Ermioni and Porto Kheli

[Tony Cross]

your quite right Tony , my house my rules .
That's why i don't spend much money or time in Greece these days, three months last year and four the year before , where once I use to spend good 9 months and easily parted with 15k does it matter to the Greek ? i spec no but it matter to me and there a big saving to have and the winter weather is much better .
Greece is very luck that Turkey has problem which partly why we seeing these charges , but thing will get better in Turkey .
then we will see.

I don't get this 'I won't spend money because I don't like the way they run things' attitude. I especially don't get the 'if you charge me two nights for a one night stay then I won't then eat in a taverna'. We're not 10 years old any more...

Times change and nothing stays the same. Everybody knows that Greece is in a financial mess and it matters not why that's the case, the fact is that we can expect Greece to be trying to raise money from anywhere they can. Their own citizens have been royally stuffed for the last 7 years so we shouldn't be surprised when they start looking elsewhere for money (strongly encouraged I might add, by the EU).

I know people are on budgets and some people are on very tight budgets but the days of free mooring and free water and electricity are almost certainly numbered and the cost of cruising in Greece is much more likely to rise than it is to fall. Those who have been in Greece for a long time will know that the typical Greek response to falling income levels is to raise the prices. Thus avoiding ports because they might charge two fee periods for a one night stay or avoiding eating in tavernas because you're pissed at them is almost certainly going to result in increasing prices. I know that's not sustainable and so do you, but that's what will happen.

Given the uncertainly about Turkey and the unstable situations in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, and even Morocco and Israel, Greece is still the cheapest safe place to cruise in the eastern Med. I'm sure the Greeks know that too. Through the sterling (and largely thankless) work of Chris Robb I've come to learn quite a bit about how the Greek government sees foreign cruising yachts and the business and cash they bring in. They don't care, we're small potatoes in the big scheme of things. You can make all the veiled threats around 'things might get better in Turkey' that you like, nobody in power in Greece will sit up and take notice.

As I said, their house, their rules. If you really don't like the way things are developing in Greece then go somewhere else...

 

[sailaboutvic]

I don't get this 'I won't spend money because I don't like the way they run things' attitude. I especially don't get the 'if you charge me two nights for a one night stay then I won't then eat in a taverna'. We're not 10 years old any more...

Who's got out of the wrong side of bed this morning ?
Your right we not 10 years old any more and that's why some of us won't be treated like a cash cow's .
That why I do and many other do go else where and don't spend as much time as we would like in Greece .

it's nothing to do with paying for two night that People won't uses Taverna and eat out , as you put it .
And It's not all to do with a few greedy Greeks who making a mint out of cruising / chartering boat and still not paying their taxes ,
it more that if people are anchoring out rather then paying out rages amount For mooring in harbours , they not using on shore services , so yes in the long run local businesses are losting out .
So is the government , who you seen so quick to defend .
For years I been banging on about how greece is changing and not for the good for us cruiser's and for years you been banging on how it's not really and how good valve.
Two night charge for an 10 hour stop over ,
Every boat in Greece having to pay 50 euro for a new DEKPA.
What's next ? reregister our boat under Greek flag , or maybe a tourist visa , that surely to come once we leave the EU .

 

[crisjones]

Of course it is "their house and their rules" - what I said in my previous post is that the Greeks need to consider changing some of the antiquated rules so the system is more transparent and user friendly. If all harbours charged midday to midday we would all know where we stand, at the moment the situation is very grey with some harbours charging by the letter of the law, ie 2 days charge for one night and others charging the standard daily rate for an overnight. It is no wonder that people get a bit fed up with such inconsistencies.
Greek harbours have always been cheap compared to other Med countries but free harbours are now very rare in Greece, I think we only found a couple of free town quays last summer. Certainly free water and electricity are extremely rare now, the only time really is when someone has left credit on the meter - but that is not really free, someone has paid for it. People who actually visit many places in a summer are well aware of these changes - and this is mostly due to the franchising out of Harbour Management.
If harbour fees where clear, consistent and transparent then a lot of these moans and gripes would not occur. I have no doubt the harbour fees in Greece will rise and that is not really a problem if we are easily aware of the costs we are expected to pay - at the moment it is a bit of a lottery as to what we may be charged and that is not a good business model.
I also said previously that the charter market will be the main driver for pricing levels since charter boats vastly outnumber liveaboards in most areas of Greece. 8 or 10 people on a charter for two weeks will hardly blink at paying 25, 30, 40 or even 50 Euros a night whereas most liveaboards would choose another option - but it should not be expecting too much to be made aware of these charges before we get there. After all practically every Marina has a website with charges clearly stated as well as contact details if we need more information.
The situation is the same in Croatia, mooring buoys are typically 20-50 Euros, town quays are 40-80 Euros and Marinas are usually eyewatering, however all these prices are well publicised usually by Government websites so there is no excuse for not knowing what you may be asked to pay. Hence us Liveaboards can make our choice of where to stay overnight with good clear information (usually).
Greece has wonderful cruising grounds and friendly people, they probably should be charging more for the harbours and town quays but the franchising method they are using will almost certainly result in any increased charges going into the pocket of the operators rather than any benefit to the Greek Government and Greek people in general.
Provided people have a clear understanding of potential charges then it is easy to make a considered choice of where to spend their money. The current "grey and opaque" system in Greece is not really helpful to anyone.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I don't get this 'I won't spend money because I don't like the way they run things' attitude. I especially don't get the 'if you charge me two nights for a one night stay then I won't then eat in a taverna'. We're not 10 years old any more...

