Saronic Islands - Experience ?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, GoCati.

Thanks for sharing your local knowledge & experience.

[GoCati]

Thanks Gord,

Of course as soon as I'd posted, I realised all my spelling mistakes and gems that I'd forgotten. If the OP's still interested, I'd be more than happy to expand on any themes of great anchorages, tavernas parking tips, etc.

Cati

[dinajui]

hello, boatman1 we chartered the saronic last year and very much enjoyed, you seem to like also greece like myself, would you recommend chartering in levkas or corfu for around the end of next season?
tahnks

[jckb]

Originally Posted by dinajui

hello, boatman1 we chartered the saronic last year and very much enjoyed, you seem to like also greece like myself, would you recommend chartering in levkas or corfu for around the end of next season?
tahnks

If you want to see comparisons between all the cruising areas of Greece, see JimB Sail | Helping Skippers plan European Cruises

The Saronic is the area with the lightest winds, closely followed by the Inland Ionian. Though having said that, any area may suffer from the occasional "big blast" during summer fine weather.

Of course, all bets are off if it's unsettled weather. Tornadoes accompany some of the thunderstorms. Luckily unsettled weather is more of a late September/October thing that a summer job.

JimB

[EViS]

I do apologise to not responding to any of you back in February. As so happens, we booked out charter in March and our departure is now fast approaching.

I am leaning to Boatman1's suggestion of leaving the crowd and heading East, but as it's my first time in Greece, many of you seem to recommend sticking to the East-Saronic's and heading towards the Argolic.

I have plotted swagman's (with GoCati's suggestions) into a Google Maps route (here: Saronic Sailing Itinerary - Google Maps). A few questions:

swagman: You suggest heading to Agina and the to Vathy, but are we not heading back on ourselves this way? Or have I selected the wrong ports on my map which you are recommending?

GoCati: As you are pretty experienced in the area as well, would you mind having a look at the ports and bays I have selected on my map and recommend any better or alternative stops? Any advice on more anchorages, tavernas and parking tips would be very much appreciated too .

[Jacques2]

Don't forgot that in Greece, in summer, it is first the weather that decides where you sail or not !
As Poseidon doesn't work at the moment , here is a link with Greek weather forecasts that works and concerning your area :
http://www.meteo.gr/SailingMapF.asp

Enjoy it !

[GoCati]

Hello again EViS,

I hope you're excited about your holiday. I know I'm very jealous! I was back in Poros recently (we got blown a little off course from Croatia to Turkey) and I was reminded how much I love the area.

I've followed your lead and made my own map of the area for you to look at here: Saronic Route - Google Maps

Hopefully you will be able to incorporate some of the information (and the more elusive locations - there are a lot of "Vathi"'s in Greece) into your route. I've not given advice on an actual route as it will depend on so many variables, but my general advice would be to go South quickly, then spend a longer time coming back North. This is assuming that you get the Meltemi (which is almost guaranteed in August and was unseasonably strong in June this year). I'd also not try to be too ambitious with distances if your crew want swim breaks. My top spots are Hydra, Spetses and (if you can get back ok) Monemvasia. I'm also very fond of the towns of Poros and Nafplion (which might be a bit far). For sheltered, quiet anchorages, I love Dhokos, Russian Bay and Karakas but you have a lot to choose from in 10 days, so keep an open mind!

I did hear that the harbour wall at Plaka has been destroyed but that they're trying to rebuild it. If you get to the Argolic, it's probably worth a drive by as it is a very beautiful, tiny town and only a couple of miles from Tiros. Poseidon going down is also less than ideal but as well as Meteo (linked above), I use HNMS who are the guys the Port Police get their bulletins from. English version here: HNMS

I hope you have a great time (try to pack a mosquito net if you can find one) and let me know if you can read my map.

Cati. xx

[GoCati]

I have put my ramblings onto an annotated map... see it here: Saronic Route - Google Maps

My must sees would be Spetses & Hydra towns (Monemvasia and/or Nafplion too if you want to cover some miles) with Dhokos, Russian Bay and Korakas being my favourite, quiet, overnight anchorages. Anagiri and the sunken village make the most memorable lunch stops but there are plenty of nice places to swim. Inland historical sites are best visited from Ermioni or Nafplion if that's your thing and the provisioning is good in most places, with fuel most easily available in Poros, Monomvasia and Porto Heli.

It's a real shame that Poseidon's down but, as well as meteo, I used the excellent national meteorological society forecasts. You can see the site in English here (You'll be in the Saronikos/Evvios region, then South West Aegean) :

HNMS

The weather's been unpredictable so far this year, with winter storms destroying the Plaka wall and a June Meltimi so strong that we had to divert from Lavrion to Poros after coming through Corinth. It served to remind me how much I love the area, though, and who knows what August will bring! If I were you, I'd probably aim for at least twice as many stops coming back North as on the way south if it is blowing and I'll take this opportunity to remind you to pack a mossie net for if it's not!

I hope you have a fantastic time. Please let me know if those links work or you need any more info.

C x

[GoCati]

Sorry - I thought I'd deleted the 1st message and it was just being checked by moderators.

[EViS]

Oh wow, that's an incredibly reply combined with the notes on your map. Thank you so much!

