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The account of our 6-day Ionian Sea trip, including how a storm led us to the finest barbecue ever! While we cruised and visited many locations on 4 islands and the west Greek coast, I have so many memories of the places, emotions, and people we encountered.
The beginning with a dilemma
The adventure began on Sunday with Kostas and I leaving the port of Lefkas with our catamaran “VICTORIA,” a stunning Fountain Pajot Lavezzi 40, and the majority of our provisions for the following six days.
Although the weather was ideal that day, a storm was predicted for Monday evening through Tuesday, so we faced a major decision. We initially intended to travel north to Corfu, but after some consideration, we decided to explore the island complex between Lefkas and the mainland of west Greece. This way, we could avoid traveling in inclement weather and covering a long distance in choppy waters (after all, it was our small holidays).
And our choice paid out…
Meeting a friend:
As the day was rainy and the storm kept us anchored, we paid a visit to the mainland and had some local delicacies. Yeah, we use to explore all local cuisines during each trip…
This choice brought us to Captain Nikos, a cherished companion, and top local guide, who could meet us on Tuesday morning in Mitikas, a little village on the island of Lefkas’ shoreline.
He was able to take a few days off from work to join us because we had long before attempted to make arrangements for it but never had the chance. We took advantage of the opportunity presented by this change in plans and traveled to Kalamos island with him aboard on Wednesday. There, we spent two days discovering the island’s hidden gems.
An unforgettable bbq!
We continued on to Kastos, where we had the cruise’s high point, as our next stop. Nikos took us to a little-known beach that had a stone-built, hand-built oven that was perfect for our full-moon beach Barbeque.
The point was that since we didn’t have any ribs to cook as it wasn’t in the original plan, Nikos arranged with a friend of him to transport us by boat, direct from the small port of Kastos a bag full of excellent lamp ribs!
It goes without saying that the flavor of those ribs, paired with a nice drink under the stars, was unforgettable.
Of course, if you believe you’ve purchased enough ribs (or beers!) to satisfy your appetite, place another order.
Visiting Meganisi:
On our fifth day, we went to Meganisi, a well-known island that many celebrities frequent when they want to enjoy less congested areas and great fresh fish food from taverns by the sea.
The harbor and most of the anchorages are often rather congested, but since our cruise was in late September, it was simple for us to locate empty locations to anchor anywhere we pleased.
And every time we visItalian the first pub one comes across as one enters the village serves up fish soup made with the fresh fish of the day and a few other little dishes with seafood. Some cold, white wine and our sleep were as calm as the sea the next days of our journey.
With Onasis and Kallas:
On the final day, we took in several of the island’s sights, including the unique location where Aristotle Onasis and Maria Kallas formerly enjoyed some seclusion.
Every time we visit such regions, the combination of the blue of the sky, the green of the trees, and the white traditional cottages of the islands creates a really spectacular scene.
The quiet of the place transports us back in time, and the fragrance of pines is so potent even from a distance.
Although it was difficult, we had to head back to Lefkas because, at least for the summer of 201Jul our sailing (and culinary!) trip had come to an end.