Times change and nothing stays the same. Everybody knows that Greece is in a financial mess and it matters not why that's the case, the fact is that we can expect Greece to be trying to raise money from anywhere they can. Their own citizens have been royally stuffed for the last 7 years so we shouldn't be surprised when they start looking elsewhere for money (strongly encouraged I might add, by the EU).

I know people are on budgets and some people are on very tight budgets but the days of free mooring and free water and electricity are almost certainly numbered and the cost of cruising in Greece is much more likely to rise than it is to fall. Those who have been in Greece for a long time will know that the typical Greek response to falling income levels is to raise the prices. Thus avoiding ports because they might charge two fee periods for a one night stay or avoiding eating in tavernas because you're pissed at them is almost certainly going to result in increasing prices. I know that's not sustainable and so do you, but that's what will happen.

Given the uncertainly about Turkey and the unstable situations in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, and even Morocco and Israel, Greece is still the cheapest safe place to cruise in the eastern Med. I'm sure the Greeks know that too. Through the sterling (and largely thankless) work of Chris Robb I've come to learn quite a bit about how the Greek government sees foreign cruising yachts and the business and cash they bring in. They don't care, we're small potatoes in the big scheme of things. You can make all the veiled threats around 'things might get better in Turkey' that you like, nobody in power in Greece will sit up and take notice.

As I said, their house, their rules. If you really don't like the way things are developing in Greece then go somewhere else...

I said i have an amount to spend each day, if the port authority want to double their charges by calling it two days then i have less money to spend elsewhere.
Simple mathamatics.
And please stop the silly shit talk telling people that have been here probaly longer than you to go elsewhere.

 

[Tony Cross]

Who's got out of the wrong side of bed this morning ?

I can only get out of one side of the bed I'm afraid.

it's nothing to do with paying for two night that People won't uses Taverna and eat out , as you put it .

Well it is because that was posted.

And It's not all to do with a few greedy Greeks who making a mint out of cruising / chartering boat and still not paying their taxes

How do you know they're not paying their taxes? A great deal has changed in recent years with the enforcement of tax collection, especially amongst very visible businesses.

So is the government , who you seen so quick to defend .

Where have I defended the Greek government? Quite the opposite, I pointed out that, as Chris Robb has discovered, they don't care about foreign yachts.

For years I been banging on about how greece is changing and not for the good for us cruiser's and for years you been banging on how it's not really and how good valve.

As I pointed out, change is inevitable and constant, we can expect a lot more change too I suspect. I have simply pointed out that you can either like it or lump it, because you can't change it.

Two night charge for an 10 hour stop over ,
Every boat in Greece having to pay 50 euro for a new DEKPA.
What's next ? reregister our boat under Greek flag , or maybe a tourist visa , that surely to come once we leave the EU .

The 'cruising tax' is what's next.

Of course it is "their house and their rules" - what I said in my previous post is that the Greeks need to consider changing some of the antiquated rules so the system is more transparent and user friendly. If all harbours charged midday to midday we would all know where we stand, at the moment the situation is very grey with some harbours charging by the letter of the law, ie 2 days charge for one night and others charging the standard daily rate for an overnight. It is no wonder that people get a bit fed up with such inconsistencies.

I understand what you're saying but the current situation is Greece is not new. It's always been shambolic with different interpretations of the 'rules' in different places. This is nothing new.

