Saturday 26 April 2014

EASTER N THE GULF OF CORINTH

From the Rion Bridge you can easily navigate the Gulf of Corinth to Corinth and the Canal in one or two days.

However if you do you are missing out on a excellent and stunning cruising area. We decided to take our time and took a week to explore the area.




We had excellent westerly winds behind us all the way down, and we cruised at 7/8 knots with just the genoa.

Both sides of the Gulf were bordered with snow capped mountains and we were sailing in shorts and T-shirts.



After the Isle Trizonia our first port of call was Galaxia
THE QUAY ANDRIKON
A charming and very picturesque harbor and town.

A perfect stop over however the quay side was very noisy at night and so we decided to move on further east.

We discovered Andrikiron and what a great find it was. The town is nestled in the NW corner of a very large bay and is totally surrounded by high mountains on all sides.



JOSEPHINE SQUEEZED ONTO THE SMALL
QUAY BETWEEN TWO LARGE TUGS
Easter is a major event here in Greece.

Easter Sunday started at mid night with a large firework display illuminating the entire town.

When we rose the next morning at 7 O clock the mile long quay side was ablaze with dozens of large Bar b ques. Logs were burnt to make charcoal, and then whole lambs were slowly roasted by the men of the town for the day long celebration.                              



                       


THE WESTERN ENTRANCE TO THE
CORINTH  CANAL
Afterr the celebrations we moved on further east to the ancient city of Corinth and then the next day through the Canal and into the Agean sea, our original destination

In ancient times sailors traversed the narrow isthmus by being dragged on a paved road to avoid the long and often perrilous journey around the southern cape of the Peloponnese peninsular.

Various Greeks and Romans derived schemes for building the cut when not fighting each other. Nero commenced the work but was unable to complete it.
     

Eventually the canal was completed by a French company in 1893 to provide a short cut to and from the Agean, Athens and Istanbul.

Today most ships are to large to transverse the canal,  and it is only used by small coasters and pleasure vessels. From west to east the canal at approx 3.2 mile long and only 25 Meter wide, is said to be the most expensive waterways on the planet.

Upon arrival at the entrance we had to wait for two hours before we could transit through.

We were able to take breakfast and were entertained by a friendly Greek fisherman who caught and then beat to death a fairly large Octopus.

When eventually called through we were the lead boat of a flotilla of 5 yachts.

POROS APPROACHING
FROM THE WEST
We encountered a current against us of about 1.5 Knots, and a headwind of 15 to 20. The passage took about 35 mins and cost 244 Euro.

Two years almost to the day since we left Gosport
we entered the Aegean out original destination.

Emerging from the canal we were imediatly confronted by numerous islands.

We made our way to Nisos Poros where we are now, and planning to leave for the Cyclades tomorrow.


RAY & MANDY
POROS
37 31N 23 25E




Sunday 20 April 2014

GREECE 2014

JOSEPHINE GOES BACK IN.
 Our journey back to Greece began on the 26th March, when Peter Billingham kindly took us to Manchester Airport for our flight to Athens.

Everything went like clockwork. We walked out of the airport and straight on to the X96 bus which for five euro each took us literally to the door of our hotel, the Poseidon opposite Alimos marina.







ONE OF ONLY TWO BOATS
IN LITTLE VATHY
 The next day we made our way by taxi to the bus station for our trip to Levkas.

The bus journey is some six hours long and so we had kindles and books at the ready to pass the time. They were not necessary as the journey was fascinating. We traveled from Athens over the Corinthian canal onto the Peloponnese (south) side of the magnificent Gulf of Corinth. we crossed over the gulf to the mainland side over the Andirrion-Rion Bridge and then on to Levkas.

The scenery was magnificent and we felt as if we had seen a lot of "real Greece"






THE BRIDGE
The boat was launched on April 1st and we had a lovely two weeks sailing around a near deserted Ionian, visiting our favorite haunts and preparing our selves and the boat for our journey east to the Aegean

We left Cephalonia on Tuesday 15th April and had a very pleasant 63NM trip to the Isle Trizonia in the Gulf of Corinth.

We passed underneath the amazing bridge that we had crossed over two weeks before. The structure is regarded as the largest of its type in the world.

We are now cruising the Gulf on route to Corinth and the canal. The next blog will follow soon and will give details of this wonderful cruising area, and an AMAZING EASTER SUNDAY in Andikiron.

RAY & MANDY
ANDIKIRON
38 21.6N x 22 39.4E