Vathy port police warning

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Mikedefieslife

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Wasn't there recent talk about boats being searched in Meganisi now and fines being dished out for expired flares?

Typically when this happens, you check your own flares to find they just expired too. Grrrrr.
 
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Re illegal charter. What I have seen so far on German or French flagged boats (not that it doesn't exist on other boats, I speak only about cases I know personally) that "friends" are asked for a "contribution to expenses" which (because of the amounts involved) have much more charter character than just a participation to expenses. Some are brave (or foolish) enough to publish this on their blog or personal website. Me wonder where the PP draws the line. Anyway, it's a good thing that they try to do something against it.

BTW, I googled the company mentioned in post #35. They want GBP 2577 per week for the whole boat, there is quite a difference with the GBP 2342 paid p.p. for 6 days. They advertise also a "Gold Package" which prices are not published. But still, the number feels not so plausible. And how could a company advertising themselves so openly, believe they will get away with doing illegal chartering?

I've never been searched or asked by the PP to show my flares or the maintenance certificate of my liferaft. But from time to time, they want to see my skipper licence. Agree that this doesn't say much about my "boat driving skills" but is it true that one can charter a yacht without any licence at all? Last interesting event I experienced was in One House Bay. Here comes a yacht with ripped sails, the anchor is down bravely trawling the seabed and collecting anchors of fellow boaters... Things are much better organised in flotillas I must say, what annoys me sometime is their tendency to block the quay for the next ducklings coming in. Otherwise, those flotilla skippers do a crazy job though, and they are often there to help other boats which are not related to their flotilla.
 
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jordanbasset

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Decided to go straight to the people who should know so went into Lefkas Port Police office yesterday. First three people I spoke to knew nothing about it but after much shrugging of shoulders I was directed to another Port Police Officer. He confirmed that under Greek law boats needed to have in date flares and atleast a 3kg in date fire extinguisher. He did not seem concerned about life jackets. I questioned him as to whether it was just charter boats. He said it applied to all boats, including private boats registered in other countries.
I then asked him whether this was being enforced and he was a little more reticent but at this stage I felt I was wearing out my welcome so left it at that.
I have also asked around everywhere I have been to see if people have been checked for said items, no one had any personal knowledge although a couple did hear of it from others.
Am still not sure how much this law is being enforced in practise but will get a new fire extinguisher and flares (even though I think the latter are more problems than they are worth)
 
sailaboutvic

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jordanbasset said:
Decided to go straight to the people who should know so went into Lefkas Port Police office yesterday. First three people I spoke to knew nothing about it but after much shrugging of shoulders I was directed to another Port Police Officer. He confirmed that under Greek law boats needed to have in date flares and atleast a 3kg in date fire extinguisher. He did not seem concerned about life jackets. I questioned him as to whether it was just charter boats. He said it applied to all boats, including private boats registered in other countries.
I then asked him whether this was being enforced and he was a little more reticent but at this stage I felt I was wearing out my welcome so left it at that.
I have also asked around everywhere I have been to see if people have been checked for said items, no one had any personal knowledge although a couple did hear of it from others.
Am still not sure how much this law is being enforced in practise but will get a new fire extinguisher and flares (even though I think the latter are more problems than they are worth)
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I think we talked about this , personally a lot of stuff is hear say I never met anyone who had a problem in Greece and even Portugal where there was once a problem , after the RYA got involved they agree that unless a boat was longer then 6 month in the country , the said boat need to apply rules of it flag .
Flares we don't carry them any more , for lots or reasons if I was going to buy any it be a laser flare and they done have any dates on them just like my fire extinguishers they not the normally type they look very much like a flare they last 12 years and again don't come with dates on .
 
jordanbasset

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Pasarell said:
Got back to the boat in Lefkas last night after 4 weeks away. All the talk is of the checks being made on safety equipment and illegal charter. USail as mentioned above is apparently facing a very large fine. Equipment checks are focussed mainly on fire extinguishers but also looking at flares and liferafts. Word is the Lefkas PP are insisting on a basic flare pack for every boat.
I don't know if it's connected but apparently the marina management closed the entrance last week for a few hours on a charter change over day because of the chaos with boats coming in. Insisted the charter companies put a skipper on every boat to moor it - which can only be a good thing! This morning a big chartered cat was leaving from close to me and hit the first private boat he was trying to pass. One of the company staff jumped on board, roughly shoved the helmsman out of the way, and put the boat back on its berth. The followed a robust discussion and the boat left an hour later with someone from the company helming. No idea how long he stayed there but maybe there is a standard raising exercise going on. Good thing if there is!
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We are in Lefkas Marina at the moment (get 7 free days as we have a contract with Gouvia)
The boat moored next to us was hit at speed this morning, bent his stainless steel pulpit. Offending boat was a 45 foot charter boat which was just being taken out by a new crew. Must be a record as they were only in charge of the boat for 60 seconds
 
vyv_cox

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jordanbasset said:
Have been trying to find out what this is about by asking around, especially as regards fire extinguishers/flares. Cannot find any one with first hand experience of it but from the second hand accounts it appears the checks are in relation to charter boats and their equipment, not private boats. As Vic says it is good that they are being monitored, as they would be in the UK.
It would be interesting if any one who has a private boat has been checked for this equipment by the Port Police.
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A post has appeared on one of the CA forums this morning from a man who was on the adjacent boat when the incident occurred in Vathy. The boat was a Greek flagged charter boat with English crew. The charter company will pay the fine. No foreign flagged vessels were inspected.
 
RichardS

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vyv_cox said:
A post has appeared on one of the CA forums this morning from a man who was on the adjacent boat when the incident occurred in Vathy. The boat was a Greek flagged charter boat with English crew. The charter company will pay the fine. No foreign flagged vessels were inspected.
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jordanbasset said:
Cheers I did suspect that would be the case
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macd said:
The post was (inevitably?) preceded by a deal of misinformation and harrumphing, so you're fortunate to have received just the crucial bit from Vyv :encouragement:
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Didn't we already know that it was a Greek flagged boat from the answer in post #3 to my question in post #2? :confused:

Richard
 
Davy_S

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macd said:
Interesting though these quotes and others like it may be, DavyS, could I trouble you to indicated provenance in future?
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I quote from Greek sources, I will give you one more then not bother.
Coast Guard on Ithaka yesterday confined the Italian flagged yacht LE.ONE to port due to illegal charter.
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http://ekefalonia.gr
 
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JonJon

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We were moored next to a Polish boat in Big Vathi a few weeks back. It had been confined to port for alleged illegal chartering. The PP also checked all the charter boats on either side of us for safety equipment not us presumably because we were Brit flagged private boat.
 
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