The weather is fantastic; I say goodbye to the border authorities and Greece, sail in large loops around the winding bay back into the open Ionian Sea and set course directly for Crotone in Italy. The 300 km or so fly by – the ArgoFram speeds across the slightly choppy sea, and I reach the former home of Milon (and later home of Pythagoras, whom we already met on Samos) in the afternoon. Andrea helps with mooring and remains my contact person in this harbour.
At the harbour entrance, on the street side, a beautiful mural tells the story of Milon, his successes, his journeys to Olympia and on to other places in the Hellenic universe. But that’s about it – today’s Crotone is so different from the atmosphere in the ports of Greece that I immediately set off and plunge into the “showcase” along the beach promenade … See and be seen! – OK, it’s Saturday evening, but all dressed up and circulating in groups/families/associations, talking loudly, this is unmistakably southern Italy!
When I return to the ArgoFram late at night, I am shocked to find that one of the pontoons, at the rear left, has lost air and is hanging limply in the water!
I am tired and decide to sleep first and take a closer look the next day. I manage to sleep. And in the morning, I pump air into it… it seems to stay in the pontoon. To be on the safe side, I contact Marko. He is puzzled that a pontoon is losing air. And it becomes clear: as long as there is/remains air in the pontoon, I have to go to a larger town (with an international airport). If a more serious problem arises, I want to be prepared. So I head straight for Catania in Sicily.