On the 2nd of August we said farewell to our friends and the villa and set out once again as our team of four.  We made the short hop across to the mainland with the intention of anchoring for the night just off Vathiavali Beach when disaster struck; Julia went forward to manage the anchor but returned to the cockpit looking faint saying her toe might be dislocated!  The nearest first aid was on the beach so I set the anchor and we all climbed into the tender and rowed to the beach where a lifeguard was on watch.  He applied ice and recommended we head straight Lefkas hospital so we did.  As we navigated the one hour trip north across the bay and up the canal I booked a berth in the marina as I'd need help mooring on arrival.  Once securely moored we hopped in a taxi to the hospital.

They took an Xray straight away and then Julia just had to wait. She waited so long that we decided I should take Zefi and Dor back in a taxi to find something to do (usually a pool).

,This was our first time in Lefkas (Lefkada) since we bought Bumblebee close by, ten years earlier.  The town still feels warm and charming but the capacity for yachts to moor has increased significantly with the addition of multiple pontoons.

We found a hotel pool where they were happy to let us swim for a small fee and the children spent a few happy hours splashing around.

We found a great restaurant called Navis and were just ordering food when Julia called and said she had fractured her toe but was on her way back. Most people would find this news distressing but Julia was thrilled because it didn't require any painful realignment or relocation.  In fact there was nothing to be done except tape it up and take the pain.

Exhausted from a day of drama, we all slept well that night.  The next day we had no need to stay any longer in the very expensive marina (170 Euro!) when there were town pontoons available (17 Euro) so I (now singlehanded) moved Dragonfly.  We wanted to stay one more night as Katie and her daughter were arriving the next day, plus we were enjoying Lefkas.

Zefi and Theodore acquired yet another pair of replacement sunglasses (let's see how long they can hold on to them) and we had a good lunch on the quayside.  It was hot though so we went in search of another hotel pool.

After a relaxing swim in a ageing hotel pool we were refreshed and found Katie waiting for us by the boat.  Her first night onboard was very hot and still so we were keen to set off the next morning to find Nik, Dagmara and Victoria at their hotel back south in the bay at Porto Galini.

Once again we were lucky to find a perfect anchorage close to the hotel.  We took the dinghy ashore and found our friends.

The kids were all thrilled to be reunited and the grown ups enjoyed an good catch up over an excellent lunch.

After a wonderful afternoon enjoying the hotel pools we departed to find an anchorage for the night.  The next day we would return, collect them and all sail to Meganissi where we had another villa waiting for us.

The last week of July was spent mostly on land with excellent company.  We joined up with Oli, Emma, Frankie and Georgia plus Rich, Jalila and Leila and rented a villa on the edge of Vliho Bay.

The children were so excited to get together and had the added bonus of a joint birthday for Zefy and Frankie.  They got lots of crafty kit for their birthdays so wasted no time making a mess of the villa.

There were face paints too..

On day three we all took a day sail to Meganisi.  After the 45 minute crossing we dropped the anchor in Ormos bay and had some lunch and a swim.

A couple of days later we did another short trip to a tiny little beach just outside Nydri.

We were back in time for drinks with George,  Kate and their children who were staying on Lefkas, just further south from us.

A second round of face painting was halted when we realised the paint wouldn't wash off Frankie's face!

A waterfall is located just outside Nydri so eleven of us jumped in two tiny cars and made the trip.  The was a little bit of hiking rewarded with a cool dip.

After all the giggles back in the Corfu, we couldn't resist an outing to the Nydri fish spa.

All too soon, a wonderful week was over.  Villa Unalome had been a wonderful base for a double birthday, day sails, seafood barbecues, punchy margaritas and lots and lots of swimming!

We were in Nydri on the 24th of July watching a thunderstorm roll in.  We expected another epic storm like we experience in Corfu but thankfully this one never really got going.

A gusty evening lead to a small panic the next morning when the various Airtags onboard all showed Dragonfly had dragged to the shore.  I deserted my breakfast and sped out in the dinghy half expecting to see her stranded in the shallows.  Luckily she was sitting perfectly fine on anchor.  It seems Airtags are not a reliable way to monitor a boat.

