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The Ionian

Travel, yachting and lifestylemagazine for the Ionian Islandsand adjacent mainland Greece.

Vol. 5, Issue 1 – May 2014

Publisher and EditorBarbara Molin

Advisory BoardYannis Dimopoulos

Justin Smith

LayoutRyan Smith

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We make every effort to ensurethe accuracy of each issue.However, we cannot be heldliable for any errors or

omissions. The contributors'opinions are their own.

Printed in Greece.

Sometimes, the unexpected happens. You might be sailing alongon a broad reach with a warm breeze teasing your hair, whensuddenly the sky turns steel grey and before you can douse thesails, a fierce squall is tossing your boat dangerously close torocks. And just as quickly, the clouds disapppear and all thatremains is the mess to clean up down below and the ripped sails

to send in for repairs. Something similar happened to me earlier this year, but I'mback on track and looking forward to another fun season of producing The Ionian.

And so, we welcome you to read why Lefkas is one of the nicest towns, according toRich and Nancy Sequest in "Our Visit to Lefkas." Also, if you have ever wanted tosail but were afraid to start, Sarah Nash tells you how she did it in, "Come Sailing."And we hope that, "An Encounter with Marcos," by Gordon Knight will have youchuckling. Our cover is of Lefkas waterfront by Kamila Zadora, who comes fromPoland, and for the past two years, has been living in Vasiliki on Lefkada Island.

Wishing you always squall free sailing.

Happy reading... ≈≈_/)* Barbara Molin

Spring SquallEditorial

Our Visit to LefkasBY RICH AND NANCY SEQUEST

We’ve been to many marinas and towns in the U.S.,Mexico, Canada, and Europe, and one of our favoriteplaces is Lefkas, Greece.

In many ways it’ s a perfect place for cruisers: the townis relatively small, has plenty of services for boaters,and a great variety of affordable restaurants and nightlife. Perhaps more importantly, it is in a part of theworld rich in history and culture. A short hike andyou can find yourself in the middle of ancient ruins. Aday trip car ride and you can be in the land of Homeror walking the ancient lands of Delphi. And did wemention the friendliness of the local people?

Being shoulder-season travelers, we were able to visitLefkas in early fall, a time when the weather is fair andthe number of tourists has dwindled. Granted, there issomething to be said for being in a marina at the heightof the season with the hustle and bustle and dockparties and raft-ups, and we’re sure Lefkas has itsshare of excitement during these times. But, for us, thetranquility of Lefkas in early fall was ideal. Plus, wehad our friend Barbara to show us around. Havinglocal knowledge certainly improves ones experience.

Lefkas is a good bragging point too. Just a few weeksago we were in an obscure bar in a remote part of thenorthern California coast. Lo and behold, the mansitting next to us was a Greek and he and his girl friendhad just returned from a wedding in, of all places,Lefkas. What fun we all had comparing notes andcongratulating ourselves on having been in Lefkas.

BY SARAH NASH

When I was 15, my boyfriend and his fatherhad built a Mirror dingy in their garage and he did hisbest to turn me into a sailor. It was slow going – I hatedthe cold and the way the boat tipped but one thing I didlove was being outside, going somewhere and seeingthe world from a different perspective.

When I got married my husband admitted to a desire tolearn to sail. Anyone can learn, I assured him and dulysigned us up for a dingy sailing course on the localreservoir in November. It probably wasn’ t the best startas it was cold and grey but he took to it like a duck towater. We progressed to dingy sailing in Turkey andthen took a rather ambitious step of signing up for aYachtmaster theory course! Our instructor offeredpractical sailing weekends from Ipswich (that's in theU.K.) and our big boat sailing careers were launched.

Flotilla sailing was the next lure. A holiday in the sunon a yacht with friends and a helpful back up crew waseverything it claimed to be and more. Great fun andtotally absorbing. We came back tanned, relaxed andcompletely hooked and remained so for many years.

When we started our family, the pressures of lookingafter babies and young children meant putting my

sailing career on hold for several years. But thenclub sailing holidays came on the horizon and Iwas back on the water and we were all inparadise. A holiday where everyone could dowhat they wanted and yet still all holidaytogether as a family was the best news ever. Iwas able to start again and was very happy to beback on the water sailing at my own pacewithout having to worry about anyone else’ ssafety at the same time.

From then on we mixed and matched – dingysailing holidays and camping – club holidays– flotilla holidays – all brilliant because theyoffered us the opportunity to holiday as afamily and as individuals. Even when mydaughter was diagnosed with diabetes at age

six we continued to sail and realized the benefits ofhaving a self contained environment where we couldlive and eat in a way that suited her needs while stillbeing able to enjoy a holiday with other people and dowhat we enjoyed most.

