Yacht Zubenel with Jan and I as crew sailed into Vathy, the capital of the island of Ithaca, Greece. Never have I ever been in such a lovey spot that is so underinhabited! We entered the Gulf of Molo with its lovely blue water and lush green mountains sloping into the sea and there was not a sign of human habitation anywhere. Finally we turned into the inner bay and the small town of Vathy was visible with several hundred houses. The bay is a natural deep harbor protected on all sides. In fact Vathy means deep in Greek. A few cannons on the hillside would have made the place impregnable, but in fact the town was not even established until 1700 when the Venetians cleared this area of pirates. We tied up stern to at the quay. It was late afternoon which is siesta time in Greece. Walking about the empty streets gave me a post Rapture feeling. By 8:30 the town was humming.
As many as 15,000 people lived on Ithaca during British dominion between 1800 and 1860. Only 3,000 people inhabit the island now. It was during this period that Lord Byron stopped at Ithaca on the way to his untimely death across the Inland Sea at Mesologgi in 1824. He said then "If I could own Ithaca, I would bury all my books and live here forever." It is easy to understand why he said it.
The island has lost population steadily since then. Earthquakes plague these islands which helps explain the lack of significant archeological site such as temples. A devastating earthquake in 1953 knocked down alost every building on Ithaca. Worse, it discouraged the population who left in droves and have not returned. Jan spoke to the waitress at the taverna. She was a Greek American who had come back to help out her sister at the restaurant. She was from Brooklyn. She said the summers were good, but when the tourists leave in the winter it was so lonely and boring that she was going back to NY.
It seems likely to me that more people lived here in Mycenean times 3000 years ago when Ulysses was king than live here today.
I will post more on how lovely this place is later and I promise to add pictures when we get back to the USA next week.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Meganisi
Meganisi is a low lying island just south of Levkada. On the northern shore are several very deep inlets that penetrate the island like fingers.
We picked out one and anchored in about 15 feet of water in sand. The rocky shore plunged straight into the water. It was a nearly perfect anchorage. We went ashore and hicked over the hill to the small town of Vathi. In Vathi there is a post card perfect harbor. Yachts were lined up side by side on the quay. There were several smartly fitted out fishing boat. I'll bet that they were purchased with EU subsidies. There are not many fish left in Greek waters, but I am sure that these boats will be able to catch the few that are left.
The guide book stated that rural Greek values persist on Meganisi. We did see a lovey old Greek Orthodox church which was richly appointed and with a traditional ikon prominently displayed. We also were at the Boom-Boom having a beer and saw several young men drive up, sit at the adjacent table, and oh-so-casually slide over a 100 euro note to someone with a shaved head. So much for rural values.
We picked out one and anchored in about 15 feet of water in sand. The rocky shore plunged straight into the water. It was a nearly perfect anchorage. We went ashore and hicked over the hill to the small town of Vathi. In Vathi there is a post card perfect harbor. Yachts were lined up side by side on the quay. There were several smartly fitted out fishing boat. I'll bet that they were purchased with EU subsidies. There are not many fish left in Greek waters, but I am sure that these boats will be able to catch the few that are left.
The guide book stated that rural Greek values persist on Meganisi. We did see a lovey old Greek Orthodox church which was richly appointed and with a traditional ikon prominently displayed. We also were at the Boom-Boom having a beer and saw several young men drive up, sit at the adjacent table, and oh-so-casually slide over a 100 euro note to someone with a shaved head. So much for rural values.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Levkada
Levkada is a mountainous island just adjacent to the main land. Some consider it the home of Ulysses. There Penelope resisted offers from many ravenous suitors until Ulysses returned after 10 years of having fun and slew them all. 'The Oddesy' says that he lived on Ithaca. There is an island of Ithaca nearby, but it is geologically too modest to be the literay equivalent of "fair Ithaca with lofty peaks." We anchored "stern to" on the town quay of Levkada Town after a short motor from Preveza. Levkada town is a busy but quaint town with an extensive yacht services industry. There are 2 long streets that are lined with shops, bars, markets, etc. We just picked out one restaurant and had a great dinner.
