Cruise Reports Corinth canal, Argolis and Saronic gulfs and back to the Ionian [with PICS].

[Hardmy]

Hi guys and happy new year!

I started the present cruise report last winter and did not find the time to finish it until now. So don’t be surprised, all stories below are from 2017!!!

In March/April, I went to Preveza to work on the boat and check progresses of the to-do list for stuff I can’t do myself. Many of you do know, that in the Med things works differently and an owner which is not on top of the things might not have a boat ready for the season especially now, after so many boats left Turkey for Greece. In Preveza, the yards have increased their combined capacity of about 1000 spaces; hence tradesmen have difficulties to cope with this additional volume of boats to be serviced.

Besides the usual servicing of engines and generator (e.g. new raw water pump, oil coolers refurbish) by Simon the very reliable CAT mechanic (he’s from the UK and lives on Lefkada since many years), we installed an anchor chain counter, new wiper arms, new acryl glass for the hatches, new fresh water pump, AIS sender/receiver, 2x new bespoke AISI 304 fresh water tanks with a waterflow meter (no need anymore to rely on inaccurate VDO gauges), new piping and seacocks for the aft head. The hull had also to be sanded down in order to remove many years of antifouling. Humidity readings sank drastically over the winter so with a dry hull my guys could apply a few layers of barrier and hard antifouling on top.

Love the contrast. In Preveza, on a 4 March 2017. Breakfast in glorious weather:

Whereas the week before, there was still enough snow in my backyard!

And before officially opening our Greek cruising season, here a proof that the Geneva lake is also host of some nice nautical events. From those 7 ships all built between 1904-1927, 5 are still powered by steam:

The eagerly awaited moment comes finally end of May, with an uneventful launching. After some little stuff like regulation of the newly installed Bowden cables linking the gearboxes and the levers, off we were towards the Lefkada channel and its floating bridge.

We then anchored on the southern entrance at dusk. I got up early next day and, with SWMBO still asleep I had the privilege to steer the boat at gentle 7.5 kts in a glorious dawning day and enjoy breakfast underway.

After a swim stop in the Echinades islands among others,

we entered the canal of Messolonghi amid shallow salt marshes where we spent the next night. There wasn’t much activity in the port itself, so we went alongside just behind a French yacht. I had then a word with its skipper, because he watched the whole maneuver without deigning to help with our lines. Those cruising Greece do know that on town quays with no infrastructure nor organized help it is part of the etiquette to assist fellow boaters. I for instance don’t feel it as an obligation, but I do it always with pleasure and it’s a nice opportunity to chat and exchange experiences. So this French guy told me that he doesn’t help motorboaters as a principle. But then apologized and said “I couldn’t know that you weren’t a bad person”. Strange people :-/

 

[Hardmy]

Next stop was Kryoneri, a little fisher’s settlement sitting at the foot of an impressive rock. We could have used the quay but it’s quite open and we thought it was safer to spend the night on the hook. There are 2-3 tavernas with only Greek customers and a nice beach, overall a very friendly atmosphere. A honking pick-up passes by; it’s a farmer selling his fresh watermelons grown in the hinterland. Very yummy and really cheap.

Meter gauge tracks extend to the pier, they belonged to a railway network closed since the seventies. A renovation took place in 2002-2004 but still after all this money spent, no single train came back to Kryoneri and again nature takes slowly its rights back.

The area offers also some nice swimming opportunities:

Navpaktos, famous for the battle of Lepanto where the Holy League defeated the Ottomans in 1571, 400 warships were involved! This Venetian harbor is one of the cutest we’ve been so far and was part of a defensive complex comprising also a castle on top of the hill. We felt very privileged to being able to moor in such a place with that history.