In terms of parking up for the night, are anchorages the most popular options out there? And do they have bouys to tie onto or does everyone use their anchor?

Based on the answer to the above, I'm wondering how safe it is to leave a boat in an anchorage on its own whilst everyone goes to explore the local town? I haven't ever done this and would be a tad paranoid doing so. As well as this, what do people do in terms of showers if they are staying in an anchorage each night (I know some of my crew will want a good shower each night!).?

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Jacques2

Don't forgot that in Greece, in summer, it is first the weather that decides where you sail or not !
As Poseidon doesn't work at the moment , here is a link with Greek weather forecasts that works and concerning your area :
http://www.meteo.gr/SailingMapF.asp

Enjoy it !

Is there an english version for that weather site... Cheers good info on this thread...

[Jacques2]

Yes there is an english version, see the link below.
But the one I have suggested is easy to understand : beaufort in greek, english, or...french is the same word. Milibars is the same too, and you have arrows of different colours for the direction and the strength. Just click on the area you are interested with and with your mouse you can get all these informations.
weather for: AIGINA : (meteo.gr) weather forecasts
On another thread on CF, you will get other forecasts sites. Just look with the research engine with the word "poseidon"...

[Jacques2]

Here are other links :

HNMS
forecast.uoa.gr/ICLAMS/index.php
Weather in Greece - k24.net
www.meteo.gr/SailingMapF.asp in greek
3 Days Marine Forecast - TSMS in turkish , english and german

[Lagoon4us]

Thanks Jacques we use similar for here i understand all the normal symbols etc i guess i like to also be able to read whether its a current observation or a 24 hr forecast etc etc..

I'll save your links as we are coming down that way soon, where would you head for winter? Turkey or Greece?? We will want to do minor work there and also leave the boat (safely) for a month whilst we visit kids in Australia.... Cheers mate.

[GoCati]

Originally Posted by EViS

Oh wow, that's an incredibly reply combined with the notes on your map. Thank you so much!

In terms of parking up for the night, are anchorages the most popular options out there? And do they have bouys to tie onto or does everyone use their anchor?

Based on the answer to the above, I'm wondering how safe it is to leave a boat in an anchorage on its own whilst everyone goes to explore the local town? I haven't ever done this and would be a tad paranoid doing so. As well as this, what do people do in terms of showers if they are staying in an anchorage each night (I know some of my crew will want a good shower each night!).?

You have yourself to thank for the map - I didn't realise the possibilities of google maps until I saw yours, but now I'm really excited about using it as a medium for sharing information. If anyone knows of a place to share this stuff, I'd love to make or see more.

Most of the places I've marked are town quays where stern-to mooring is the norm (in fact you'll usually get dirty looks or stern words if you fill up the wall with a side-to as we're used to in tidal waters). For more privacy (and, I suppose, security) you can go bows-to but most people like the convenience of an electric windlass and being able to just step off the back. In the anchorages, there are no bouys (hell, even bouyed channels only get them sporadically!) so check Heikell for ground conditions and have a look over your bow (turquoise = sand, dark = weed, grey = rock). If it's very steep and/or or crowded, it's common to do a sort of stern-to to the shore, taking a line from your stern onto a handy tree/rock/bollard (I've even used bar furniture in Spetses) then pulling yourself tight. I've marked where you may want to do this.

As long as you have a decent anchor and it's well dug in (reverse at 2000 revs to check that you're holding), you should be fine to leave your boat for a wander around town. A healthy dose of paranoia is a good thing for sailors in my opinion so keep an eye on the weather and stay friendly with whoever else is in the anchorage (I've had to "steal" a boat before to keep it off a lee shore during dinner - thankfully they'd forgotten to isolate their batteries).

As far as security is concerned, we didn't even have locks fitted on our boats and I never had anything stolen in two years of taking out up to 12 boats at a time! As a rule, the Greeks are an honest, helpful bunch, and they're keen to protect the tourists as we are about the only non-olive-related industry they have left. What this means in practise is that if you're parked outside someone's taverna and have given, or might give, them your custom, they'll keep an eye on your yacht for you. Having said that, keep using common sense: Keep valuables out of temptation's way, put your washboard in if you're not on board and, if you do have a key, use it. As a side note, I know it's getting expensive in Greece with the recent tax hikes but please remember that it's hitting the locals much harder than it's hitting us so if you can afford to support local businesses, do.

Having said that, here's my advice for showering cheaply!... Firstly, conserve all the water you can. Water's not cheap in the Saronic, so turn off when you're lathering. Secondly, I love "land showers" so ask hotels if you can use theirs. The fee is usually 2-5 euros per person so save them for a treat. Poros and Epidavros both have hotels called "poseidon" that will sort you out. Some beaches also have showers on them (Tiros and Kinitsa spring to mind) that you can use for free but have to keep your bikini on to avoid shocking the swimmers! got some notes on the map about water availability and prices but I'll add that you can't really fill up in Spetses or at any of the anchorages, Hydra, Angistri and Navplion are almost more trouble than they're worth, Poros was a rip off but it may have changed this year, Tiros and Epidavros are probably the cheapest.

Hope that helps and have a great time.

C xx