Sunday 13 April 2025 - Erikousa - Greece!

We had weighed up the weather forecasts, and concluded that today was the day to cross the Adriatic. The indications were that we would have little wind when we set off, but it would increase as the day wore on, and be from the south east.  This meant that we would need an early start, and so we slipped out of Otranto at 06:30, when it was just light. This coincided with all of the Italian fishermen in small boats, so we had to keep a careful watch, as they sometime concentrate more on the fish than on other boats.

The forecasts were pretty accurate although the wind picked up an hour or so earlier that we had expected. It whipped up the sea state, but fortunately we were heading not directly into the waves. We had a sail up, but used the engine all day to ensure that we kept our speed up. Thinking back to previous crossings of the Adriatic, we always seem to rushing to get across as quickly as possible, racing some weather event.

The conditions were unpleasant, but nowhere near as hard as I had feared and the sun shone for most of the trip. The outlying Greek islands come into view many miles out to sea, but they seem to take an age to get bigger / closer.  Eventually we made our landfall at the island of Erikousa, our usual first stop on the way to Greece.  The marina is not open yet, but we were able to tie up to the quayside, with the help of some other yachtsmen, much appreciated when wind is pushing you away from the concrete quay.

Safely in Erikousa marina

Distance today -        59 Miles

Distance this year - 178 miles 

Steve (and Tricia)

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