We had one night until Oli, Emma, Rich and Jalila all arrived with their children so we set out to find a good anchorage for the night on Meganisi.

We discovered a pretty little village just up the hill from the anchorage.  Stumbling upon an authentic Ouzeri, we paused for a drink while Zefi and Dor built towers with playing cards and practised magic tricks.

On Sunday the 26th we got the keys to Villa Unalome, our base for the next week.  This villa has a wonderful position on the edge of Vliho Bay with it's own pontoon.  The water is too shallow for Dragonfly to reach the pontoon but she can anchor just beyond.

And so began a week with friends in comfortable accommodation. 

On the 21st of July we arrived in the little harbour village of Kioni on Ithaca.  We had been here ten years before but our memory was hazy so we looked it up on this blog:

This blog post was very early in the season. It would be impossible to anchor in the middle of the bay now -all around us boats were squeezing into any available gaps.

We arrived around lunch time and only planned to drop in and have a look around.  Once we had two lines secured to the land, a slight breeze picked up and made the heat bearable so we decided to stay.  For days now the temperature had been building and it was becoming uncomfortable. We remained on deck for some lesson time with Zefi and Dor and watched as boats kept arriving.  The slight cross wind made manoeuvring difficult so we were relieved when our neighbours were securely moored.

Kioni is a beautiful village and memories from a decade before came flooding back. Julia rediscovered her favourite jewellery shop and picked out a little necklace.  We had a drink on a rooftop terrace and supper beside the water.  In keeping with tradition we bought a bottle Ouzo and a bag of ice on the way back to the dinghy.

The next morning we sailed north to Lefkas in anticipation of some incoming weather and waves. We were meeting friends in less than a week and needed to cross while the water was calm.  We arrived at a tiny little cove and initially took lines to shore but were just finishing up when a couple of dive boats arrived.  With two lines to shore you effectively cut off access to the space between.  Quite rightly they divers complained and asked us to remove a line. We removed both lines and went in search of a more peaceful spot to anchor. 

We ended up in a secluded little bay called Kate'sCove, just around the corner from Nydri.  We enjoyed the afternoon here before deciding to move once again as the light was fading.  Just twenty minutes away was Vliho Bay, a very safe lagoon where many boats take shelter and are even left for periods of time on anchor.  The heat had been building and storms were forecast so we decided to play it safe and position ourselves for the worst.

In Kate's Bay there was a beautiful Eagle 38 and a speedboat moored up beside the entrance to a villa.  We often think a bigger boat is the dream but it might be that a smaller boat should really be the goal.  Of course only if it is a beautiful day sailer like this and comes with the speedboat and villa!

After a night on anchor struggling with the heat we made the decision to put out lots of chain, fender up and spend a couple of nights on land.  We booked into a cheap hotel in Nydri and packed our overnight bags.  With a thunderstorm expected there was no point waiting it out onboard when the anchorage appeared safe enough to leave her and find a swimming pool for the children.

Nydri was just a small fishing village before shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis bought Scorpios Island next door and married Jackie Kennedy there in the late sixties.  Fashionable parties on the island spilled over and the village of Nydri grew into a destination of it's own.  We were here ten years ago on Bumblebee too, when Mike and Sue invited us to their lovely villa in the hills above the town.

Our hotel 'Lefko' fitted the bill perfectly -it had a great pool for the kids, a suite big enough to play hide and seek in and it was cool at night.

Thursdays is BBQ night at the hotel so we dug out some clean clothes and joined in a jolly evening sat amongst guests from Wales and Finland.

On Friday the 24th we were woken up by thunder, lightning and a sky heavy with marshmallow clouds.  It was also Zefi's birthday, she is six years old!

While we waited for the storm to properly unfold we discovered a happy coincidence -Dragonfly's previous owner Daniel was in Nydri with his family on his new boat.  We knew he was in the area but it was just luck that he was a couple of minutes walk from our hotel.

After catching up, we wandered back to our hotel pool, stopping at several interesting little shops along the way. Jozefina was fully aware it was her birthday, even though her party was delayed a few days until our friends arrived. She used this to her advantage, successfully dragging us into a few toy shops.

