ADVENTURE SPIRITED CORINTHIAN SAILING

Sailing through the Corinth Canal to explore the Saronic islands was a breezy blast for Heather Prentice and family

- Heather Prentice

The timing was tight. I took the call 24 hours before we were due to fly. Alex kindly asked me if she could help stock the boat. We were scheduled to join our Seafarer yacht in Kiato after midnight and to sail first thing in the morning. Alex sent a link to a local Greek supermarket. I tapped a few items on my phone – the Greek alphabet blurring my choices. The goods would be delivered to the boat and stowed for the trip. Unbelievable service! And so our family sailing holiday began.

We boarded the Bavaria 37 Stairway to Heaven, rather nicely named, at 0130 – Alex, the first mate, gallantly stayed up to greet us. This holiday would help us – Milen, Siena, Christian and myself – hone our sailing skills as a family while exploring a more challenging sailing area rich in classical history.

TO THE SARONIC GULF

We set off early, heading through the Corinth Canal for the sheltered bay at the village of Korfos on the western side of the Saronic Gulf. As we headed out beyond Kiato harbour, the wind whipped up to around Force 6 – a lot of white water for a first day.

The lead boat Argo, helmed by South Africans Keenan and Nathan, led the small fleet through the four miles of the Corinth Canal. For us, this was the first time and it was spectacular – azure water the colour of the sky, towering cliffs and road and railway bridges high above us. Someone was playing music on one of the bridges. The awe-inspiring 250ft sandstone cliffs also carry the distinctive marks of ancient chiselling dating from Nero’s first attempt to dig the canal in 67 AD.