Corinth Canal

NE anchorage on Aegina. Loved it here!

We left Aegina for the island of Salamina to top up our fuel tanks before transiting the canal. From there, we made great time with speeds between 10-11 knots! Somewhere along the way, we went through a swarm of flies, which occupied the rest of our trip. The kids and I went to battle, killing over 100 flies (seriously, that is not an exaggeration). It wasn't just us either, as our friends on Plan B, also had a fly invasion. It took about three days to eradicate the little buggers.

Fueling up.

We anchored in the bay at the eastern entrance to the canal and settled in for the night. While the canal functions 24/7, we wanted to wait for daylight for photos and to get a good look at what our money was buying us. Not only did this save us time and 150 nm, it was also a nice piece of history to observe.

Entering the canal.

The following morning, we dinghied over to pay 200 euro and complete the paperwork. An hour later, we were going through the canal. It is about 3 miles long and is full of interesting things to see, such as landscaped flower beds, waterfalls, and little caves. The sunlight makes the water glow a neon blue in spots. The canal was started by the French and completed by the Greeks in the late 1800s. Before its construction, ships were rolled over the isthmus to the other side.

Little waterfall.

We had smooth seas into and through the canal. Upon exiting, it was chaos! Winds around 30 knots and very choppy seas. We motored for about 12nm. After that, it was calm and smooth as glass out in the gulf. We had enough wind to sail and set course for Galaxidi to the anchorage near the town. Music was going as we arrived. We dropped the hook and had a nice dinner listening to the music. Next day, we sailed over to the old harbor of Itea to tour the sanctuary of Delphi to consult the oracle (all about that in the next post).

Galaxidi