Back at the hotel we enjoyed the pool and waited to see if our weather forecasting apps were reliable and there really was a storm coming..

Just as we were waving goodbye to James and Katharine in Kefalonia, we discovered our friends Hugo and Charlotte were about to arrive in Zakynthos for a week. We had been debating whether to venture further south, so this made our decision easy!

We made landfall at Climati Beach, dropping anchor in the middle of the bay with plenty of room to swing. After a restful, still night, we moved a little up the coast the next morning to Agios Nikolaos harbour and took a berth on the town quay. 

​The next day, the heat was unbearable, so we rented a car with air conditioning and set off to explore Zakynthos. Our first stop was the obligatory tourist destination: Shipwreck Beach. I was sceptical about such an unoriginal itinerary, but it really is breathtaking. Back in the AC, we drove south towards the famous turtle nesting beaches at the bottom of the island. En route, we passed a water park and felt the kids would never forgive us if we didn't stop -we never made it to the turtle beach.

To our surprise, Zante Water Village had an endearing retro charm. We spent a few happy hours there until Zefi and I had a splat on one of faster slides. With our confidence slightly bruised, we took the opportunity to leave and see where else our road trip might take us.

Now a convent but originally a 16th-century monastery, Panagia Spiliotissa in Zakynthos was built after an icon of the Virgin Mary was discovered in a nearby cave. I couldn't help noticing how the icon bears a slight resemblance to Ecce Homo—the botched ecclesiastical restoration that went viral a few years ago.. so we bought a little copy to add to Dragonfly's art collection.

The convent had a feeling of peace and serenity that Theodore shattered with shrieks of agony as he bashed his knee on a step. Luckily the well equipped nuns took good care of him.

After an unpredictable but action-packed day, we returned to the little harbour where Dragonfly was berthed. We were obliged to eat at the local restaurant in exchange for mooring on the quay. The next day, we planned to meet up with Hugo and Charlotte, friends from home whose two little girls attend the same school.

Just before lunch, we dropped anchor a stone's throw from Mikro Nisi, the restaurant Hugo had suggested. We were getting ready to go ashore when we spotted the four of them swimming out to us. It was wonderful to see Hugo and Charlotte again, and Zefi and Dor were particularly excited to see Jemima and Arabella. After a good lunch and catch up, the kids feasted on ice cream and we all piled back to the boat for a swim.

Eventually it was time for farewells and we were off once again. This time we had perfect sailing conditions as we crossed back to Kefalonia and anchored in a wide calm bay for a peaceful night.

After a bit of radio control boat racing and Jenga we were all exhausted. Sleep was a struggle though as it was hot and still throughout the night.

Just before we set off further north in the morning, we realised that an old bench cushion—originally destined for the bin—turned our passarelle into the ultimate waterslide!

On the 11th of July we waved goodbye to Granny B and Grandpa on Corfu and set off south to meet up with James, Katharine and their 3 children.  First we were obliged to drop anchor close to Gouvia marina to sign out with the Port Police.  A burden of flying a UK ensign in Greece is having to check in and out of big ports and keeping a certified crew list up to date.

We anchored beside the house used for the series The Durrels and I went ashore to check out with the port police.  We passed this amazing Razzle Dazzle boat painted by Jeff Koons.

Zefi was pretending to watch cartoons on her pretend phone.. should we be worried?  Meanwhile Theodore found a tiny flying fish that landed on the boat.  You can see the aftermath of the tumb-in-door incident from Croatia.  It's looking better since this photo.

After Antipaxos we crossed to Kefaloni and sailed down the channel towards Sami where James and co had rented a villa.  The wind and waves picked up so we initially thought it best to shelter at Agia Efimia, just up the coast and complete the journey the next day.  Thankfully the Navily app came to the rescue again and put us in touch with the Sami marina who had space for us. An hour later we were safely moored and the kids had found their cousins!

After a lot of travelling we decided to spend a day on land together so rented a car and set out in convoy to the pretty little seaside village of Asos.

Zefi and Dor were thrilled to be reunited with their cousins and we enjoyed a good catch up with James and Katharine.  We decided to book the marina berth for the week; at just €40 a night, it gave us a guaranteed spot to return to. While the town quay was free, it felt too risky to leave the boat unattended moored with the anchor.

