Inside Passage of Corfu - Safe ?

[marina.alex]

We are planning to sail from Montenegro to Greece in late August - bypassing Albania with a stop in Brindisi, Italy and then back to Greece. Once we get to Corfu is it safe to go to the inside? (Albania is 2 km away). Or should you go down the west coast? Thanks! Marina

[noelex 77]

Between Corfu and the mainland is safe. I was becalmed there for 24 hours, when coming from Croatia, with engine failure. Not much fun without an engine or wind because there is a lot of commercial traffic, but despite the close proximity to Albania there seems little problem with piracy in these waters.

[GordMay]

There hasn’t been a reported case of Albanian piracy off the coast off Corfu, since Ian Haxter and his girlfriend Sally Forest were robbed in May of 1997. Four bandits, armed with assault rifles and grenades, stopped the Welsh couple in mid-sea before stripping them and their rented yacht of valuables. Neither was hurt.

[bobnlesley]

I think the advice is still to keep to the western (Greek) side of the passage, but I and I know many others have been over to the Albanian side several times - you can visit Albania by yacht nowadays - and never had or indeed heard of anyone having any problems.

Actually, the Kerkira Channel is probably only a mile wide at the narrowest point, but it's not navigationally difficult and is the 'accepted' route to/past Corfu, as all the sheltered harbours and anchorages are on Corfu's east coast.

Enjoy

[swagman]

2007 we went east side Corfu going north but like some of the others, we also kept nervously glancing towards the Albanian shore!
As it happens we were never approached by anyone and did see plenty of Albanian fishing boat activity.
JOHN

[Ram]

I sailed Albania a few years ago and at each port someone with supposed authority wanted us to bribe him so we could dock at the public dock it worked the first time -for 35euros after that we found it was free- at one port after refusing to pay the guy gave me gps #s saying go here next a good place to anchor- turned out it was an old mine field and it was marked as such on the chart!! Other that that we had no one bother us at all