how close in can one anchor in Greece

sailaboutvic

sailaboutvic

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Does any one know how far out you can anchor off a beach in Greece ,?
There been twice this year we had swimmers come out and ask us to move as we was too close to the beach both times over two hundred mts out , once we was just out side the yellow swimming buoys which was again 200 mts plus from the beach .
In over 13 years of sailing these part of the Med , I not heard of any limits , as long as your not anchored inside a swimming area .

The funny thing was although it was very hot both time there was very few people in the sea and the once that where very close to the beach .
 
I don't know what the rules are, or even if there are any (which I doubt). Often it seems that the placement of these "swimming area" buoys is arbitrary. If your boat was outside the buoyed area then I'd tell them to go and fetch the port police if they want you to move. Either that or complain to the swimmers that they're swimming outside of their permitted area! :p
 
no limits

I had this issue case tested by the Coastguard last year , I tied up to a taverna buoy which is 40/50 metres from the beach .
A Greek came up to me in the taverna and told me it was illegal to anchor so close to the beach , the taverna owner told him where to go , so he called the local Coastguard .

The Coastguard told him there was no law governing the mooring of boats around beaches unless there were buoys placed to mark swimming areas , which in this case there are none .

Result , the protester was put in his place and never did get served by the taverna owner !
 
I do not know about the law, do know that anchoring of a beach is mainly dependent on who you deal with.
Ormos Potamos on Khalki ( Chalki ) Anchoring is due to swell only possible in the NW corner.
Sand, good holding, more to the S the bottom is sand with big chunks of rock. Anchoring between them means 60 meter chain down, after one hour of moving in that swell the chain is tangled in those rocks, stands taut down, dangerous.
Yellow boys ware laid far out, the whole good anchorage claimed for the beach café swimmers who would rarely swim that far. I came in and anchored under sail just at the boy line. Later, I went ashore, the owner of a beach café called me “Malakas“ Don´t like that.
The day after we had to be in the village, we went to the port police, I asked the head of police what was the letter of the law, so I could do good next time. He explained to me, that he had personally laid those boys, and that they are there to protect the swimmers from dangerous propellers and fast boats. Talkt a bit around the law, clearly not correct.
I then showed him a vid a had taken from 5 fast ribs and two jetski`s going at high speed through the boys and swimmers to moor at the beach café. I told the captain that we went in drifting, no engine, and anchored. An anchored boat out there is more a security to the swimmers than a danger. He was very embarrassed, told us not to worry, we could anchor there. He would talk to the renter of the café.
I had recorded the whole conversation on my handy, just in case, unfortunately my boat was robbed a week later at Rhodos, among others laptop gone. ( with a lot of pics, vid and letters. )
A German sailor anchoring in front of the graveyard Rhodes was told by the coastguard to move at least 300 meter out, although that anchorage is been used for centuries. Others were left in peace ?????? With those guys there is no arguing. Better do what they say.
The Greek Elias pilot says not to approach the coast closer than 300 m, but that is for moving craft.
( page 64 Volume II )
 
just as I thought , i been sailing around these part on and off over 12 years now and never had a problem , as we know there are time we anchor off the rock taken lines ashore .
this is the first time I had the problem , and both times I they where told them to call the port police if they like , both said they would but no one turned up so I guess they didnt .
thanks for the replys just wondered if some thing changed and I missed it .
 
OldBawley said:
I had recorded the whole conversation on my handy, just in case, unfortunately my boat was robbed a week later at Rhodos, among others laptop gone. ( with a lot of pics, vid and letters. )
Click to expand...

Yes stealing is prevalent in Greece this year, laptops are a prime target guess there must be a good black market for them, be particularly wary on Lefkada, Rouda or Mikros Gialos are particularly bad places, keep your valuables secure particularly when eating ashore at the taverna on the East end of the beach, don't think that I need say more.
 
I can understand the swimmers concerns.

Think of all that S**t that is pumped out of boats!

