A Late June Adventure to Kioni for Colin and Lizzie
I started this blog very briefly at the end of my last Newsletter. This is their third charter with Dragon Drascombe and this time they will be based at Kioni on Ithica, staying for 5 nights at the splendid apartments of Dosia and family, the elevated Captain’s Apartments out of the town and overlooking the bay. There is great benefit to be had from the walk up to the apartments, it’s out of the bustle and quiet with a great outlook. The first and last nights are spent near my Nidri base staying at Theodora’s Rooms In The Trees, very convenient and ideal for one night stopovers.
Monday morning was an early start, the boat was prepared the night before so they could get down the channel heading south before clearing the Lefkada coast and heading in open waters towards Orkide, an intermediate island, before the final leg across to Ithica. It’s a large passage in open seas for a small boat, however the Luggers handle it well and take it in their stride.
I recommend setting off early and before committing oneself to this passage, make a breakfast stop at the taverna behind Thalia Island. It’s in the lee of Meganissi, so shaded in the early morning and quiet for a breakfast stop and first swim of the day.
This short video tells its own story, several miles of open waters with a coastline quite a distance away.
In shallow crystal clear water, Colin and Lizzie have anchored off to venture inland for a walk to straighten their legs following the crossing.
Kioni has a well-defined harbour entrance with a couple of windmills dominant on the wooded escarpment that forms its bay. To the innermost corner in front of the small tavernas is shallow water so the local fishermen can moor their boats. For the remainder of this stay Tiki will be moored on lazy lines in front of the Calypso Taverna and become a focal point for visitors to have their photographs taken sitting on, standing next to and having young children even in the cockpit. They are such an attraction.
The small harbourside area at night takes on another atmosphere. It has many narrow cobbled stone alleyways radiating off the harbour wall, these where families have set up their gifts, trinkets, olive oil and local wares for the delight of the visiting guests.
Within a few miles around the coast you will find small bays with no yachts or visitors, and you can moor up in shallow, crystal clear water. So with the bay to yourself you can shelter under the Bimini, have a picnic lunch and swim off the boat.
Colin has left the boat for a hilltop walk looking north into Kioni and along the headland which is dominated by the windmill
Their stay on this occasion was just for one week. I recommend at least two so one can explore further south the main town of Vathi and north west over to Fiskardo on Kephalonia.
For those interested there are still some good reviews and blogs on my website submitted by past groups. They are worth a read
My thanks again to Colin and Lizzie for returning yet again for another adventure.