The Corinth Canal divides the Peloponnese from the mainland of Greece and was first considered in the 7th century BC with construction being attempted in the 1st century AD. Construction was attempted again in 1881 but abandoned because of bankruptcy. The canal was finally completed in 1893.

After spending a few days in Agia Effimia we took off for the Gulf of Corinth so we could go through the canal before they decided to close it again. The canal suffers from landslides because of the limestone sides and closes often. It had only reopened this year in July after being shut for a number of months and will close again in October for more restoration work.

Our first stop was a quiet little bay called Porto Skrofa on the other side of the channel. Turned out to be a good stop for a couple of days. good swimming and beach area for Finska. The taverna on the beach served up some excellent dishes.

Missolonghi

Missolonghi was the next stop. Had to traverse up a narrow shallow channel with swamp people homes on either side. Missolonghi is built at the end of the channel and was nothing to look at initially but once you got past the first couple of streets it was nice. Narrow streets with lots of shops and bustling square.

Nafpaktos

Next stop was Nafpaktos and in order to get to Nafpaktos we had to cross under the Rion-Antirion Bridge. In 2004 it was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and is a landmark of 21st century Greece. Now it doesn’t even show up in a list of top 10 cable bridges but a very impressive structure.

Nafpaktos turned into a great town with a castle. Helen came with us as we hiked up the hill to view the castle and it’s great views of the harbour.

Trizonia

The protection from the wind in Nafpaktos was not great so we headed for the island of Trizonia to hide from a few thunderstorms. Trizonia is an island just off the coast with nothing there but a dock to tie up to and a few restaurants for the holidayers that want to take the water taxi over from the mainland. Nobody came around to collect any money for staying there and the only way to get water was by using our 12 liter jug and filling up at the end of the dock. 16 trips later we had full tanks.

While we were there we saw a traditional wedding procession. The bride arrived in a small fishing boat from the mainland and all the wedding guests came over on the small water taxis. It was very busy in the harbour for a while.

The thunderstorms never materialized like they were supposed to so off to our next destination. Itea!

Itea

Itea was a place that we wanted to stop so we could go to the ruins at Delphi. Delphi is a very well maintained historical site with the museum and grounds. We took the bus early in the morning just after 7am and we were to catch the return bus from the site at 10:45. The museum had a lot of artifacts and statues and these are just a few of the ones. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in Delphi.

So we were told that the bus leaves the site at 10:45am to return to Itea and we waited almost 2 hours and no bus. Had to grab the taxi which was not too expensive. When we returned I asked the bus ticket guy for a refund because the return bus never came. Well… I guess we missed it because he says the bus returned to Itea as scheduled. No refund!

The Canal

The Corinth Canal turned out to be gorgeous. When we left Itea we had it in our minds to anchor outside the canal and then pass through in the morning, but when we got there and contacted the canal authority they said please continue as quickly as possible! So off we go through the canal! On both ends of the canal there is a roadway that is lowered so that boats can pass through. The canal is 6 KM long and 24 meters wide and 8 meters deep. The walls rise up to 90 meters. An awe inspiring trip through one of the unique places in the world. Anchored outside the other end of the canal after paying the hefty fee to transit through, it remains one of the most expensive canals bar the Panama today. As we said hello to the Aegean sea we where unfortunately getting closer and closer to saying goodbye to our resident crew and of course good friends Mike and Helen who are returning to Australia mid September.