Page8

Once back at Ancient Corinth, the ruins of the 5th century BC Temple of Apollo were the best preserved. During Roman times the Corinthians paid homage to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and Apostle Paul spent 18 months preaching here in Corinth trying to change their wicked ways, as mentioned in his letters in 1st and 2nd Corinthians.

Before driving back to Porto Heli, we made a quick stop at the Corinth Canal to view the canal from above. On our drive back we saw some fish pens along the coast. In Greece fish farming was a large industry, and often we encountered these pens on our boat travels. During the day�s drive we also saw many shrines along the roadside. Unfortunately, each shrine represented a driving fatality. Greece is known to have the poorest driving record of any country in Europe.

For almost two weeks in the Aegean Sea, especially in the northern Cyclades, the winds had been gale force almost continuously. Now the winds and seas were finally subsiding, and we felt we could start heading east toward the northern Cyclades group of islands. In hindsight we should have waited one more day. Sunday, September 17, we departed Porto Heli but only made it as far as Dhoko Island, just 13 nautical miles away. Monday we continued on east to Kythnos Island, a distance of 51 nautical miles. Although the winds had subsided, beating into three foot seas made for a very long day. By Tuesday all was calm in the Aegean; no wind and flat seas. What a difference a day made. We motored the 31 nautical miles east to Syros Island and tied alongside a pier at the unfinished marina in the town of Ermoupolis, the capital of the Cyclades and until the 20th century the shipbuilding and maritime center of Greece.

Page 8

Next Page

Acrocorinth