Mario & Lillian Borg (authors of this report) submitted a 2011 report that will also be of interest: Malta to Turkey via Greece: Anchorages 2011

2012: More anchorages in Greece

On our return west from Turkey through the Greek islands and through the Corinth Canal, we discovered more anchorages and some marinas for convenience, some better than others as will be explained below.

We departed Turkey from Bozburan and headed to the closest island of Symi for the check-in into Greece. The same applied as was in 2011 – that is €30 for the cruising log. We anchored in Pedi Bay as we did the last time.

Most of the anchorages we visited in this report were not crowded and we never had to leave a place because of too many boats – as a matter of fact, we always had plenty of room. There are of course more anchorages to be explored around and in between the places mentioned below, but too many to go into in detail as we have not yet explored them. You may also notice what seems like very long distances between the places, but the fact is that we left out the places in between that we stopped at as these have already been mentioned in our 2011 write up.

Please note all coordinates are taken directly from Google Earth™, use updated charts, your depth sounder and a sharp lookout for utmost safety.

Google Earth Routes showing all the Greek islands visited by Mario and Lilian in 2011 and 2012.

Eritos Cove, Tilos Island:

36°25’55.67″N x 27°20’50.30″E

This is very large and has very clean clear water with only a sand bottom – very good holding. Can get a bit rolly even when there is no Meltemi and the wind stops. It would be a good idea to drop a stern anchor and face the opening. There is a nice beach but nothing else other than a few summer houses. There is a small marina in Livadia on the east coast; the bay is open to the NNE so anchor only if the weather is good.

Maltzena, Astypalaia Island:

36°34’29.83″N x 26°23’8.86″E

This is a very large bay on the southeast coast of the island, here you can anchor to the west of the pier in a mix of weed and sand taking care to make sure the anchor grabs. If the east side of the pier is not occupied one can tie up alongside the pier, we did and spent a couple of days there. This is a small town with limited provisions. There is a small snack bar at the end of the road in line with the pier where you can find the best cafe frappe anywhere in Greece. The bay is protected from all sides except the south-east, but even from this direction, it will be hard to get many waves as the small islands and reefs should slow anything down.

Astypalaia is a wonderful island with many coves and bays which are protected from the Meltemi. We sailed the short distance west to the main town and harbour by the same name and tied up alongside the very nice waterfront (36°32’50.47″N x 26°21’18.39″E) below the fortress, chora and windmills. Here you are in very nice surroundings with better provisioning, but watch the weather as it is open to the SE. It is a nice walk to the top of the chora with the windmills and a fortress near the edge of the cliffs.

Levitha, East Bay:

37° 0’9.30″N x 26°28’9.82″E

Took a mooring in the East Bay, considering the wind direction and strength the East Bay is relatively calm. €7.00/day charge. There is not much room to anchor here. Be ready to get the dinghy down as the mooring balls only have a small line to grab to, until you insert your own lines through the small shackle.  There is only a small restaurant a short walk over to the NW owned by the same family that have the moorings. The west bay is also very well protected and is free to anchor. There is nothing else on this island, but it is very peaceful with no internet or even cell towers, the only way to make a call is to walk up the hill and there you should be able to connect via some of the other islands close by.

Stavros, Dhenousa Island:

37° 5’56.18″N x 25°47’43.98″E

We anchored in 22ft of clear water over sand, very good holding and some nice snorkelling around the east shore. This is a small island with much to offer, the people are very friendly, mostly fishermen, some provisioning is available. There are quite a few other anchoring options around the coast to shelter you from the Meltemi, especially along the south coast and to the NE corner. There are also nice walks along paved and unpaved roads with beautiful scenery.

Delos Island:

37°23’39.78″N x 25°15’45.85″E

We anchored in 15 ft over sand and weed with very good holding between the Island of Delos and the very small island with no name located between the island of Delos and the west island of Rineia. This is by far the best spot to visit the ancient ruins on Delos. You can tie up the dingy to the innermost part of the pier close to the gate at the NE corner. This is a must-see archaeological site with a museum within the site. There are many secluded and beautiful anchorages around the Island of Rineia that are worth exploring.

