At about 0700 we tucked in between an island and the mainland. Sheltered by the island, we had about an hour and a half of flat seas. Ahhh. We were joyous about the reprieve. On the other side of the island, the waves were less vicious and easier to handle, for a while, anyway. This is because the island partially blocks the wind, slowing it down to only 10 knots apparent.

We had gone around the bottom of Greece and were now moving north, up the eastern side of the country. Our plan was to only be in Katacolon for a couple days, then move west to Sicily. Eric had been looking at the charts this morning for a port we could check out of the country from that was closer to our current position than Katacolon. We realized there was no real need to move so far north, seeing as the trip to Sicily would take the same amount of time no matter where we left from on the lower eastern side of Greece. He found what he was looking for, a small town named Pylos, located close to where we were.

At 0900 we pulled into the harbor, which was totally flat and calm. You’d never know how hard the wind was blowing in the ocean from looking at the bay. We pulled up to the “marina”, dubious about availability at this time of the year. Someone was waiting for us and directed us to a prime side tie spot marked “captain”. Of course, we assumed the guy worked for the marina. Turns out there is no marina staff. This guy sells diesel fuel and was hoping to get a new client, hence the helpfulness.

Pylos has a different look to it than the other places we have been to in Greece. Yes, the buildings are blocky and situated on a hill. Most of the buildings look like they are detached, at least the ones most visible. Most of the buildings are less than 5 stories and have pitched, red tile roofs. We guess the roofs are what change the look of the town so much, at least from the distance. In the Plain of Thessaly they also have some houses with pitched roofs, too. It also looks like many buildings in Pylos are relatively new.

Once Kosmos was situated, we Continue reading →