sv NEMROD

  • Home
  • Sailing Adventures
    • Aegean Sea – Greece
      • The sun sets as we start our first overnight passage
      • An authentic Greek experience
      • Sailing the north coast of Crete
      • A tale of bravery and rescue against the odds
      • A barren and sea swept landscape
      • A gift from the sea
      • A great example of Greek hospitality
      • Cyclades round up: highlights from onboard Nemrod
      • Two sea gypsies exploring the Cyclades
      • Epidavros: a theatre like no other
      • Happy to have the wind in our sails again
      • Reflections
    • Greece – Ionian Sea.
      • How it all began
      • Phasing out from Moorings Owner’s Programme
      • The Project List
      • Haul out day
      • Lazy days at Levkas Marina
      • Finalising the boat paperwork
      • Untying the lines
      • Searching for ‘Donkey’
      • Boat maintenance in exotic locations
      • Coffee and solar cake!
      • Last minute change to the passage plan
      • Searching for Myrto
      • A taste of the city in Corfu Town
      • Victory and failure in one night
      • Teeth grinding, and hoops of joy, at 9.4 knots
      • Introducing the ‘freeloaders’
      • June-July 2018
      • Sharing Nemrod with friends, and discovering Ormos Afales
      • Not in the pilot guide
      • Yoga on board
    • Greece – The Peloponnese.
      • October-November 2018
        • Exploring the Peloponnese
        • A helping paw
        • An eventful dinghy trip
        • Dolphins on the bow
        • Look what landed on our deck
        • Monemvasia: a wonderful surprise
        • Moonlit nights on the water
        • Our first taste of night sailing
        • The best kept churches, and the most remote
  • Boat Things
    • I Love This Crappy Job
    • Room With a View
    • Hanging In There
    • Seat With a View
    • The Table Saga
    • Geeking Out on Solar
    • It’s Me or Him said the little toe.
  • Contact
  • Prev
  • Next

Monemvasia: a wonderful surprise

28 October 20181 January 2019 By NEMROD Sailing
Series - Greece - The Peloponnese.
Show More Posts
  • Exploring the Peloponnese
  • The freeloaders have delivered!
  • Running with the Olympians
  • Our first taste of night sailing
  • Moonlit nights on the water
  • Dolphins on the bow
  • An eventful dinghy trip
  • The best kept churches, and the most remote
  • Monemvasia: a wonderful surprise
  • Look what landed on our deck
  • A helping paw
  • Peloponnese: round up
  • October-November 2018

We were looking for a safe harbour on our way north into the Saronic Gulf. After rounding the fearsome Ak Maleas (the write up in the pilot guide warned of turbulent winds and rough seas, but we saw none of that), we saw Monemvasia in the guide that looked like the closest safe harbour for the night. We had headed off late from Elafonisos (1pm) so it meant a night arrival.

The passage around Ak Maleas was amazing: beautiful rock formations and the most remote church we have seen so far, perched on the tip of the peninsula. It looked like the only way to access it was by boat.

Our northerly passage was a four hour motor sail in light winds.  We negotiated safely the entrance to the harbour, looking out for the Monemvasia rock which by day is very conspicuous but less so by night.  With assistance from two friendly Northerners who helped us with our lines we came to rest alongside the quay. The British guys explained they were part of a group of people delivering charter boats to Athens and that one of their fleet had encountered an engine problem after leaving Elafonisos. It turned out we had talked with them just before our departure from the same port.

They eventually arrived under tow at around 4am, after leaving Elafonisos at 2pm. Poor guys.

The next day we explored the town, which is split into the modern part and the Byzantine village high up on the rock.  From a distance you cannot see the gem that is the Byzantine village. You meander along the causeway and start to walk uphill along the road with spectacular views of the sea and coastline. Then you pass through an archway to be surprised by the most beautiful village, restored from its Byzantine origins. There is a network of cobbled streets, churches, ancient arches and stunning views. The best thing is that it is so hidden from the modern town, so when you arrive, it is a beautiful surprise. The fact that Scott and I had not read up about the place in advance made it more special, somehow. What a find!

Its location on the rock jutting out into the sea reminds some of Gibraltar.

This is the view from the sea:

And here is what the village looks like close in:

Post navigation

  The best kept churches, and the most remote
Look what landed on our deck  

Calendar

October 2018
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Sep   Nov »

Recent Posts

  • I Love This Crappy Job

    27 February 2020
  • Room With A View

    27 February 2020
  • Reflections

    14 December 2019

Search our blog site:

Sitemap

  • Home
  • A homepage section
  • Contact

Categories

  • Aegean Sea – Greece
  • Boat Related Things
  • Ionian Sea – Greece
  • Peloponnese – Greece
  • Uncategorized

Where are we:

You will currently find us waiting in the UK for the world to start again. Nemrod on the hard in Leros, Greece.

Email Subscribers

Receive an email when a new blog post is published
Loading

© Blog By NEMROD Sailing