Reconsidering Greece

Poros, Greece

So, here we sit in the Saronic Gulf having re-crossed the Aegean, with much to consider.  Given that we had a fairly bad time of it last year, we were fully prepared for the worst and made our crossing quickly, hoping it would be painless.  And it was.  In fact, it was a delight.

Ok, he wins - I think we'll move...  Gavrion, Andros

Greece has 1400 islands, probably more.  Then there’s the mainland to consider.  Our float plan was to visit a few of the quieter islands, then concentrate on mainland Greece, the Peloponnese in particular.  There are lots and lots of ruins of breathtaking age; every town has a museum brimming with amazing artefacts, every island or town at least one story of significance.  Tavernas, offering the delights of Greek cuisine, dot almost every harbour, beach and cove; townsfolk are friendly and welcoming.  There are many sirens, tempting and persuading an unhurried voyage through this country. 

Life never comes without lessons, so we offer these salient points when planning to sail Greece.  All of course, learned in hindsight:

Have lots of options planned.  There is more to Greece than tourist brochure vistas. There are loads of holiday makers and boat/shipping traffic.  Don’t be in a hurry or too inflexible in your planning.  Make use of local transport opportunities to fill the gaps.  For example, we caught a ferry to Hydra as docking is tight in the high season.

Temple of Poseidon, 440BC. Cape Sounion.

Follow local custom.  Rounding Cape Sounion, we (sailors) made offerings of (Euro) coins into the seas - cheap really when you consider Alexander the Great cast his 4 best horses & chariot into the depths.

Don’t underestimate weather conditions.  Check weather forecasts regularly as they can change from day to day.  Conditions can also vary, even over the shortest distance and/or as you round a point of land.  Unlike much of the Med, winds in the Aegean are a regular feature, which is good for sailing providing the wind is from the right direction.  Avoid the worst of the Meltemi (July & August) or be exceptionally patient and be introduced to katabatic winds.  Expect the unexpected.  We also applied the Van Sant maxim (learnt from Caribbean days) – leave early, arrive early. 

We found internet access essential.  Last year our biggest mistake was hasty on-shore Wi-Fi stops (we had no choice).  Now, with our trusty Vodafone data dongle, we can check local conditions for all points of the day’s sail on Windguru and then match the big picture on Passage Weather to our float plan.  (There are lots of other weather information options of course; it’s very much a matter of personal preference.)  

Sharing the Town Dock, Poros

Shared experiences.  We decided early on that town docks were not for us, preferring the quiet life on anchor.  We chose our stops accordingly and found some good recommendations, both on the internet (Noonsite & Jim B) and from talking to others out there on the water.

Just in case you think we are about to join the legions of cruising folk who are devoted entirely to Greece, we are not.  We have, as my mother says, “ants in our pants” and just gotta keep movin’ along.  Besides, there may be a huge Greek community in Australia but right now, right here, there are vast numbers of Aussies on boats attempting to level that score. 

Not quite sure what this was about - but we had
ring-side seats. We later found out it was a wedding.

 

From: Chios, Greece Lat/Long: 38:23.206N 26:08.342E Date/Time: 9/07/14: 0800
To: Poros, Greece Lat/Long: 37:30.235N 23:26.444E Date/Time: 11/07/14: 1600
Time Taken: 167.5nm (25.5hrs) Distance (this year): 584nm (98hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 13917nm   Weather: Light & all around the dial avg. 10-18kts;
Fastest Speed: 7.1kts under sail; motored in benign or wind-on-nose conditions

Early evening, Poros Town from our anchorage