Gail and Frank's travels west from Turkey: June 7th

In two more days of great sailing we stopped at the windy island of Kithnos and then on to the snug harbor at Poros. We rented a car there and toured the ancient theater at Epidahvros and the ancient city of Corinth, mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his biblical "Letter to the Corinthians". On the 30th we passed through the impressive 3 mile long Corinth Canal, which connects the Aegean with the Ionian. Even in biblical times, this canal was conceived because of its strategic importance and the fact that it cuts out 150 miles of sailing to go east-west in Greek waters. It was finally built in the late 1800's. Because it needs constant maintenance and the fact that it is the only game in town, it is the most expensive waterway in the world at about $100 per mile! We anchored that night at the remote Alkionidhes islands and sailed the next day to Itea, just south of Delphi. We could not miss consulting the Oracle, so we took a bus trip to the spectacularly hilly Delphi site and its famous museum. On the 2nd we sailed to the tiny island of Trizonia, (popular with cruisers because it has an unfinished free marina!) to wait for a weather window to pass under the Rion bridge - the largest in Greece, connecting the Peloponnese island with mainland Greece. We had a boisterous sail under the bridge and ripped our jib block right off the track, but once we settled into the very protected harbor of Missalongi, were able repair with a spare block loaded on 6 years before and finally put to good use (this is why we carry what seems like more than the displacement weight of the boat in spares!) Our final day of sailing with the Suttons took us 45 miles to Zakinthos, the southwestern most large island of Greece, in the Ionian. Their plane left at 5:55 AM, so we needed to get there early enough to schedule a taxi to the airport. When the taxi driver arrived at 3:30 AM, he spoke perfect English with an Australian accent.