The next day was too windy to safely leave the berth so we toured the island in Philip's car. The scenery was spectacular with sheer mountain cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. We stopped for coffee at the sea-side village of Vilaski. They were having a race week. We watched the start from the coffee shop. They are on to something. The line is very long and everyone starts at once--catamarans, racing skiffs, J-24s and fat old cruising boats. It must have been quite exciting on board the 50 or so racers. The bikini contest was later, but we were off to find lunch in one of the mountain villages. There was a perfectly picturesque tarvern, the Solukous, in the village of Dragona. I had the "Cuttlefish of the Coals" which was delicious. It was the best cuttlefish I had ever had as it was the only cuttlefish I have ever had. Jan had "Rooster of the Village."
Today we moved down to Nidri, also on Lefkada. We motored thru the canal before entering the northern reaches of the Inland Sea which is an arm of the Ionian Sea. We motored past the old fort of Veronitsa. There is a great deal of turbulent history on these islands. After about 5 nautical miles we turned in past the island of Skorpios which is wholely owned by the Onassis family and entered the protected cove of Nidri.
Nidri is more of a "beachy" resort with mostly hotels, shops and restaurants. We arrived early enough to get a prime spot on the quay. Then we all got into swimsuits and spent the afternoon at the pool of the Athos hotel--all very decadent. Also poolside or asleep or both is the only way to spend the afternoon in Greece. It is so hot here that they have a Mexican-like way of life. Shops open early and then close by 2 pm or maybe 3 pm. For the government offices that's the end of the day. But commercial establishments reopen about 6 pm and stay open late.
The next day was too windy to safely leave the berth so we toured the island in Philip's car. The scenery was spectacular with sheer mountain cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. We stopped for coffee at the sea-side village of Vilaski. They were having a race week. We watched the start from the coffee shop. They are on to something. The line is very long and everyone starts at once--catamarans, racing skiffs, J-24s and fat old cruising boats. It must have been quite exciting on board the 50 or so racers. The bikini contest was later, but we were off to find lunch in one of the mountain villages. There was a perfectly picturesque tarvern, the Solukous, in the village of Dragona. I had the "Cuttlefish of the Coals" which was delicious. It was the best cuttlefish I had ever had as it was the only cuttlefish I have ever had. Jan had "Rooster of the Village."
Today we moved down to Nidri, also on Lefkada. We motored thru the canal before entering the northern reaches of the Inland Sea which is an arm of the Ionian Sea. We motored past the old fort of Veronitsa. There is a great deal of turbulent history on these islands. After about 5 nautical miles we turned in past the island of Skorpios which is wholely owned by the Onassis family and entered the protected cove of Nidri.
Nidri is more of a "beachy" resort with mostly hotels, shops and restaurants. We arrived early enough to get a prime spot on the quay. Then we all got into swimsuits and spent the afternoon at the pool of the Athos hotel--all very decadent. Also poolside or asleep or both is the only way to spend the afternoon in Greece. It is so hot here that they have a Mexican-like way of life. Shops open early and then close by 2 pm or maybe 3 pm. For the government offices that's the end of the day. But commercial establishments reopen about 6 pm and stay open late.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
White Pepper Visits Greece
Jan and I are docked quay-side in the town of Preveza--a sailing center of the Ionian islands in western Greece. We are on yacht Zubenel owned by friend Philip Emmanuael.
Tabepenas stretch up and down the quay as far as the eye can see--each one more quaint and inviting than the next. (Translation of tabepens--letters b and v are equivalent in Cyrillic, p is rho which is r in Latin; hence, taverns).
But first let me tell you why I absolultely loathe Continental Airlines......., then we arrived 5 hours late, got into bed at 5 am on the second day of no sleep, and the bags are still have not gotten here 3 days later.
My first impression of Greece is how fair and blond many of the locals are. I guess that these may be the genetic remnants of Homer's "he of the flaxen-haired, blue-eyed Hellenes" some 3000 years ago. Also the young people are mostly thin, so unlike South Texas. They do smoke cigarettes, but they also walk endlessly up and down the quay, often arm in arm.
