BY GINNY WARE POSTCARD from Leonie
aFTer lIVInG aBOarD On The rIVer DarT FOr eIGhT years GInny Ware anD her husBanD carl seT saIl FOr France anD BeyOnD. here’s an upDaTe On hOW They are GeTTInG On
AFTER the turbulent waters of Italy, the inland Ionian Sea was an oasis of calm – and if the weather did get a bid wild, we were only ever a couple of hours sail away from a safe port. As we entered the inland waters through the canal separating Lefkas from the mainland, we were treated to impressive mountain- ous views on the east, Lefkas to the west and the islands of Meganisi and Kalamos ahead. Further south and west were more beautiful islands including Cefalonia, Kastos, Ithica. We couldn’t wait to explore them all and their myriad anchorages and ports but we had to hang fire a little while longer to fix a leaky boat. Leonie’s stern gland was letting water into the bilge and although we were able to stem it by pumping it full of grease every day, the situation couldn’t continue.
We sailed past the popular Lefkas
tourist resort of Nidri, on through Tranquil Bay to the sheltered anchor- age off Vliho Yacht Club, whose own- ers Ruairi (Irish) and Vicki (British) helped arrange for Leonie to be lifted out at the nearby Konidaris Boatyard.
The sledge at Konidaris Boatyard
As well as being a yacht club with all the facilities including showers, laundry, refreshments, Wi-Fi and friendly staff; the business also oper- ates a yacht charter and yacht repair
service and Ruairi’s engineers were going to fix up Leonie. After their afternoon siesta, the guys at the yard (consisting of dad Kiriakos, plus his son Aris and various cousins who were the fourth generation of the boatyard owner’s family) prepared to bring Leonie ashore using the centuries old method of a hauling sledge. Aris dived under Leonie’s hull with a stick, measuring it for the sledge, which was rolled into the water using an electronic winch. Kiriakos steered Leonie onto the sledge and we were then winched up to the shore over flat wooden beams that had been greased with animal fat. Aris and the cousins propped
Leonie up with supporting poles, then removed the sledge so it could be used by other boats.
The repair was a bigger job than we had anticipated and involved
Leonie in Foki Bay, Cefalonia
Leonie (2nd boat on right) at Fiskardo, Cefalonia 91
Leonie’s asymmetric sail
Carl is bandaged up after the motorbike accident
Looking over to Ithica from the ruined lighthouse at Fiskardo
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