Messalonghi Marina

[Palarran]

Great info

Thanks for the info Magor. I'm under an agreement for a 9 month haulout and will be pulling Palarran out in one week from today. I'll make note about not having them do any repairs though. What I really need is for someone to charge my batteries one time per month and it will be worrysome to rely on the marina. Any suggestions? Thanks
David.

 

[Magor3]

Unfortunately I don't know

There used to be a lovely guy called Russell here last year but he's gone back to Australia. I don't know if the marina offers any gardiennage services. Might be worth asking around any of the liveaboards (I'd done it for you if we'd been here) if they're happy to do so. We left our boat on shore power whilst on the hard and it seemed to work fine except the power had been unplugged when we got back. However, the batteries were still charged so it must have been quite recent.

 

[duncan99210]

I wouldn't trust most marinas to do that sort of a job for you. Better to fit a 20 watt solar panel to keep the batteries topped off...... Cheaper in the long run too.

 

[gavin_lacey]

You can get away with an even smaller panel. If you had 400AH of batteries with a self discharge of 4% per month that is 16AH per month lost. Roughly 0.5AH per day. A 5w charging panel would provide this and could be used without a regulator. Compared with concierge services which seem to cost around 1.5 euro per metre per week then the cost is small.

 

[Palarran]

Updates

Are any of you in Messolongi for the winter? I have my boat hauled there and am not getting any replys to my e-mails from their office. I was wondering if there where any problems with management right now.
Thanks.

 

[charles_reed]

Are any of you in Messolongi for the winter? I have my boat hauled there and am not getting any replys to my e-mails from their office. I was wondering if there where any problems with management right now.
Thanks.

I'm heading back to Mesologi marina later this month.
Before I left, Willem had been re-instated, Spirodopoula was on maternity leave and the office well-meaning, polite and confused.
After the event it is well intentioned, but impractical to propose fitting PV panels. An alternative is to be connected, via a locked socket, through a dedicated meter to the electricity to feed your charger.

 

[duncan99210]

A word of warning on power to your boat when on the hard at Messi. Yannis tried to charge us €5 per day for unmetered electricity; we challenged this with Willem who told us not to pay as it was 'not in the contract'. If you are ashore and not able to hook up to a metered supply, then be aware that Yannis may still be trying this trick.

I repeat the advice of other folks. This is not a 'serviced' marina in the usual context. Its a place to park your boat. Forget the idea of getting any work done through the marina. This is all reflected in the price, which is OK for what you get. For what it's worth, if you need work doing on the boat beyond a power wash, then get it done elsewhere and then take the boat to Messi for parking.

 

[sailinglegend420]

We were there two years ago and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. We were charged 3 Euros a day for leccy and 1 euro/day for water - even though most days you couldn't use water because there were not enough hoses - or they were being used to wash down boats. If you argue about the price Yannis just won't put you back in the water.

The local police refer to him as the Mafia man.

EDIT: 22/10/2012

I'm sorry I didn't make it clear for one very opinionated poster that I was complaining about water and leccy charges whilst lifted out.

We had a wonderful time in Messolonghi - until we were lifted out and had some work done.

 

[Ariadne]

So I'm getting the impression that after all the well documented issues that this scrap heap of a marina had when it opened in 2009/10, people are still going there and nothing has changed!

Charged for showers, very expensive water and electric and I bet it's still full of mozzies and still pumps raw sewage directly into the bay!

I was called up in holes on this forum when I reported what was going and how it was being run by Yannis.

Maybe I can have an apology now, as I was only reporting the truth?

 

[Mr Cassandra]

So I'm getting the impression that after all the well documented issues that this scrap heap of a marina had when it opened in 2009/10, people are still going there and nothing has changed!

Charged for showers, very expensive water and electric and I bet it's still full of mozzies and still pumps raw sewage directly into the bay!

I was called up in holes on this forum when I reported what was going and how it was being run by Yannis.

Maybe I can have an apology now, as I was only reporting the truth?

I have to say I was chastised as well ,by the people that put low price over any sort of quality.

 

[charles_reed]

So I'm getting the impression that after all the well documented issues that this scrap heap of a marina had when it opened in 2009/10, people are still going there and nothing has changed!

Charged for showers, very expensive water and electric and I bet it's still full of mozzies and still pumps raw sewage directly into the bay!