From the quay I can gaze across the small sound to a small sand spit that the locals call Actio. It was in the waters on the other side of the spit that the battle of Actium was fought 2041 years ago. Readers may recall that this battle settled the matter of Anthony and Cleopatra vs. Augustus in the favor of Mr. Augustus. The asp came later. The scene today is so quiet and mild that it seem difficult to imagine the violence and chaos of that day so long ago.
Once the bags arrive and after some yacht supplies arrive we will push off to the south to cruise some of the islands of the Ionian sea. I explained about the bags but the yacht supplies have been delayed by strikes--that's Greece.
Tabepenas stretch up and down the quay as far as the eye can see--each one more quaint and inviting than the next. (Translation of tabepens--letters b and v are equivalent in Cyrillic, p is rho which is r in Latin; hence, taverns).
But first let me tell you why I absolultely loathe Continental Airlines......., then we arrived 5 hours late, got into bed at 5 am on the second day of no sleep, and the bags are still have not gotten here 3 days later.
My first impression of Greece is how fair and blond many of the locals are. I guess that these may be the genetic remnants of Homer's "he of the flaxen-haired, blue-eyed Hellenes" some 3000 years ago. Also the young people are mostly thin, so unlike South Texas. They do smoke cigarettes, but they also walk endlessly up and down the quay, often arm in arm.
From the quay I can gaze across the small sound to a small sand spit that the locals call Actio. It was in the waters on the other side of the spit that the battle of Actium was fought 2041 years ago. Readers may recall that this battle settled the matter of Anthony and Cleopatra vs. Augustus in the favor of Mr. Augustus. The asp came later. The scene today is so quiet and mild that it seem difficult to imagine the violence and chaos of that day so long ago.
Once the bags arrive and after some yacht supplies arrive we will push off to the south to cruise some of the islands of the Ionian sea. I explained about the bags but the yacht supplies have been delayed by strikes--that's Greece.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
White Pepper Redux
John Updike wrote in Rabbit Redux "Rabbit hated the word redux. It was everywhere these days. You could not avoid it, but he did not know how to pronounce the word and was not sure what it meant." Anyway, White Pepper is redux.
White Pepper emerged from two winters and a rainy summer last month. She had spent the time on the hard in the Deltaville Boat Yard in Virginia. She suffered considerable water damage from leaks. Jan drove out in late March to clean up the boat, and I flew in for the week after Easter 2010. The boat yard had launched the boat and everything except the autopilot worked. During the 18 months of hibernation the boat yard had replaced the exhaust system, replaced the leaky fuel tank, installed beautiful new stainless steel opening port lights, replaced 3 hatches, rebedded some of the leakiest deck fitting, and installed a new stove. The compass had leaked all of its oil, the handheld Garmin 48 was lost to water damage and Jan had to discard much of the contents of the hanging locker. Still the interior wood was in good shape, the motor purred, and the fridge worked perfectly. So all in all we were happy with the outcome.
By the time I arrived Jan had cleaned up the inside and had the boat provisioned. Monday we did chores and bent on the sails. This alone takes hours with all of the slides. We rounded up the dingy and motor. We caught a real break with the weather which was unseasonable warm and gentle for most of the week. On Tuesday morning we cast off for Mobjac Bay which is the next stop south on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
We were so early in the season we had the entire bay to ourselves. Rounding the New Point Comfort light about 5 pm, we headed NW into Mobjac Bay. There were crab pots everywhere but there are always crab pots when the depth is around 15 feet. This is the depth crabs favor. It is so reliable in the Chesapeake that you can use it as a navigational aid to follow the 15-foot contour.
Mobjac is an open and isolated bay. We could see ocean going ships plying the York River 5 miles to the south. But there was no one where we were except an occasional crabber. There are four short rivers that empty into the Mobjac. We chose the Severn River to anchor in. Like most of the rivers in the Chesapeake the Severn is easy to navigate. We dropped anchor at a wide spot in the river in about 9 feet of water. As always, the holding was excellent. It tickled me to say that White Pepper has now anchored in both of the Severn Rivers--the famous one that runs by the Naval Academy and now this stubby one further south. There were large vacation homes all along the banks which were heavily wooded. The place was deserted and for two days we never saw a soul save one runabout.
