117 Navplion from the fort above the city


settlement of Monemvasia which dates back to AD 580 and which is still inhabited. The old town is built on the side of a monolithic rock that rises sheer up out of the sea, connected to the mainland by just a thin causeway. We were woken at 11.30pm one night when a local kafenon cranked up the volume to Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’. The speakers blasted out a few more of Abba’s greatest hits before the final song fizzled out to the collective disappointed sounds of the revellers in the bar. We left early one morning to beat the north east Force 5 wind which had been blowing there from 10am for days. It picked up even earlier on this day so our plans to go further north were scuppered. We decided to head for Leraka anchorage instead and as we rounded Cape Kremmidhi the swell increased and we lost power to the engine, just 3nm off Leraka. We were close to the shore near the rocks and an onshore wind was blowing. Carl quickly set the jib, with two reefs in, but we couldn’t gybe away from the dangerous rocks as we didn’t have enough forward momentum. Carl tried the engine again and it worked long enough to turn us while I winched the sail round. We sailed out to sea for 5nm and tried the engine again. It worked so we de- cided to risk heading back to the shore and Leraka. Luckily we made it. This stretch of the coast is heavily polluted with plastic, especially plastic bags, which are hazardous to wildlife and yachts. We believe some plastic was sucked into Leonie’s water intake causing our engine


Ginny at the castle at Methoni


Navplion from the fort above the city


to overheat and cut out. Leraka is a small village tucked into a rocky inlet with a lagoon at the far end and the ruins of an ancient Mycenean acropolis on Castle Cape above the village. Summer seemed to have finally returned when we left Leraka for the beautiful Chapel Cove at Kiparissi. This


Pretty view of the Agean Sea from Monemvasia


idylic spot is backed by mountains and surrounded by crystal clear water and we had it to ourselves. At Leonidhion we came across an 81-year-old Greek man chopping wood with an axe. He said kalimera (hello), grinned and challenged Carl to have a go. It was hard work. The pensioner put his own strength down to “no alcohol, no smoking, no wife but lots of sex!” In Navplion we walked up 993


steep steps to a fort above the town, and at the peaceful anchorage of Korakonisia we saw a rare monk seal hunting for fish at dusk. The time had come to say goodbye


Looking down on the an- cient walled town of


Monemvasia


to the rich and varied Peloponnese. The next leg of our Greek oydessey found us facing fiery ships, meeting up with friends and family and experiencing a little taste of the Agean islands. •


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