I was called up in holes on this forum when I reported what was going and how it was being run by Yannis.

Maybe I can have an apology now, as I was only reporting the truth?

No apology due or deserved - electricity €0.21/1kW, water €0.30/100 litres, switch card for shower as long as you like €0.10/5mins. Two shower/toilet blocks

The actual marina cost is about 60% of Gouvia or Corfu. So you park your boat and those who wash down their decks every day and run fan heaters pay for their tastes.

Those who rip all the mod cons out of their boat and then hold it against the marina when they can't have a shower...
and that was 4 years ago, when there was one each-sex inadequate shower and toilet for the number of boats there and a totally inadequate digester for the effluent.

The mosquitoes are a fact, but you are immoderate in blaming the marina for those and they're never as bad as those in Port St Louis.

 

[duncan99210]

No apology due or deserved - electricity €0.21/1kW, water €0.30/100 litres, switch card for shower as long as you like €0.10/5mins. Two shower/toilet blocks

The actual marina cost is about 60% of Gouvia or Corfu. So you park your boat and those who wash down their decks every day and run fan heaters pay for their tastes.

Those who rip all the mod cons out of their boat and then hold it against the marina when they can't have a shower...
and that was 4 years ago, when there was one each-sex inadequate shower and toilet for the number of boats there and a totally inadequate digester for the effluent.

The mosquitoes are a fact, but you are immoderate in blaming the marina for those and they're never as bad as those in Port St Louis.

+1
It really is a simple case of you pays your money, you makes your choice. If you know the likely scams, you can work round them. And there is a lively liveaboard community there, actively supporting one another.

 

[Ariadne]

So who ripped the mod cons out of their boat and complained about the lack of showers then? It wasn't me! We've never had a shower in our 32 year old boat, so having one that worked was a pretty important thing to us and my two kids.

The marina promised these and they were a failure. Having raw effluent swilling around a shower is something to complain about?

Having the idiot Yannis scream at my wife and call her liar when she complained there was no water is also something he needs to think about. According to Yo at the the time " He is a Greek man and he can't be told what is wrong by a woman" Wow!!!!!

We supplied our own electric cables as the marina didn't have any boxes, water was a lottery as they didn't have any.

As for the the sewage, they didn't have any pumps, means of getting rid if it, so they just pumped into the sea - or the showers!

Still it was cheap, and that's all we were interested in; you are an idiot!

My kids went to the local school, we invested time in learning Greek, getting to know the locals and the town is great. But the marina is a scrap heap.

 

[Palarran]

For my .02, I booked the haulout with Messolonghi 6 months in advance. I had read the posts here and did in fact deem that a 50% discount compared to Cleopartra was worth some possible hassle.

I e-mailed 1 month before my arrival to secure the haul out date. 1 week before arrival it was pushed back from Friday to Monday. On Monday we went from being the first to be hauled out to the last. We had to get to Athens to catch early morning flights the next day so it was imparative that we got hauled out by noon. Yannis did come through and we where high and dry by noon and made the bus to Athens without any problem.

My impression of Yannis is you either love him or hate him. I went through both emotions in the 3 days we were there. Mata and Spuros where good at helping with the last few details of the storage. The guy who runs the store is unbelievable. I needed a couple AAA bateries and he didn't have them. He hopped on his moped and went to town, bought some, and delivered them to my boat for 3 euros. I paid him double.

The guy who runs the onsite restaurant/bar was also excellent. He had his brother come and pick us up for dinner at their in town location. It was excellent and we really liked the local's and the town. The prices for food and drinks seemed very reasonable. The crane operators did an excellent job.

The mosquitoes were horrible and we didn't have screens. The water isn't a problem unless you don't have a large fresh water tank and good pump. We didn't use the showers or toilets but the buildings looked decent. No problem with the electric but I haven't gotten my bill yet. It is on a meter but someone could use it for the whole winter and I wouldn't know.

I'm having a problem communicating with them right now but Charles had offered to help with that. Thank you!! Very Much.

So far, for the price, I'm happy. I plan on having Palarran hauled out there next year.

 

[jordanbasset]

For my .02, I booked the haulout with Messolonghi 6 months in advance. I had read the posts here and did in fact deem that a 50% discount compared to Cleopartra was worth some possible hassle.

