Lefkas canal

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There are reports that 7 boats have gone aground in the last 2 weeks while negotiating the northern entrance. The rocks appear to be inside the red marker bouys. The worrying thing about it is that the Coast Guard know about the problem but are doing nothing to clear the channel. :mad:
 
The point is that they aren't. The rocks are in the channel, the bigger the distance to seaward you can leave the red cans the better chance you have of missing the rocks. This may be difficult in high season.
 
I think something has moved.. Two boats I know of have hit "the rock", despite going north of the red buoy, and we hear quite frequently on VHF of people having problems. Both the boats I know of who have hit the rock have been in and out of the entrance several times before, so should know what they are doing ("should", of course, is a relative term, as I have never sailed with either skipper!). I'm going out there on sunday/monday with some trepidation!

What happens when you hit the rock & call for assistance? I have been told you have to be lifted and have a survey under Greek law (or have I got it wrong?). Why do the coastguards not bouy it better......
 
apparently they aren't rocks, rather concrete blocks.
FYI I (badly) translate the warning of an Italian sailor posted on a It. sailing forum the 2nd of June:

"Beware: danger at Lefkas channel, North entrance.
Yesterday afternoon at 1400 I lined up to enter the Lefkas channel, that was much smaller than shown on my chart (reprinted 2001)
At my right hand I had a dredge, to my left a row of buoys marked the left side of the channel.
To keep at a safe distance from the dredge I kept in the left half of the channel outlined by buoys.
Well, do not do that: underwater there are large blocks of concrete and I have crashed against them.
Instinctively, I gave full throttle and rudder towards the center and I managed to get out.
I protested and a guy in uniform came out in a boat and confirmed that the buoys were placed over the boulders. He said he would move them but frankly I do not think he will.
Luckily my boat is long keeled and damages are limited.
Be careful."
 
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Helped a Bav 39 off those 'rocks' just over a month ago. They are certainly at best in line with bouys 2 and 3 of the channel markers.

Tuck in close, 15 m or so, to the sand spit to the North, go slowly and watch the depth readout. The spit does drop away fairly quickly and sand is a hell of a lot more forgiving than whatever is on the South side of the channel.



at about 1:20



Right at the end you can see the Bav 39 on the hard to the right of the bow. You have to be really close to the South beach to end up in trouble. Just stay well North of the bouys.

It appears to be more than 'a couple of blocks' the Bav wouldn't come off until it was kedged over with a line from the masthead to a rib.
 
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Carolwildbird said:
What happens when you hit the rock & call for assistance? I have been told you have to be lifted and have a survey under Greek law (or have I got it wrong?). Why do the coastguards not bouy it better......
Click to expand...

Based upon the experience of a Frenchman berthed next to us a couple of years ago, if you issue a Mayday you are required to have an inspection by the authorities. He managed to escape with an underwater survey by a (snorkel) diver after grounding on a rock at the south of Kefalonia, but it still cost him €400 and a lot of hassle, faxes, etc.

He was told that if he had issued a PanPan this would not have been the case.
 
In 1978 when I first navigated the channel the buoys/cans were placed approximately on top of the obstructions. The length of scope has varied over the years, as have the number and size of the buoys. With northerly winds (the norm!) the buoys sometimes lie south of the obstructions (outside the channel) by some 10m or so. Flotilla companies have all warned their clients about the unreliability of these markers over the years.

What has changed is the position of the sand spit, which has slowly filled in, narrowing the channel over the years. It is steep to, normally safe to pass within 5m. I haven't seen how much the channel has narrowed this year. But I can quite imagine that it has narrowed enough to make "keeping right of inbound traffic" a hazardous activity. After all, one does expect obstructions to be outside the buoys, not inside!
 
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vyv_cox said:
The deep water is close to the sand spit, where in my relatively brief experience it always has been. Why are boats going between the buoys and the south side land?
Click to expand...

Who said they were? That is my back yard and I resent you with your limited knowledge (admitted) shoving your tuppence worth in. Again a theoretical off the cuff remark rather that a judgement based upon experience. But then...

