Cruising The Med - Sandy and Rob's Excellent Adventure

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sivota on Lefkas - South Ionian Regatta

On Thursday, Sept 19 we sailed from Kastos back past the south end of kalamos over to the Bay of Sivota.

On our way there, we also sailed past the south end of Menganisi which has a few caves. The most notable one is rumoured to have housed a mini submarine during the Second World War.

Sivota had good reviews from many of the charter companies so we thought we would check it out.

I also discovered they have a fun regatta the 3rd Thursday of every September so that sealed the deal.

When we arrived, the harbour was not too busy and very pretty so we decided to stay.

There is lots of room at the quay but as usual we like to drop anchor so we did in the bay just a few hundered metres off the quay and regatta headquarters.

We enjoyed laying in the back of the boat watching the world go by and the usual entertainment of watching those with little experience try to moor med style, dropping anchor in the bay while in reverse resting stern-to on the quay.

There were also the usual day trippers, including a pirate ship which apparently had arrived on the race course and started a bun fight with some of the competitors.

When the racing was over, the comittee boat headed in with a style and entrance I have never witnessed at the dozens of regattas I have attended over the years. Blaring "Pomp and Circumstance" from a sizable stereo system and blasting their race cannon it was clear to all they were arriving back in the harbour!

In the late afternoon we headed to shore with the dinghy and a great lunch/dinner at the race headquarters restaurant.

After dinner, we headed to the south end of Sivota to a really great bar/cafe which is situated in an old Olive Press which is more than 100 years old.

They had great coffee, beer, and hot chocolate soufle which we really enjoyed! We met a number of sailors at the cafe who had raced Hobie 16 and 18's in the regatta and they had been at it for 4 days and had a blast!

They came from all over the world for this particular week and stayed with "Wildwind" which is a company specializing in sailing holidays.

Most of the boats flew regatta flags so in the spirit of the regatta we hoisted our Rolex Cup flag from the BVI's this past winter. Good fun!

There was a good band which played into the wee hours but we enjoyed the tunes from 'The Lodge'.

Another great day in the Ionion Islands!

Cave that may have Housed a Mini Sub during WWII

View up the Menganisi Strait - Lefkas is on the Left - Menganisi on the Right

Welcome to Sivota and the South Ionian Regatta!

Pirates with buns...

Looking up the Harbour at Sivota

Just a little R and R....

The Race Committee arriving with Gunshots, Pomp and Circumstance

The Lodge Flying the Rolex International Flag

Making Rum Punch for the Party

Ready for the Band, Awards and Lots of Fun!

Inside the Olive Press - Now a really hip Bar/Cafe

'The Lodge in Sivota with all the Regatta Boats

Post Regatta Beer and Lots of Stories from the Day of Racing

Labels: Lefkas, Menganisi Cave, Sivota, South Ionian Regatta, Wildwind Sailing

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Vasiliki Bay, Lefkas to Fiskcardo, Cephalonia and Foki Bay

Having arrived from Anti-Paxos to Vasiliki Bay at the far South end of Lefkas in the dark, it was pleasant to wake and see what the bay looked like.

A large bay at the end of a long inlet, the wind funnels nicely through here and it is very popular for sailing and windsurfing.

We awoke with a paddle board class just off to the side of us, the bay like glass with no wind yet.

We headed south toward the Southern Ionian Islands of Ithaka and Cephalonia and decided to start in Fiskardo, a small village harbour at the north end of Cephalonia.

Cephalonia is the largest of all the Ionian Islands but has a small population relatively at only 46,000. Apparently 16,000 of them are in the capital, Argostoli which is a port for some cruise ships we have yet to explore as it is on the other side of this large island.

We cruised just past Fiskardo which is at the North East end of Cephalonia and found a wonderful place to anchor in just two bays over from the village. It is called Foki Bay and was really a great choice.

I had a great paddle board and Rob and I both enjoyed swimming in the crystal clear water which was also very warm.

We headed into Fiskardo on the dinghy in the mid afternoon. It is probably one of the most picturesque places we have been to date.

The buildings are full of colour, charm and venetian architecture. In 1953, a massive earthquake struck this whole area (which is on the fault line). On Cephalonia, only the buildings in Fiskardo were spared as all the others crumbled.

It is thought Fiskardo was spared as it sits on a soft clay bed which was able to flex with the 3 foot undulating waves the earth took. Hard to imagine the earth moving up and down in 3 foot waves!

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Tassia Taverna which we later found out has been visited by Tom Hanks. We are not sure Tom enjoyed his meal but we did!!!

Afterwards, we explored the town which was really quaint, spotless and sported lovely bougainvillea and colourful venetian buildings.

I stopped to purchase some wine called Robola. This is a white grape native to this island which has been famous for producing good wine for thousands of years.

We also found a square with some nice scuptures, Koi Pond, and a giant piece of olive wood which was really interesting.

Another great day! Time to hop into the dinghy and get back to The Lodge in Foki Bay.

Vasiliki Bay with its long beach and many Water Sports Centres as we depart for Cephalonia