115 POSTCARD from Leonie


Sunset at Kitries I


N August we travelled nearly 300 miles in Leonie, along the windswept, mountainous coast of The Mani, around a cape with a ferocious reputation and


into the waters of the Agean where we lost engine power in a strong Meltemi wind. We were overjoyed to be back at sea after spending


two nights in the blisteringly hot marina in the city of Kalamata and headed for the nearby anchorage at Kitris, a small village below the Taygos Mountain range which runs down the spine of The Mani region of the Peloponnese. From there we made a short hop to Kardamila, a picturesque village of creeper covered stone houses and tiled roofs. We anchored between the mainland and a small island, which we later snorkelled around. The wind was against us when we headed to the next suitable anchorage, 30 nautical miles away at Mezapo, so we motored there. Apparently, pirates and smug- glers used to live in this remote village in the Mesa


Mani (Deep Mani) and it would be easy to believe they still do. Nearby is the vast bulk of Capo


Octopus hanging outside a taverna at Port Kayio


Grosso where sheer cliffs drop into the sea some 250m (800ft) below and which are are peppered with caves said to have contained the wealth of the Mezapo pirate families. The next morning we rose early to sail around the southernmost point of mainland Greece, Cape Matapan. A shoal of flying fish accompanyed us, flashing across the surface of the sea like shiny pieces of tin foil. Ancient Greeks believed a cave at the tip of the barren, rocky peninsula was an entrance to Hades, the mythological underworld of


the dead. As we rounded the cape towards the east coast of The Mani, the vegetation all but disappeared to reveal a brutal and beautiful terrain. It really felt like we were well off the beaten track.


Leonie anchored at Mezapo


Lakka Bay, Paxos


BY GINNY WARE


Ginny at Monemvasia


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