31. My favourite Greek Island | sailing Ithaca | sail Greece | Lefkas Canal | Paradise
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- Опубліковано 9 жов 2019
- This week on Kawai we leave Preveza and navigate through Lefkas canal. We are the last in line as we enter the 3.5 mile canal and enjoy watching the locals fishing on the banks of the canal.
We enjoy a nice downwind sail to our next anchorage, Vlikho Bay. This large bay is full of liveaboards and is well protected from the wind and swell. We use the time to freshen up, enjoy some local hospitality however can't swim due to the large jellyfish population in the bay.
The next destination is Ithaca. We get some great winds and sail the 20nm, with the wind slightly ahead of the beam, Kawai loves this wind angle and we love this sail. Ithaca is my favourite Greek Island and has amazing beaches, lush vegetation and some stunning anchorages.
We visit Sarakiniko Beach, Filiatro Beach, Tilemakos Beach and Skhoinos Beach. We spend most of our time in Filiatro Bay, enjoy swimming, hiking, exploring and cleaning the local beaches. Unfortunately the beaches have a variety of litter so we spend a couple of hours returning them to their natural beauty.
Our time at Filiatro comes to an end as the weather takes a turn for the worse and we sail to the sheltered bay of Vathy, the main harbour in Ithaca.
About us:
Our names are Jason and Tracey and we traded our house, cars, business, job and security for freedom, adventure, travel and living simply amongst nature and the seas on our 45 foot Hanse 445 sailing boat, Kawai.
We don't know exactly where the winds will take us at this stage but over the next year we hope to sail to Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia.
Jase loves making travel videos and we decided to upload to youtube to share our adventure. We really hope you enjoy and feel free to drop us a comment any time to chat or subscribe to follow along :)
Instagram
Jason: / jase_stephe. .
Tracey: trace_y02?...
Music:
1. The feeling is all gone
www.epidemicsound.com
2. Underwater, Snake City
www.epidemicsound.com
3. It will be fine in the end, Dayon
www.epidemicsound.com
Thanks for watching
Jason and Tracey
Sailing Kawai
Really nice video...perfect volumen combination, between: dialogues changing to music, wind sound (cero), sound of motor, very nice places...Really so professional...Congratulations by beach cleaning campaign guys!!!
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!
And the funny thing is, this is just a tiny piece of what Greece is. Greece is 80% mountains, 6000 islands, 16.000 km of the most crystal clear coastlines, 32% forests, highest biodiversity of Europe with high percentage of endemic species only found in Greece due to it's incredibly complex geography, topography and isolation due to again the 80% mountains and 6000 islands. this not only applies to the spectacular and incredibly diverse landscapes of Greece, but also applies to it's culture, local histories everywhere, traditions, dances up to the cuisine. In other words. Greece to me is a collection of paradises. I just came back from a Cyclades trip, which stuns me once again how diverse (and beautiful) Greece truly is after having traveled to this country already for about 25 times.
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... ;))!
Thank you for cleaning the beach in Ithaca
Great video and respect for cleaning the beach!
Thanks Paul, glad you enjoyed the video!
Sleeping jellyfish, hmmm? Love your movies, thanks guys 👍🏻
Hahahaha yeah we really weren't sure, glad you love the video's, thanks for watching!
You guys really earn my respect by picking up the rubbish. 🙏 that gets
my SUBSCRIBE!
Those beaches look so good! Great job with the clean up x
Thanks Julz, yes the beaches were beautiful, thanks regarding the clean up!
Ithaca was the island of Odysseys you know
Hi Tasos, I didn't know this, thanks for the information. I hope you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching :)
I hope to get back to Ithaca one day. You are noble people, thanks for cleaning the beach. I wish the best for you.
Thanks very much, appreciate it! It's a beautiful spot that should be looked after, I hope to return again someday! Thanks for watching :)
Jelly fish making baby jelly fish great looking places you have been taking me
Hahahah Terry we did think that, they seemed to be having a great time. Glad you are loving it!
Nice places, nice music....perfect! 👍
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it! :)
Great job cleaning up dudes!
Thanks Jase mate!!!
This video has captured the area perfectly, we visited Ithaca last year (and last week!) and it is truly stunning. There are a couple of very busy places too, but as you have shown some tranquility can be found as well.
👍👍 For the cleaning job!!
Thanks very much, hope you enjoyed the video 😁
Excellent and creative camera work , just fun and enjoyable to. Watch, thanks so much !
Thanks so much, always nice to get positive feedback :). Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks again!
The good thing about living on a sailboat is that you learn more each day. And there are always new neighbors and new places, with a huge pool and a big yard. Thanks for clearing the beach, a good attitude, the planet thanks .. hug to the couple of browsers. I from Brazil, I love sail boats.
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 :)
Beautiful video. Thank you Jason & Tracey. 🌞
Thanks as always, glad you enjoyed it!
It’s so nice of you to clean the beaches you sail too 👏👏👏 Wonderful video!
Thanks again Yuliya, we love a clean beach :). Glad you enjoyed it!
Great to see how chilled you guys are - can’t wait to achieve that state of mind
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 :)
You guys are awesome, great video.
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!
great video amazing sailing i wish i will ever do sailing once in a lifetime. great work by you cleaning the beach same time very responsible travling
Thanks very much :). Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes we are very fortunate to live this life. Thanks for watching and stay safe!
i wish i could live like you guys!
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 :)
Beautiful. The beaches in Ithaca unsurprisingly remind me of my favourite beach in kefalonia from where you look across to Ithaca. We do a mini beach clean on each beach we visit. We both pick up 10 bits of plastic before we go home.
