From Gulf of Corinth to Gulf of Patras

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On June 22, 2023 we left beautiful Galaxidi for the small island of Trizonia, 20 Nm further West, and anchored in the small bay giving us perfect protection against the swell caused by the prevailing Westerlies.

The bay of Trizonia looking East. We were anchored at the purple star.

The small island with only 64 permanent residents and its protected bay is an ideal stopover for yachts crossing the Gulf of Corinth. The holiday season has yet to start and the marina was almost empty with the restaurants around the marina still closed, so we stroled to the small “fishing port” in front of the hamlet.

Looking at the dock for the pedestrian ferry to Glyfada (The low white building). A few fishing boats to the right.

There are no cars on the small 2,5 km² island since there are no roads to drive on. There are also no backpackers nor overcrowded beaches, that spoil the islands’ charm, so typical for many Mediterranean holiday destinations. This unique character tempted the Greek shipping tycoon Aristoteles Onassis to make a failed bid to acquire the island in the 1960s.

Cats waiting for their share of the leftovers. 

We had an excellent dinner in Taverna “Porto Trizonia” that also holds the island’s only “Mini Market”. The location was idillic, the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. Note the neatly set tables!

Our floating home patiently waiting for our return after a magical evening, or was it that bottle of wine? We would stay for two nights before moving on to Nafpaktos.
View from the boat of the small waterway between Trizonia and the Greek mainland. Only 13 Nm to go.

Nafpaktos, with its strategic location at the entrance of the Gulf of Corinth, its tiny natural harbour and the copious amounts of fresh water available from springs in the mountain behind it, made it a prized possession in antiquity. 

Nafpaktos with the entrance to the old harbour to the left and the Venetian Castle dominating the hilltop.

It changed hands many times during the Crusades and the Venetian – Ottoman wars. The name “Nafpaktos” stems from “Naupaktos” meaning “boatyard” and it was here that the Turks refitted their fleet before their disastrous defeat by the “Holy League” in October 1571 in the Battle of Lepanto.

Battle of Lepanto, oil painting.
Looking back from our dinghy to the entrance of the tiny harbour. The Rion - Andirrion suspension bridge on the horizon. The statue of the arsonist Anemoyiannis to the right. He tried, but failed and got killed, to set fire to the Ottoman fleet in 1821, during the Greek war of independence.
Also behind the Venetian walls in the port, the statue of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a Spanish writer best known for his novel Don Quixote, a work voted as the "most meaningful book of all time". He fought in the Battle of Lepanto and was badly wounded losing the use of his left arm and hand.
A little further East up Tzavella Street, the central artery of the city and lined with shops, is the church of the city’s patron; Saint Dimitrios,
Surprisingly beautiful interior of this Orthodox church.
Romanesque mosaic at the church's entrance, donated by the Vassiliki family in memory of their son.
Next to the church you will find the sign post towards the stone steps to the Clock tower, one of the landmarks of the city, built in 1914.
But we are on our way up to the Venetian Castle.

The Castle of Nafpaktos was unique for its five defensive walls, two of which were built going down to the sea and three walls were constructed at different levels on the hill between the maritime walls and the castle. In periods of sieges, people would retreat to the castle.

"Sideroporta" the gate in the lowest of the three defensive walls, separating the harbour district from the upper town.
The ruins of the Ottoman baths in the upper town are closed to the public and there is basically nothing left of the Ottoman Mosque. Bummer.
The gate in the second wall, separating the upper town from the storehouses and water cisterns.
The unconquerable main gate in the West outer wall, leading to the store house and water cistern area.
Looking down towards the storage and cistern area from the access ramp to the third gate.
The third gate leading from the storage area into the castle grounds. The ticket booth is visible through the gate.
And finally on top of the Castle walls. The castle building, with its small museum, was closed. Again a bummer.
Awesome views from the Castle and the strategic importance of the town is almost self evident.
Looking West toward the suspension bridge, connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnesos.
The tiny ancient port, too small for present day cruising yachts. TWO B happily at anchor in the pink circle.
Heading back down.
At the harbour front they were folding the umbrellas and preparing for sundowners.
We enjoyed a tasty dinner at Taverna Papoulis.
Looking back at a wonderful day exploring Nafpaktos with a final drink on board before going to sleep.

The following day we sailed on, 25 Nm, to Missolonghi in the Gulf of Patras. In doing so we had to go under the Rio-Antirio bridge. This impressive structure is visible for some distance and is with 2,252m the worlds’ longest cable-stayed bridge, with three navigable channels each 560m wide, between four pillars giving air hight of 25 – 45m. Our air-draught is 23 meters. The bridge was opened one day before the 2004 Olympic games.

Yachts must call Rion Traffic on VHF Ch 14 to obtain permission to transit the bridge. The central span is usually reserved for commercial traffic and yachts need to confirm understanding of which span to transit as “three pillars to the left, one to the right” (or vice versa as appropriate).

Care needs to be taken of the car ferries plying between Rion and Antirion, continuing even now the bridge is finished, simply because the rate for the ferry is lower than the toll for the bridge. The ferries are also a back-up in case of closure of the bridge for maintenance, accidents or terrorist attack.

With the bridge built at the narrowest pass of the Gulf it is not surprising to see a medieval fort on both shores. Now we passed the bridge we are officially in the Gulf of Patras.

Sailing into Missolonghi (Mesolongion) requires navigating a narrow dredged channel through the shallows and salt marches. Yachts can anchor on the West side of the basin.

The entrance to the canal has some interesting fishermen's houses standing on stilts in the shallow water, looking like something out of SE Asia.
Liza was quickly befriending a local fisherman for freshly caught sea-bream that are of better quality than the farmed variety. The fisherman explained how you can spot the difference.

 When the Greek War of Independence broke out in spring 1821, Missolonghi was the first place in western Greece to join the uprising. The city survived the first two Ottoman attempts to capture it in 1822 and 1823. But in April 1825, the Ottoman armies, reinforced with Egyptian soldiers and totalling 40,000 men, returned to besiege the city that had become the seat of the Senate of Western Continental Greece.

One of dozens of monuments in the "Garden of Heroes".

After a year of relentless enemy attacks and facing starvation, the people of Missolonghi decided to leave the beleaguered city in the “Exodus of its Guards” (The Sortie) on the night of 10 April 1826. At the time, there were 10,500 people in Missolonghi, 3,500 of whom were armed. Very few of the 3000 men survived the Ottoman pincer movement after the betrayal of their plan. The 6,000 women and children of the city were taken as slaves and sold to the slave markets of Constantinople and Alexandria. The Ottoman-Egyptian casualties amounted to 5,000 men.

Several famous and some anonymous heroes who fought during the Heroic Sortie are buried in this "Garden of Heroes".

Missolonghi was liberated on May 11, 1829. In 1937, it was recognised as “Holy City” due to the mass slaughter of its citizens, and Palm Sunday is designated as the anniversary of the Exodus.

Statue of Freedom near the Garden of Heroes.
The city's first hospital built by the Hatzikosta Brothers after Greece's independence in 1829 and remained in use until 1999 when the hospital was moved to a new building. It remains abandoned ever since.
Sunset over the harbour basin where we would stay for a few days before moving on to the Ionian Islands.

Thank you again for reading our stories.

Warm regards, Liza and Frits.