Greek harbours have always been cheap compared to other Med countries but free harbours are now very rare in Greece, I think we only found a couple of free town quays last summer. Certainly free water and electricity are extremely rare now, the only time really is when someone has left credit on the meter - but that is not really free, someone has paid for it. People who actually visit many places in a summer are well aware of these changes - and this is mostly due to the franchising out of Harbour Management.

As I said I think the days of free anything are all but over. In a country struggling under the debt mountain that they have why would you expect anything to be free now?

If harbour fees where clear, consistent and transparent then a lot of these moans and gripes would not occur. I have no doubt the harbour fees in Greece will rise and that is not really a problem if we are easily aware of the costs we are expected to pay - at the moment it is a bit of a lottery as to what we may be charged and that is not a good business model.

And that's a very good point and one I know Chris Robb has been at pains to point out to the Greek government. From what he's saying I don't think they're listening.

I also said previously that the charter market will be the main driver for pricing levels since charter boats vastly outnumber liveaboards in most areas of Greece. 8 or 10 people on a charter for two weeks will hardly blink at paying 25, 30, 40 or even 50 Euros a night whereas most liveaboards would choose another option - but it should not be expecting too much to be made aware of these charges before we get there. After all practically every Marina has a website with charges clearly stated as well as contact details if we need more information.

See above.

Greece has wonderful cruising grounds and friendly people, they probably should be charging more for the harbours and town quays but the franchising method they are using will almost certainly result in any increased charges going into the pocket of the operators rather than any benefit to the Greek Government and Greek people in general.

Don't forget that the franchisee has had to pay an agreed amount to lease the management of the port and that money does benefit the local Demos at least, if not 'the Greek Government and Greek people in general'. As I said, a Demos has to decide which option is going to generate the most reliable and largest source of revenue; managing the port themselves and taking the risk of low attendance and thus low income, or taking a fixed leasing fee that is guaranteed and allowing a third party to take the risk on attendance.

Provided people have a clear understanding of potential charges then it is easy to make a considered choice of where to spend their money. The current "grey and opaque" system in Greece is not really helpful to anyone.

Agreed, again see above.

And please stop the silly shit talk telling people that have been here probaly longer than you to go elsewhere.

I have certainly been here plenty long enough to have appreciated the way Greece works as I'm sure do you. The 'midnight to midnight' rule that began this thread is nothing new and the confused way in which 'rules' are interpreted is also nothing new. What will you do when they do implement the 'cruising tax'? That will make a nice hole in your 'fixed amount'. Whingeing and complaining and stamping your little feet won't change anything, if you're that pissed off all you can do is vote with your feet (or your hull).

 

[crisjones]

How do you know they're not paying their taxes? A great deal has changed in recent years with the enforcement of tax collection, especially amongst very visible businesses.

I think we all know that tax avoidance and tax evasion is pretty much a National Sport in Greece, it always has been and even though the Government are making efforts to clamp down it will be a long slow process. The vast proportion of money spent by yachties (charter, liveaboard, summer cruisers etc) is cash transactions and although businesses are legally obliged to issue a receipt for every transaction it certainly does not happen when you get away from the larger towns. Please do not try and infer that the proper tax is paid on all these cash transactions, I accept that in some cases we assist the situation by not asking for receipts or even by negotiating lower prices for cash.

Don't forget that the franchisee has had to pay an agreed amount to lease the management of the port and that money does benefit the local Demos at least, if not 'the Greek Government and Greek people in general'. As I said, a Demos has to decide which option is going to generate the most reliable and largest source of revenue; managing the port themselves and taking the risk of low attendance and thus low income, or taking a fixed leasing fee that is guaranteed and allowing a third party to take the risk on attendance.

Obviously we are not privy to the in's and out's of the Franchise Agreement and I doubt you are either but the likelihood is that the Franchise Fee has been based on standard port charges. If the franchisee now decides to raise the harbour fees then he is the one who will gain not the Demos - there may be a percentage of revenue figure in the agreement but most of any extra charge will go to the franchisee and once again it is practically all in cash, nothing to stop them having 2 or 3 receipt books and accidentally losing one when it comes to tax return time.

 

[Tony Cross]

I think we all know that tax avoidance and tax evasion is pretty much a National Sport in Greece, it always has been and even though the Government are making efforts to clamp down it will be a long slow process. The vast proportion of money spent by yachties (charter, liveaboard, summer cruisers etc) is cash transactions and although businesses are legally obliged to issue a receipt for every transaction it certainly does not happen when you get away from the larger towns. Please do not try and infer that the proper tax is paid on all these cash transactions, I accept that in some cases we assist the situation by not asking for receipts or even by negotiating lower prices for cash.

