Chispa - Malta to Turkey
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Jan went ahead and put Chispa back into the water and got things shipshape for our second season in the Mediterranean. Ann arrived laden with spare parts a couple of weeks later. It was quite cool to start off with high winds and even some rain- very strange conditions for Malta.
As soon as our new "crew" (Florina and Roy from Hout Bay and their friends)arrived we set sail for Sicily. After an uneventful day crossing, except for two racing pigeons as company, we arrived in the ancient city of Syracuse. Inevitably I made not one but three mucky harbour swims to 'rescue' Chispa. Two of the 'swims' were to unblock one of the loos, which I might add, were luckily unsuccessful! This bustling city has a 3,000 year old history as an important trading center used in turn by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and eventually the Christian world. Jan and I attended (along with 6,000 others!) a Greek tragedy by Euripides in the beautiful 5th century BC theatre Not that it made any difference to us but it was spoken in Italian with the players wearing traditional and modern (some looked like the Mafia) costumes. Our neighbours had traveled from Rome to attend two or three different performances. We managed to stick it out till half time (90 minutes)but not before enjoying the tremendous atmosphere but unfortunately not understanding a word or even the gist of the story. We had a very long four day, three night crossing to Corfu with Jan 'on duty' most of the time as sea conditions were not pleasant and we were continuously in the shipping lanes. Florina, however, managed to keep Jan well fed and watered! Corfu town was lovely and we anchored under the impressive walls of a 12th Century Byzantine bastion. Another claim to came is that the town has the only cricket pitch in Greece which it is used as a playground for children in the evenings. There are cafes and shops situated along miles of pedestrian boulevards. Life, of course, only begins after 7pm. We found it to be a very elegant town. Ionian Interlude: The tiny island of Paxos was out next stop where we were able to sample kleftiko, the delicious lamb dish, cooked and served in paper. A scary bus ride (only about 6kms) took us to the village of Gaios where we were most amusedly entertained by the local Port Officer who said could not possibly communicate with Greeks only foreigners! The bus then passed along with only inches to spare between the sea and café umbrellas. Preveeza (situated on the mainland of Greece) was our next stop where we had an unfortunate bus ride which deposited us at a holiday resort with the same name as the historical site we wanted to visit. The north eastern approach to Lefkada is only reachable by boat by way of a moving road/bridge and a long canal through swamps. We sailed down this beautiful coastline and anchored off a tiny village called Vlyho. We then carried on south, passing by the (in)famous Scorpios island, home of the Onassis family and on to Fiskadho, on the northern tip of Keffalonia. Here we managed our first 'stern-to' parking with our boarding ladder not a meter away from the table and chairs of a restaurant. It is very difficult not to feel like a goldfish in a bowl in these situations! For a decent, private shower one has to run the gauntlet of shops and restaurants to little houses offering hot showers - absolute bliss! We drove around most of this quite mountainous island in a day, visiting a beautiful underground lake, a winery with a nearby monastery and nunnery. The church sees many numbers of devotees who come to pray at the grave of a famous saint, Gerassimo. We ended up with a spectacular 20km drive along a road which could almost rival Chapman's Peak! Jan and I had found a lovely bay, called Euphimia, on our (over-land) travels, only a few hours sailing away which would give us time to see the soccer match between South Korea and Turkey. You have no idea how fast Roy and Jan could run to the dinghy when, to our horror, shortly after our arrival, we saw Chispa taking off on her own. Order was soon restored with the added help of two young men; in time to get ashore and actually watch the whole match! Trizonia is hardly more than a pinprick on a map, but what a delightful spot. This time Chispa was firmly tied up alongside a concrete jetty. There was absolutely nothing to do but enjoy the peace and quiet - no tourists, barely a shop and Lizzies Place which is worth the uphill walk to enjoy the view and the food.. Corinth Canal: This six kilometer by 23 meter stretch of man-made canal cuts off a very long journey around the Peloponnesian peninsular. Right back in time, the Roman Emperor Nero, instructed many thousands of to construct this canal but it was only completed in 1893 by French and Greek engineers. Once again, we were so lucky to be the last boat in the convoy so had no delay which could last up to three hours. We were enthralled with the whole journey through 100 meter high sandstone cliffs towering above us. There were many people were standing on the bridges waving to each boat which passed underneath them, so far below Our first stop in the Aegean Sea was at Aegina - a small bustling island with ferries and hydrofoils arriving and departing every few minutes. It is always difficult approaching a new harbour without the added complication of fighting off these ferries who needed to keep up to a hectic schedule. What a chaotic harbour this is, firstly, with the ferries disgorging passengers all day long; and secondly watching very incompetent sailors arriving in convoys of charter yachts. Uncountable anchors were damaged as we watched up to five yachts, at one time, attempt to tie up at the already crowded quays. Added to the chaos, were the Naval celebrations with swimming races and mock rescues, and flares going off with abandon. Jan was almost run over by a motor cyclist whilst (note this) standing on our boarding ladder. Luckily she broke the impact by hitting our dinghy (hanging on davits) before entering the sea right at Jan's feet.
