Ancient dreams and modern headaches – the Corinth Canal

Alex Hartley has transited the Corinth Canal more than 30 times in a season but every time it is still an awe-inspiring experience

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November has arrived in Greece. As tavernas retire their chequered tablecloths, charter yachts heave a sigh of relief, and so too does the Corinth Canal as the submersible bridges rise. Winter closures for maintenance are becoming the new norm. The canal opened in 1874, closed in 2021 due to partial collapse, opened and closed in 2022, opened and closed in 2023, and unsurprisingly opened in May and closed in November 2024.

FROM VISION TO VOYAGE

The canal boasts a turbulent history. From a staggered and tentative inception, celebrated progress, stagnation, successful operation, unexpected collapse, to subsequent closure.

Over 2,000 years ago, Corinthian ruler Periander proposed cutting through the narrow, sacred isthmus separating the Peloponnese from mainland Greece. The Oracle of Delphi advised against the idea, cautioning that such an attempt would anger the gods, especially Poseidon, lord of the seas and earthquakes. Periander, sufficiently dissuaded from his plans, settled for the Diolkos – a stone road to transport ships overland. Roman emperors Julius Caesar, Caligula and Nero revisited the idea, with Nero beginning excavation in 67 AD using slave labour. Following Nero's death, enthusiasm for the project dried up and progress ceased.