There are actually only two berths for (brave) visiting boats.
1. The one opposite the entrance we’ve used is the best spot because one can throw the anchor between the two entrance towers, but the pier is very high (around 2 meters) so this works only for boats with high freeboard. I was able to turn my boat 180° in the harbor but bigger boats might consider passing the two towers with the stern first.
2. The height of the second pier on the west side is lower and there is still enough depth for a not too big sailyacht. But it implies, dropping the anchor in the middle of the harbor and risking fouling it with ground chains and other stuff.
Going stern or bows-to on the S side of the harbor as mentioned in some pilot guides is not an option at all. I wanted to help a SY to dock there and they went aground. I could push them back while staying in the water waist deep, and I was around 3 meters from the town wall!

We enjoyed the place a lot, and spent plenty of time to discover the town and the castle above.

We wanted to spend a night on Trizonia Island, but the harbor was full of derelict/abandoned boats. No photos of it. It’s always the same in Greece, as soon as a place is not charging for berthing; it gets colonized very rapidly by egoist people. Egoist because an inhabited, non-moving boat means less business for the local community, and it’s not nice for passing yachts seeking shelter for bad weather for example. Not all of those “bateaux ventouses”, as we call them in French are derelict. There are also perfectly maintained ones, which owners from all over Europe aren’t arsed to spend €2-3k a year for berth in a marina!

E of Trizonia, we noticed a steady increase of fish farms. But more annoying was a jelly fish problem in the Corinth gulf, especially in 2017. Several nice bays, like Glaronisi, Sikias, Andreas, Zelitsa, etc. were full of those. After having googled it, seemed to be of the stingy sort. It was quite a torture not being able to swim in this turquoise water. It got worse the more East we went. We heard from locals that it was badly hitting villages dependent from tourists. According to local newspapers, a combination of warmer water, fish farm concentration and overfishing is to be blamed.

On the positive side, we saw lots of dolphins. We never saw so many since we were in Greece.

 

[Hardmy]

Galaxidhi, another pleasant stop on our way to Corinth. Probably our preferred place in the area. There is now an official harbor master lady, she will direct you to a berth, take your lines and also gives access to electricity and water at very decent prices. As usual, stern-to mooring is with own anchor. Normally I wouldn’t leave the boat alone for a full day like this, but crews here seem to be quite experienced with maneuvers and should somebody pull out your anchor, the involved crew would hopefully reset it. Forget such courteous behavior in the Ionian.

The spot of this Azimut looks attractive at first sight, but they got firmly pushed by the wind against the quay during the night.

Galaxidhi is also a good place for supplies and eating out. However, the diesel delivery guy appears not to be 100% trustful. I witnessed a “lively” argument between him and the owner of a neighboring boat. According to the skipper, around 100 liters were missing. The port police was called and forwarded the case to customs authorities, whatever that may mean.

So, we rented a car in order to discover the surrounding area. Delphi, which cannot be missed:

Gerassimos monastery located in a beautiful green valley, with wonderful painting and mosaics:

And the Distomo massacre memorial, where crimes of unspeakable brutality have been perpetrated by the Nazis.

 

[Hardmy]

Continuing eastwards, all further bays were infested with jellyfish. Such a shame!

While following the coastline, we were intrigued by a rock with constructions on its top vaguely remembering the Meteoras. After the climb, we came across a monk living there in solitude. Besides my five words of greek and our hands, there wasn’t any other means of communication. Theodore was so kind and showed us all over the place and he didn’t seem to have a problem that women accessed the enclosure! He invited us for sweets afterwards, but we were so desperate to communicate with him that I called my Greek mechanic on my mobile and he took the role of distant interpreter via loudspeaker!

After this enchanting experience, we had to rush to Antikyra for shelter. Since we arrived at dusk and the wind was already quite strong, I didn’t dare to go alongside and we went on anchor for the night. The next day, the owner of the Princess in the pic made us signs to come alongside in winds gusting at 37 kts. With some use of throttle and the help of our kind neighbor we went alongside without scratch. We spent there 3 nights altogether until things calmed somewhat down. Antikyra has no special sights to offer. But, it is a very greek place. People were so friendly with us and there were good eating opportunities. It wasn’t a punishment to sit there.

