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Limerence Update #71September-October 2005Corfu GreeceWe motorsailed about twenty hours from Albania to Corfu. From the sea as you approach the Greek Ionian Island of Corfu, the first thing you notice is how green everything is! The stark mountain tops of Albania and Greece reflect a purple color from the sky and water, and the hills of Corfu are a carpet of deep green cypress and bluish olive trees. Then, you notice the sailboats, power yachts, ferries, sea planes, and cruise ships! Welcome to the tourist paradise of Corfu! After traveling 1600 miles over the summer, we wanted to enjoy the islands, so decided to stop for the winter in Corfu Greece. We intend to continue on to Turkey in the spring. In October, we put "Limerence" on the hard in the Gouvia Marina, to return to the States to visit our families and tend to Judy's knee replacement surgery. This type of elective surgery has become so common we have met quite a few cruisers who boast about their "bionic" knees and do very well maneuvering on a sail boat. The Ionian group consists of seven main islands anchored in the Ionian Sea - Corfu, Paxi, Kefallonia, Zakynthos, Ithaki, Lefkada, and Kythira. These islands receive lots of rain and therefore are luxuriantly green as opposed to the islands of the Aegean Sea. According to Homer, this area was Odysseus' stomping grounds. The islands fell to various foreign occupiers before finally being turned over to Greece in 1862 by the British.World War II was a bloody time for Corfu as Mussolini invaded it and then surrendered to the Allies. In revenge the Germans marched into Corfu and did their bidding to thousands of Italian immigrants and Corfiot Jews.
Absorbing the history of the places we cruise is mind boggling at times. Our summer of 2005 started in Roma. We cruised along the Italian coast to Sicily - reading history and a little mythology as we went along. Then we motor sailed up the Adriatic Sea to the stunningly beautiful Croatia and Montenegro, trying to make sense of the former Yugoslavia and the cruel political and cultural war. Sailing south in the Adriatic toward Greece, we went off the "beaten" track to Albania to unwrap some of the mystery of that country. Albania's coastline is no longer the dangerous drug and immigrant trafficking corridor of the recent past. Cruising boats can now transit that coast without problems according to local authorities. Nevertheless, when we checked into Corfu with the Port Authority he said we were the first boat to come from a port in Albania!! There is now reciprocity between Albania and surrounding countries in the pursuit of criminal activity at sea. We often say "Boy, we've come a long way from Midwestern America". Some friends have asked us if we fly the American flag, or endure criticism because we are Americans. On the contrary. . . the people we have met in Europe seem genuinely fascinated that we have traveled on a sailboat from San Diego California. They have been polite, interested, and helpful . . . with no exceptions.
We turned into the Gouvia Marina in Kontokoli Corfu and made arrangements for Limerence to spend the winter. The bay is very protected and shallow. Care must be taken to stay inside the red and green buoys when entering. We called "Gouvia Marina" on channel 69 and a skiff came out to meet us and guide us to our slip. The modern marina is huge with several restaurants, shops, grocery store, marine store, swimming pool and laundry. The boat yard is adjacent and there are hundreds of charter boats based here. Our friends from Roma on Pina Colada, His & Hers, and Majestic, are also leaving their boats here until spring. We have hired people to care for our yachts and keep them in good condition over the rainy winter. There are many Brits who have made Corfu their home, so sometimes it sounds more like Great Britain than Greece! We have enjoyed finding restaurants offering a proper "English Breakfast" instead of just a roll and coffee. What a relief to find grocery stores stocked with foods we haven't seen for months like a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including leaf lettuce, snacks like crackers and pretzels, cheddar cheese and liverwurst sausage. Many locally produced products only have Greek language labeling, so that is a challenge as well as disciphering menus printed in Greek. A few steps from the marina we found the local "rainmaker" in the person of Olga at Emfasis in Travel - phone 6939401688 or email at emfasiss@otenet.gr. She is a beautiful Greek entrepreneur who can manage your check-in with the Port Captain, the red tape of immigration/customs paperwork, bonding of your boat for the winter, as well as making hotel and car reservations. She provides all these services with a wave of her magic wand! Here is her web site is www.emfasistravel.com.
