After the overland Morocco trip it was time to get back in the water. Another Crewseekers advert answered and found myself heading to Greece for a short trip. The owner was going to get his boat out of winter hibernation and back into the water. When i arrived there was only a few jobs left to do, finish the antifouling, paint the anchor chain, a bit of a clean, refill the gas bottles and we were done.

Boat being transported from the boat yard back to the water –

Back in and ready to go, these cranes are big !! –

Looking out from Cleopatras marina to mainland Preveza –

Whilst in Preveza i saw these ferries that they had been working on, they call them Flying Dolphins. As they gain speed they rise up out of the water and almost water ski across the top, quite a sight when they are travelling at 35 knots or more !!

They had been working on them to add more hydrofoil wings on them to get them higher out of the water. Whenever i saw them they reminded me of something out of Captain Scarlet or Thunderbirds !!

We had a few stops along the way in the week i was aboard.  We stopped at Sivota, Paxos island, Plataria, and main town Corfu. The owner had just retired and had planned a 6 month trip around the Adriatic. He had a busy schedule ahead of hime with friends, relations and crew joining him at all different times.

A few photos from the trip , Freebird next to the quayside in Sivota – a small village in the municipality of Igoumenitsa.

We met a very energetic cafe owner here calked Andreas. He was almost ‘John Cleese’ like marching around with a tray in his hand. He must have liked the place as he had been there for 35 years !!

Working hard in Plataria, kept picking up the wrong can –

Moored up on the island of Paxos –

View from old town Corfu out to the mainland –

Busy crossing from Corfu to Igoumenitsa and other places –

Gouvia – one of the largest marinas on Corfu –

Looking back to old town Corfu from the bay –

We happend to be on Corfu over the Easter holiday celebrations. The Greeks celebrate Easter here more than anywhere else in Greece, it really is something special – https://atcorfu.com/pasxa-stin-kerkyra/ . Even the Greeks who live on the mainland come to see the celebrations. One of the rituals is to throw red china pots out of your window to the pavements below ! Thousands of pots are thrown into the street at 11 o’clock on the saturday.

The crowds in one of the most famous streets in the old town –

In the evening on the sunday thousand gather in the local square to listen to a speech and pray given by the local priest. Everybody lights a candle whilst standing and listening, quite a sight !!

At the stroke of midnight a terrific fireworks display happens, this go own for some time !

So this is the second i’ve accidentally been somewhere where some of the biggest Easter celebrations happen. The first was when travelling through Guatemala and i stopped at Antigua – http://www.simonthesailor.com/semena-santa-easter-festival-antigua/

A good end to a few days sailing around Greece and Corfu, especially as i knew nothing about these Easter celebrations !!

They brew their own beer here , never a bad thing !!

End of the line with Freebird – for now anyway.

A few Mythos were drunk along the way – the beer of Greece !!

Sunset in Greece –

Next stop back to Preveza to pick up a catamaran to assist a delivery to Montenegro via Albania !!