Corinth Canal

[Major_Clanger]

My next delivery ends near Athens and I'm undecided about going around the outside, or through the Corinth Canal. I've never been through the canal and its history fascinates me. Any first-hand experience gratefully received.

TIA

 

[Tranona]

Not to be missed. I did it E-W in 2005 picking up my Bavaria from Athens and returning to Corfu. Delivery trip so only stopped at the exit to the canal at Kiato and Mesolonghi in the Gulf. Going under the bridge at the entrance to the Gulf is spectacular. If you have time lots of interesting places on the north side of the GUlf. Depending on where you are coming from it cuts out a lot of potentially tougher sailing.

 

[Irish Rover]

I came through it in early May and had previously done it in 2018. It's a great experience. The canal had been closed during the winter for maintenance work and a lot has changed since 2018. They've done substantial work securing the sides to prevent rock falls and it looks like this work will continue next winter. My boat is almost 7m across the beam and it felt like we could put out our hands and touch the side walls. The submerging bridge at the western entrance is just one of the many interesting features.
You can now book and pay online which saves having to stop before or after crossing
CorinthCanal | Tolls Calculator

 

[Wandering Star]

I did it 20s+ years ago and it was an amazing experience, thre colour of the water is a unique gluey/green and startlingly clean. Would love to do it again.

 

[Sybarite]

My next delivery ends near Athens and I'm undecided about going around the outside, or through the Corinth Canal. I've never been through the canal and its history fascinates me. Any first-hand experience gratefully received.

TIA

SV Atticus have just done it and it's on You Tube.

 

[mjcoon]

When we went through southward in 2012 the canal fee was additional to the flotilla/charter cost. If you make it, do note the footholds cut by (I presume; I haven't read a detailed history) abseiling workers who dug the canal by hand...

 

[billskip]

My next delivery ends near Athens and I'm undecided about going around the outside, or through the Corinth Canal. I've never been through the canal and its history fascinates me. Any first-hand experience gratefully received.

TIA

I did it east to West about 24 years ago Bavaria delivery ...if you have the opportunity take it, that said I wouldn't bother again unless it was the only option....Grand Union canal with high walls...

 

[Major_Clanger]

Thanks for all the replies, my mind is pretty much made-up. It's not often I can combine sailing with real archaeology and I'm really excited at the prospect.

Thanks chaps

 

[Ray Purchase]

Thanks for all the replies, my mind is pretty much made-up. It's not often I can combine sailing with real archaeology and I'm really excited at the prospect.

Thanks chaps

Enjoy, now you can pay online that makes the whole thing less stressful.

 

[Mister E]

It looks a fantastic thing to do and admire the workd done all those years ago.
Ps when was it cut through the rock?

 

[mjcoon]

From: wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinth_Canal

"It was completed in 1893, but, due to the canal's narrowness, navigational problems, and periodic closures to repair landslides from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic expected by its operators."

 

[Major_Clanger]

From: wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinth_Canal

"It was completed in 1893, but, due to the canal's narrowness, navigational problems, and periodic closures to repair landslides from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic expected by its operators."

I doubt if it's ever paid for itself in commercial terms. What fascinates me though is that the idea was seriously thought about 9,000 years ago. We like to think we have a rich history in Britain, and we do, but we're pretty recent in the scheme of things.

 

[mjcoon]

For anyone into engineering and going through the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth, it's worth looking up the Rion/Antirion bridge. Any bridge built in a seismic area has to be a bit special, and this cable-stayed example has at least one TV programme about its construction.