Words to live by

Ionian Islands, Greece

A cruising friend once gave us some very good advice. “Always remember, any docking that you can walk away from, is a good docking.” We have passed these brilliant words on to other cruisers, posted them on Facebook, blogged about them, and repeated them to ourselves after every hairy experience. But we have never appreciated the sentiment more than we do now that we are in Greece. We have only been in the country for just a few weeks, but have done more different types of docking than ever before. Med mooring in a marina with lead lines one day; med mooring at town walls, using our anchor, another day; anchoring and tying to shore, the next. It is all very challenging, and from what we can tell after reading the Greek cruising guides, the challenges have just begun.

We spent a few days in the Ionian Islands unknowingly on the charter circuit in Kefallinia. We had to anchor and tie to shore in Fiskardo, and while we managed ok, we almost felt embarrassed that it took so long and seemed so difficult. Then we sat and watched everyone else do the same thing. Boats with six and eight people did much worse than we did with just the two of us. We were soon celebrating and congratulating ourselves on a job well done. While we watched in horror at how some of the charters boats anchored, we were also impressed, even envious, by the fact that they had help from the charter company. Some of the charter fleets in the Ionian Islands run what appear to be flotillas. You sail all day, and they are in the harbor ready to help you get settled. What a great way to enjoy your holiday.

Fiskardo is considered Kefallinia’s prettiest and most authentic village, as it was undamaged during the 1953 earthquake that destroyed most of the towns in the Ionians.

Berkeley East anchored and tied to shore in Fiskardo, Kefallinia.

Our best meal ashore in the Ionians was at Panormos in Fiskardo, Kefallinia.

We saw this again in Efimia at the town dock. Boat after boat coming into the tiny harbor to dock with the help of the charter company. People in dinghies with advice on how to handle the 20-knot cross wind, sailors on deck to guide any boat that was out of control. We had come in early to avoid the crowds and had more wind to deal with. Berkeley East is heavy and tall, so she is difficult to back in a crosswind, but after a couple of tries, we managed to get her secured to the dock with two of us doing work that really requires at least four people. We were still a bit shaken from the stress when the charter boat came in next to us with seven people on board, two people on the dock and the two of us to fend their boat off Berkeley East. We quickly decided that we had done an excellent job docking BE. “Any docking that you can walk away from is a good docking.” In our current world, these are words to live by.

Berkeley East med moored, using anchor, at the town dock in Efimia, Kefallinia.

Berkeley East swinging free at anchor with only 20 feet of clearance from the rocks in Andreou Cove, Ithaki, a beautiful small bay big enough for two just boats.

Leaving the Ioanian Islands bound for the Peloponnisos.