Sunday 3rd June – Robili Bay, Kephalonia
We left Eufimia Friday morning after a nice couple of days in proper beds and showers. Whilst I packed the boat Viv did the shopping as we intend to be away from shops for the next three days and took the opportunity to visit the ruins of a roman villa just up the road with two nice mosaics on the floor.
Whilst I was packing up a chap called Steve from Birmingham came over and chatted as he recognized the Wayfarer as he sails one down on the Hamble. He was with a friend sailing a charter yacht with a group of kids from school and wanted to know how we were getting on.
We motored out from Eufimia up the coast of Kephalonia looking for likely spots to possibly camp over when Gareth joins us next week. We explored the bay where they filmed Captain Correlli and a few other bays before hoisting sail and beating across the IIthaca Straight to Polis Bay on the west coast of Ithaca. We anchored off the north-west end of the beach and set up the boat tent for the night with two other yachts.
Just along the beach on the headland was a cave where they found fragments of several bronze tripods, carvings and inscriptions. They think they are similar to those described as given to Odysseus by the Phoenicians in Homer’s Odyssey. The cave and remains fit with references to Athena, Hera and Artemis Greek gods as it looks like the cave may have been a place of worship.
Above the bay is the town of Stavros nestling in the hills, it is the largest town on the north end of Ithaca and near by they found the remains of a settlement on a hill that they think is where Homer based the palace of Odysseus as the views into three surrounding bays fit the descriptions he gave.
We had a chocolate cookie each after dinner, thanks to Katie and Simon, delicious!
We walked up into the town Saturday morning and bought bread, wine and hot fresh spinach rolls for breakfast (they are becoming our staple diet for breakfast but nice). Viv was really taken with the village and wants to come back for a night with Gareth and explore further. I saw my first Red Rumped Swallow.
Saturday we packed up quite late after visiting Stavros and motored out into the bay before setting sail south along the Ithaca coast, even getting the spinnaker up for an hour or so until the wind fell off to almost nothing. Half way to Merovigli we decided to go back over to Kephalonia and find somewhere to camp for a couple of nights, eventually landing at Robili Bay just north of Eufimia on the Agriossiki Point.
We have a beautiful little bay with a white pebble beach and clear sea where you can swim and see for at least 50-60 feet. Just us, a bunch of goats, that tinkle their bells all the time as the browse, a few Jays and the usual Scops Owl in the night calling. We had to set the tent up on the beach on the pebbles so ingenuity was called for to tie up guy ropes but with the blow up mattresses it was quite a comfortable flat night.
It seems funny to think we are spending Leah’s birthday camped in a bay all on our own so far away. Happy Birthday Leeps if you are reading this, we will try and phone you later. Mum is swimming alongside the boat whilst I am typing this up in it. It is so hot and sunny we have to keep going into the sea to cool off.
The evening saw a fantastic moon rise, just about a full moon over the bay so really bright and still not a cloud in the sky and the water really still like a mill pond with just the odd ripple.
Monday 4th June.
Just after the goats had left the beach I got and walked out of the tent, put my swimming trunks on and joined Viv in the sea, a lovely way to wake up. Beautiful sunny day still not a cloud in the sky and just a whisper of a breeze.
Not long after we got out we spotted a turtle in the bay so both went back in and swam out to where we spotted it. We then spent nearly half an hour paddling around catching sight but never quite managing to get close enough for a good view in the water.
We packed up just before midday and motored the couple of miles back in to Eufimia where we have booked into the same apartment for a couple of night s to meet Gareth. Motoring back into the bay the colours of the house remind me a bit of Tobermoray in Scotland only Greek. Most of the houses are quite new as the old town was almost completely flattened by the big earthquake in 1953. There are only a few of the original house now left standing after the quake. The girl who we rented the apartment off said they had a small quake a few days ago but we were out at sea when it happened so missed it.
I have booked a scooter for tomorrow to go and pick Gareth up from the airport as it will be far cheaper than a taxi.
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