Harry's mad keen on chess and can beat us all.

James and co lucked out with their villa -it's called Emily Villas, just a few minutes from Sami. Three villas share a pool but we always seemed to have the place to ourselves.

On the 14th, all 9 of us set out on Dragonfly for an overnight trip to Ithaka.  We rounded the Southern end of the island and initially anchored off a beach surrounded by many other boats.  Suspecting we could find a better spot we crept further round until we discovered this quiet bay with an abandoned fish farm.

With two lines ashore we had a lovely evening swimming, exploring the beach, and playing Jenga.

Down below there was more chess going on.

The next morning we motored around to a sandy beach close to Vathy while Alice taught Zefi how to keep a diary.

We carried on into Vathy and moored stern to for lunch and ice cream.

After lunch we stopped off at Gidaki beach for a swim.  Google reckons this is one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece -it's definitely up there with the best.  Refreshed, we made our way back to Sami as the waves began to build.

After our overnight trip we were all ready for another land day. On the 16th we tried to beat the queues and visit the Melissani caves first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately a cruise ship full of passengers in coaches had the same plan.  We went for plan B instead -the Nautical Museum of Sami.

This museum was a wonderful discovery -all the scale models were built by the museum owner! A lifetimes work of exquisite wooden ships.

We were still determined to see some of the local caves so next we visited Drogarati Cave.  This was an ideal midday activity as the caves remain a constant 18 degree when outside was reaching high thirties.  We also managed to enter just as the cruise ship crowds were arriving.

With a bit of culture and ice cream consumed, we headed back to the villa for an afternoon in the pool and later we all squeezed in for a sleepover.

For our last full day with James, Katharine, Harry, Alice and Zara we were back on Dragonfly and set out for a morning swim and lunch on Koutsoupia Beach

Later that evening we met for a meal a little further up the beach from our marina.  Harry and Dor played more chess and invented a variation of skittles with rocks along an old jetty.

Back at the villa, we capped off an amazing week with the cousins by screening the ultimate nautical masterpiece: Captain Ron!

There was a lot of excitement onboard on the 9th of July as my parents had flown out to see us for a couple of days. Granny B and Grandpa (to Zefi and Dor) had taken a room at The Imperial Hotel, Corfu on our recommendation as we could anchor close by.  We discovered this ten years ago when Nik and Dagmara stayed there.  We dropped off Marysia first thing in the morning for her flight back to Berlin and made our way to their hotel.  We dropped our anchor very close to the hotel pontoon and went ashore to collect them.  We had planned lunch at the White House restaurant, a gentle 45 minute sail around the coast to Kalami Bay.

After a wonderful lunch we returned and anchored again in the same spot, then went ashore to flop into their hotel pool.

Grandpa spent ages playing with the kids in the pool while we put our feet up!

Granny B had brought out a resupply of reading material for the children.

The Imperial Hotel has a fantastic position with very protected bay on one side and open sea on the other. A thin peninsula shields the sandy beaches and pontoons.  Above you can see the view of Dragonfly from the pool.

Can you spot the cicada below?

The next morning we all jumped in a rather late but very swish taxi to Corfu Town.

We wandered the polished streets and tracked down the jewellery studio of a family acquaintance.  Granny B picked out a pair of earrings while I tried to keep Julia from taking a shine to something too!

Ice cream was enjoyed by all. Notice the difference between a phone camera (below) and an actual camera (with vintage lens).

The Museum of Asian Art was an escape from the midday heat and also a treasure trove of fascinating objects and art from China, Japan and India. 

The rest of the day was spent back at the hotel where Theodore and Zefi were invited to join the kids club and had a fun afternoon of games, disco and a film while Julia and I tried our best to look like guests as we swam on the beach and ordered a couple of cocktails in the shade.  We ended a perfect couple of days with a fantastic meal at the hotel's seafood restaurant, suspended over the water and just a stones throw from our boat.

Two days flew by and before we knew it we were saying goodbye and setting sail again just the four of us -though feeling well rested and rather spoilt!

