31. My favourite Greek Island | sailing Ithaca | sail Greece | Lefkas Canal | Paradise 

Wow thanks so much, I think thats the best feedback we have ever had hahaha. Glad you enjoyed it Jorge, we are always looking to improve :) Have a great weekend!

Thanks for the detailed message, I didn't realise all those facts on Greece. We are currently in the Peloponnese and it is so different to the Ionian and the Cyclades. So much to see and do :). What's your favourite place in Greece?

@@SailingKawai My favorite place is Greece itself! Because everywhere in Greece people are so warm and welcoming which is a prerequisite to really love a country. And then the magic really starts, as visiting various area's really is what I love about Greece. It always surprises and always leaves you wanting for more. It's not really the answer one may wanted to expect but that is the truth. Peloponnese is really cool. Has many stunning inland landscapes, mountains like Taygetus and mountain lakes/marshlands like Stymfalia, Feneos lake and so onThe coastlines area great with great beaches like Voidokilia, Simos beach and so on. There is also a 5000 year old sunken city called Pavlopetri, which is the oldest sunken townsite in the world. There are few older ones, but none as this one as this is the oldest complete with urban planning, streets, and so on like the cities today. And then geological formations like Boufouskia, but also many great places like Nafplio, Monemvasia, various mountain villages and sea side vilages like Gythio and so on. Then aside from many great forests and forests on the mountains, also Foloi forest and Kalogria stone pine forests are stunning and incredible natural places to visit as well. Then plenty of castles around, and archaeological sites around, which are easier to find on websites. The region of Nafplio also has the wine region of Nemea, Epidavros theater, a Volcano and natural hotsprings in Methana, Castle of Korinthos and even "dolines" like the Dolines of Didima, which are some of the unknown things in the region. And on the Mani the Diros caves which is a stunning cave and very rare as this cave can only be traveled through by a boat with a guide. Kardamyli village is one of the villages closeby that are cute as well. Anyway. That was just a short few tips. Maybe you haven't heard about a couple of these. Anyway. I started with that Greece as a whole is incredible. But Halkidiki is really nice for it's own coastlines and beaches. Epirus is a gorgeous prefecture full with mountains, dragon lakes, the most crystal clear rivers, and so on. The Greek province of Macedonia (to which Halkidiki is a part of) also holds the lake of Kerkini which is one of the 2 most important birding places in Europe. The holy peninsula of Athos which is the only monastic state in the world, then the Rhodope mountains with some of the least degrades forests in Europe, with mountain ranges like Falakro mountain with also has 2 special caves. I think it was called Aggitis cave but there is another one there. Various River delta's here and also Nestos river delta is a nice place. Also the Mount Olympus is here, which rises out straight out of the sea for 3000 meters. It's like much of Greece incredibly rich in flora. The mountain alone has 1700 plant species, which is more than some entire European countries. So it's a great place for hiking or to be around. Central Greece, Western Greece and Thessalia all 3 also contains various mountain ranges like the Pindus, Giona, Parnassus, Vardousia, special sites, beautiful (mountain)lakes and rivers, and so much more. Many gems around. Endless archaeological sites around of many periods all the way to 9000+ years ago like Sesklo, Dimini or even Theopetra with continuous inhabitation for 130.000 years and the oldest human construction in the world dated to 23.000 years ago. Karpenisi and prousos in the Pindus mountains are lovely as well. Again too much to tell. Evia is also a great an gorgeous island. Together with Meteora (one of Greece's gorgeous geological paradises) these 2 regions are incredibly rich with the best black truffles one can find. Also Lichadonisia on Evia is great. And so on. Every place has something unique. That leaves me to my own vacation this year where I went to Santorini (2nd time), Milos, Naxos and Syros for the first time. So incredible and so different. Milos is a geological island with so so many different geological elements. Moon landscapes like Sarakiniko, mines with tapestry of colors, and so many other great beaches like Fyriplaka and so on with layers of different colors blending into eachother. Naxos and it's town is great in its own way and had the most incredible cheese tasting evening in my life in the town of a local cheese maker that offered us 25 types of cheeses. de-li-cious. And then Syros is the capital of the Cyclades which is pompous, grandeur and lovely in its own way. Anyway. A lot of information, but this topic simply brings out my love and passion for this nation. I hope there are things you didn't knew and hopefully gives some extra inspiration!

