Sailing Kujira

We have nearly 25Nm to go before reaching our anchorage which is more or less our daily average. Except that due to the long stop at Lefkada marina and the temperamental bridge operator, we are starting at 1.30pm. As usual, we are beating into the wind and into a small swell. One day we will really have to start going down wind for a change. The upside is that we start to feel pretty comfortable trimming the whale now and we manage to reach near light-speed, that is about 5 knots.   As we sail north the number of anchorages is reduced to a trickle and most of them are exposed to a North-westerly wind, which has been the prevailing wind for the past 2 weeks. Being outside of the main charter hub I was hoping for a not too busy anchorage. My hopes are shattered as we approach Two Rocks Bay. Nearly 20 boats fill up the space leaving us with 3 less than optimal options:  Getting close to the beach with the risk to run aground  Getting close to the rocks on the east side of the bay with

Patras is probably off the beaten tracks because the city doesn’t have the charm of little Greek villages, the ruins of major archeological sites or the beaches of the islands, yet it has the second largest museum. We feel that it would be a missed opportunity not to visit it before we go. An early start turns into a late start, a quick walk into a lazy stroll across a huge fruits and veggies market and a simple plan turned into a mission. The museum is totally worth it with stunning mosaics having been lifted off the ground and displayed vertically which puzzles us as to how this sorcery was achieved.  By the time we are ready to set sail it is past midday and the afternoon breeze is at a solid 15-20 knots, right into our nose. Mike is excited about the prospect of finally sailing again and we are always happy for a good beating into the wind. We criss cross the gulf of Patras as we tack trying to go west. Not wanting to arrive after dark we have to motor the final stretch. Our firs