crater was just not a good idea. So long Santorini ….. we will come back.

Departing Santorini. Rough seas. Ferry passing us.

Our slip at Ios



A freighter needs our space...no competition here.