Riposte to govia

[paddywackcocker]

Hi people
Advise asked, crew don’t want over night stuff, so a quick look at the charts looks like 85mile hops (long days, 2mtr draft, 43ft length)
Coming in round the top of Corfu looks like the best option.
Doesn’t look like options on south east bit of Italy.
Regards
Paddy

 

[RupertW]

Hi people
Advise asked, crew don’t want over night stuff, so a quick look at the charts looks like 85mile hops (long days, 2mtr draft, 43ft length)
Coming in round the top of Corfu looks like the best option.
Doesn’t look like options on south east bit of Italy.
Regards
Paddy

Afraid we've only done it direct as our time is limited and we quite like night sails. I agree round the top of Corfu generally but I'd leave the final decision to the crossing day itself depending on wind. The only other thing I'd mention is that when we sailed along the South Italian coast from Brindisi to Taormina this Summer, we had a couple of big violent thunderstorms in otherwise quiet conditions and didn't translate the name of the bay we were crossing until after we'd arrived - the Golfo de Squillaces

 

[vyv_cox]

You don't need to go all the way to Gouvia, anchoring in one of the islands to the NW is a good option and there is now a usable harbour in one of them.

 

[AndrewB]

You don't need to go all the way to Gouvia, anchoring in one of the islands to the NW is a good option and there is now a usable harbour in one of them.

Yes, Ammos on Othonoi, 48 miles from Otranto and 37 to Gouvia. That makes for two day-sails. But I'd only count on it in light or moderate winds with no south in them. Also, I'm not sure if there might be formality problems arriving there from Italy unless you have a current DEKPA.

 

[duncan99210]

We stoped over at Mathraki on the way to Crotone a few years back but it’s an overnight crossing from there. Good all round protection in the harbour though! Thought we’d stopped at Orthoni but looking back at the log book that wasn’t the case! Original plan on departing Gouvia was the go straight to Crotone but picked up a nasty headwind and swell so opted out for the night: much more comfortable the following day.

 

[vyv_cox]

Yes, Ammos on Othonoi, 48 miles from Otranto and 37 to Gouvia. That makes for two day-sails. But I'd only count on it in light or moderate winds with no south in them. Also, I'm not sure if there might be formality problems arriving there from Italy unless you have a current DEKPA.

We anchored for two nights at Erikoussa after looking into Othonoi, which at the time was undeveloped and unattractive to us. Wind was definitely from a northerly direction as we had quite an exciting crossing from Italy. This had dropped to almost nothing as we approached Greece.

 

[OldBawley]

We made some big mistakes back in 2001 when we made the passage.

Biggest mistake was that we sailed during December. I learned in a very fast way why nobody was sailing in that part of the Med during winter.
Second mistake was that previously we had been anchoring in Syracuse and the boat was so fouled that on the engine 4kn was the max.
Third mistake was to take a novice sailor in our wake. That solo sailor had a beautiful steel 34 feet yacht but no experience. He had been tailing us from Reggio, made stupid mistake after mistake, grounded in the entrance of an Italian marina where I had gone trough just minutes before.
We had become friends, and he wanted to be on Corfu for Christmas, that way pushing me to go in relatively bad weather. I have since learned never to do what someone else wants, to do what I think is right.
We left St Maria Di Leuca a bit before dark, I wanted to pass the entrance between Corfu and Albania in daylight. We just had a handheld GPS and paper maps, better to see what you do.

Not 5 mile out of Leuca wind and sea piped up, it became a hell of a ride for our then 70 year old wooden 24 footer. Soon the bigger yacht lost us, our boat goes faster when the wind gets really blowing, his started to slam into the waves and became slower. He had a beautiful round hulled yacht except for the two feet wide bottom plate containing the lifting keel. Waves ware really big, having had 400 miles to build. Sailing trough a pichblack night from time to time I could see galloping white horses about 3 meter above our boat, then crashing on to it. Scariest sail of my life.

Decided to head for the shelter of Othenoy. Othenoi in winter. No electricity back then so dark exept for the lighthouse. No harbour lights, no nothing. Not even stars. During the day they had a generator to light the 4 live houses and the taverna, after 23h, no power. Could see nothing but could here the waves breaking on rock. Anchored out and in first light saw we ware anchored just in front of the main harbour.
We went in, heard that Italian fishing boats ware in there sheltering for the bad whether. Since days.
Two days later the storm started turning to the South, a local gave us the advice to move the boat to a very shallow miniature harbour ( Now renovated and called Nuevo porto ) Main harbour is untendable with South storm.

I was to shitty to move over there, charts said the depth of the channel trough the rocks in front of that harbour was 1,5 m, same as our draught.
Babis a local took a 3 yard jump unto our deck because nearing the quay was already impossible by the swell. He then steered our boat trough the unmarked channel into that shallow harbour.
Thanks again Babis, you saved our boat.

To be short : we could not leave the little harbour for two weeks. Water level to low to be safe and never ending storm. Every night snow on deck. No ferry.
Pericles, the old owner of the taverna allowed me two buckets of rainwater every day and gave us all food we wanted. Among that his last chicken. His taverna was also the only shop. We had no money because we had spend all Italian lira´s in Leuca and ware to pull shiny new Euro´s in Corfu. Some fisherman living in the house at the small harbour brought dry wood for our wood stove and someone ( Saint Nicholas ? ) left a big bag of oranges on deck.

We arrived two weeks after departing from Leuca in Gouvia. Again in the dark. Christmas eve. Days are very short.
We now think of Othenoy and our first encounter with Greek ( and Albanian ) people as a treasure.

Our friend had an even worst experience. First he was hit in the face by the mainsheet, glasses gone and out for some time. Could not find second pair of glasses in that storm, was almost blind.
He then headed for Othenoi but failed to understand that a boat has to go around an island to get into the harbour. He just went for the GPS arrow to waypoint and crashed into the west side of Othenoy. Lifted his hydraulic keel and slipped off. Then headed two days south before the stormy wind, later two days north before the wind. Reached Corfu and did not move for months, then dashed for Turkey in nice weather and never really sailed again.

BTW, I know since then why the Golfo Di Squillace bears that name. We had our head sail torn to shreds in there. Bought a small second hand head sail in Crotone, and reinforced the light small sail to fit our boat. Did not want to travel without head sail. Turned out to small, sort of storm jib. Still glad I bought the sail.

 

[hoped4]

We did some of this route this summer as we prefer to avoid overnighters: Reggio Calabria (marina -of sorts, uncomfortable in the northerly winds we had) - Rocella Ionica (stayed 2 nights, finger pontoons, nice marina )- Crotone (picked up a buoy round the headland to the south of Crotone), - Santa Maria di Leica ( swell in the marina) , - Othonoi ( anchored in bay on North of island due to southerlies) - Gouvia (anchorage outside marina to arrange Dekpa)