01-Jul-19

Mex, Tom and Joe headed off with driver and Geri to check out Butrint whilst I stayed back to do minor work on the boat. I also went ashore and bought a counter ice maker and had a hair cut. That evening Joe and I went to the Centrali restaurant, first having a drink upstairs where a live Elvis was performing! Great night.

02-Jul-19            0945hrs

Departed Sarande after picking up clearance papers from Geri.

02-Jul-19            1315hrs

Tied alongside the customs jetty, Corfu town

02-Jul-19            1645hrs

Motored over to Gouvia marina and berthed. Incredibly inefficient clearance procedure took 3 hours. First the Port Police who checked the ships papers, insurance, payment of cruising fees etc. Then over to the passport control where I waited over two hours before service. There the passports were checked and stamped. Then to customs who prepared the transit log documents involving checking the ships papers, insurance, payment of cruising fees etc., AGAIN. In each case information was filled in by hand into large notebooks, with the staff literally ruling columns down the page. If it was private enterprise you would be out of business in a month!

Beach front at Sarande

Approaching Corfu main port

Several cruise ships in port

At the customs warf. Took nearly three hours to clear into Greece from Albania (in comparison it took only 30mins in Albania)

Hopeless beaucracy and archaic manual recording procedures in Greece.