After spotting some decent wind to sail over to Corfu, we (somewhat reluctantly) prised ourselves out of the tranquil bay of Igoumenitsa and set off. It's not a place on any charter boat's radar, but that's precisely why we loved it. Space, peace and quiet, and the odd ferry light twinkling past in the distance.
Our first stop was to be the quiet village of Petriti on the south west of Corfu island. After a very slow sail across (took us 4 hours to do 12NM!) we arrived, just as the wind picked up. Wasn’t too bad though. An hour later and it was a different story. The waves were piling in around the little headland, and it wasn’t looking like it would settle down either, so not fancying a rough night we left with the intention of sailing north up to Corfu town. After about 2 minutes it was clear north wasn’t an option (we’d be straight into it), so zipped back to Igoumenitsa in just under 2 hours. Literally took us all day to end up exactly where we started 😂
The next morning there was wind to get us north, so after a run ashore we sailed slowly up the west coast of the mainland until the wind picked up, then hacked it across to Corfu doing 7 knots with reefed sails. The main anchorage in Corfu is big and close to the main town, but it can be tricky as it's weedy so not everyone's anchors set. We squeezed our way in and found a nice sandy patch.
The next day, 21st May, was Ionian Independence Day, when the islands celebrate the day they finally rejoined mainland Greece in 1864, after spending decades under British rule. It's a regional public holiday celebrated with parades, military displays and live music. This year, too, many of the cafes and restaurants were on strike in protest of having to pay more tax. OK, to be fair, it was having to pay "more" tax, but the amount of off-the-books cash which changes hands in Greece would make even the most seasoned accountant weep into their ouzo.
In the evening we went ashore in search of food, expecting at least a few places to be open. But we found just one gyros place open (in the whole town!), with a queue so long we'd have been there until midnight. Admitting defeat, we headed back to the boat. Tom noticed that one of the restaurants around the bay had its door open and a TV on, but was otherwise in total darkness. He thought we should try our luck, so over he went, whilst I waited on the pavement preparing my "I told you so"s. After a few minutes he came back and said that if we had cash (!!) Spyros would make us a pizza! Spyros seemed glad of the company; he sat us down, gave us a very decent pour of his homemade Mastika (50% proof, from a plastic bottle) and told us all about his pre-pizzeria life as a cargo ship captain. Feeling slightly lightheaded, we took our pizzas back to the boat and ate them in the cockpit, in the rain.
Speaking of the weather, it's been unusually unsettled for this time of year. Usually by the end of May the prevailing NW winds have settled into their rhythm, but this year, because of all the rain Greece has had over the winter, we've been getting clouds, rain, and thunderstorms in the late afternoons. Nothing too bad, but enough to keep everyone on their toes.
We spent the next two days in Corfu town. We had a "quick" 4-hour coffee with a lovely Dutch couple whom Tom chatted up in the anchorage, onboard their beautiful 65ft steel J-Class lookalike yacht. Then in the evening, after the rain and wind died down (and someone's boat was hurriedly rescued after heading for the beach), we went ashore to meet our friends Lambros and Polina for dinner.
The next day more thunderstorms were forecast, and not fancying the excitement in the busy anchorage, we moved a few miles north to another bay. We anchored all alone and, feeling quite smug, settled down for the afternoon. It wasn't long before the clouds set in, but this we expected. What we didn't expect, however (although we could have known in hindsight), was the massive squall which hit us at 1900. We'd just got off the phone to our friends, and not 5 minutes later we had hail, gusts in the low 30s, torrential rain and lightning! It was exactly this time last year that we had a stormy night in Naousa, and not fancying a repeat we upped anchor and headed to the marina 2 miles south, where there was literally zero wind and light drizzle. Anchoring anywhere near high ground in unsettled weather is a silly mistake, as hot air rises over the hills and often forms local thunderstorms. Won't be doing that again. We made the most of our 24hrs in the marina by trying to fix the leaky dinghy, seeing Lambros again, and having a curry!
By now we'd kind of had enough of Corfu, so we started to make our way back down south. We had an unexpectedly nice afternoon sail back to Igoumenitsa (even got the gennaker out), stayed the night, then the next day motored a few hours south to Syvota. We spent two days anchored off the town, and were treated to only a few hours of rain and two spectacular sunsets.
And now we're anchored in the bay of Lakka on the island of Paxos, jostling for space with at least 40 other boats, but it's worth it. It's a pretty, well-protected bay ringed with lush greenery and a charming (if eye-wateringly expensive) little town. Never a dull moment though, as space is tight, and when the wind changes direction, as it did in the middle of the night, boats end up where they really shouldn't be, and a slightly chaotic game of musical anchors (and loud bow-thrusters) begins!