The reassurance of having a lead crew and fellowsailors who were always ready to support us when weneeded it was invaluable. We met some great familieswho have remained friends over the years.

When my husband and I parted company, I felt unsureabout my sailing future. It was hard being on my ownagain without the protection of a partner, but slowly Iworked my way through from competent crew tocoastal skipper. I discovered the pleasure of navigatingas skipper of a yacht and of mooring in deserted baysonly accessible to a boat with just my friends ascompany. Over the years I have sailed with lots ofpeople from all walks of life - people of different agesand backgrounds brought together by a commoninterest and love of sailing. I even met my newhusband on a sailing holiday.

Sarah Nash provides tailor made sailing holidays in theIonian: www.zephyrsailing.co.uk

Come Sailing

An Encounter with MarcosBY GORDON KNIGHT

It all started with a scream and ended with a desperateswim for survival. Sandwiched in betweenwas a comedy of errors to which one couldhave sold the TV rights.

It was a hot and lazy Monday afternoon onAthene of Lymington, our Oyster 435 ketch.Soophy, my ever-patient crew of 40 years,was sitting dripping in the cockpit. I wasdown below, hunched over a hot laptopfollowing the start of the one-day cricketseries against Australia.

Bopara had just carved an uppish square cutthrough point and gulley and silly mid offwas appealing vociferously (answers to whatthis means on a postcard, please) when a scream so loudit would have curdled milk, pierced the still air. Mywife, Soophy was dancing around the cockpit, skirtsclutched around her thighs, gesticulating wildly at thecockpit floor. Curious neighbours were craning theirheads out of their own boats.

Our cockpit floor is thoughtfully equipped with adrainage channel all the way round its circumference.Hurtling round and round the channel, for all the worldlike a demented clockwork toy, was a small, hairy andclearly very frightened rodent of the species musHellenicus.

Now here’s a fact: uncontrolled laughter is tinder to theflames of spousal terror. What’ s more, as I now know,the memory of such ungallant behaviour lingers long

after the emotional bruises have faded.

After a glare that would curl lettuce, I applied myself(still chuckling, but deep inside) to my wife’s

predicament. Marcos (for what else could onecall mus Hellenicus?) was no slouch. Runningin his little made-to-measure groove around thecockpit he was uncatchable by even thesmallest of hands. Put a blockage in his wayand he’d o’erleap it with one Spiderman boundand continue his hurtling. Baseball hats,towels, broomsticks were risible obstructions tohis progress.

By now, we had attracted an appreciativeaudience of neighbours. This was obviouslymuch better entertainment than watchingcricket on a hot laptop.

It was then that inspiration came to me like athunderclap in still air. Visions of fairground ferretsand otters at play were running through my mind as Iwent below for a rummage. When I emerged, it waswith the simple invention that I now wish to release tothe unsuspecting world – the humane but easilyfabricated Marine Mousecatcher Mark I.

First take a length of sanitation hose (preferably unused,though mice aren’ t fussy). With a sharp knife, cut to amanageable size. Suspend a generous chunk ofchocolate (or cheese) at one end. Place the other end atan appropriate angle to the trajectory of the intruder.Once the victim enters the tube, clamp a hand on bothends and repair to a suitable release site.

...continued at back

Pleasurable it was to bask in the applause andcongratulations of the crews on neighbouring boats as Imarched up our passerelle and along the pontoon, todeposit Marcos gently on the grass in front of themarina office. Gasps of amazement and mutteredimprecations (not loud,but deep) accompaniedwhat happened next.

Marcos was evidentlythe Usain Bolt andMichael Phelps rolledinto one of the musHellenicus species.Without a moment’shesitation, he leapt fromthe end of the hose,cleared the grass vergein two enormous leapsand sailed in animpressively large arcover the edge of thequay. Breaking thesurface in what seemedlike a microsecond, hislittle legs thenproceeded to propel himat unfeasible speed along the line ofmoored boats. Figures rose fromcockpits in wild concern. Bow lineswere shaken as a deterrent in caseMarcos was also the ChrisBonington among mus Hellenicus.Skirts were hastily gathered andhatches slammed shut. From hero to hangdog in theshake of a mouse’s whisker, I retired below, past mywife, who was only now chuckling in the cockpit.

But it got worse. Bopara was out, given not out but onreview the ball would have gone on to hit middle andleg and as on this occasion it was not umpire’s call hehad to go.

No, I don’ t understand it either …

Gordon Knight headed a London public relationscompany until 'work got in the way ofsailing.' Now, heand his wife Soophy cruise the Mediterranean in theirOyster 435 Athene of Lymington while updating theWorld Cruising & Sailing Wiki, the world's biggestonline cruising guide.

Marcos continued...