Position 37:54.9N 23:00.60E

We arrived at the entrance to the Corinth canal at 4.00pm, there were several yachts milling around waiting to go through so we decided that we would go on through that day and anchor in the Gulf of Corinth for the night.

After speaking to Canal Control on the VHF we were directed to the waiting pontoon to go and pay our fees, a whopping 330 euros for a transit of just 3 miles !

Half an hour later we were off through the Canal, it was certainly a spectacular sight and the £150 each for a half hour experience didn’t dampen our enthusiasm.

Corinth Canal

3.2 miles long, 25 metres wide and the limestone from which it is cut rises 79 metres above sea level.

The most expensive canal per mile in the world.

The canal is usually blocked by a road bridge that extends across the entrance and this Hydraulic bridge is lowered 6.5metres into the water to allow shipping through.

There are three bridges that cross the canal at the maximum height of its cut, one railway and two road bridges.

People waved from the bridge as we passed under.

There was a couple of knot current with us despite a strong wind against us and it took some concentration to steer the boat through the narrow channel. We took it in turns so that I could take photos and Mark took a video.

When we came out into the Gulf of Cornith the wind was blowing 20knots from the West (on the nose as usual) and the anchorages we had hoped to stay the night were not sheltered enough.

So another 15 miles, an hour of motoring and an hour of good sailing, and we arrived in a quiet bay at Ioannou in Ormos Phormurainas.

It was deep for anchoring and despite 80m of chain out we were not confident that the anchor was well dug in.

As we were nestled cosily between two high rocky cliffs we decided to up anchor and tie up to a vacant local buoy instead and hope that the fishing fleet didn’t arrive back during the night to reclaim it.

A slight problem with upping anchor as the deck switch failed yet again, it was late, we were tired, and for a moment we both just looked blank until I remembered the additional switch next to me at the helm, hurray that worked !

Dinner, an episode of Broadchurch and a peaceful night.