OK I will, as long as you agree do not try to infer that everyone and every business in Greece is avoiding tax. As I said, and as you will know if you've kept your eyes open, a great deal has changed recently in the scale of tax enforcement.

I can't prove that businesses are paying the right tax just as you can't prove that they're not.

Obviously we are not privy to the in's and out's of the Franchise Agreement and I doubt you are either but the likelihood is that the Franchise Fee has been based on standard port charges.

Pure guesswork on your part.

If the franchisee now decides to raise the harbour fees then he is the one who will gain not the Demos - there may be a percentage of revenue figure in the agreement but most of any extra charge will go to the franchisee and once again it is practically all in cash, nothing to stop them having 2 or 3 receipt books and accidentally losing one when it comes to tax return time.

If the franchisee raises the fees beyond the level the market will stand people will stop coming and they will loose money. By leasing the port the Demos gets a guaranteed income, the franchisee then has to charge what he thinks the market will stand or loose money.

And there you go again accusing all and sundry of being on the fiddle without the slightest shred of evidence.

 

[jordanbasset]

My tuppence worth having been away from the Ionian for a couple of years it seems busier than ever. Town quays getting full up earlier in the day and more pontoons springing up next to tavernas etc. Main rise in numbers seem to be in flotillas and charter boats.
Having said all that have only paid harbour dues once, that was in Fiskardo and not surprising really, but 15 euros for two nights including water was not unreasonable and you can of course tie back to the rocks for nothing. Did not have to pay in Sivota, Mitikas, Astakos, little Vathi, Nidri, Lygia, Port Atheni or Lakka. Deliberately chose not to go into Gaios, lots of hassle and there are better places to go.
As to the long term it seems to me it is a question of supply and demand. The supply of harbours is finite, the demand seems to be increasing and suspect at some point the Greeks will cotton onto this more so than at the moment. Even if this happens there will still be plenty of anchorages where you can go for free.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Well it is because that was posted.
.

No Tony what I posted was
""we walked over in May and again the harbour was almost empty other then a few charter yachts and one private , i remember gaieos being full to the brim in years gone by , so a greedy harbour guys get rich while all the business from the baker / supermarket to restaurant lose out .""

How do you know they're not paying their taxes? A great deal has changed in recent years with the enforcement of tax collection, especially amongst very visible businesses.

Tony you must live in a very different Greece then I do .
Just this year , I up graded my anchored I had a real problem getting a till receipt from them , they try and give me a book receipt.
In the end I got a till receipt .
Taxi the other week , fixed price to the airport less then five mins drive 20euro
he said he had no recipe book with him . By the way he only got 10 Euro , no meter no receipt , no full price .
Small corner grocery, till left open , only 7 Euro but no receipt .
That's three thing to just one person in less then a month , and there been many more .

Where have I defended the Greek government? Quite the opposite, I pointed out that, as Chris Robb has discovered, they don't care about foreign yacht

Oh come on , it's always been the poor Greek this and the poor Greeks that,
you been in Crete too long .
Of cause the government don't care about foreign yachts , why should they ? They done even care. About there own people for years they been ripping of the EU to line there own pocket . How much EU money have disappeared in started project .

Another thing you been on about since it came in , each year you say it be in by the following year , as if you wishing it to be introduce so you can say you told us so .
I guess one day it may on the other hand it may just go away, just like it as other time try time to bring in a tax .
Stating the fact that , if we don' t like it then go else where , is just plain stupid , if people didn't complain nothing would change is just my point ,
Has you pointed out Chris Robb efforts and complaints has made some changes .

 

[Mr Cassandra]

No Tony what I posted was
""we walked over in May and again the harbour was almost empty other then a few charter yachts and one private , i remember gaieos being full to the brim in years gone by , so a greedy harbour guys get rich while all the business from the baker / supermarket to restaurant lose out .""

Tony you must live in a very different Greece then I do .
Just this year , I up graded my anchored I had a real problem getting a till receipt from them , they try and give me a book receipt.
In the end I got a till receipt .
Taxi the other week , fixed price to the airport less then five mins drive 20euro
he said he had no recipe book with him . By the way he only got 10 Euro , no meter no receipt , no full price .
Small corner grocery, till left open , only 7 Euro but no receipt .
That's three thing to just one person in less then a month , and there been many more .