Our search for a jellyfish free zone continued, with limited success. We anchored on the Alkyonides in the NW bay. One must be careful there, because it gets shallow bloody quickly. The only place without jellies was around the derelict quay. But then, beware of urchins. No mooring near at dock, as it’s too shallow and very rocky. After the bad weather, the skies were so clear. It was magical.

I was really motivated to discover the Domvreni gulf or the natural harbor of Mavrolimni but had to skip because of lack of time. There are a couple of places like Sterna bay for a swim stop. A kind fisher offered us fresh octopus and we invited him for a drink. Later he came back with his family. Another encounter with very kind Greeks, as it is always the case.

The West Court of Heraion of Perachora. No detailed charts are available, I hoped based on satellite pictures to use the stub pier. It’s now clear why this is fully unrealistic.

The Vouliagmeni lake. Inside, a pretty body of protected waters with small beaches and woods all around. After watching a seadoo zooming through the canal, I wanted to try myself with the dinghy. We were at low tide, so water was streaming against us. I dropped my family in the lake and they did tobogganing down the stream. I anchored the dinghy at the mouth to pick them up, because it was so full of jelly fish in the seawater, but not from the lake. Unfortunately there are no pics of this funny action.

We are now close to Corinth canal, listening to channel 12 to learn about the current traffic situation. As soon as we heard that the canal will allow eastbound passages, we announced ourselves and hurried towards Poseidonia, the western entrance. There was a bit of chaos at the beginning, because not everybody understood who’s next but all went well and the passage was truly stunning.

 

[Hardmy]

On the eastern side, there is a long and high quay were we had to go alongside and pay. It’s one very expensive passage, but we wouldn’t have missed it! Beware of commercial traffic. When they pass they displace a lot of water, so good fendering/lines is compulsory.

Since it was already 7 pm and we didn’t want to anchor in the industrial landscape around the Corinth canal as did all other boats, we pressed a bit on with the idea to spend the night in the Dhiaporos islands.

My preferred pilot book, and by far the most accurate is the “Greece Sea Guide” by Nicholas Elias, a former commodore of the Greek Navy. But none of his suggestions proposed for this archipelago satisfied me, the fish farms were spoiling the place.
It’s now 8.45 pm and we still didn’t have a place to go for the night and the family started to get a bit nervous. BUT, I learned the lesson from 2016 (remember the Frikes incident) so I had a contingency plan ready. Korfos being a safe place to spend the night. I had the phone number of a local tavern who could confirm that there were acres of space. It wasn’t without a reason, the tavernas with own pier are the most expensive with an average food quality. At least somebody was happy with the dinner:

Next day, there is enough anchoring choice on the way to Palaia Epidavros.

Needless to say, that it would be a proper offense to Greek culture not to visit the famous theater and its surroundings. Being interested in music, I am also fascinated by its acoustics. A whispering can be heard although being far from the stage. And it was built 2200 years ago!

Also to be found in the area is, the Methana island with many spots to explore. One of those is the little harbor of Vathy with its very good tavernas. There is not much space inside and one should well prepare itself (also mentally) before committing, but once you made fast it’s fantastic!

Ag. Georgios, a tiny harbor with a former monastery is also special. But only for those with shallow draft! Provided that no strong northerlies are forecasted, one can very carefully enter this harbor. Rocks protrude closely on both sides of the entrance and there is no room to turn inside. I know, it doesn't look like that on the pic but believe me. You can nearly walk through the middle of harbour the basin!

I had to drop the anchor with a very short scope of chain, but the Mantus did its job and the mud holds very well.

Next to us, lives a SY probably the whole year. He draws a bit more than us, but there is only 10cm left under his keel.

The tavern is quite spartan but it’s a peaceful and friendly atmosphere.

When one can hear a honking in the morning, it’s either the vegetables pick-up or the bakery van. Wave at them, and they will come straight to the boat.

Boats with higher draft may go stern to the stub pier outside of the harbour on the left with yellow marks provided that the northerlies are light:

 

[Hardmy]

From there, Poros is not far away. The place is very popular among boaters, so despite the abundant berthing space it’s a bit tricky to find a spot. On top of that there is a lot of traffic, including ferries to watch out. Anchor criss-crossing is also very common. Because the afternoon wind keeping blowing exactly from my side, I must admit that I had to start twice my maneuvering, since I had difficulties to keep my track astern.

