Preveza was a good spot to get the boat prepped for Dian’s visit. (Todd’s Mum was coming from Costa Rica to spend a leisurely 8 days aboard). The pick up went smoothly, and after 1 night in Preveza, we headed to Vonitsa in the inland sea for an easy short hop while Dian got over jet lag and got familiar with being aboard. Fortunately she had done a lot of sailing and had chartered boats in the past, so was quickly acclimated to the boat motion.
From Vonitsa, we headed back down the Preveza channel and up to the Northern Ionian island of Andipaxos for a looksee, before finding a quiet spot outside the breakwater on the next island of Paxos, near the small town of Giaos. The next morning we moved inside and stern tied to shore, a short dinghy ride from the town quay. The water appeared clear when I swam the lines to the rocks..unfortunately the blue boat next to us opened up his holding tanks and dumped a brown cloud of sewage into the water, which put an end to any swimming for the rest of the day. (Usually people wait until they are offshore to empty their tanks) We had a nice walk around the town, picked up some fresh produce, and enjoyed a beverage at a waterside taverna. Dinner aboard was the tasty gyros we took back with us.
Moving back over to the mainland side the next day, western tied to one of the islands in the Syvota area, which was a lively spot with charter boats and water craft, in a very pretty location. It was a bit busy for relaxed floating and swimming though, so the following day found us on an enjoyable light wind sail to Petriti on the island of Corfu. It was such a kind breeze that we happily sailed back and forth for 4 hours before the wind died. Unlike the previous 4 months, we were experiencing very light to no wind, and it was great to get some sailing in when we could.
Petriti was a nice open bay with good holding and plenty of room for everyone. It was nice to be free anchored again and swim at leisure. There was a taverna on the point with a vine covered deck overlooking the bay, and the bright pink bouganvillea made it easy to locate from the anchorage. We did a short hop to the long sand spit at the Southern end of the bay to fill the water tanks in the clearer water. (Once we got to Corfu town we expected the water quality wouldn’t be as good and as usual, wanted to be topped up before we arrived). For our last night in Petriti, Todd grilled lamb chops which we enjoyed with a green salad and vinegar potatos. Burning ground coffee kept the inquisitive wasps away, a great tip for anyone dinning outdoors in the summer.