To Corfu And Back

Sunday 13 – Saturday 19 June

We definitely chose the right day to move on again, Sunday being daytripper bedlam.  As usual we waited for the wind, and set off North again with full mainsail and genoa in a pleasant WSW F2-3, making water as we sailed.  With a brief top-up from the iron topsail as the wind became light and variable, a common precursor to it changing direction, we were able to maintain sail into a NNW F4, before losing the wind properly as we came into the lee of Corfu.  To maintain standards, we played with the genoa briefly, before conceding defeat but keeping the main up to give us a slight lift until we were ready to drop all sail for the final approach into the anchorage.  We tucked in under the old fortress at the outer extremity of Corfu town, dwarfed by enormous superyachts and gin palaces.

Corfu Town

We spent a happy week on the edge of civilisation, comfortable apart from violent rolling from frequent ferry wash, and outdoor music playing loud until late.  We made several trips into town to explore and shop, enjoying the attractive Venetian architecture, excellent shopping – including M&S and Body Shop! – and a Jewish synagogue where the simplicity of decor was a soothing contrast to the heavy gilding and plethora of icons in Greek Orthodox churches.  We even found Oriental street food at a noodle bar, and less British influence than we’d been led to expect by the pilot book.

On Friday it was time to head South again, as we needed to be in Levkas town for our first Covid vaccinations on 24 June.  We made good speed all the way back to Karani on Antipaxos, our longest passage this season at 33 Miles!  Saturday found us back in the anchorage just North of the marina in Preveza – the bungee (of good shopping and good friends) just too strong to resist.