We left Epidavros at 10.45 am, our four hour journey seems doomed by the lack of wind, however as we left the cosy bay behind us, a lovely 10 knots of breeze allowed us to open out those canvases and sail gently until it disappeared once again. We did manage another hour or so as the afternoon wind picked up to 15 knots and we managed 7.3 knots of speed. By this time our anchorage was in sight and our eyes were weary, after all we did have a dreadful night's sleep. Sea swell can be so frustrating, despite a windless night, the sea state continued to throw us around. When secured to a quayside, it can tug on our anchor and stern lines creating a very uncomfortable push/ pull scenario. We decided to anchor in the bay on the east side of the canal, have a settled night, then check into the canal office first thing in the morning. Our anchor settled nicely in 7 meters of sand /mud. Clear skies above and a cool but gentle breeze allowed for our evening relax. The massive great cargo vessels within a few yards of our stern, gave us no concerns at all until darkness came! Would they see our measly little anchor light when they pull away from the refuelling dock and perform their three point turn to exit the bay? Yes, seven rather large vessels sat on anchor nearby, while another great beast, held restrained by gigantic ropes, looked over our shoulder on the quayside. Will we sleep tonight....... Many years ago the gulf of Corinth and the Ionian were separated by a narrow stretch of land or isthmus. The Corinth Canal idea, was initially conceived in 1881 and this unique creation would become a crucial transportation route for shipping to the Aegean. Prior to its creation, ships journeyed for 185 nautical miles around the Peloponnese into the east and Europe. Therefore this almighty channel would save precious fuel and time in the shipping industry and create a wealth of manual labour for locals. The initial idea of digging out a channel was thwarted by fear of flooding, a huge volume of water was presumed to flood from the Adriatic into the Aegean, taking valuable land with it. Therefore a crude road named the Diolkos was constructed, where men, pulleys and wheels would maneouver ships across the isthmus between these two great seas. Each ship would dock on a quay within the Corinth gulf, their cargo would be unloaded, before the ship is sailed towards the isthmus. Once moored, the vessel would be stripped of mast, oars and all belongings to reduce weight. Once at its lightest weight, the vessel would be hauled onto a wooden sledge construction and literally pulled towards a tram like, 8 wheeled vehicle. The crew and workers would then wheel the ship over a flag stone path until it reached the rising slope in the centre of the isthmus. Once here, a pulley system would drag the ship up the slope, before the descent on the other side. For the descent, workers would place sand on the flagstone, creating resistance which limited the speed at which their vessel would travel towards the opposite shoreline. Once onto flat ground, the process is reversed, so that the wooden sledge device would eventually be used to place the ship back into the sea. Once again the mast, equipment and oars were replaced and the captain and crew were ready to sail on the sea. This process continued for around 1500 years. Emperor Nero began the challenge of the actual canal and with a pick axe he personally, broke ground. Of course the labour of 6000 Jewish prisoners of war put in the vast amount of hard painstaking toil. However, Nero's death halted work and the Greek government took on the task. Financial limitations caused yet another delay until a private company from Austria stepped into the limelight. Again their money was insufficient, so eventually Greece took over the task and finally, it was officially opened 28th October 1893! While two teams of workers dug trenches to sea level, a third team ground out shafts the rock horizontally providing access to the rock and its quality, these holes are still visible today. At 6.4 kilometers in length, 25 metres wide, the canal in its day was a superb transportation system, however technical, financial and operational difficulties led to this amazing creation being underused.
Today however, with ships of enormous weight and width, this little passage is almost impossible for these great vessels. It has become a route for small local cargo vessels and pleasure boats travelling through from the Ionian towards the Aegean and vice versa. An active seismic zone together with soft limestone walls cause sediment displacement and build up in the bottom of the canal, this of course is also compounded by each large vessel passing through and washing/ propelling silt into this confined space. Clearly this requires dredging frequently which leads to regular closures and cost. For this reason the Corinth is one of the most expensive channels per mile in the world. Submersible bridges mark either end of this 6.4 km channel which are rather fascinating to watch.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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