All day Wednesday was spent at anchor cleaning, polishing, and finding new places where the water has leaked in to cause havoc. We finally figured out the one of the worst leaks was the port genoa track. Fifteen years of hard racing had not caused it to leak, but two freezing winters ruined it. We are having to replace it back in Deltaville.
Ugly weather was coming so we retraced our track on Thursday. It was a lovely run in a gentle southerly breeze and our best day on the water in years. We anchored in the south branch of Jackson's Creek which is quite near the boat yard. The front blew in at midnight. By morning the weather was cool and rainy which was much more typical of early Spring in the Middle Neck area of Virginia. The dingy had filled up with rainwater. Jan asked who was going to bail out the dingy. I told her that the one who had the best sea boots should do it. I knew that my sea boots had been lost to water damage and were in the trash. Jan was a good sport and bailed out the dingy so that we could hoist it and stow it on the foredeck. I raised the anchor and we motored over the the dock. It took all Friday to put the sails away and stow everything again. I reviewed some work orders with Sean.
Up before dawn on Saturday, we began the 1550 mile journey to Beeville, Texas arriving at 9:30 Sunday night.
All in all it was a great week. The amount of money spent on the boat in the past 18 months has been hard to accept. But after the week I was encouraged and believe it will be possible to return to the Bahamas soon. The compass will have to be repaired or replaced. Solar panels and possibly a wind generator needs to be added. Maybe the batteries replaced. Then she should be good to go for years.
White Pepper emerged from two winters and a rainy summer last month. She had spent the time on the hard in the Deltaville Boat Yard in Virginia. She suffered considerable water damage from leaks. Jan drove out in late March to clean up the boat, and I flew in for the week after Easter 2010. The boat yard had launched the boat and everything except the autopilot worked. During the 18 months of hibernation the boat yard had replaced the exhaust system, replaced the leaky fuel tank, installed beautiful new stainless steel opening port lights, replaced 3 hatches, rebedded some of the leakiest deck fitting, and installed a new stove. The compass had leaked all of its oil, the handheld Garmin 48 was lost to water damage and Jan had to discard much of the contents of the hanging locker. Still the interior wood was in good shape, the motor purred, and the fridge worked perfectly. So all in all we were happy with the outcome.
By the time I arrived Jan had cleaned up the inside and had the boat provisioned. Monday we did chores and bent on the sails. This alone takes hours with all of the slides. We rounded up the dingy and motor. We caught a real break with the weather which was unseasonable warm and gentle for most of the week. On Tuesday morning we cast off for Mobjac Bay which is the next stop south on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
We were so early in the season we had the entire bay to ourselves. Rounding the New Point Comfort light about 5 pm, we headed NW into Mobjac Bay. There were crab pots everywhere but there are always crab pots when the depth is around 15 feet. This is the depth crabs favor. It is so reliable in the Chesapeake that you can use it as a navigational aid to follow the 15-foot contour.
Mobjac is an open and isolated bay. We could see ocean going ships plying the York River 5 miles to the south. But there was no one where we were except an occasional crabber. There are four short rivers that empty into the Mobjac. We chose the Severn River to anchor in. Like most of the rivers in the Chesapeake the Severn is easy to navigate. We dropped anchor at a wide spot in the river in about 9 feet of water. As always, the holding was excellent. It tickled me to say that White Pepper has now anchored in both of the Severn Rivers--the famous one that runs by the Naval Academy and now this stubby one further south. There were large vacation homes all along the banks which were heavily wooded. The place was deserted and for two days we never saw a soul save one runabout.
All day Wednesday was spent at anchor cleaning, polishing, and finding new places where the water has leaked in to cause havoc. We finally figured out the one of the worst leaks was the port genoa track. Fifteen years of hard racing had not caused it to leak, but two freezing winters ruined it. We are having to replace it back in Deltaville.