I e-mailed 1 month before my arrival to secure the haul out date. 1 week before arrival it was pushed back from Friday to Monday. On Monday we went from being the first to be hauled out to the last. We had to get to Athens to catch early morning flights the next day so it was imparative that we got hauled out by noon. Yannis did come through and we where high and dry by noon and made the bus to Athens without any problem.

My impression of Yannis is you either love him or hate him. I went through both emotions in the 3 days we were there. Mata and Spuros where good at helping with the last few details of the storage. The guy who runs the store is unbelievable. I needed a couple AAA bateries and he didn't have them. He hopped on his moped and went to town, bought some, and delivered them to my boat for 3 euros. I paid him double.

The guy who runs the onsite restaurant/bar was also excellent. He had his brother come and pick us up for dinner at their in town location. It was excellent and we really liked the local's and the town. The prices for food and drinks seemed very reasonable. The crane operators did an excellent job.

The mosquitoes were horrible and we didn't have screens. The water isn't a problem unless you don't have a large fresh water tank and good pump. We didn't use the showers or toilets but the buildings looked decent. No problem with the electric but I haven't gotten my bill yet. It is on a meter but someone could use it for the whole winter and I wouldn't know.

I'm having a problem communicating with them right now but Charles had offered to help with that. Thank you!! Very Much.

So far, for the price, I'm happy. I plan on having Palarran hauled out there next year.

A fair summary, we left our boat there this year. No issues for us, for the time we were there (10 days) electricity worked out at under a euro a day, water less than 50 cents a day. The two shower blocks are in good condition and clean. The staff in the office were friendly. The town is wonderful, although a 15-20 minute walk away.
Many people come back there year after year and I understand in increasing numbers, they must be doing something right.
Price for 7 months, including lift out and in, plus pressure watch was 1800 euros, well worth it.

 

[charles_reed]

Yes, time efficiency is not a hallmark of the marina and the depth of their knowledge limited. For that reason I never ask them to do anything to my boat unless I'm there. In any case I do nearly all the work on my own boat, reckoning that in the areas of mechanicals and electronics you have a <30% chance of finding competence anywhere.
In the town is a superb little machine shop - turns bronze, Delrin, SS, welds, brazes, reams and charges about 25% of the going rate in the UK - I always give him a drawing as my technical Greek is non-existent and his English is exiguous.
Yanni, is a superb designer in reinforced concrete structures and the cost-structure in the marina is dictated to him by his Netherlands owners.
The workers in the marina are genuinely dedicated to trying to keep their clients happy though their lack of experience sometimes hampers this. Mimi is a great mine-host.
The showers, now, are far better than those in Gouvia or Levkas - though somewhat erratic in the supply of hot water - are kept clean, being thoroughly valeted twice daily.
The continued use of the crane is forced on them by their 3-year-long struggle to get the next phase licence through. Craning is much more costly, slower and more likely to result in boat damage than a travelift but the capital investment cannot be justified until they can increase the number of berths. IMHO the trailer is a disaster area, being a local copy of a Dutch design. During the 1st day of use it tore off two of the ram brackets, is too small for many of the boats in the Med (well, boats in N Europe tend to be shorter) and nearly all the boat weight is forced onto the aft pads.
Of the crane drivers, Christos is by far the best, utterly professional and totally careful.
Regarding the licence, three applications, two interviews with the minister in charge, about 10 visit to Athens and 5 assurances that the permit is a mere formality still hadn't (as of Sept) resulted in the documents coming through.
Whilst Yianni mutters darkly about "the black", I'm more convinced it's the continuing malign influence of the vast, Byzantine, Greek civil service bent on justification by nit-picking.
Rather than damning poor Yianni, those ignorant, self-opinionated posters who have carried out a campaign of vilification against him and the marina should get wise. Those of us who know are more likely to pity the management there.
Mosquitoes - no worse than Levkas, far less maddening than those in the Camargue or Bouches du Rhone can be kept at bay with one of those Baygon diffusers which I've used for 6 years - screens are of apocryphal value.

