Do I understand correctly..

[vyv_cox]

Last year we got a launch permission and a sailing permission from Lakki PP. This year Ionian Marine told me no documents were neded on launch.

I know who I'd trust to be up to date.

We were at Ionion Marine for three winters and never had a launch permit. Then we moved to Koiladha, where the yard would neither haul nor launch a boat until a signed permit was obtained from the PP in town. In theory nobody needs a permit any more but I'm keeping my betting money in my pocket!

 

[jimbaerselman]

Does anyone know if this is legit? Or are some PP overstepping their bounds? If it is legit, what is the charging structure?

And we thought the UK was bad for charging to anchor in some areas! (Yes, yes, I know, there's no comparison between the UK and Greece...)

Up until 14th April this year, leisure boats were covered by similar legislation to commercial boats (with a couple of concessions). One requirement was that every time you approached a coastline and moored, within 2 hours you had to report your arrival to port police. Then, within one hour of departure, you had to report again to the port police, pay standard fees based on LOA, your method of berthing, and how calendar days you had been present in controlled waters. This system comprehensively failed around 2000 or so due to the bulk of leisure traffic, so people stopped going to the port police. Around 2005, port police conceded that visits to them only needed to be made every 30 days. Also, since the law required you to go to the port police, most of them didn't bother to chase delinquents - although some did! And some charged you if you just anchored . . . others only if you moored to a quay.

Sweetness and light descended on April 14th this year, as part of the package introducing the cruising tax for leisure boats (TPP). The Cruising tax hasn't arrived, but visits to PP now only need to be undertaken once a year. Non-EU boats also have to carry a Cruising Permit - showing they have temporarily imported their vessels. EU boats have to carry a DEKPA (also a cruising permit). All boats have to carry a crew list and keep it up to date (but do not have to have it authenticated by the port police every time the crew changes. Port police are entitled to gather "port dues."

Instructions explaining all this to port police have gone out. It will take time to filter down to all levels. Some port police argue it's not their job to gather port dues. Others prefer to keep to old habits.

The Cruising Association (CA) publishes current advice on the situation at www.cruising.org.uk/news/greektax