Dave turned into more than a mere rope-puller as he tested his skills by helping Mike fasten on to a buoy in Porto Heli, a small town on the Peloponnesian mainland. Here, Jan and I managed to get to Mycenae and see this incredible site. Built in the 13th century BC by the second oldest civilization in Europe, one can still view the achievements of their remarkable engineering skills. The lintel over the famous Lion Gate is a piece of stone weighing eighteen tons! There are so many archaeological sites dotted around the countryside, we were unable to see more than a few. However we did manage to fit in the 4th century BC remains of probably the oldest recorded healing center of the 'healer-god' Asclepius.  Like Malta, it is a unforgettable sight to arrive in Monemvasia by sea. Two cities have been built on the 300 meter rock. We all managed the climb to the top to view the oldest town with only the church intact. The lower city is made up of very narrow cobbled streets and is a photographer's dream. Another overnight sail was in store for us so we reluctantly left soon after lunch with as much canvas as Jan would allow. Without any difficulty, we sped along at nine knots. As it grew dark and rougher, Kim and I retired and let Mike and his old man slog out night duties. We were very glad to see Chania (Crete) early next morning as the notorious Maltemi wind was settling in.
I abandoned ship here in Crete but Jan continued on with Erik. We set off to Lyndos on the island of Rhodes. This is a beautiful town with temples from the Hellenistic Period. We visited Rhodes town and saw the Grand Master's ( Knights of St John) Palace which was of particular interest in view of our stay in Malta. From Rhodes we sailed to Marmaris in Turkey where Chispa would remain on the hard until spring /summer 2003. |
Not setting sail straight away gave us the chance to catch up with sight-seeing, seeing old friends, making some new ones and visiting the local Rotary Club. The main club is a hundred strong of men only! Another club has been recently established with (horrors!) a woman president!
Jack, an ex-pat from England, kindly picked me up from a midnight flight and his wife Julie took me sightseeing and shopping. It was so nice being with 'locals' as we picked their brains endlessly. Gerda and Alan went with us to Goza - an Aussi with a Dutch accent and a Hollander with an Aussi accent. Gerda is the only person who I know who sails but likes it even less than me!!
Between May and October every town and village in Malta celebrates the feast day or festa of its patron saint. This is the most important event in the villages' calendar. Considerable preparation into these celebrations; the village church is draped in red and decorated with flowers all the treasures are displayed and the church façade is illuminated with hundreds of lights. There is a three day build up with firework displays. There is a lot of inter-village rivalry with the home-made fireworks. We managed to attend one village fiesta dedicated to St Joseph. The whole village of Ghaxaq was out and about eating, drinking and chatting to friends and family. At about midnight a third batch of high rockets are sent off signaling to (eventual) start of the ground firework display. This consists of about ten intricate setups of Catherine wheels etc. Everyone stands just meters away whilst the leader marches from one to the next setting off the displays. We felt far too close for comfort but marveled at the show.
Soon after Mike and Kim's (our son and daughter-in-law)arrival, we set sail for Paros and anchored in a lovely little bay a short bus ride away from the main town. Dave and Kate Mike's friends arrived next morning and we spent a super day lazing on a pretty beach and ending off with a braai on board. Incredibly, we hadn't seen one drop of rain in five weeks. However, the humidity made up for it and we were permanently in 'drip-mode' with temperatures never dropping below 30 C day or night.
Because two of the three Minoan (oldest civilization in Europe) scripts have yet to be deciphered, only the buildings and art work of 4000 years ago can tell the story of this peace loving culture lived and died 1000 years before the well known Greek culture came into being. Chania, too, had lots to see as it was an important Venetian port. All around one is confronted with crumbling 12th century walls, bastions and even warehouses which are still used today.
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