Spellbinder's Web Diary - Sat 19 Sept to Tue 29 Sept Ormos Sarandi, Gulf of Corinth

Sat 19 Sept to Tue 29 Sept Ormos Sarandi, Gulf of Corinth - Zea Marina, Piraeus, Athens

Spellbinder

Thu 1 Oct 2009 19:08

We motored in no wind on Sat 19 Sept to make a transit of the Corinth canal and head out into the Saronic gulf and Aegean. Arrangements for transiting the canal were very laid back but the AIS system worked well in providing information on ships in, or waiting to enter the canal. Although officially "frowned" upon we rested the anchor on the seabed inside the breakwater at Posidhonia and waited as an east-bound freighter hove into view from the west. We were to dodge in behind this ship which for the transit itself was towed by a tug at an alarming speed. As the ship and tug sped past we were urged to follow it. The canal was fascinating, not just for its history but the rough manner in which it had been cut and improved over the centuries. The Emperor Nero was the first to have a go at building the canal using 6000 Jews, but it was the French who started the present canal that was completed by the Greeks in 1893. Evident to port and starboard were rock falls and limestone slabs looking to break away from the faces. The waterway is closed once a week to repair the crumbling sides and for dredging. Once clear of Isthmia and after paying the swingeing canal fees, an east southeast wind filled in and Spellbinder enjoyed 3.5 hours of lovely sailing to the island of Nisos Aigina. Here we anchored to the south of the harbour but quickly weighed in the gathering dusk as a loud disco started up nearby and we dodged south to what is known as Profitas Ilias cove to anchor for the night. Sunday 20 Sept dawned overcast and windy. Spellbinder rounded the south of Aigina and beat up the east coast in a NNE F5/6 to anchor in Ormos Ay Marina. What is known as the meltemi was blowing. A firm anchorage was found in the NE corner of the bay on sand and weed and allowed a relaxed visit to the magnificent temple of Aphaia (500BC). On Mon 21 Sept Spellbinder beat north in a NNE F4/5 under clearing skies to reach the Zea marina and welcome Teresa onboard. Of all the many marinas around Athens, Zea was the only one to have room for Spellbinder, a relief because the fallback of Nisos Aigina would have been inconvenient. The following day, now with the meltemi blowing behind us we made a fast passage under main and boomed-out genoa to the island of Nisos Idhra. Idhra is a delightful spot with no vehicles but the harbour is a nightmare for a skipper to berth in. Yachts were Mediterranean-moored three deep from the quay with anchor chains laid in series inwards. Fortunately our trot had experienced skippers who could remember the sequence in which they were all laid! Not so some other boats that spent 1.5 hours the next morning untangling their anchors. It was a relief to be away waving farewell to Eamon who was taking the ferry to Piraeus to fly home that day. We had a beat to Ormos Porou on the island of Poros in a F4/5 and spent the next day ashore exploring the island on Quad bikes. Homage was paid to the god at the temple of Poseidon for fair winds to come, we came across herds of goats and visited a lovely monastery. Friday 25 Sept saw Spellbinder in a gentle ESE F3 under main and genniker to a quiet anchorage inside Nisis Dhoroussa near the village of Aponissos. A dinghy ride to the next smaller bay revealed a small harbour for fishing boats and a closed taverna. After a short walk inland we found a delightful chapel outside an abandoned village set in olive groves with the word LOVE painted on the approach road. In light NE winds on Sat 26 Sept under a slatey sky spotting rain we motored-sailed to Ormos Peranis on Nisos Salamis and anchored for the night. Nisos Salamis didn't have much of a write-up in the guide and pilot books but in Salinia bay, after a brisk sail reefed down in a N F5, we found a most friendly Greek town and enjoyed an excellent lunch stop. That afternoon we sailed at speed back to the Zea marina and Piraeus to undertake an extended crew change over three days and do some maintenance and repairs before setting off for the Cyclades on Wed 30 Sept. We bade farewell to George and Teresa and welcomed Tricia & Peter and Keith & Sheila onboard. Now we were five.