There rant over.
In summary, not perfect, trying hard under very adverse circumstances and gradually improving.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Yes, time efficiency is not a hallmark of the marina and the depth of their knowledge limited. For that reason I never ask them to do anything to my boat unless I'm there. In any case I do nearly all the work on my own boat, reckoning that in the areas of mechanicals and electronics you have a <30% chance of finding competence anywhere.
In the town is a superb little machine shop - turns bronze, Delrin, SS, welds, brazes, reams and charges about 25% of the going rate in the UK - I always give him a drawing as my technical Greek is non-existent and his English is exiguous.
Yanni, is a superb designer in reinforced concrete structures and the cost-structure in the marina is dictated to him by his Netherlands owners.
The workers in the marina are genuinely dedicated to trying to keep their clients happy though their lack of experience sometimes hampers this. Mimi is a great mine-host.
The showers, now, are far better than those in Gouvia or Levkas - though somewhat erratic in the supply of hot water - are kept clean, being thoroughly valeted twice daily.
The continued use of the crane is forced on them by their 3-year-long struggle to get the next phase licence through. Craning is much more costly, slower and more likely to result in boat damage than a travelift but the capital investment cannot be justified until they can increase the number of berths. IMHO the trailer is a disaster area, being a local copy of a Dutch design. During the 1st day of use it tore off two of the ram brackets, is too small for many of the boats in the Med (well, boats in N Europe tend to be shorter) and nearly all the boat weight is forced onto the aft pads.
Of the crane drivers, Christos is by far the best, utterly professional and totally careful.
Regarding the licence, three applications, two interviews with the minister in charge, about 10 visit to Athens and 5 assurances that the permit is a mere formality still hadn't (as of Sept) resulted in the documents coming through.
Whilst Yianni mutters darkly about "the black", I'm more convinced it's the continuing malign influence of the vast, Byzantine, Greek civil service bent on justification by nit-picking.
Rather than damning poor Yianni, those ignorant, self-opinionated posters who have carried out a campaign of vilification against him and the marina should get wise. Those of us who know are more likely to pity the management there.
Mosquitoes - no worse than Levkas, far less maddening than those in the Camargue or Bouches du Rhone can be kept at bay with one of those Baygon diffusers which I've used for 6 years - screens are of apocryphal value.

There rant over.
In summary, not perfect, trying hard under very adverse circumstances and gradually improving.

Charles - agree with you completely. In a nutshell, if you need to rely on the boatyard for advice and expertise, go elsewhere. If you are self sufficient , its a great place. We cannot return there as I will not lift out on that trailer. Messolonghi is not alone in using these inadequate trailers. However as soon as they have a travel lift, I will use it again.

 

[sailinglegend420]

........Rather than damning poor Yianni, those ignorant, self-opinionated posters who have carried out a campaign of vilification against him and the marina should get wise.

This really is an objectionable post.

As far as I read it most people are making the point that things start to go wrong when you get lifted out and have work done. That was the point I tried to make in my posting - which I have now edited/added to make it absolutely clear. We had a great time in the Marina until we were lifted out.

Even you point out current problems: "...somewhat erratic in the supply of hot water"

When we were there this was because Yiannis actually instructed the marineros to turn OFF the electric heaters and rely on the solar heaters only. This was confirmed by one friendly marinero who showed me the breaker and turned it back on for me.

How can you defend a man like this when he is charging you for hot water that he's not supplying?

I think all the negative posters you talk about have actually been there so are not talking out of ignorance. Being accused of being self-opinionated is fine - but being accused of being ignorant exposes your ignorance.

 

[Ariadne]

I'm guess most of the positive posters, haul out and leave the boat on the hard in total blissful ignorance on how it is on the ground.

While all the negative posters are the ones who actually stay on their boats all through the winter.

Two types of use from two different types of live aboard wanting different things from a marina.

I'll stay with the people who actually stay on board all through the winter for honest opinions.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I'm guess most of the positive posters, haul out and leave the boat on the hard in total blissful ignorance on how it is on the ground.

While all the negative posters are the ones who actually stay on their boats all through the winter.

Two types of use from two different types of live aboard wanting different things from a marina.

I'll stay with the people who actually stay on board all through the winter for honest opinions.

There is another type of user:

1. Those that don't want any work done (or are very competent to do it them selves)

2. Those that want work done, and don't know how to do it or don't have time to do it.

Its this latter group who should consider carefully if they use Messolonghi. I would strongly suggest that they use the Preveza yards!