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(or ’ Did we beat the other buggers here? ’) With Cape Maleas behind us, we could now drift up the coastline to Monemvasia. R has mentioned previously that Monemvasia is sometimes called the ‘Gibraltar of the East’, but I think that is rather unfair to Monemvasia (apologies to any Gib-lovers out there). The only similarity is that they are both large rocks connected to the mainland by a short causeway. [ Ed – and Monemvasia’s isthmus doesn’t include an airport! ] R and I had

Monemvasia (Malvasia to the Venetians) The memory that has remained most vivid from our 2004 post-flotilla road trip with Suzie and Bente is the cloud of pink covering the top of The Rock. On closer inspection, this violet carpet turned out to be thousands of large-petalled cyclamens. Each of them clinging onto the limestone with barely any discernible top soil for roots or sustenance. It was the end of October, and after that long summer when most Greek vegetation had seemin

or 'Third time lucky' The Three Fingers (C) Rod Heikell Thanks to the landslide which has closed the Corinth Canal, we have to round the three fingers at the bottom of the Peloponnese, and it’s taken us three different attempts. Our first got us as far as Koroni, which is at the end of the first, westernmost finger. We anchored, already knowing we weren’t going to try to get further east as the forecast was blowing up again. Our friends Judith and Al on ‘Money Penny’ had atte

The Mani - Limeni to Porto Kaiyo - via Cape Matapan (or Tainaron) I’ve been trying to keep the outside of the yacht clean and failing miserably. Every time I scrub the topsides down, the next light wind or short rain-shower deposits a new layer of fine, orange, Saharan dust on the topsides. This is then deposited, from the little rivulets of rain, into tiny pools where it morphs into a fine orange clay-like moraine. And so I repeat the process. Except when we are at anchorage

(or ‘Traipsing down mainland Greece…’) After leaving Zakynthos (Zante to give it its Italian name), our first port of call on the Greek mainland was Katakolon. According to Heikell, our pilot guide, the harbour was built in 1875 to support the thriving trade in currants. Zante currants (or Corinthian raisins) are made from small-size juicy grapes. The first written record of these currants was made by Pliny the Elder (who perished rescuing a friend from the eruption of Mount