Early Morning Sail to Nafplio with a Swim Stop Along The Way

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11thAugust 2018

As advised, the anchor was raised at 3am, and we set sail for our next port of call, Nafplio , the First capital of Greece. It is still located on the mainland, but on the western side of the Peninsula.

The wind has come up and it is a bit of a bumpy ride, but the boat handles it quite comfortably and we slept well.

We discovered that the reason we did not go straight out into the Cyclades is because there was a gale warning for today, but at the moment tomorrows forecast suggests it will have passed by then.

Part of todays plan is a stop along the way for a morning swim and BBQ lunch on board. By 8 am we had reached a very sheltered inlet only about 1-2 hours from Nafplio, where we dropped anchor, had breakfast and arrangements were put in place to take us ashore to a nice beach for a swim. Alternatively, there were kayaks and paddle boards available for those who would like to get there under their own power.


Our sheltered anchorage for a morning swim


The beach we headed into for a swim

We opted for the Zodiac and really enjoyed our swim , spending almost an hour in the water with some new found American friends from the Pacific North West.

Beautiful clear water and a pebble beach, ideal for swimming


Transport has arrived


Some people just chose to swim off the boat

A shuttle service was running all of the time, taking people to and from the shore, whilst some people opted just to swim off the side of the ship. We were back on board by around 11.30am, and the BBQ was being lit and set up of the tables under way.

By 1pm, lunch was served, and everyone had developed a healthy appetite. There was a good range of meat, fish and chicken, with many salads, grilled vegetables and decadent desserts.

Lunch is served

Not long after lunch, the anchor was up again and it was off to our destination for the evening, Nafplio. It was  only about 1.5 hours away, and the coastline quite scenic. 

Nice coastal scenery along the way


A small isolated church along the coastline

An island fortress at the entrance to Nafplio Harbour


The Castle above the town



We were blown onto the dock by the still relatively strong wind, so the captain had us alongside in no time.

It is the hottest part of the day, so it is suggested that we rest for a couple of hours, as most people in town will be having a siesta, and the cruise director (who comes from this area), has volunteered to run a walking tour of the town for those interested at 5.30pm.

 There was a briefing on the aft deck at 3.30pm to give us some information about Nafplio.


Almost everyone turned up for the tour, which ran for about 1.5 hours and provided a great insight into the history of the town and its significance in Greek history. The dominant feature of the town is a heavily fortified castle located high on a peak overlooking the town. It can be accessed by climbing 720 wide steps (designed for horses and donkeys, but not humans). Our guide suggested taking a taxi if we wanted to see it.

The old town is still not busy



The town square

As well as touring the narrow cobbled streets full of restaurants and shops, we stopped at a distillery (one of the oldest in Greece) to find out about the production of Ouzo and the Greek equivalent of Grappa. Most of us bought a small bottle for later on. 

Distillery outlet and museum


The last surprise was a visit to a little shop that specialized in making very sweet desserts, and lots of samples had been laid out on tables for us to try. It was very popular with the sweet tooths among us.

The tour ended at 7 pm, and we were left to our own resources to find a place for dinner. By now we were quite thirsty, so we stopped at a bar/restaurant in the main square for a cold drink, whilst we contemplated our food options.


Finally we selected a small taverna in a back street and enjoyed a Greek meal with some local wine.

Dinner at the Taverna


It was 11.30pm, by the time we were back on board , had a cup of tea or coffee and headed to bed. 

According to the chart on the notice board, it looks like we will be heading to Santotini tomorrow.

Comments

  1. mike@beachhouseAugust 12, 2018 at 9:37 PM

    Mike,
    If you next Island is Santorini, beware of riding the donkeys!
    Boat looks very comfortable.
    Cheers
    Mike

    ReplyDelete

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