On the 4th of July we sailed back from Antipaxos and anchored once again just south of the fort by Corfu town.  Here we picked up Ewa to make seven of us onboard.

The town anchorage was very busy so we shuffled off and ventured north into a stiff 25 knot breeze.  The beach we thought would provide shelter seemed to be channelling the wind so we opted for a little bay that looked tucked away -it's called Blue Lagoon on Google.  We set a couple of lines to shore but winching ourselves into position was a losing battle against the broadside wind.  We popped up the spray hood and had supper onboard while the wind slowly calmed down.  Eventually we were able to position Dragonfly closer in to  the beach, giving us a little bay of our own.

We discovered some friends from our first marina in Sicily were anchored not far away so in the morning we met up on the beach so the children could play and we could catch up.

Around midday we picked up our lines and anchor to move on a little further north to Kalami Bay, where the White House restaurant is located.  This is the house that the famous English literary family the Durrels lived in -n0t to be confused with the house from the tv series about them, we discovered that one too a few days later.

After a very good lunch, Julia's cousin Marysia arrived from Berlin bringing our number onboard up to eight!

We had been on anchor for quite a few days when our third and last water tank ran dry on the 6th while anchored by Vido Island for a quick midday dip. This was perfect timing as we had just arranged to spend the night back in Gouvia marina.  We were in need of water, fuel, waste disposal and a battery charge plus Maria, Spysek and Ewa were flying back to Warsaw the following day.  By luck the new relay ordered to fix our bow thruster had just arrived there too.

This simple chunk of metal cost far more than it should for what it is but without it we have no manoeuvrability in tight marinas.  It's a bow thruster relay and is identical to a forklift truck relay, they just triple the price for boat parts!
The electricians also installed a Victron Smart Shunt which is a clever little battery monitor.  It's very interesting to learn about our power consumption and has me wondering if we actually need solar at all.  We use the engine quite a lot and also run the generator for an hour or so on hot evenings to cool down with the air con.  With no long passages planned or extended stays on anchor we might manage fine without..

After one night in the marina we anchored once again beside Cofu Town and went for an explore with Marysia.

A couple of hours were lost getting Julia set up with a new phone after a wet child sat on it.

The town is charming with tight winding streets and beautiful open arcades.  The fish spa was a new experience for us and had Zefi and Dor giggling nonstop!

We moored Dragonfly in Gouvia marina, Corfu on the 22nd of June.  We had reserved a space for one week as we were flying back to Warsaw for Julia's mum's 80th birthday party.  This was a great opportunity to get some work done onboard while we were away so I was busy making calls to electricians and mechanics.

The marina has a fantastic swimming pool  -Zefi and Teo had a morning splashing around before we took a taxi to the airport and before long we were back in Warsaw.

Our wine supplier let us down so we had some emergency last minute wines to taste.

The party was great success and the children had a few days back in their old kindergarten catching up with their friends.

Warsaw wasn't spared the heatwave sweeping across Europe -we clocked 41.5' in the car at one point! We were excited to get back to the relative cool of Corfu..

I was very disappointed to return and discover none of the scheduled work had taken place. We were expecting a whole new solar set up, fixed bow thruster and several other electrical fixes.  Work load, health and family issues were given as the excuse but not informing us at the start of the weak with time to find other help was very annoying.

The marina is expensive so we wasted no time upon our return to get out and drop the anchor.  We were expecting a couple of guests so we dropped the hook by Corfu town, close to the airport.  No sooner had we found a spot when the sky started to darken and a storm approached.  Julia jumped on the paddle board, got to shore and found a taxi to take her to the airport. The kids and I braced for the thunder storm.

The storm hit with lightning, rain and 40 knot gusts. The bay fell into chaos with boats dragging their anchors all around. Two metre waves threw us around but somehow Dragonfly held on with just 30m of chain out.

As the winds subsided the aftermath was quite a scene. We could see six boats pinned on the rocks, others were tangled together.  Thankfully we stayed put and the catamaran just metres in front held it's ground too.  The radio was buzzing with mayday calls and rescue missions were underway all around.

The storm only lasted an hour or so and at no point was I particularly concerned. As long as our anchor held and I kept enough thrust to reduce the strain, it was just a case of riding it out.  Zefi and Theodore found the whole episode very exciting.

