First Sail of the 2011 Season - North to Paxos

The first trip of the Summer was a short excursion north to Paxos (south of Corfu).  The main reason for the trip was to meet up with our old walking friend John Storr who we hadn’t seen for over twenty years.  

Leaving Lefkas Marina (Moody B'Lou's solar panels in foreground

Lefkas Canal Swing Bridge

On a beautiful Summer’s morning we left the marina, headed north up the Lefkas Canal and negotiated the famous Swing Bridge – it moves around on a 90 degree angle once every hour to let boats through.   The Canal cuts through salt marshes and technically makes Lefkas an island.  Once past the bridge we quickly motored by Santa Maura an old fort, which was built in the Middle Ages and later used by sundry invaders. 

We arrived at Anti Paxos in time for lunch and stopped in a quiet little bay (a first outing for our new Jambo anchor).   We all marvelled at the clear turquoise waters – the anchor was easy to spot many metres below.   Later the winds became stronger and we were able to sail up the East Coast of Paxos which looked lushly green.  Boys had a great time adjusting the sails for a 'gullwing' - making the most of a wind coming from behind us.   

Port of Lakka N. Paxos

One of many fishing boats in bay

Twenty years on......... John hadn't changed a bit!

Our friend, John, was staying in Lakka, a small natural harbour at the Northern End of Paxos, he's a regular visitor enjoying all the walks and bird life.   We all met up for supper – another surreal moment – especially since John hadn’t changed a bit!   We always loved his sense of humour and now he was able to show us Paxos through his eyes. We in turn planned to show John a new perspective of Paxos, as a sail around the island was arranged for the following day.   But first, supper in the village square, always an excellent place to people watch  (children playing, grandparents sipping coffee whilst parents ate and caroused). 

John bravely joined us the next day as we sailed anti-clockwise around the island, skirting the Western rugged side with huge cliffs abutting the sea.   After visiting our little bay off Anti Paxos for lunch we once more sailed up the East Coast noting how the gentle indented coast differed to the wild Western side.   The day concluded with a visit to another taverna for supper with great views over the harbour. 

John was due to fly back to UK the next day but directed us to a gorgeous walk through vineyards and woodland pathways, with profusions of wild flowers, leading to a small pebbly beach – (thank you John, that steep hill out of the village won’t be forgotten!).  Again we noticed how crystal clear the waters were – it all looked so inviting.