Corfu Town and the old Port is a ten minute ride from Gouvia Marina. It's a conglomeration of the numerous occupying influences, which never included the Turks. So, in the middle of town you have a British cricket ground and pubs offering ginger beer; shops in the French built Liston which is modeled on the Rue de Rivoli; and the Venetian-type narrow streets of old town wedged between two fortresses overlooking Corfu. At times Corfu Town feels like Venice. . . and the next moment like Naples! We like to stroll the narrow streets, window shop, have a cocktail, and marvel at the views of the sea. We've also rented a car and driven the twisty roads along the cliffs above the sea, and up into the mountain villages. Much of the coastline is saturated with package tour hotels and villas, with Kassiopi one of the more pleasant fishing villages on the north side of the island. The road map reminds one that this island still has a rural culture. None of the roads has a number or name. Signs simply point the direction to the road to "Strinylas", or the road to "Paleokastritsa".
After getting our winter arrangements settled in Corfu, we enjoyed the autumn weather by taking a few weeks to anchor in the bays around Corfu, and cruise thirty miles down to the island of Paxi. The open sea between the two islands was rough once we left the sheltered east coast of Corfu. Limerence "hobby horsed" in a rough chop taking spray over the deck but it wasn't for long. The protected tiny harbor of Lakka Paxi offered us a respite of crystal clear water and sand bottom for easy anchoring. The only downside to these harbors is the swell created by cruise ships and ferries as they ply the coastline. You'll see a ship several miles away, and know that ten minutes later the boats on anchor will roll from side to side.
The landscape of Paxi is crumbling stone fences, derelict farmhouses and gnarled olive tree groves surrounded by a turquoise sea. We have never seen such a rocky place!! The olive trees manage to dig their tentacles into the earth and the island is known for it's fine olive oil. One day we rented a motor scooter and toured Paxi from one end to the other stopping in tiny villages along the way. On a calm day we took a dinghy ride along the inhospitable western coast of Paxi to marvel at the precipitous cliffs and mysterious grottoes accessible only by boat. We wondered if pirates or invaders hid out in these caves before rushing to Corfu to attack!! We didn't pull anchor for ten days as we simply enjoyed the simplicity of Lakka and it's charming shops and quaint restaurants. Anyone who visits Paxi will mention the "cat" population. Even for feline lovers, the families of cats roving through the restaurants, staking out their territory, and rubbing against your legs begging for food, gets old real fast. Most restaurateurs beseech the tourists not to feed and encourage these beguiling animals!
The weather in Corfu in autumn is mostly benign and sunny - punctuated by fast moving thunderstorms. In fact, the day we returned from Paxi, we encountered a brief fierce storm. We had no visibility for a short period of time and relied on our radar and GPS to guide us back to Corfu. We have software which integrates the GPS to our autopilot, and we simply reversed our course to return safely along the shallow coastline in poor visibility.
The days are getting shorter now and soon daylight savings time will end and it will get dark before 6pm. Gouvia and Kontokoli towns are pulling in the sidewalks as the tourists go home for the winter. Restaurants and hotels close by the end of October and don't open until after Easter. The tiny city streets look like a deserted movie set. Our minds are now focused on our trip back in the States. We'll fly to Athens and tour for three days before setting off for America. Since we don't own a home anymore, we have rented a condominium to be near Judy's Mother who lives in Georgetown, South Carolina. In mid-November, we'll to drive to Melbourne Florida to attend the annual meeting of the Seven Seas Cruising Association. We plan to return to Fort Myers Florida for a family reunion over Christmas. Then, Judy will have knee replacement surgery and rehabilitation therapy over the winter. We expect to return to Limerence in April.
We enjoy hearing from friends and "readers" of our website. Drop us an email if you have any comments or simply sign into our guest book. We wish you a happy holiday season and we will write another update in a few months telling you about the SSCA meeting and our family visits.
Fair winds friends, Doug and Judy Decker
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