Greek Port Police apply new/old rules

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Arrived in Levkas to pick up our usual charter with Ionian Yacht charters run by Paul and Barbara who run an excellent charter company ,the transfer is usually smooth and with out issue ,however Paul told me the Port Police have just instigated a new rule - they want to see all the charter skippers ! so armed with documentation I mustered at the Port office ,one skipper in front of me Rosa Kleb ex KGB had just taken over shift and poured over this chaps documents- fault found on ships name -must produce correct papers or no sail,that took and hour! Me next ,papers examined all certificates and actual signatures required to verify certificates ,all done 20 minutes very thorough.Sunsail flotilla then arrived 12 skippers on parade queuing down stairs they had to travel from Palerois, all, over the moon as you can imagine. There was only Madam Klebb to check papers and this was possibly a quiet moment!Sunny Sailing have some 30 + boats on changeover days plus all the other companies from the area so you can understand you may be delayed for some time .
I spoke with one apologetic officer who had popped in, who said this is an existing law now being adhered to vigorously- well, it started on Friday and will continue until either the head of Coastguard changes or they get bored with it,what ever it certainly does n`t make for a relaxing handover.
Anyway ...sailing down the channel with a lovely westerly 15 kts was a treat, after our weather last week ....we had snow !
 
"Normal" early season behaviour. Same thing a few years ago in Corfu. They get bored very quickly as it means more work for them and no reward!

Bit like 1960s working to rule on the railways in the UK - trains would not run if all the rules were obeyed, but a good way of employees making a point.
 
Just returned from two weeks in the Ionian. As far north as Sivota and as far south as Sami. At Sivota we were stern too about 20m from the open door of the port authority office. In two weeks we were approached by the authorities a total of 0 times.

Greek officialdom as haphazard as ever! :) :)
 
Given their rather precarious financial situation over there, could it be that the Police are justifying their establishment numbers by crossing the Ts and dotting the Is?
 
We have been quite surprised this year to find how keen the PP are all up the eastern Aegean. Our DEKPA has been stamped in every Port we have visited, except Lipsi where they did not seem to have arrived. In most cases they have come to us insisting we go to the office and several times holding the DEKPA until our day of departure.
 
Will be interesting to see if the PP get any new DEKPA's. entered in Argostoli, duly went to the tax office and paid our 30Euros only to then be told by the PP that they didn't have any left. We did subsequently manage to get the last one in Sami but at least four boats I know have still been unable to get one after nearly four weeks here. Don't mind playing by the rules but it makes it a bit interesting... PP in Sami got a bit agitated with us and didn't know what to make of our bit of paper from Argostoli saying we had paid but had no DEKPA.
 
vyv_cox said:
We have been quite surprised this year to find how keen the PP are all up the eastern Aegean. Our DEKPA has been stamped in every Port we have visited, except Lipsi where they did not seem to have arrived. In most cases they have come to us insisting we go to the office and several times holding the DEKPA until our day of departure.
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We've had no stamps since Leros. In Karlovasi, Mandraki, and Mytilini marina they told me it didn't need stamping within a month!

The month is up: off to the PP in Skopelos tomorrow. They'll probably refuse to stamp it :(
 
DaveRo said:
We've had no stamps since Leros. In Karlovasi, Mandraki, and Mytilini marina they told me it didn't need stamping within a month!

The month is up: off to the PP in Skopelos tomorrow. They'll probably refuse to stamp it :(
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I believe the rule is that it must be stamped every 30 days, I think the rules changed several years ago. Of course, in many of the smaller place particularly, the port police do whatever they hell they like and insist on everyone stamping in and out every time. Just go with the flow, there are more important things to worry about...
 
Tony Cross said:
I believe the rule is that it must be stamped every 30 days, I think the rules changed several years ago. Of course, in many of the smaller place particularly, the port police do whatever they hell they like and insist on everyone stamping in and out every time. Just go with the flow, there are more important things to worry about...
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In Nisyros last year, where there was a particularly keen PP, I pointed out to him (tactfully) that we only needed to be stamped every 30 days and it was last done only a couple of days before. He replied that he had seen the instruction but did not agree with it! He wanted to stamp everywhere so that we would need to buy a new DEKPA to replace the full one.
 
DaveRo said:
...The month is up: off to the PP in Skopelos tomorrow. They'll probably refuse to stamp it :(
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The one month rule doesn't seem to have reached here yet. They were horrified that it hadn't been stamped for a month, but mollified by a stamped crew list from Mytilini. (I usually keep the latest stamped crew list in the DEKPA - they nearly always stamp and copy my pre-printed crew list.)

The 'big problem' this time was that our passport numbers didn't match those on the DEKPA (they matched the crew list); the passports had been reissued. Fortunately, despite ringing HQ and asking advice from at least three people, it was not a problem anyone there was interested in.

Our DEKPA looks as if it was filled in by a 6 year old. It's full of crossings out. I'm practicing writing Greek numbers in the same style ....

I was expecting things to get more relaxed as we went west.

Does anyone have a DEKPA with an expiry date?
 
DaveRo;4207907 Does anyone have a DEKPA with an expiry date?[/QUOTE said:
Ours will last the rest of our lives at the rate we collect stamps -one a year for the last five years! We do spend most of our time tucked away in deserted anchorages with no PPs though.
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All I can say is if you think it is fun with a DEKPA, try doing Greece on a Transit Log. None of the PP seem to be able to read the preceding PP's script and have yet to meet anyone who has authoritive knowledge of the reciprocal tax/charge and how it is applied. Lots of phone calls, looking up old memos and going to find someone else to give an opinion. I must admit this has given me hours of amusement, though I really could have passed the time more productively.
 
Three years in Gouvia and cruising, still no DEKPA nobody seems to have any, I go to the office quite regular and they still havent got any. I anchor out all of the time, so dont attract PP attention. What to do, was stamped in and paid etc and have that paerwqork, so we'll have to see.
 
We picked up our charter in Vliho on Sunday with no problems. Currently loafing around in Kalimos after a couple of beers in George's Taverna.

Sigh............

Oh yeah, back on topic...we had to send Sail Ionian our scanned papers beforehand as, by all accounts, port officials were asking for them however in the end we did not have to show the originals as warned.

Good fun watching the goings-on in Vathi (Ithica) last night, including a catamaran towing a German AWB around by its anchor......
 
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