After exploring Athens for more than a week and saturated with impressions and historical information we left on June 8, for a 12 miles leisurely sail towards the Southern cape of Salamis island.
We found a sheltered anchorage in Konkhi (Conch) bay at the Southern tip of Salamis behind two small islets. Time to play with our new toy.
The following day we sailed into Salamis bay around the corner, better known under cruisers as “Lidl bay”. There is a large Lidl supermarket along the coastal road with a rickety pontoon at the waterfront where I could drop off Liza for some provisioning.
Funny; when you live in a house you call it shopping. On a boat it’s called provisioning. Basically the same thing although on a boat the time in between provisioning is longer so you tend to buy larger quantities.
At anchor in Kalamaki, North of the entrance of the canal. The entrance of the canal is on the left side of the photo. The Corinth Canal, with a length of 4 miles, is the worlds’ most expensive canal PER MILE to cross by boat. For our boat the fee was € 240/=, and the crossing takes about an hour. The formalities and payment can be done online.
On June 18, a little over 5.00 am we called the control tower requesting permission to enter the canal. We were cleared for 6.15 am since there was a convoy heading in our direction (from West to East) and traffic in the canal is only one way.
Exactly 6.30 am we sailed over the bridge, entering the canal. Excitement all over and one more thing to cross from our bucket list.
Several rulers of antiquity dreamed of digging a canal through the isthmus of Corinth that connected the Peloponnesus to the Greek mainland.
In antiquity, ships were positioned over a cradle on wheels, pulled out of the water and towed (with horses!!) across a portage road, called the Diolkos, in order to avoid the dangerous 190 miles sea route around the Peloponnesus with its treacherous waters. According to Homer, Odysseus was blown of course at Cape Maleas and was subsequently lost at sea for 10 years.
Construction of the canal commenced in 1881 and, several geological problems and bankruptcies later, was completed in 1893. However due to the canal’s narrowness, navigational problems for larger ships, and periodic closures to repair landslides from the steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic expected by its operators. The canal is now merely used by the recreational fleet, and boy, is it fun and tranquil to sail the canal.
We sailed along the North coast of the Sea of Corinth looking for an anchorage safe enough for the night to protect us from the strong winds. Most of the bays that seemed suitable were deep, meaning your boat floats close to the rock walls, too close for our comfort so we continued to Galaxidi. After a long day and 48 miles of sailing we dropped anchor in the well protected natural harbour. We were greeted with lovely sunshine the next morning and previous day’s bad wheather was quickly forgotten.
Modern Galaxidi is built on the site of ancient Haleion. It seems that in ca. 300 BC the present site was settled and surrounded by a fortification wall.
Not much is left of the old city. Some traces of the wall can be found, incorporated in the foundation of the modern buildings. No traces remain of the medieval castle. The Church of Saint John of Jerusalem, built by the Hospitallers in 1404, survived until after World War I, when it was replaced by a modern church dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
Until the late 19th century, Galaxidi had a sizeable merchant marine fleet and was a prosperous commercial and ship-building centre. The city flourished due to the development of maritime trade in the 18th century. The commercial exchanges with the West, particularly for the agricultural products of the Corinthian Gulf triggered the development of a local commercial fleet, taking advantage also of the exquisite natural port of Galaxidi.
The small Maritime Museum, housed in a former girl’s school and build with stones from the old city wall, is well worth a visit.
Galaxidi present day economy is depending on fish-farming and Tourism. It is a perfect location from where to explore ancient Delphi, but that is subject for the next blog.
Thank you for reading our stories.
Warm regards; Liza and Frits.