S1.28 - Sailing the Saronic Gulf and Final Days of Season 1
Sept 19: Crossing the Saronic Gulf
Setting out early once more, we explored several bays on the southern side of Aegina Island. Unfortunately, we struggled to find a good spot to anchor with adequate wind protection. This led us to make the decision to cross the Saronic Gulf despite facing 24-knot headwinds and a 1.5-knot opposing current, which made for slow progress. Our goal was to find a suitable place to spend the night.
Crossing the Saronic Gulf
We contacted Olympic Marina in Lavrion (a fully equipped boatyard near Athens) hoping to move up our October 4th haul-out booking, but they were fully booked. Since this would be our first haul-out and winterizing, we wanted to ensure we had ample time to get everything sorted before our flight back to Paris (and ultimately, home). Our thoughts were to get as close as possible to the marina in case they get a last minute cancellation on their end to get us in early.
Our first attempt to anchor was thwarted by a crowded bay, with no room for us. We then moved to Anavissou Bay, where we found only one other monohull anchored. There was plenty of space here, and although it took us two attempts, we eventually secured a good hold and settled in for the night. Shortly after, about eleven more boats joined us in the bay. I think everyone was happy to find shelter for the night.
Sept 20: Anchoring by the Temple of Poseidon
Today, we set out at sunrise to find a more protected bay as we inched closer to the marina while waiting patiently for a call with an opening.
Sunrise Leaving Anavissou
Based on Torsten’s recommendation, we headed to Sounio, located at the base of the Temple of Poseidon.
The Temple of Poseidon
According to Google, “The Temple of Poseidon was built between 444 and 440 BC with marble from the Agrilesa valley. Sailors and mariners believed that storms resulted from Poseidon's wrath, and the temple served as a place where they hoped to appease Poseidon and find favor.”
It’s an impressive sight, and its popularity was evident as numerous boats came and went throughout the day.
Sunset at the base of the Temple of Poseidon
Sept 21: Our Final Night for Season 1 on Lucky Enough
Anticipating swells, we decided to move once again to the next anchorage, Pasalimani, three miles up the coast. As it turns out, this would be our final night on Lucky Enough, as we finally received a call this evening from Olympic Marine informing us they could haul us out the next morning at 9:00am.
We were elated at the news. As much fun as this journey has been, we were tired. Really tired. It’s a lot of hard work—physically, mentally, and emotionally—keeping up a boat with just the two of us. We still had a lot of work ahead of us once the boat was on the hard, but we were looking forward to wrapping things up for the season.
Since we hadn’t had time to mentally prepare ourselves for this to be our final night onboard Lucky Enough, the emotions we felt were indescribable.
We captured a video of our last sunset on board, a poignant end to our unforgettable adventure.