Oh come on , it's always been the poor Greek this and the poor Greeks that,
you been in Crete too long .
Of cause the government don't care about foreign yachts , why should they ? They done even care. About there own people for years they been ripping of the EU to line there own pocket . How much EU money have disappeared in started project .

Another thing you been on about since it came in , each year you say it be in by the following year , as if you wishing it to be introduce so you can say you told us so .
I guess one day it may on the other hand it may just go away, just like it as other time try time to bring in a tax .
Stating the fact that , if we don' t like it then go else where , is just plain stupid , if people didn't complain nothing would change is just my point ,
Has you pointed out Chris Robb efforts and complaints has made some changes .

I agree .So far this season I have been in Aegina,Poros,Hydra ,Spetse Porto Heli Astros ,Plaka Nafpilo and not seen a real till reciept.
I bought 3 new battries at 650 e and still failed to get one the guy said I have date stamped the terminals so it not a problem.

 

[crisjones]

OK I will, as long as you agree do not try to infer that everyone and every business in Greece is avoiding tax. As I said, and as you will know if you've kept your eyes open, a great deal has changed recently in the scale of tax enforcement.

I can't prove that businesses are paying the right tax just as you can't prove that they're not./.

I was not trying to infer everyone and every business in Greecec is avaoiding tax, I apologise if that is how you understood it, I did qualify the statement by referring to "cash transactions". Certainly much has changed in tax enforcement - surely the Government would not be making such concerted efforts if the tax evasion problem was only minor. The simple fact that the Governement is making such efforts indicates that tax evasion is a major problem, Governments do not allocate time and resources to such things if they do not believe the returns will be justified.

Of course we can't prove or disprove that businesses are paying the right tax, however the evidence I see by keeping my eyes open and talking to Greek business people would tend to indicate that tax evasion is a very common thing.

My observations tally with Vic's and we have both seen many more Greek Islands in the last two summers than you have. I have been on small Islands three times in the last 2 years when the Tax Inspector has paid a visit - the local business people are all telephoning warnings to each other and all of a sudden recepits are being dished out like confetti - a pretty clear indication they do not normally play by the rules.
Certainly some businesses do routinely issue proper till receipts but my observations in restaurants and tavernas indicate they are probably not in the majority, particularly on the smaller Islands. Even in Ag Nik it is very common for bars not to issue proper till receipts, both bars used by yachties just outside the marina gate are guilty of this. As Vic states open tills are very common and maybe a good indicator of how much income is not declared. Maybe they do pay their due taxes, maybe they don't - much observational evidence would tend to indicate the latter is more likely.

Pure guesswork on your part./.

Not really - most franchised Ports are still charging standard port fees so it is a fairly reasonable deduction to assume the Franchise Fee was based on standard port fees. Perhaps we should say it was an "educated guess"

If the franchisee raises the fees beyond the level the market will stand people will stop coming and they will loose money. By leasing the port the Demos gets a guaranteed income, the franchisee then has to charge what he thinks the market will stand or loose money./.

Of course, this is just normal business economics, however I have said that I believe the market (mainly charter) will happily pay more than the current standard port charges.

And there you go again accusing all and sundry of being on the fiddle without the slightest shred of evidence/.

If you read my comment properly you will see I was merely suggesting one means by which some tax could be evaded - nowhere did I accuse all and sundry of being on the fiddle. Although I would guess that most Greeks could suggest a few other methods as well.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I can only get out of one side of the bed I'm afraid.



Well it is because that was posted.



How do you know they're not paying their taxes? A great deal has changed in recent years with the enforcement of tax collection, especially amongst very visible businesses.



Where have I defended the Greek government? Quite the opposite, I pointed out that, as Chris Robb has discovered, they don't care about foreign yachts.



As I pointed out, change is inevitable and constant, we can expect a lot more change too I suspect. I have simply pointed out that you can either like it or lump it, because you can't change it.



The 'cruising tax' is what's next.



I understand what you're saying but the current situation is Greece is not new. It's always been shambolic with different interpretations of the 'rules' in different places. This is nothing new.



As I said I think the days of free anything are all but over. In a country struggling under the debt mountain that they have why would you expect anything to be free now?



And that's a very good point and one I know Chris Robb has been at pains to point out to the Greek government. From what he's saying I don't think they're listening.



See above.