As usual -after a big storm we were treated to a lovely evening complemented by a dramatic moonrise.  The anchor alarm app below shows how much we swung around our anchor.  Once the wind and rain cleared we picked up Julia's mum and her friend Zbyszek.

With new crew onboard we departed for Paxos island, just south of Corfu.  We pulled into Laka and anchored with a line to shore then watched as more and more boats squeezed in to fill every gap.

We had supper ashore in the pretty little town and lots of swimming and fishing around the boat. We anchored in 3.7m of water so it was easy to confirm the depth gauge is accurate!

Theodore caught a particularly beautiful and spikey fish.

It was the 3rd of July when we made the short hop across to Anti Paxos.  The conditions were ideal for sailing but once the sails were up and we tried to cut the engine we were unable to switch it off!  With the possibility of not being able to start it as well we left it running and made a dash for Gaios town quay which we were just passing.  We moored stern to with the anchor in the idyllic waterside town with perfect natural protection from a small island.  Somehow the fault vanished and the ignition switch has since been working ok.

With control of our engine regained we sailed down to the far end of Antipaxos and slowly crawled up the coast hunting for a spot to spend the night.  We are into July now so there are lots of boats around and competition for good anchorages is becoming evident.  As you can see from the drone photos we found a fantastic inlet and took a couple of lines to shore to keep us pinned in the right position.

To remind you of our loaction -we are on the second tiny island just south of Corfu.  The Beaches of Antipaxos light up the satellite pictures with their stunning turquoise beaches.  With great beauty comes hordes of day trippers so we made a visit first thing in the morning.

We discovered a taverna perched high up above the beach. Those willing to hike up hundreds of steps are rewarded with a cool breeze and breathtaking views.

With another guest arriving soon we departed Antipaxos and set our course for the airport.

The 16th of June was our last day in Montenegro. Jozefina and I went with our taxi driver Marcos to collect Julia and Theodore from the airport in the late afternoon.  Julia had made arrangements for us to jump on a small boat at Virpazar for a guided tour of Lake Skadar.

It was a perfectly still evening and we had a wonderful time spotting pelicans and monasteries.  We said it looked like perfect hippo water and our guide responded with a story of two escapee hippos that used to live there!

The next morning we woke early and motored around to the customs quay on the other side of the marina. A quick visit to the harbour master, customs and police and we were checked out of Montenegro.  We sailed along the coast and as we crossed into Albania we lowered our Montenegro flag and once again hoisted our yellow quarantine flag.

After some alphabet yoga and a bit of school work the kids were let loose with a play make up set.

At 2pm on the 17th we arrived at Durres -our first port of call in Albania.  We were invited into the marina by the harbour master on the radio before we even announced our intentions.  We entered the industrial port and found our very basic marina squeezed in between huge cargo ships.  We dropped our anchor and reversed into our spot with helpful marineros taking our lines.

We were required to use the services of an agent to clear into the country. Mr Ilir had received our documents the day before and the check in process was completed in minutes.  We had the rest of the afternoon to explore the city of Durres,

We began with the Roman Amphitheatre that was only discovered in the 50's when a tree disappeared into a void in the ground! The Ottoman influence is quite visible in Albania, in the music, street signs, and architecture.  Zefi and Theodore were delighted to see caged exotic birds in many of the shops and cafes but their opinion changed when they got too close!

We left the next morning at 6am -before the ferry traffic picked up. The harbour master congratulated us on a smooth exit over the VHF as we slipped out of the port.  Our next destination was Orikum, the only fully operational marina in Albania.  The waves were forecast to reach one metre by mid afternoon by which time we hoped to be safely moored.

A couple of hours into our journey we spotted a green turtle on the surface. Delight was short lived as we realised the poor creature was making no progress at escaping.  It seemed unable to dive and just flopped around on the surface allowing us several passes to take photos.  We wanted to help but there was little we could do. Lifting the turtle would have been difficult, dangerous and cause even more stress.  We found the details for turtle rescue operation and sent them photos and our location. They acknowledged our messages and said they would pass on the info to the appropriate people.  Unable to do much more and with the weather window closing we reluctantly wished her luck and carried on our way. 