Around the corner of Poros, we found other spots where we could have easily spend more time:

End of part 1. Please give me a couple of days to prepare part 2 with Hydra, Spetses, Aegina, …

 

[petem]

Beautiful pics, would love to do a similar cruise. We once transitted Corinth on a cruise ship with inches to spare, absolutely spectacular, particularly going under the bridge.

 

[kashurst]

Great trip thanks for taking the trouble to post. What is your boat?

 

[mcanderson]

Brilliant. We once did a bareboat charter and stayed at Poros, mooring was interesting!

 

[NGM]

what a wonderful trip, such amazing places to visit, thanks for taking the time to post

 

[vas]

V,

on behalf of the Greek Ministry of Tourism I'd like to thank you for your posts
very well done, don't know half the places you visited btw and the other half I've visited from land, very different experience!

cheers

V.

ps. half a dozen pics or so are missing, can you sort that plz?

 

[Hardmy]

Great trip thanks for taking the trouble to post. What is your boat?

I learned a lot from some eminent posters here, so it's a form of giving back. But choosing pics reminds me fond memories as well!

It's a Kha Shing 48' built in 1990 powered with 3208TA Caterpillars. This yard is located in Taiwan and is still in business today, perhaps more known for its Montefino brand.

Trader, Horizon and Kha Shing frome the nineties seem to share some Tom Fexas design. But I couldn't tell you who copied who.

Brilliant. We once did a bareboat charter and stayed at Poros, mooring was interesting!

Yes, and on the N-side it can get really bumpy during the night! Were you with a SY or MY?

V,

on behalf of the Greek Ministry of Tourism I'd like to thank you for your posts
very well done, don't know half the places you visited btw and the other half I've visited from land, very different experience!

cheers

V.

ps. half a dozen pics or so are missing, can you sort that plz?

Yes, and it shall bring more boaters to Greece, just in time for the introduction of the new cruising tax ;-)

Tried to fix the links, hope know all can be seen on your side?

 

[Greg2]

Great post and some superb pics! Looking at the shots of the Corinth Canal I cant quite believe that the only time I went through was in ‘83 on a type 42 Destoryer!

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

I think that's the best and most comprehensive cruise report I've read on these forums. Fantastic pics as well. Well done and thanks for posting! Will look forward to part two .... :encouragement:

 

[scubaman]

Thank you for the very interesting and entertaining report :encouragement:! Pics of those ancient theatres made me appreciate how very special cruising area that is. Plenty of very beautiful pics as well. This being my favourite. The colour of the sheep perfectly matches the background and the lighting.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Wonderful report, thanks for the post. I look forward to getting round that way in years to come...

 

[pks1702]

Great report and stunning images :encouragement:

 

[Greg2]

Now read this great post in full - great read and pics.

The bit on Poros brought back memories of a bareboat sailing charter we did some years ago. Upon arriving in Poros we found that most berths were taken but were pleasantly surprised to find several spaces stern too opposite a lovely old tumbledown building. Having moored we sent a very pleasant late afternoon and evening sampling the delights of the town before turning in sometime before midnight. We were subsequently rudely awakened to find that the lovely old building was in fact the main nightclub heavily frequented by hordes of young, drunk and very loud people! A very bad night’s sleep ensued!

Moral of the story - beware empty berths in a crowded harbour!

 

[AndieMac]

Appreciate your efforts to create this very comprehensive report H, understanding it's also great therapy for yourself to rekindle fond memories during the cold winter months. I remember a similar standard cruise report you did a few years ago, also excellent work.

 

[Eren]

Great report always! You have your own style of cruise reports, combining a lot with land side stories/photos, which is very nice. I have been cruising the same grounds in the last two summers. It is very pleasant area with warm Greek people, very friendly sea/weather conditions, great cousine, low mooring charges, history and natural beauties. Looking forward for the second part!