It was time to leave Greece and to go further West. We made a quick stop in Corfu town to wait for favourable winds to cross to Italy. The Fortress and the old town are the main attractions.
Around 550 AD the inhabitants of the area around what is now the old fort, began moving to the naturally-fortified peninsula with its two peaks, to protect themselves against barbarian incursions, after the collaps of the Roman empire.
The Byzantines walled the peninsula, built towers on both peaks and developed the island into Koryfo city, (Koryfo = peak) a name that gradually changed to Corfou/Corfu. The settlement west of the peninsula, the “Xopoli” (outer city), began to grow at the same time as Koryfo at the site of the modern city.
The Venetians (1386 – 1797) took possession of Corfu for its strategic and commercial importance. The current fortifications were built by the Venetians and incorporated heavy artillery into the defence systems to withstand Ottoman attacks. The peninsula was separated from the island itself through the construction that sea moat, the so-called contrafossa, pictured before.
During the period of English rule (1814-1864), large-scale interventions were made at the site with the construction of new buildings, mostly military in character. During World War II, bombing destroyed important Venetian buildings such as the palace of the Provveditore (Superintendent).
Corfu island and its capital are the main tourist destination of the Ionian islands. Corfu has a long musical, theatrical, and operatic tradition. You can find world-class museums, fortresses and restaurants and a blend of Venetian, French and British architecture. However we have been sailing Greece for 5 months now and there comes a time that you simply have to leave because there is so much more to explore on our beautiful planet, hence our short stay for only two nights.
Corfu Street Performer. The guy has a tiny microphone on his face and is singing along with a backing track.
Sailing impression halfway from Corfu to Punta Meliso, the heel of Italy’s boot.
The following day would bring stronger winds (20 – 25 knots) from the North, promising exhilarating sailing conditions to cross the open water from Punta Meliso to Capo Rizzuto. The anchorage in the bay West of Capo Rizzuto would offer good protection against the Northerly storm that was forecasted later in the week. So we stayed only one night in Santa Maria di Leuca and pressed on the following morning, to arrive in the bay before the storm.
It turned out to be a fantastic sail, with a first reef in the main and full headsail.
Exhilarating sailing from Punta Meliso to Capo Rizzuto.
We stayed for three nights, waiting for the storm to pass and on Sep 6 the weather looked acceptable to continue our journey with the winds forecasted to subside further.
We sail conservative and make sure not to be over-canvassed, to not put too much strain on the boat and on ourselves. We left the anchorage with a second reef in the main and the headsail partly furled.
The wind was initially as forecasted and as expected, the sea was quite rough from the left over swell after the storm. The problem was however that the wind was not easing but slowly increasing. Thunderstorms were building on the horizon and approaching. In the video below you can see the confused sea-state. Bear in mind that the waves are higher than what it looks on video. You can also notice that the autopilot has more difficulty to keep the boat on course.
We now had 30 knots over deck and started preparations for our third reef when we heard a gale warning over the radio. Already a bit out of our comfort zone we weighed our options. Sailing closer to shore would decrease the wind a bit and we could be in the safety of Marina Roccella within the next hour. So we decided not to press on and to head for shelter. The tranquility that fell over the boat when in the lee of the high marina walls was a welcome relief for our souls.
The harbour master jokingly said that they always reserve one berth for idiots that go out sailing with this kind of weather.
Thank you for reading our stories and see you next time when we visit the Aeolian Islands, also called Lipari islands.
Regards, Liza and Frits.
Hello Frits and Liza,
Many thanks again for sharing your traveling experiences again. Next to the history stories I really enjoy the videos and to read about your personal experiences.
Looking forward to read more next time.
Lieve groetjes
Loek
Thanks for your encouraging words Loek, appreciated. Liza and Frits
What a thought- provoking perspective.
Getting idea’s Liz? Thanks for reading and commenting on our stories. Rgds to Colin.
Liza and Frits.