We reached Orikum surfing downwind on large waves. We clocked 10 knots a few times but made it into the marina without drama.  Albania if full of huge building projects and Orikum Marina looks like it will soon be transformed to the images below.  For now it is a bit more basic.

We checked in at the marina reception and rented a car for 24 hours.  We wanted to visit a vineyard that had been recommended on Navily and also the nature reserve threatened by the Trump families development plans.

We set off in our rental car well before our supper reservation so took the long tunnel to Palasa Beach where the waves were much smaller.

We then arrived for an early supper at Kantina & Ferma Dukat -a wonderful farm/vineyard/hotel where everything is produced on the estate.  We ate on the terrace surrounded by chicken, cats, dogs and even a tortoise.

The children were fascinated by the tortoise and Zefi even agreed we could get a tortoise instead of a cat we we get back to England.

Early the next day we set off for the Narta Lagoon with it's resident flamingos and pelicans.  This is the site of a controversial property deal involving the Trumps that has the whole country of Albania protesting as it is a protected nature reserve.

We carried on past the salt flats to a desolate beach with a few suspicious looking camper vans. There was a Breaking Bad vibe about the place but the kids had a great time collecting shells in the sand.

We passed this huge hill of salt on the way back home.

Around midday we returned our rental car and set off from the marina towards a tiny little bay that looked like it might provide shelter for the night.  When we arrived there was just one other boat so we anchored and took a line to shore.  Not long later ten tourist day boats arrived with music blasting. One politely asked if he could moor up beside us, misunderstanding I said of course and he proceeded to raft up with lines onto Dragonfly. within no time two more boats had tied to them.  Everyone was in good spirit so we didn't object and just enjoyed the 'flash mob' party.  Zefi and Dor were doing some disco dancing on the passarelle and high fiving the speed boat skippers. I launched the drone to capture the chaos however it looks quite calm from above.

Before long the boats all disappeared and we had the bay to ourselves. That's when a strong katabatic wind began gusting at 20 knots.  We had a line to shore that was now taking the full load of Dragonfly from the stern.  This was not concerning until the wind veered to our port side.  It became apparent that our anchor was not secure as we hoped as we moved close to the rocks. I jumped into the water to check, dropping a fin to the bottom in the rush. As expected the anchor had skidded about 20m alonbg a seabed of very thin sand.  We no time to spare we set up a second line to shore on the other side of the bay.  This saved us as the wind began gusting hard across our side.  With each lull in the wind we winched ourselves a little bit further away from the rocks and back to the middle of the bay.  The strong gusts continues for 5 hours.  With our anchor just resting on the bottom we were very vulnerable if the wind changed direction.  I set an anchor alarm on my phone for the slightest movement to stern and went to bed around midnight.

As is often the case -after a hectic evening we were treated to a beautiful still morning.  We explored the caves nearby and flew the drone again to capture the serenity of our private bay.  Julia also retrieved my fin from the bottom.

That afternoon we pulled in to Sarande, our last port of call in Albania.  We asked permission of the harbour master to moor for the night on the customs quay to help with a swift getaway in the morning.  Our check out process would be handled by an agent so there was nothing required by us.  We left Dragonfly to see the town, exiting through customs and passport control.

Our agent recommended a restaurant, with no other insider info we obliged -an odd place where they serve beer in boob mugs!

Beside us in the harbour were these 50 year old hydrofoil ferries -still in service!

Sunday the 21st of June saw us arrive on Corfu. It felt wonderful to be sailing in Greece again after ten years away.  Our joy was short lived as we began the most arduous check in process of the trip so far.  Brexit has made a big difference for UK flagged boats in the EU and it seems Greek authorities really want you to feel it.  I wont go into the boring details here as it's complicated and ongoing.  All I'll say is our documents and VAT status are all in order and have been approved by the countries we have passed through however here it is just not possible to move freely. We have to check in at each port we visit and acquire a certified crew list for every person who steps on board.

The port police station above was just one of four spread out buildings I was required to visit for various forms and stamps.

With temporary access granted we anchored next to a hotel we know well and swam in the 29' water, happy to be back in familiar territory.