From Kythnos to Souniou, a careful watch was needed while motoring along in near windless conditions to ensure we avoided the increasing number of other vessels out on the water, lots of ferries and other yachts. Clearly we were nearing the Athens area. Souniou is a lovely sandy bay just behind a promontory at the northern entrance to the Saronic Gulf. There the temple of Poseidon holds a commanding position, being visible from all around. We had a very pleasant one night stop in calm conditions, enjoying swims followed by drinks ashore and pork chops on the BBQ for dinner onboard.
The following day we headed to Aegina, a lovely but very popular island in the middle of the Saronic Gulf that we had previously visited with Sonia on board. We even managed a nice sail on flat water for a while along the way. Although we arrived at the port around noon, there were no spaces left for us, too many charter boats. Fortunately there is a pretty good anchorage just outside the port with plenty of room. A little later on we all went ashore, primarily to find a grocery store. The best one was directly opposite where we had anchored. Howard dropped 3 of us off at a small jetty but he didn’t like the idea of leaving the dinghy there so he took it around into the harbour. Meanwhile the rest of us proceeded to the supermarket and became quite absorbed by all that it had to offer; it was like being in Aladdin’s cave! Unbeknownst to us a thunderstorm arrived with a vengeance. Not being able to contact us, Howard decided to head back to the boat. He had a most unpleasant couple of hours keeping watch in the heavy rain, worrying about other boats dragging their anchors and getting closer. Thankfully our trusty Ultra anchor held firmly and Lady M came through it unscathed. By the time the rain eased off and the wind dropped sufficiently for Howard to come back ashore, it was approaching dinner time. Beers and gyros all around hit the spot!
Aegina is a very popular island well served by ferries from Athens and elsewhere. The main attractions are the beaches, wonderful pistachios that are grown all over the island and sold in many forms, including about 6 or 8 varieties of pistachio ice cream; all of them delicious. There are also several ancient ruins, the temple of Apollo and acropolis on a small hill just north of the port which Sonia and I visited on our previous trip. The ancient site, known as Kolonna dates as far back as the Bronze Age. In its hey day, Aegina’s commerce rivalled Athens. The Doric temple of Apollo was built at the end of the 6th century AD and had 6 columns on the short side and 11 on the long side. Today only one column remains standing. Cheryll and I took a taxi to see the temple of Aphaea in the northeast part of the island. The temple which dates from 490BC is the oldest surviving temple in Greece. It forms a holy equilateral triangle with the Parthenon in Athens and the temple of Poseidon in Souniou.
As a bonus, we met up with Phil on 37 Rocks again and enjoyed dinner together at one of the many beach-side restaurants. Our plans were to head through the Corinth Canal the following day whereas he intends remaining on the eastern side. Our paths are thus unlikely to cross again in the near future.
Two and a half hours of motoring after departing Aegina we reached the entrance to the canal. We called the canal authorities and were told to wait about 30 min in order that the boats heading east could exit; it’s a one way system. About seven yachts assembled for the passage west through the canal. We were third in-line The canal has quite a history. First conceptualised by Periander of Corinth in the 7th century BC. Construction first began under Nero in AD 67, and was eventually completed in July, 1893. It is 6.4 km long, 24.6m wide at sea level, a maximum draft of 7.3m, and height of 52m. It is too narrow for ocean-going vessels, and hence is now primarily used by yachts and coastal vessels. Passage charges are the highest in the world per kilometer (€388 for our 16.4 m boat, 40 min trip). However, we all thoroughly enjoyed passing through the canal. A once in a lifetime experience.
The canal cuts through the isthmus of Corinth, separating the Peloponnese peninsula from the Greek mainland, while connecting the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.
The nearest marina after exiting the canal was in Corinth, less than 30 min away. The contrast between the architecture and towns in the Aegean versus the Gulf of Corinth is remarkable. The former are generally picturesque, full of tourists and charter boats and quite windy. The first two towns we visited in the Gulf were lacking foreign tourists, the large marinas almost empty, no charter boats, food cheaper, and the towns with many high-rise buildings. There was also practically no wind, and therefore quite stifling, the few days we were in these two towns. Mainland Greece is very different from its Aegean islands. In both Corinth and Kiatou we experienced ’boat boys’, I.e. young lads 8-16 who would take our dock lines when we arrived, in return for compensation (€, crisps, bottles of coke, etc.).
The day after our arrival in Corinth our excellent crew for almost three weeks, Cheryll and John, hired a taxi driver to take them to Athens Airport, for their return trip to the UK. They had the experience of crossing over the top of the canal, another good view. It was then back to just the two of us to make the 115nm passage , with multiple stops, west to Mesolonghi, where we would be keeping the boat for a few weeks while we would be in Ireland, for a family get together, and to celebrate our 45th WA, and Hope’s 70th,