lachiere_[sixx] Are you the National Geographic itself ? Greetings from Greece my friend! I am so glad that you love my country! May I ask you where are you from ?

@@chrismichal8242 Haha thank you Chris! What a kind message. I'm sorry for the terribly late reaction. But Im from the Netherlands, and with a huge love for Greece. Where are you from in Greece?

@@lachiere_sixx7735 Soooo, you are Dutch! That's great, as Netherlands is one of the best places in Europe to visit and stay, with warm heart people as well...! I am from Patras city, (prefecture of Achaia, northwestern Peloponnese). Maybe you have been in my city, as a treveller at Patras' port (arriving, departuring or both of them)! I wish you the very best and take care your self, where ever your are (e.g. as be somewhere on vacation right now... ;))!

Thanks Paul, glad you enjoyed the video!

Hahahaha yeah we really weren't sure, glad you love the video's, thanks for watching!

Thanks Julz, yes the beaches were beautiful, thanks regarding the clean up!

Thanks very much, appreciate it! It's a beautiful spot that should be looked after, I hope to return again someday! Thanks for watching :)

Hi and I am glad you are enjoying the journey. Yes I agree with all the positives you mentioned, sailing is a very special experience. Thanks for the lovely comment, we hope to visit Brazil one day, thanks for watching :)

Hahahah Terry we did think that, they seemed to be having a great time. Glad you are loving it!

Hi Tasos, I didn't know this, thanks for the information. I hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching :)

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it! :)

Thanks as always, glad you enjoyed it!

Cheers mate, yeah it's a special area, one we will never forget! We would love to go back, Turkey for us next and yes can't wait for covid to chill out :). Hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!

Thanks so much, always nice to get positive feedback :). Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks again!

Thanks again Yuliya, we love a clean beach :). Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks very much! Yes we love Ithaca :). Thanks for watching

Thanks Jase mate!!!

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!

Hey Leighton, glad you enjoyed it mate :)

Thanks so much, all the best :)

:)

Thanks very much :). Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes we are very fortunate to live this life. Thanks for watching and stay safe!

Yeah a stunning place, thanks for watching :)

Thanks very much, hope you enjoyed the video 😁

Thanks Paul, it did take a while to get this way. Originally after quitting our jobs we felt unsure about our decision, but we feel great now and so glad we did. Hope you are enjoying the video's, thanks for the comment :)

Thanks very much :)

Hey Hazel, yes Ithaca is beautiful as is Kefalonia :). Every piece counts and we all must do our bit! Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video!

Thanks very much! Due to Covid we aren't sailing currently, back at work waiting for borders to open hahaha. But looking forward to getting back out on the water, thanks for watching :)

Hahahaha it was still a tough walk back for Jase :), glad you enjoyed the video!

Thanks very much! YES it really annoys me when I see someone littering, how hard is it to just place it in a bin. The more people cleaning the beaches, the better :)

Hi John, no worries regarding the 'how to buy a boat video' we found little information online so thought it could help some people out. Glad you are enjoying our video's, we like making them. Yes we love helping out picking up rubbish, however do wish there wasn't so much! Good luck getting there, it took us a while but worth it in the end :) Keep in touch!

Thanks so much Jan, appreciate it!

