My last night aboard Amore was spent in the anchorage at Lakka on the island of Paxos. Quite a different night to our previous anchorage at Parga, very still, very sheltered. What little wind there was overnight was coming from the south, over the island.
There was a lovely beach bar on the south side of the bay where we spent the afternoon swimming, drinking and soaking up the last of the afternoon sun on their sunbeds, then in the evening we took the tender over to the town quay to find supper.
An exceptionally popular spot, we counted over 50 masts crowded into the small bay. At least two, arriving after us, dropped their hooks unreasonably close and were, politely, asked to relocate. Which they did with good grace. As dusk fell, the gloom over the water was festooned with all the little lights marking each as being at anchor.
The Ionian is a wonderful cruising area, fantastic sailing, a beautiful coast with a backdrop of mountains, islands and coves. There are lots of places to explore and always somewhere within reach to take shelter in almost any weather.
But it is, correspondingly, very popular. It sometimes feels like you can't move for other boats, especially the chartered flotillas, and therefore every passage is, rather than about the sailing, about getting to where you need to be in time to ensure you can find a berth or space to drop your anchor.
Croatia, by comparison, felt fresh and new, at least amongst the islands between Split and Dubrovnik where we spent those two weeks in August. And, aside from the super yachts that you seemed to trip over almost everywhere you turned, much quieter out on the water.
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