Still sailing south, we are making our way down to Lefkada. Once there, we had to wait for a bridge to open and allow us to pass. The bridge opens every hour on the hour and at night, as needed. Rich has equated the entire experience to driving on the Long Island Expressway. There are boats everywhere; some boaters approach the passage respectfully, while others are bearing down like it’s a race to the top. The worst of it is that there is a huge marina at the end of the passageway where boats come in from every direction, for whatever reason, including tons of returning charter boats. It is a madhouse of a race where no one gets anywhere quickly. We were happy not to experience any incidents.

(06/24) The next anchorage was at the less popular Iera Poli Messologhi. It was simply a small slice of heaven. We went ashore to enjoy a lovely dinner complete with the owner indulging with us a shot made of cinnamon and cloves. It was actually very good and surprisingly not too sweet!

(06/25) If one bridge wasn’t enough, let’s go for two and really put Rich’s nerves to the test!! Sailing under the suspension bridge was really not a problem since he had checked the height of our mast versus the clearance. Our day ended anchored safely in Nafpaktos. Happy Birthday, Rick (cousin)!

(06/26) On to the next stop of Galaxidi. We were hoping to be able to moor on another quay but we arrived late in the day, there was no room, so we anchored. We had better luck the next morning when several boats departed. With less tension than before, we moored to the quay with more confidence and spent the night.

(06/27) While on the quay, we chatted with our neighbors who just happened to anchor with us in Iera Poli Messologhi. They have extensive sailing knowledge of Greece which they were happy to offer us. They gave us great insights to several islands, including Santorini. This was music to Rich’s ears since he has been having a devil of a time trying to secure a marina or a mooring ball there. We are meeting Rich’s brother and his significant other in about three weeks so getting the inside scoop and a contact number/name was truly a gift! They were a wealth of knowledge.

My gift was the quiet atmosphere of this quay. It was calm, peaceful, and very low key. Even the late afternoon rainstorm presented itself like a whisper. July here marks the beginning of the high tourist season, bringing in the higher heat temperatures as well. We are glad to be on our way…

PS. Happy birthday, Mom. We still think about you…