Some people don't like to swim in S**t, same as some people don't like others smoking.
 
Holding tanks for most, but I reserve my biggest loathing for those who pump out paper too. At least the other stuff gets eaten pretty quickly.
 
In our experience you have to anchor close in in the Greek islands because the water depth plummets not far off the shoreline. We once anchored in a bay in Meganissi and when we hauled up the anchor we realized it was vertical and not touching the bottom. We didn't have a depth sounder.
 
rtboss1 said:
Jim will possible correct me, if you go out of the entrance of Pilos, within a very short distance you are in 1000meters
Click to expand...

And just a little further, 4,000m! with the deepest part of the Med just a little south, off Methoni, over 5,000m. There's a neutron detector down there, working with a partner site on the opposite side of the globe.

Something to do with the African plate sliding under Greece - which is why Zakinthos, Keffallinia and Levkas are all earthquake prone. They all live on the edge of this deep, patrolled by whales . . . having a big rattle every 50 years or so.

Last Kalamata big shake was 1986 If my memory serves, just when we were trying to set up a business in the area. Wrong headlines . . .
 
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jim baerselman said:
And just a little further, 4,000m! with the deepest part of the Med just a little south, off Methoni, over 5,000m. There's a neutron detector down there, working with a partner site on the opposite side of the globe.

Something to do with the African plate sliding under Greece - which is why Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkas are all earthquake prone. They all live on the edge of this deep, patrolled by whales . . . having a big rattle every 50 years or so.

Last Kalamata big shake was 1986 If my memory serves, just when we were trying to set up a business in the area. Wrong headlines . . .
Click to expand...

Yes that was where we had the company of two large whales swimming within 5-10 meters of our boat for about 15min. Priceless
 
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jimbaerselman said:
And just a little further, 4,000m! with the deepest part of the Med just a little south, off Methoni, over 5,000m. There's a neutron detector down there, working with a partner site on the opposite side of the globe.

Something to do with the African plate sliding under Greece - which is why Zakinthos, Keffallinia and Levkas are all earthquake prone. They all live on the edge of this deep, patrolled by whales . . . having a big rattle every 50 years or so.

Last Kalamata big shake was 1986 If my memory serves, just when we were trying to set up a business in the area. Wrong headlines . . .
Click to expand...

Even got an active volcano at Santorini, which went "Bang" in a big way at about 1500BC, probably destroying the Minoan civilization and (maybe) giving rise the the Atlantis legend. All part of the same thing!
 
500m!

Right, back to topic. My local sources are all clear on this. Mechanically propelled vessels may not manouevre or anchor within 500m (!) of a "recognised" swimming beach, unless there are bouys area marking off a swimming area, when they must keep outside the bouys (there appears to be no definition of a "recognised" beach).

So swimmers have the right to complain to the port police (pp) if they believe anyone anchoring or manouevring within 500m of the beach is endangering their safety.

Our local pp, if they think vessels present a danger to swimmers, will then ask vessels to re-anchor, or stop manouevring. But they comment that 500m was designed for large merchant vessels, and should not apply to small leisure vessels.

In areas where there are consistent complaints, they advise people who own beach frontage to lay bouys, and only contact them if vessels anchor or manouevre inside the bouy line. If they don't lay bouys, the pp ignore further complaints. It seems "recognised" means "marked" in the view of our local pp.

None could quote the relevant law for me, but all were clear about the citizens right to complain about boats anchoring within 500m if the beach is not marked. But after a complaint, common sense seems to take over.

Knowing the variations of pp activity in different regions of Greece, perhaps common sense may not apply in some regions.
 
Last summer I was an anchored in kalami I think it was off Corfu and well out from the buoyed swimming area. Along came the coastguard and told us to move as we were too close to the beach. I asked how much further back I should be and the coastguard chappy indicated a boat length further back. It was the first time I had heard of the 500 metre rule which I understand applies to recognised tourist beaches mark with an umbrella on a tourist map.
 
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