Friday 11th May Nidri to Spartakhouri

Friday 11 May 2012

Chatted to the Neilson Holiday people, John in particular this morning before leaving to thank them for letting us more at their pontoon and took the chance to look around one of their Moody 31 boats. John says they will be upgrading at the end of the season and the price they will sell them off at makes it a very tempting thought, tiller steering but will sleep 6 easily probably 7. Something to think about.

We motored out of Nidri and set sail with one reef then got becalmed in the lee of Onasis’s island Skorpios so had to motor into the breeze that was steadily falling so shook out the reef. Gentle sail to Meganisi where we motored into the Spatakhori to be met by either Pano or Babis who run the Porto Spillia Bar.

It is quite good fun watching him as he is like a dog that chases after cars. As soon as a boat comes into view around the headland he jumps on a little moped and races around to the quay shouting and waving to get attention and then points out a mooring close to his bar and helps with lines. A very effective way of drumming up business, it worked with us.

The village is actually perched on the cliffs above the bay and the walk up is a steep climb either by road or steps but is very quaint and picturesque with cracking views out over the bay back towards Nidri and the Lefkas canal. We had a walk around the church that was very beautiful with lots of ornate working and paintings.

Had a walk out along the coast road and found a Sardinian Warblers nest with 4 young in it and large dead snake by the roadside. That is the 3^rd dead snake I’ve seen and one live one about 4 to 5 feet long a deep coppery colour that a local said was a rat snake. There seemed to have been much more wildlife when we were in the gulf for the first few days. Although plenty of lizards, some hooded crows and a few jackdaws not much else at present.

We have just had dinner and are waiting now for the swell to calm down so we can go back to the boat as at present it is rocking about all over the place like a cork and neither of us fancy going in quite yet.