Thursday 24 December 2015: Katákolon

The port of Katakolon is the nearest Olympus. A good step for us and it would be nice to make some strides on this legendary Olympic Stadium. It is one of the ports of Greece with the most traffic of cruise ships (more than 300 per year) and there is a train which connects the port to Olympus. But...

Upon our arrival a liner is docked. Just enter us in the port that it reports his departure with three shots of Horn and music catchy megawatts.
As usual we are the only yacht lived in port and take place within the specified area as "marina" between fishing vessels, hoping not to occupy the place of a trawler who will return tonight.
Along the harbour where tourists disembarked the wharf is beautifully landscaped with restaurants and other shops. Some walkers on this day of Christmas, but now that the liner departed the area empties quickly.

It is strange to see this landscape of autumn in late December... While in the countryside the spring flowers already cover the ground.

Nathalie has carte blanche to buy everything she wants in the shops...

HA! HA!... no luck, they are all closed

The station - finally the wharf along the single track – is deserted and the cahutte that serves as a window is closed. But we find the timetables on the Internet. It will have to wait two days for the next train.

We therefore decide to stay and visit the area pending.
Ballad walk on the heights, then exit by bike... between the garbage that litter the road all the 100 metres. Probably a strike... but seen , the amount of rubbish and the smell that comes out it should be several months!
To avoid slaloming between bins stinking bags degueulantes, We return by the hard sand beach...
... and we are not the only to use it as a route.
The next day we take a small country roads to move away from the coast. That goes a little more and you have to push to pass flocks of sheep. But the hilly landscape is magnificent with fields of olive trees, orange trees and vines out of sight.
At the top of a long climb there is movement around a hangar. We go to see what it is... and to our surprise the owner invites us to go... to discover a modern press facility in olive oil.

He is proud to visit its facility, in Greek we a bit difficult to understand his explanations. He presents us a cup of oil directly taken out of the press. We're not used to drinking glass olive oil, But what perfume!! We cannot make cooler. It offers also a litre of oil that will perfectly accompany our Greek salads.

Finally the day of the train arrives, but given that the village is deserted we believe not too... and we are right. No train! A quick search on the Internet reveals that the next ship will be in February. Our patience has limits...

Tuesday 29 December: Pylos

Within a few days of bad time is announced and we must find a better shelter than Katakolon. It is regret that we drop moorings at the first light of the day. The port of Pylos, more to the South, provides good protection from all winds. In late afternoon we are approaching the Bay of Navarinou. We follow a huge cliff with at its centre a very impressive natural arch. The gusts of wind and waves rush in the Bay, and we hope that behind the blade breeze where we moor this is the flat calm.

As indicated on a sign at the entrance to the port we call the office from the port to the VHF... that does not !! It surprises more too, not only is the off-season but it is the holiday of the year...

The Harbour entrance is narrow, the dike is halfway finished with pieces of scrap metal and wires protruding on the dock. The cocks of mooring are drowned in the concrete and virtually unusable. Yet it is here that we need... on the other side there is the "marina" which is also dilapidated and abandoned, fishing boats and sailboats seem to have found refuge for years... hundreds of rental cars "winter" in the full earth amongst a few sailboats abandoned. Yet a project abandoned by fault of privately financed or European!!!

Philip, who finished just adjust the moorings sees get a young man with a beer in hand. He is of Russian origin and arrived a few days ago with his sailboat moored ahead. It is in a little "alcoholic" English that he suggested we go eat shrimp, While it is 4: 00 pm! It indicates the place and suggest him to find later.
We walk in the centre of Pylos.. the main square is decorated with a bright FIR, with around a few tables installed in the case or "a car of tourists would happen"... quite modern and "trendy" bars are open under the lighted arches.. The city seems lively evening. A little tour in the maze of alleys and we headed for the restaurant. From the outside we recognize the Russian, go to sleep slumped on his chair. We make road, hoping to find somewhere else for dinner. Finally nothing inspires, We return to the restaurant. The Russian is gone. We enjoy our evening meal quietly and order a few Greek specialties that will remain us on the stomach for a few days!!!

Announced Gale is confirmed and we'd away us of the surf at the entrance of the port. The next day we explore the marina and find a dock where we can drag Tao between two other vessels. There is even a mooring lines which appear solid and new. We learn that this port is no longer supported for several years and therefore each will landscape a location with cocks of docking and mooring lines. The place that we covet is surely "private" but given the time and period there is little risk that a boat arrives now. In no time, Tao is properly seated and we can sleep quiet. During our stay several people will move to make us understand that we are dealing with "their place port"... but "it's OK" if we stay only a few days since their boat is dry.

 

After you secure Tao, We walk on the heights of the city along trails which from time to time, lead us to modern villas or sheep pens at the end of a cul de sac. At the roadside, two ladies discuss on their doorstep. They make us sign... the conversation is limited, they only speak Greek. A d ' between she returned with a bag filled with dry cakes. We understand that it is a specialty of Noel.

We have learned a new Word - Kali Khronia - happy new year!!
Year's day approach... is random one of our ballads that we discover the Poseidon restaurant on the edge of sea. We decide to spend new year's Eve. The setting is nice with an open fire and a warm home server, and the owner who is passionate about sailing. The decorations of his restaurant is proof.

A few tables are reserved and we quickly guess that it is a place where regulars gather. We exchange a few words with the next table, which one of the ladies speak very well the French. We spend a nice evening with menu, an assortment of dishes Greek.
Still no boat on the horizon. Some Camping Car are parked around the port. We quickly sympathize with Nath and Jean-Michel who traveled the Greek roads for a few months and have a similar philosophy of our. They must be as adventurous as we to be here at this time! It is warm in our square and around a plate of spaghetti Carbonara, as we raise our glasses to the new year 2016.

The next day Jean-Michel passes the after noon and teaches at Philippe of the first concepts of the game of GO.

Monday 4 January 2016 -Methoni

We take a 'relative' lull to leave Pylos and down to Methoni at the southwestern tip of the Greece. We draw an outline along the Turkish tower which extends the cap and throw the anchor in 3 meters of water behind a symbolic breakwater. The weather provides an unstable time with periods of calm punctuated by serious wind blows. The next steps should make us work around the two capes to the southernmost of the Greece: AK Tainaron or "entry of the underworld", and Ak Maleas which our sailing directions say that it has a fearsome reputation and that the sailors had a diction "If you spend Malee forget your country"!!

Then mistrust... We rechargerons weather and decide tomorrow...