Good morning We put the boat back in the water yesterday and sailed, actually motored, to Kiato Mechanics did fast and excellent job at Patras: 4 days in total The harbour team who lifted us out were punctual, each time, and very careful Likely the best place to break down on our trip , certainly not the worst Now we are off to some enjoyment and fun Hopefully we get some nice sailing weather again Because sailing is.what this lady does best Enjoy life on the boat as you do Please keep inspiring us Amazingly , my eldest son has already caught 3 fish this trip, 1 today He plans to cook them tomorrow We are in for a real home cooked meal Savor fresh fish

Thats great news Jan, glad you are back on the water. Yes i'm pretty sure there is going to be a fair amount of wind coming your way. That's great news regarding the fish, I have finally caught some fish also, 3 this week, what did he catch? Seems you guys are having a ball, enjoy the Corinth Canal. Chat soon

Sailing Kawai Hello Guys ( including graceous lady) We caught 7 mackrels and one big eye tuna thus far Yesterday we flew first time the genacker Wind initially 5 knots, hard time to keep it filled At 17:00 wind Freshened to 14 knots at 17:00 We sacrificed some height to gain sailing fun, 2h15 long And we achieved 7 knots with the boat Even attempted and succeeded a gybe By definition, anything that ends safely as intended was a success Not very elegant, next time better May be worthwhile mentioning, I have a crew member on board who is a sailing instructor: knows how to get the best out of our dreamboat Today we made Santorini Stunning motoring through the caldera We moored in the Marina on the South side Although our Keel is only 1.85 m, we beached in the main canal Going slowly, no issue extracting ourselves in reverse from the sand Cautiously we reentered My son took the helm, he basically crews in the summer on mega yachts So this was easy peasy for him He went backwards against the outgoing flow He called it fun Lot’s of calling in Greek, he talks Greek so he gave as much as he got Extremely busy , with all tourist catamarans going in and out Eventually we double moored inside next to a decrepit boat Outstanding food in local taverna, eating among all Greeks You get the real local culture Then we took taxi for the obligatory sunset picture on top Had to fight the tourist throng Then realised we can do this every day from our boat We are totally not used to tourists any more Tomorrow Astipalia which you visited earlier Expect it to be enjoyable sail Real fun

Thanks Dawn, glad you enjoyed the video :)

@@SailingKawai Thank you for taking me there😊

No worries Dawn :)

It's amazing, my favourite! Wish we could be back there now :)

@@SailingKawai Yeah, I'm undecided - a beautiful Greek Island, or in lockdown in New Zealand. Tough decision 🤣

Hey Klemen :) , we love Ithaca, where are you currently? Hope you are well!

@@SailingKawai, back home 'unfortunately'. Slovenia. Hoping for a week of sail at the end of month, since I have some time off work. Following u guys in beautifull after season Greece makes it more bearable 😉

Yes it's always hard to leave the boat, we are heading back to Australia in December, it will be hard, but nice to see family and friends, take care :)

Thanks J O, yes it's really sad seeing the state of our beaches. Great feeling cleaning the beaches :) Thanks for watching!

Yes we all need to do more to keep our planet healthy :)

Hahaha well we plan to head there, what are your favourites in the Caribbean?

@@SailingKawai I love so many of the islands it's hard to pick a favorite I have been to the Caribbean so many times I can't count most of the islands are great

Thanks Richard, look forward to getting there :) Hope you enjoyed the vid anyway haha

Yes Claudia, the rain was a blessing, it had been way to long. Yes it's pretty handy that light hahaha. No we are spending another year in the Med, we really wanted to explore Turkey and the Cyclades properly. We are leaving our boat in Turkey for the European winter before heading back to Australia. :)

Sailing Kawai - we are doing the same thing! Left our boat in Corfu for the winter. Home in Texas now. After seeing your video on Montenegro, we realized we skipped through there too quickly, so we need to head back up there early in the season. Plus, it helps my Schengen situation. Just too much to see in Turkey and Greece. Plan on leaving to go towards Crete in late May. Are you guys doing the ARC in 2021? Hope to buy you guys a beer in Turkey or Greece next summer!