Kioni, Tinos Island:

37°33’6.36″N x 25° 8’14.35″E

This is a very large bay with very good holding although open to the west. It got very rolly in the early morning hours so we upped anchor and departed.

No place to tie up the dinghy, you can drag it up on the beach being careful not to get swamped by the swell that rolls in. It is a short walk to the main town where provisioning is available.

Ermoupolis, Syros Island:

37°26’34.03″N x 24°56’40.98″E

On the way down the east coast we observed the twin peaks choras and so we entered the main harbour and tied up alongside the wall by the waterfront restaurants. Put lots of fenders out as when the ferries manoeuvre to the SW side the wash travels and it can get very rolly by the wall. It would be better to go stern-to the wall probably. We paid 7 Euros a day for our stay here, but it was all worth it with many options for provisioning and the easy walks up to the twin peaks. If one prefers there is a marina to the south of the bay, but it is a long walk to the main shopping area.

Kalamaki, Greek Mainland:

37°55’16.54″N x 23° 0’47.36″E

This is a very good overnight spot before going through the Corinth Canal. The holding is excellent over sand. There are a few restaurants on the waterfront for a night out. But mostly it is a stop of convenience. We had 20kts of wind from the WNW and it was like sitting in a marina dock. Holding is excellent in sand.

Korinth Marina, Peloponnese:

37°56’28.37″N x 22°56’7.49″E

We decided to go into the small marina south of the Corinth Canal, this is a very small marina with limited dockage and some places are very shallow, so watch your depth sounder and remember there is tide here. This is a good place to provision and is also a good place to visit the ancient city of Korinth. Many restaurants available and don’t be turned off by all the graffiti. The people are friendly and always willing to help. We topped up fuel at 1.55 Euros/Liter.

Itea Marina, Mainland Greece:

38°25’48.60″N x 22°25’14.94″E

We tied up alongside at Itea Marina which is still without any services, but port police and customs available. We paid 11 Euros/day in the marina for our 12m boat.  This is the best place for taking a bus to the site of the Oracle of Delphi. This is also a great place for provisioning.

Messalongi, Mainland Greece:

N 38°21’41.77″ x E 21°25’31.66″

Very good harbour one can tie up alongside where indicated, but it gets very noisy at night with loud music till the wee hours of the morning. Best to anchor to the SW just south of the new marina. There was no charge for tying up, but there are no services at the marina. Some tavernas ashore and the town is fairly nice.

This is a good place to leave the boat for visiting the interior of Greece, car rentals available in town and also bus service to the major cities, or for flying out of Greece. The marina has haul out facilities and winter storage both in the water and on the hard at very reasonable prices.

Vathti, Ithaka Island, Adriatic Sea:

38°21’55.46″N x 20°43’9.00″E

This is the home of Odysseus the main character from the book Odyssey by Homer. This is one of the most spectacular islands we have been to, with very lush hills and very inviting for the soul. The anchorage is excellent with great holding in 15 ft of water. Good place for provisioning. The wind here blows very strongly from the north around 13:00 hours during the day for a couple of hours, but not to worry if your anchor is dug in you will be fine. Ashore you will find many restaurants and much provisioning from the many small markets. There is a great bakery where you tie up your dinghy.

Sami, Cephalonia Island, Adriatic Sea:

38°15’26.00″N x 20°39’4.00″E

Stopped here for a short while for Lillian to go to the main harbour of Argostolion on the other side of the island to check out of Greece. We thought it would be easier to go by bus from here, but as it turned out we missed the bus and had to take a taxi there and back, then Lillian was hassled and told to take the boat to them but she persisted and the officials let her go. This spot is not very good for anchoring even though the holding is great, but the ferries come in at full tilt and when the wind turned from the north it got really bad so we left in a hurry in the afternoon and headed to Syracuse, Sicily from here. There is a better anchorage to the SW in front of the beach. There is much history on this island and I am sure we will be back to spend more time here and explore more anchorages.

Mario & Lillian Borg

www.maltesefalcon.ca

Google Earth Routes showing all the Greek islands visited by Mario and Lilian in 2011 and 2012.