Don't forget that the franchisee has had to pay an agreed amount to lease the management of the port and that money does benefit the local Demos at least, if not 'the Greek Government and Greek people in general'. As I said, a Demos has to decide which option is going to generate the most reliable and largest source of revenue; managing the port themselves and taking the risk of low attendance and thus low income, or taking a fixed leasing fee that is guaranteed and allowing a third party to take the risk on attendance.



Agreed, again see above.



I have certainly been here plenty long enough to have appreciated the way Greece works as I'm sure do you. The 'midnight to midnight' rule that began this thread is nothing new and the confused way in which 'rules' are interpreted is also nothing new. What will you do when they do implement the 'cruising tax'? That will make a nice hole in your 'fixed amount'. Whingeing and complaining and stamping your little feet won't change anything, if you're that pissed off all you can do is vote with your feet (or your hull).

From where i am standing its you thats whinging and stamping your feet because other disagree with you. I only reported what was now happening in Ermioni
I remember Turkey being very reasanable priced 2000 -4 untill the South coast idiots came and gave them large tips on top of the, to them, good wages. People who think its okay to pay 50-60€ a night will spoil it for the rest of us.

 

[sailaboutvic]

From where i am standing its you thats whinging and stamping your feet because other disagree with you. I only reported what was now happening in Ermioni
I remember Turkey being very reasanable priced 2000 -4 untill the South coast idiots came and gave them large tips on top of the, to them, good wages. People who think its okay to pay 50-60€ a night will spoil it for the rest of us.

You just hit the nail on the head , how offend have I heard people say when asking prices " that very good it cost X amount in England , Germany , US , NZ " well I sorry to shock you all but this isn't England or anywhere else , it Greece , Turkey or Morocco wages and the cost of living isn't as high as northern country .
And it's the charters who are the worst , an 20 Euro tip on an 80 Euro meal . Although private boat owners can be just as bad , especially the once who come out for just a few month then go back to there well paying jobs .
I can clearly remember writing here about an harbour where they was changing 5 Euros a night and being shot down , told to stop moaning it's cheap , its 25 euros now a year or two time it prob be 35 .
I not going to mention any name but I understand from a good reliable people , more then one , it's been suggest from one yachtsman to the owner of an Marina , that the mooring fee in a certain Marina should be rise and Cat should be charged 50% more .
What chances Do we have of keeping the cost down with people like this about .

 

[crisjones]

You just hit the nail on the head , how offend have I heard people say when asking prices " that very good it cost X amount in England , Germany , US , NZ " well I sorry to shock you all but this isn't England or anywhere else , it Greece , Turkey or Morocco wages and the cost of living isn't as high as northern country .
And it's the charters who are the worst , an 20 Euro tip on an 80 Euro meal . Although private boat owners can be just as bad , especially the once who come out for just a few month then go back to there well paying jobs .
I can clearly remember writing here about an harbour where they was changing 5 Euros a night and being shot down , told to stop moaning it's cheap , its 25 euros now a year or two time it prob be 35 .
I not going to mention any name but I understand from a good reliable people , more then one , it's been suggest from one yachtsman to the owner of an Marina , that the mooring fee in a certain Marina should be rise and Cat should be charged 50% more .
What chances Do we have of keeping the cost down with people like this about .

If I am guessing correctly about the Marina you mention at the end then your information would certainly seem to be reliable and Cats are actually charged double - so a 100% premium!! Marinas are all perfectly capable of increasing their prices on their own initiative, they certainly should not be encouraged to do so by our fellow yachties.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

It appears that because of the lack of buisness the taverna owners have complaind to the port authority and they are now charging only for the per night
And only 1.50€ for water per boat.

 

[TonyMS]

In the Ionian, at any rate, nearly all the nice places are free either on the quay or conveniently anchored off. So far this year we've paid 30 euros in total - 15 in Zakinthos, which is a bit of a rip-off, and 15 for two nights in Poros, including water. The other dozen or so ports we have visited have been free, including Gaios, where we tie back to the island in comfort rather than get trampled on tied to the quays. And it is easy to find good quality water free.

So I reckon it's a paradise with only a few blemishes, which we can easily cope with!

I would be happy if they started charging on the quays where people abandon their boats, such as Vonitsa, Platerias and Vlikho. Then we itinerants could get a berth and spend some money in their tavernas.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Port police/ authority now charging two days for one night in Plaka.only one night in Monevasia.
The Italian boats made their vocal protests quite loudly.

 

[Flica]

My last stop in Monemvassia, anchored, shopped and had a meal ashore without any request for payment.

 

[OldBawley]

Thank God You did not have to pay for anchoring.