Athens to Paxos

We are back in Greece for another six weeks of sailing our boat Izabela. The first few days of our trip is normally spent preparing her for the journey but this year we decided to start with a few days exploring central Athens. We had only two nights and one full day so our time was limited, but we were all eager to check out The Acropolis and to take in the history and beauty of this amazing site sitting high above the city. At night it is lit up and we were fortunate to also see the full moon rise above it while out for dinner that evening in the busy Plaka neighbourhood. This area was abuzz with locals and tourists eating, shopping or just wandering around enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. We also rode the red hop-on, hop-off bus – a great way to see and learn about any city when your time is limited.

We left Athens very early Monday morning to take the five-hour bus journey to Preveza where our boat was stored. Although the trip was long there was lots to see and we enjoyed it more than we’d anticipated.

As soon as we arrived at the boatyard we were eager to check out Izabela as there’d been significant water leakage the previous visit after three years in storage. This year there was some water in one of the bunk rooms but thankfully it hadn’t done much permanent damage. Our boat is getting old and each year we have the challenge of trying to minimize leakage from rain while it is in storage.

Izabela also needed other repairs so the first few days at the boatyard were spent fixing, cleaning, drying, airing sheets and towels and getting her ready for this year’s journey. After two days of hard work, she was lifted into the water and we spent our first night on board at the adjoining marina. That evening we walked to the taverna next door to enjoy some traditional Greek food. My moussaka was the best I’d eaten in a very long time. At the end of our meal we were about to ask for the bill when a tray of complementary desserts was delivered to our table. This is typical of Greek hospitality and it was delicious.

The next morning we motored across to the Preveza town quay to stock up on food and other essentials. Preveza has become our home base here in Greece and we loved being back there wandering the streets and eating out at our favourite restaurant.

The sail from Preveza to the island of Paxos took around six hours and we had both sails up for most of the journey. We arrived at Lakka Bay on the north of the island and enjoyed dinner on the boat while we relaxed and took in the sights of this beautiful bay. We’ve been here a few times before but never tire of its beauty. The bay has a sandy bottom and so the water is a beautiful turquoise and very clear. Around fifty yachts filled the bay, all swinging slowly on their anchors, as they moved together with the wind and tides. We spent the next day in the water and relaxing on board before taking the dinghy ashore to wander about and eat dinner at one of the many restaurants in town.

The following morning we motored to the nearby town of Loggos (sometimes referred to as Longos). If I was ever to move to Greece this is where I would live. It has charmed us every time we’ve sailed the Ionians and we were happy to find the small stone wharf had enough space for our boat. The tide was very high and the wharf was partly under water but we were able to tie up and spent the afternoon relaxing on the boat, taking in the sights and sounds and reminiscing about previous visits. In the evening we carefully made our way down the gangplank onto the wet wharf in our thongs and wandered about the town before having dinner.

Yesterday we sailed to the island of Corfu where we’ll spend a few days before checking out of Greece and crossing the sea to Italy. We love the Ionian islands and will no doubt return in the future but we’ve decided it’s time to explore other regions, starting with Sicily. Stay posted to hear more about this year’s adventures aboard Izabela.