S2.6 - Sailing Around Zakynthos: From Shipwrecks to Exploring Caves
May 1-4: Overcast Skies, Epic Shipwrecks, and Costa’s Restaurant Parking
The day started off with a bit of gloom…
—overcast skies that muted that electric blue Mediterranean hue we loved so much from yesterday.
But hey, no one's complaining because we were en route to the legendary Shipwreck Beach, aka Navagio Beach!
Infamous Shipwreck Beach
Did You Know?
(According to good ol' Wikipedia) In 1980, a ship called the MV Panagiotis ran aground here during a storm. Some rumors suggest it was smuggling contraband cigarettes, which makes this shipwreck a lot more exciting than your average “oops, I crashed” story. The crew apparently fled, leaving the ship buried in the sand where it still rests today—now a tourist hotspot! We hovered near it (thanks, earthquake-induced landslide warnings), and Ryan got some epic drone footage to capture its mysterious beauty.
From Shipwreck to Paradise: the Blue Caves of Volimes on the west side of the island are only accessible by sea and are absolutely stunning. We’re planning to come back tomorrow in the dinghy for a closer peek because, let’s be real, passing by in the boat just wasn’t enough.
First, we had to find a place for the night. At Agios Nikolaos / Costa’s Place, the local hero of mooring balls (Costa), helped us catch a mooring ball a mere 10 meters from his restaurant. Yes, 10 meters. Talk about waterfront dining!
I think this will be the closest to shore we’ll get in Lucky Enough!
We dinghied over for dinner, cooled off with a brief rain shower, and caught a rainbow floating over Lucky Enough.
The western coastline of Zakynthos is absolutely breathtaking. I’m so glad we took the time to come and explore these Blue Caves. Check out these 2 videos…
May 5: Happy Easter and Cinco de Mayo
We said our thanks to Costa and set sail for the thie island of Ithaca. We found a tranquil paradise called Paralia Astreos.
Alone in paradise?
It looked perfect from a distance, but once we dropped anchor, we found out the hard way that rocks + seaweed = no bueno.
Probably why no one else was anchored there. LOL. We shifted to Plan B and headed for Filiatro Bay. Well, we weren’t alone, but my… it was beautiful. By bedtime, there were 14 boats crammed into this beautiful, deep bay. Cozy, to say the least. At least the water was crystal clear and the perfect 20°C for a dip!
May 6: Mega Yachts and Holiday Madness
Today was one for the books…
First, we got a wake-up call from Project X, an 88-meter luxury mega yacht.
Seeing this thing rolling in made us quickly decide to set sail for quieter waters.
Meganisi Straight was calling, but boat traffic? Insane. Ryan handled the helm like a pro while I enjoyed the views (stress-free, thank you very much).
Traffic! Traffic! Boats converging through Meganisi Strait: a 4 nm strait that separates the Greek island of Meganisi from Nidri, a town 16 km from Lefkada.
Second, we closed a loop on our Greek tour
Last year’s track was the northern route, this year, we came back through the south.
Being Easter Monday, and Labor Day tomorrow, we figured everyone would be on holiday, so (third…) we found refuge at Desimi Bay on the Island of Lefkada to anchor for the night. Turned out to be a gorgeous spot with a hidden chapel in a tiny cave just around the bend.
We met some fellow Canadian sailors, Marybeth, Rob, and Linda (in their monohull “Endless Summer”), who invited us out for dinner with them. What was “sold to us” was a “quick 800-meter” walk which was actually a 4.5 km trek up and along a narrow highway with heavy traffic and no shoulder. And of course, Ryan and I were rocking flip-flops. Needless to say, we taxied home later that evening.
Desimi Bay, Lefkada
May 7: Preveza Bound
After yesterday’s adventure, we were finally headed to Preveza. We were looking forward to being back there as we had such a great experience last year (See S1.24). But first…
Passing by a shipwreck near the entrance to Agia Mavra Floating Bridge
We passed through Lefkada’s floating drawbridge (which was a first for us).
Here is a shot of us in line.
Photo from: amazinglefkada.com
The floating bridge of Agia Mavra serves as a vital connection between the Greek mainland and Lefkada Island, making it a key point of entry for the island. Its unique design, as a pontoon bridge, allows for both road and ship traffic to coexist. The bridge's movable wings, which rotate 90 degrees to allow ships to pass, show how it accommodates both maritime activity and vehicular traffic. The proximity to Agia Mavra Castle, one of the island's largest forts, adds historical significance to the location, giving the bridge its name and linking it to the island's cultural heritage. This blend of functionality and historical context makes it an interesting engineering and cultural landmark.
…and then into Preveza Marina. Ryan said the area reminds him of the Gulf Islands in BC—beautiful, calm, and green.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the marinaro we had last time, and docking in high winds was...let’s just say, “challenging.” We did manage to fuel up and then get moored into place where we’d be for the next four nights. Miguel, our hero from AMZ out of Lavrion (See S1.29), drove five and a half hours out just to fix our bow thruster that still hadn’t worked correctly since its initial installation. Miguel, we’ll say it again… you're a legend. Thank You!
May 9-10: 19th Anniversary, Lazy Mornings and Continuous Loops
Happy 19th anniversary to us! After an early rise to watch Game 1 of 2nd round (Oilers vs Canucks), where we were up 4-1 and still managed to loose, our grand plan was to pamper ourselves with a full boat cleaning service. Spoiler alert: The cleaners didn’t exactly meet expectations like they did last time, so we ended up re-cleaning the boat ourselves. Ah, romance. Brought us back to the times we would go on “airplane cleaning dates” way back when - which we actually quite enjoyed by-the-way. But hey, we installed our Code D sail and wrapped up the day with a nice dinner (and a critter cat that followed us home for leftover swordfish).
We also got in some well needed rest and Ryan taught me to make a continuous loop out of Dyneema line which sounds technical but is basically super-strong sailor rope magic made from a single piece of line.
Dyneema Line: has superior strength-to-weight ratio to it’s fibre, giving it it’s strength
Because if you're going to sail, might as well do it in style, right?