Hi Jan, sounds like you had some strong winds. We are heading to Zakynthos tomorrow. How is the gearbox going? How long will it take to fix? Enjoy the leisure time :)

Hello Job is anticipated to take 4 days, parts have to come from Athens They were pretty punctual on finalising paperwork, lifting and dismantling All in one day as promised Keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow Best case we go into water Monday Worst case? Overall service so far real good But proof is in the ... eating Will let you know In the mean time just enjoying the beautiful weather

Hey guys, this isn't current. We videoed it in 2019 in September. Amazing time to sail, try to get out on a Friday when the charter boats are changing over. Very calm and a beautiful place :)

Hi Howard, yes we didn't realise the audio was a problem in the beginning and didn't think anyone would be watching haha. Glad you are enjoying the videos and appreciate the kind words. Best of luck with the sailing and yes we love our Hanse 445 :). Thanks for watching

Hi Bryan, yes a really beautiful area, we could spend years in the Ionian if we could hahaha. We do find owning a good anchor is so important, we have a Mantus which has been great :). Yes the wind can really pick up quickly. Hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!

Hey Marc! No worries thanks for watching. We just have Greek Waters Pilot by Rod Heikell, but we also check out noonsite and cruisers wiki online and of course navionics for navigation and anchorage reviews :) Hope that helps!

Hi Ageliki, thanks so much :). Glad you are enjoying the videos! We use a Go Pro 7 and a Canon EOS 70D, hope that helps and thanks for watching.

Hi Nick, the only reason we hadn't swum was the jellyfish in the bay. We spent 3 days there and they can cause some stinging. It's the only bay we have found jellyfish so don't stress hahaha. Every other bay is beautiful so plenty of swimming!!! The water temp is still great, we are off to Zakynthos tomorrow so we can't wait!

@@SailingKawai I'm so jealous!!!! Have fun!

Thanks guys :)

Hahaha

Hi Beth, this was our boat, I'm not sure sorry. Hope you enjoyed the video :)

I would love to spend more time in Ithaca haha, hope you enjoyed the video :)

please recomend on calm anchorages where i can leave my boat with a novice, who i do not want to stress with anchor drag. i always put out custom ,my way better,best ,bahamian style anchor system on long leaves away from boat.

Hi Ian, I am scared to recommend leaving your boat unattended anywhere hahaha, if you do need to leave your boat, I would say Vliho Bay is probably the best spot in Lefkas. It is really large and has good holding on the Eastern side in mud. There are some sections with weed but we anchored in mud and had no problems. This bay like all bays can get some strong winds and storms however it's the best in my opinion. We anchored in 6m. Hope that helps

Hi we live here and vliho bay is a great place to leave your boat on anchor. Vliho yacht club offers a a guardianage service if required for long periods.

Hi Will, yes Greece is very windy and you need to be always watching the weather :)

Hahaha I would love to explore, just not yet! Hopefully in the near future :) Thanks for watching

It's called Navionics, we use it to plot our course, check depths, anchorages. Hope that helps :)

Well I guess we live on our boat haha, it really is a beautiful place, need to spend a few weeks exploring, hope you enjoyed the video :)

Hi Will, I usually troll behind the boat while we sail. Over the last year I have caught 8 fish, mostly tuna and Mahi Mahi. Thanks for watching :)

@@SailingKawai Can you sell those Tuna to a fishing vessel or a retsuarant you may know well?

@@wilsmith6551 Most were pretty small, I only kept 2 fish and I ate them myself, so I am not sure sorry.

We sold our house so living off the interest :). That's not going so well as interest rates are falling hahaha

Sailing Kawai Its worth it for the adventure of a lifetime! I’m So jealous! NEVER look back! Hoist the sail and WINDWARD HOOOOO.....

Definitely, we don't regret a thing :). Hope you enjoyed the vid!