Chas
 
We'll be passing through here in a couple of weeks, thanks for the info, very useful thread. Went through it a couple of years ago and would have probably made a cock up based on my old knowledge. Always better to be forearmed with the facts
 
I went through the canal on the second week in May with a similar sized boat following (44ft). I just happened to look over the side, something must have caught my, to see several large blocks covered in seaweed. I slowed down and got my better half on the bow to look for any other obstacles only to hear a massive noise from the boat following. It had hit the obstruction so hard that the bow was under water. He was not stuck and continued into Preveza. On returning two weeks later two boats ran aground close to the red buoys and it would seem that the stationed fishing boat is on a nice earner towing boats off.
I have passed through the canal many times over the years without worry, but I will take more care from now on and hug the sand spit.
 
Carolwildbird said:
I think something has moved.. Two boats I know of have hit "the rock", despite going north of the red buoy, and we hear quite frequently on VHF of people having problems. Both the boats I know of who have hit the rock have been in and out of the entrance several times before, so should know what they are doing ("should", of course, is a relative term, as I have never sailed with either skipper!). I'm going out there on sunday/monday with some trepidation!

What happens when you hit the rock & call for assistance? I have been told you have to be lifted and have a survey under Greek law (or have I got it wrong?). Why do the coastguards not bouy it better......
Click to expand...
Total lack of money!

Nobody ought to be navigating in there at <1knot anyway. Certainly keep away from the red buoys and try to imagine the shape of the bottom, a saucer profile and keep nearer to the sand spit than the buoys with a sharp eye on the depth instrument. Put someone on the foredeck wearing Polariods too if you draw >2metres. The Stbd. buoy previously marking the end of the sandbank is no longer there but it's concrete block IS.

If worried about making the bridge and taking the above precautions delays you, you might get the operator (dependant upon which one is working) to wait for you a little by calling "Santa Maura Floating Bridge" on Ch12VHF.

Chas
 
CharlesSwallow said:
Who said they were? That is my back yard and I resent you with your limited knowledge (admitted) shoving your tuppence worth in. Again a theoretical off the cuff remark rather that a judgement based upon experience. But then...

Chas
Click to expand...

The OP said 'There are reports that 7 boats have gone aground in the last 2 weeks while negotiating the northern entrance. The rocks appear to be inside the red marker bouys.' Doesn't that mean the rocks are inside the marks?

I have used the Levkas canal 12 times. Obviously not as many as some, but enough to know to keep away from the channel marks.
 
I was there a few days ago. The sand spit seems to have a southward bend on it now and the channel between the sand spit and the red buoys is very narrow.

There are four yachts now hauled out in the Preveza yards having their keels repaired.

The charge for towing off the rocks varies between 50 and 150 Euro's.

Should be interesting when the full charter season starts in a few weeks and the waiting area for the floating bridge gets congested with two way traffic.
 
Best water?

Went through on 31 May this year. I draw 9', so took the entrance with great caution, and slowly. An Italian boat ahead of me was in the channel and aground. Then, I touched, at < 1 kt. Not a bump, definitely sand (I've hit a rock before, so know the difference ;-)). Backed off and went closer to the spit (less than 20 yds from the Italian), where I saw a least depth of 4.7 m (though I have to say I wasn't looking at the sounder constantly). I was surprised, as I was very close to the spit, could see the bottom, and didn't expect deep water so close to the spit.

Could be that there is silting around the blocks.
 
philmarks said:
and didn't expect deep water so close to the spit.
Click to expand...

I think that’s one of the problems. The slope of the sand spit suggests that shallow water extends a considerable distance from the end, which is not the case. The pilot books and even resources like google earth are of limited value because of the shifting nature of the sand.
They need to fix this. With a strong northerly blowing, running aground would have serious consequences
 
Went through the channel a few times myself with no troubles (I draw 2 mts). But specially now I would not dream of crossing it on a northerly. You can't even see the bottom with froth and wavelets! I'm afraid I would go through Levkas only in absolutely calm weather. Pity, though.
 
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