Payment in Kind

Edited screenshot

We left Kalamos with little expectation of much of a sail from the forecast. The Poseidon System site http://poseidon.hcmr.gr/sailing_forecast.php?area_id=ion , which is the Ionian equivalent of the the Bora site we had used in the Adriatic, showed small amounts of local wind in the Inland Sea area of the Ionian. Having said that there has been a steady force 6 in the off coast Ionian for the last 48 hours and predicted for another 48 hours. But not where we are.
On leaving Kalamos and heading SW down the channel between Kalamos and Kastos, there is a derelict lighthouse on the next point. There is a shoal that extends a hundred metres off shore at this point. It is not marked on the Navionics charts I am using although there is a text note indicating a shoal in the area but the information is misleading and indicates the shoal is in different position entirely. 
Wits required.
Further mis-information - we soon ran into a brisk NW wind. Basically although the wind in the inland sea was generally light, the gap between Cephalonia in the S and Lefkas to the N funnels the prevailing NW wind down this channel and sets up a hooley. We sailed on a steady 25-32knts wind and a pretty flat sea all the way to Ithica some 20 miles to the SW. We had a single reef in the main and full Genoa and had a fantastic sail. It does not get much better than this.
We arrived in Kioni, a small village on the upper East coast of Ithica. Described as a gem in the pilot book and that just about sums it up.
The quay was full so we anchored on the opposite side of the bay and took two long lines ashore. A bit tricky
in a cross wind but it all went well and we were well settled.
An hour or so later and the harbour was filling up. A large catamaran was prowling about looking for somewhere to park its enormous bulk and decided it could get in between us and the next boat some 15 metres down wind of us- which in theory it could do.
The captain took a run at it in reverse, dropped his anchor and charged in between us.

Taverna Tablecloth

It then became evident all was not well. This was a skippered charter boat. The charterers were a bunch of middle aged Aussies who had clearly spent their entire lives in Alice Springs and did not know the sharp end of a boat from the blunt end - which on a catamaran is more difficult to tell anyway.
The skipper was an elderly Greek chap who was more of the type we see chugging along in the little gaily painted fishing boats than the type who is normally in charge of £500k worth of shiny plastic. I think he was on the reserve list.
The anchor he had dropped had clearly crossed the line of another cat lying two down from us and the incumbent (English) loudmouths were giving it full volume in protest. The anchor pulled them up short of their intended target and there was lots of loud discussion in Greek English and Aussie English that did not really result in communication or a resolution to the situation.
The Skipper was gunning the two large diesels trying to get towards shore. It then became clear that the dinghy was still in its davits, none of the crew were capable of putting a rope on a deck cleat far less tie a secure knot in a land line, and Captain Dimitri's plan was to get close enough to us to get a rope onto our boat so he could then try to sort it all out.
I threw him a rope and the situation was stabilised. I then offered the use of our dinghy. After a lot of faffing about he took a line ashore in the dinghy but from his down wind side to a down wind position ashore, which meant that he fell down wind and onto the next boat along the shore.
What he needed to do was take another line to an up-wind position ashore and pull himself off. But the physical and psychological exertions had overcome him and he seemed content to rest against the down wind boat and put a few fenders between them. Meanwhile the English brigade were giving it heaps with lots of standing on the prow of their equally unattractive lump of plastic and pointing to where they believed their anchor to be, and how he had crossed it.
The Aussies meanwhile had mostly taken refuge inside the hull, presumably in the hope that somehow it would all go away.
They were right - the crew of the boat they were resting on returned, two young blokes and a young woman. They very effectively took charge of the situation and explained he could not stay where he was and they would help sort him out. The home counties catamaran lot were also out in their dinghy motoring about at high speed, offering loud and unwanted advice.
The girl got on board with Dimitri and they went out - re-anchored, fell back into the slot and tied up on us. two lines were taken ashore and all was fine.
Dimitri took his crew ashore and returned to lick his wounds. He was quite distressed but got it off his chest and regained his composure. He was a nice guy, but a bit out of his depth, as were his crew. When we returned later they gave us a bottle of wine for helping them. Which was very nice of them, particularly as I would have given them a prize for providing such good blog material.

Look carefully or enlarge it!

Today we decided to have a down day. Margaret went for a walk and, continuing the theme of unexpected apparitions, claims she met a Unicorn.
We lazed about, most of the other boats left, and then four flotillas arrived.

Summertime in the middle

There was no way there was room for all these boats. However the lead crews believed otherwise, and started stacking them.

Vino delivery service

 Having been in splendid isolation we became increasingly incorporated into the Sunsail flotilla's raft. In fact we ended up being the main anchor and shore fixation for the entire lot.  All good fun and actually worthwhile watching the close quarter boat handling and mooring techniques of the professionals.
We got another bottle of wine from Sunsail for helping them so we could just stay put here and make a career of it.