Ugly weather was coming so we retraced our track on Thursday. It was a lovely run in a gentle southerly breeze and our best day on the water in years. We anchored in the south branch of Jackson's Creek which is quite near the boat yard. The front blew in at midnight. By morning the weather was cool and rainy which was much more typical of early Spring in the Middle Neck area of Virginia. The dingy had filled up with rainwater. Jan asked who was going to bail out the dingy. I told her that the one who had the best sea boots should do it. I knew that my sea boots had been lost to water damage and were in the trash. Jan was a good sport and bailed out the dingy so that we could hoist it and stow it on the foredeck. I raised the anchor and we motored over the the dock. It took all Friday to put the sails away and stow everything again. I reviewed some work orders with Sean.
Up before dawn on Saturday, we began the 1550 mile journey to Beeville, Texas arriving at 9:30 Sunday night.
All in all it was a great week. The amount of money spent on the boat in the past 18 months has been hard to accept. But after the week I was encouraged and believe it will be possible to return to the Bahamas soon. The compass will have to be repaired or replaced. Solar panels and possibly a wind generator needs to be added. Maybe the batteries replaced. Then she should be good to go for years.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
White Pepper's Strangest Anchorage Yet
For six months Jan and I have been living outside of Kenedy, Texas on a ranch. We rented it from our good friends and cruisers Bob and Kay Jack. It is actually their mother Maxine's. The home is a lovely modern style brick home built in 1976 and plunked down in the middle of a land where the clock stopped about 1911 or so. Located a half mile off of state road 72 ten miles SW of Kenedy and 3 miles from Pauwnee it is in remote rolling prairie that the locals call the brush country. The reason for the appropriate name is that without constant attention the land will quickly revert to mesquite and live oak brush. At the turn of the 20th century the land was booming with many small farms and hamlets, but as the land dried out and transportation improved gradually everyone has left. Our nearest neighbors, whom became dear friends, live 1.5 miles away. The cell phones don't work, there is no garbage pick up, mail is delivered by a nice family under contract to the USPS, electricity and water services are frequently interrupted by rain and harsh weather. We strictly drink bottled water because there is arsenic in the water pumped up from deep wells. The nearest supplies are 10 miles away. There was phone service by AT&T and dial up internet by AOL. In other words it is like living in a remote anchorage.
I have gradually learned to be comfortable staring across miles of open empty ocean with endless rolling waves, but for a while I was quite uncomfortable staring out across miles of rolling empty prairie seeing only brush, scrub vegetation, scrawny cows and overgrazed pasture, a few abandoned buildings, and power lines marching away towards San Antonio 60 miles to the north.
The good part of living there was the remarkable weather which was invariably mild, pleasant and quite dry. The dryness was surprise as Corpus Christi is only 90 miles away and that has some of Texas' most uncomfortable weather.
The best part about the stay was meeting the Tompkins who live 1.5 miles away. Floyd and Debbie plan to sail away someday. They have a Hershoff designed Meadowlark anchored in Rockport and are just learning how to sail. Son Shane, wife Monica with young ones Addie and Floyd are just a refreshing delight to be around. Shane has a brush clearing business.
During the winter months the sky was so clear and dark that it reminded us of the winter trip across the Gulf of Mexico. We could look out at the old familiar winter sky and reminisce. As the temperature warmed up sky gazing was no longer feasible as now the rattlesnakes were on the move. It was just not wise to go out in the dark on the lawn. In late April I had to kill a 3 and 1/2 foot rattle snake in the garage with Maxine's old single shot shotgun and later Jan had to throw rocks at a large rattler to get him to move off the road we were hiking. It just changes things to have to always watch were you step so we began to look for somewhere else to stay.
It was a wonderful refuge and we are grateful to Bob and Kay for letting us live there from New Year's Eve until the second week in June when we moved into town. We definitely needed a transitional place and the ranch was wonderful. But as a sea hardened sailor I am embarrassed to reveal how pleased I am to be back where the cell phones work, the internet zips along, the water is potable and Jan and I do not have to always look out for snakes.
I have gradually learned to be comfortable staring across miles of open empty ocean with endless rolling waves, but for a while I was quite uncomfortable staring out across miles of rolling empty prairie seeing only brush, scrub vegetation, scrawny cows and overgrazed pasture, a few abandoned buildings, and power lines marching away towards San Antonio 60 miles to the north.