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!
love it x
Hey Leighton, glad you enjoyed it mate :)
GORGEOUS footage! 😍
Thanks very much! Yes we love Ithaca :). Thanks for watching
wow you are having a very enjoyable journey I wish such a journey too.
Thanks so much, all the best :)
Ithaca Home of Odyssey
:)
Thanks really helpful interesting and nice videos , good on you for picking up the plastic , it’s something we try to do
We’re kinda hoping
To follow in your footsteps in the not
Too far away and have to thank you for making the video on buying that boat and the procedure it’s been really helpful and I’ve filed that away in my boat book, we’ll continue to follow your trip and appreciate your filming it’s terrific .
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!
bravo...............
Thanks very much :)
Great video guys, so much amazing scenery. Good to see your hiking thongs survived the blowout, could have been a tough walk back to the boat otherwise.
Hahahaha it was still a tough walk back for Jase :), glad you enjoyed the video!
Great trip mate, ithaca land of the legendary king Odysseus. In 2019 hired a boat with friends and went around Ithaca and sailed across to Kefalonia, we stopped at some cave and snorkelled and below us was a massive sunken ship. Gonna go back and scuba there once this covid stuff is over. Kefalonia is great island too with Myrtos beach, and a castle in Asos. And a place all the yachts gather near Fiskardo. Cheers
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!
Your pictures remain stunning and inspirational
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
9:50.....stunning ❤️
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 :)
Hats off to you for the beach cleaning ... we try to do the same and it BREAKS my heart when I see people throwing (or leaving) trash in the sea.
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 :)
WOW
Yeah a stunning place, thanks for watching :)
No wonder you visited there twice - it's beautiful !!!
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 🤣
Stunning images😀
Thanks Dawn, glad you enjoyed the video :)
@@SailingKawai Thank you for taking me there😊
No worries Dawn :)
Thanks for trying to clean the beaches, i always do that also ...
Thanks J O, yes it's really sad seeing the state of our beaches. Great feeling cleaning the beaches :) Thanks for watching!
There are ancient churches and villages like Stavros and Kioni.
DOWNTOWN ITHACA RESTAURANTS have good food too.
all my favorite Greek islands are in the Caribbean ha ha ha
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
saving an animal; saving ourselves !
Yes we all need to do more to keep our planet healthy :)
Gotta love a fresh water rinse! We hadn’t seen rain all summer until we arrived back in the Ionian. Never thought of using the light flipped around to look in the generator...learn something every video. Those Hanse boats are full of ideas. Are you guys planning on crossing the Atlantic this winter?
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!
Hoi, Leisure Time here
We passed Lefkara canal 2 days ago
Currently high and dry in Patras getting ready to overhaul gearbox
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
Since a few day's I'm a subscriber on your youtube channel, Really like your video's, very informal and interesting, However you really need to work on the audio in the older videos' some part are nearly hearable and others are to loud, the Hanse 445 is my ideal boat and hopefully I can set sail in 2 years, keep those new videos coming, cheers
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 Guys, Thanks your for this video. Could you tell me which sailing guide you are using for Greece?
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!
I know the area well, I go every October when my friend (retired) wants me at the end of the season to help winterise the boat and drive back to the UK. As its his boat he likes to get on a town quay each night, despite my suggestions of staying at a sheltered bay! He always says, well what if the wind suddenly picks up and/or changes direction? He has a point once off old Aristotle's Scorpios Island near Nydri we went from 10 knots of wind to over 40-60 knots in less than 20 seconds! It was a case of using full power just to keep the boat into the wind (a 42 ft Bavaria with a 50 Volvo hp engine). We ran for the lee of the island and dropped anchor and had a big Metaxa or 3!!! Luckily there were no Russian ex-special forces guys in big ribs telling us to F off, which now is the case if you come too close as its owned by some Oligarch!!
Corfu old town is my favourite Ionian place!! Though staying in that private marina by the citadel is a bit expensive at 40 Euros a night!!!
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!
What Time of year was this? You probably mentioned it somewhere but I couldn't find it unless you're uploading right away which would mean the video date would be it. Cheers thanks!! Great Stuff
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 guys, great video we are really looking forward to more videos from Greece! It's worrying that you say you had not had a swim for a while as we thought we would be swimming / freediving every day. We are both half fish though. Do you not swim because it's too cold?
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 :)
Love your videos!! What camera do you guys use for filming?
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.
is the anchorage at lefkas good to leave a boat for a month unattended.as far as crazy winds,that may cause drag.
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.
MATING
Hahaha
Hi I hear that there are some very windy places around Greece?
Hi Will, yes Greece is very windy and you need to be always watching the weather :)
How expensive is it to rent a sail boat for a couple weeks? Who did you guys go through?
Hi Beth, this was our boat, I'm not sure sorry. Hope you enjoyed the video :)
I’ve lived in Ithaca for 12 years and would kill for a week in Southport Pontin’s but our bus service is awful.
I would love to spend more time in Ithaca haha, hope you enjoyed the video :)
Where are Halkidiki??))
Hahaha I would love to explore, just not yet! Hopefully in the near future :) Thanks for watching
6:01 which application is this?
It's called Navionics, we use it to plot our course, check depths, anchorages. Hope that helps :)
Can you fish off the boat?
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.
Way to much time spent on the boat. We had a day trip there a few years back from Kefalonia, the lake with the island in the middle, the armed police standing around the dock, and up a mountain to look at a view, and stone heads of famous ancient Greeks
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 :)
What do you do for an income?
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!