Albania - anyone visited/stopped over?

E39mad

E39mad

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I am part of a delivery trip from the top end of Croatia down to Corfu next month.

The current thinking is to leave southern Croatia and head straight for Corfu (weather permitting) with one night at sea expected.

Has anyone stopped off in Albania? Just thinking about places to run to if a Southerly gale kicks in. Realise SE Italy is an option as the entrance to the Adriatic narrows.
 
Achillesheel said:
We did the Sailing Holidays "Faraway Islands" flotilla a few years ago, basically a circumnavigation of Corfu. We were told very firmly to avoid going anywhere near Albania.

Great flotilla by the way, not sure if they still run it though.
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Yes, we are booked for this year. After trying several years ago and not making it to any of the distinct islands. I'm told the harbours have been upgraded and are now not quite so vulnerable to southerlies...

Mike.
 
Achillesheel said:
We did the Sailing Holidays "Faraway Islands" flotilla a few years ago, basically a circumnavigation of Corfu. We were told very firmly to avoid going anywhere near Albania.
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I've sailed with Sailing Holidays few times. Some years back one of their flotilla leaders told us they'd allowed a boat to go off on its own, on the condition that they radioed in each night to advise where they were. One night they said they didn't know what the place was called but gave Lat/Long. After the radio call, the leader checked the position and found it was in Albania!

(Turned out they weren't there at all, they were just winding him up. :D)
 
Went from Preveza to Sarande in Albania about this time last year. It was only a one night stop over but it’s a nice town with very nice people in it. Nearly everyone I met could speak a little English. As was explained to me “what visitor is going to bother to learn Albanian?”.
The town is welcoming and they wish that more foreigners would visit their country. Unfortunately there are not many suitable harbours. Sarande has a long quayside that is more suited to large ships than us cruising yachts. There is a small rectangular pool let into the quayside, capable of taking about ten yachts in all. It would be safe in any conditions, unlike the main quay which is exposed to any swell.
Before visiting Sarande however, it is necessary to engage the expertise of an agent. There is only one that I know of and his office is just up the hill from the harbour. I forget his name but his English was excellent and he was very helpful. His charges were modest too. If a Google search doesn’t find him pm me and I’ll research my notes.
Mike
 
tudorsailor said:
Read the second blog. Now not so sure we'll be visiting Durres/Albania as don't fancy being infested with cockroaches

TS
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They're not so bad. Years ago on a Med charter (perhaps flotilla) we were offered an upgrade to a bigger yacht than we had booked if we undertook to deploy the anti-cockroach materials they provided us with to try and eradicate the blighters. We accepted the challenge. But did not have any ladies on board! The creatures were clustered around the calorifier which made them easier to attack.

Mike.
 
BirvidikBob said:
The ones you see are but a small fraction of the ones that are there.
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Oh, we never claimed to have made an accurate census. Fortunately there was no requirement for eradication!

The yacht we were given had been on the cover of the brochure a few years earlier but had rather gone downhill...

Mike.
 
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