The good part of living there was the remarkable weather which was invariably mild, pleasant and quite dry. The dryness was surprise as Corpus Christi is only 90 miles away and that has some of Texas' most uncomfortable weather.
The best part about the stay was meeting the Tompkins who live 1.5 miles away. Floyd and Debbie plan to sail away someday. They have a Hershoff designed Meadowlark anchored in Rockport and are just learning how to sail. Son Shane, wife Monica with young ones Addie and Floyd are just a refreshing delight to be around. Shane has a brush clearing business.
During the winter months the sky was so clear and dark that it reminded us of the winter trip across the Gulf of Mexico. We could look out at the old familiar winter sky and reminisce. As the temperature warmed up sky gazing was no longer feasible as now the rattlesnakes were on the move. It was just not wise to go out in the dark on the lawn. In late April I had to kill a 3 and 1/2 foot rattle snake in the garage with Maxine's old single shot shotgun and later Jan had to throw rocks at a large rattler to get him to move off the road we were hiking. It just changes things to have to always watch were you step so we began to look for somewhere else to stay.
It was a wonderful refuge and we are grateful to Bob and Kay for letting us live there from New Year's Eve until the second week in June when we moved into town. We definitely needed a transitional place and the ranch was wonderful. But as a sea hardened sailor I am embarrassed to reveal how pleased I am to be back where the cell phones work, the internet zips along, the water is potable and Jan and I do not have to always look out for snakes.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
White Pepper Goes to Two Too Many Funerals
While in winter quarters at Philip's apartment on Coleman Ave. in Corpus Christi, Jan and I were shaken by deaths of two great sailors on Corpus Christi Bay--Doug Tinker and Barry Brown.
Doug was a very long time friend of ours for many years. Like so much of our past our friendship with Doug overlapped before we met. Jan crewed for Doug on "E'Spirit Libre" when I sailed against him on "Puff". Doug was preceded in death by his son Anderson who was a friend of both our daughters. Doug died a lingering death from brain cancer. His funeral was at the Galvan ballroom and was mobbed.
Doug packed more living into 74 years than anyone else I have ever met, so his death did not seem so tragic.
Barry, however, was only 67 and seemed so vigorous that his sudden death last Wed. was a shock. He was a fierce competitor on the race course and a very positive influence in Corpus Christi sailing. At the funeral at Seaside Barry's brother's account of how he won the Silver Star was amazing. His sudden death leaves a huge hole in his family life as well as his expansive community life.
The two deaths have left White Pepper thinking about mortality and funerals. I plan to organize my life's pictures into a format suitable for a memorial CD. The problem with today's funerals is that they feature baby pictures and then the last pics from Christmas. The real meat of life is in the middle. These pics are usually hard to find in the scramble of a last minute funeral arrangements, so I will have everything prearranged. Enjoy the show when the time comes!
Doug was a very long time friend of ours for many years. Like so much of our past our friendship with Doug overlapped before we met. Jan crewed for Doug on "E'Spirit Libre" when I sailed against him on "Puff". Doug was preceded in death by his son Anderson who was a friend of both our daughters. Doug died a lingering death from brain cancer. His funeral was at the Galvan ballroom and was mobbed.
Doug packed more living into 74 years than anyone else I have ever met, so his death did not seem so tragic.
Barry, however, was only 67 and seemed so vigorous that his sudden death last Wed. was a shock. He was a fierce competitor on the race course and a very positive influence in Corpus Christi sailing. At the funeral at Seaside Barry's brother's account of how he won the Silver Star was amazing. His sudden death leaves a huge hole in his family life as well as his expansive community life.
The two deaths have left White Pepper thinking about mortality and funerals. I plan to organize my life's pictures into a format suitable for a memorial CD. The problem with today's funerals is that they feature baby pictures and then the last pics from Christmas. The real meat of life is in the middle. These pics are usually hard to find in the scramble of a last minute funeral arrangements, so I will have everything prearranged. Enjoy the show when the time comes!
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