Porto Cheli, Ermioni, Hydra

Even after many years of sailing, a sailing day with a dolphin visit is still a goosebump moment of joy. On our way through the Gulf of Argolis to the eastern end to Porto Cheli, we were accompanied by around 20-30 dolphins for a long time. They played happily with the Rivercafe. Dolphins like to swim right in front of the bow hulls and sometimes turn sideways to get a good look at us. Eye to eye. When dolphins visit, we both jump to the bow and enjoy the spectacle with delight.

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The elegance and minimal movements that allow dolphins to glide so incredibly fast is a masterstroke of creation or evolution – or whatever has created these marvellous creatures.

There are 9 species of dolphin in the Mediterranean, 5 of which are very rarely seen. Our visitors were bottlenose dolphins – they can weigh as much as 650 kg and swim at speeds of up to 35 km/h. Most of them are in the 300kg range. With absolutely no scientific evidence, I have the feeling that Mediterranean dolphins are bigger than their Caribbean cousins. Unfortunately, they are also more threatened by humans and climate change, which is why they are said to be shyer than those from the other side of the Atlantic.

Porto Cheli

25 nm along the Argolic Gulf took us from Nafplio to Porto Cheli – or Porto Heli. Due to the long history, the many settling peoples and the different alphabets, almost all the places have several names. And many of them have multiple names, such as Sivota, Poros or Mandraki. If you make an appointment somewhere, make sure to doublecheck the location.

Shortly after midday, we entered the bay of Cheli, which is remarkably well protected. You navigate through a channel about 1 kilometre long and 400 metres wide and then end up in a kind of lake that is 1.60 kilometres wide at its widest point. In front of the entrance, on the seaward side, opposite the entrance is the island of Spetses, which keeps the incoming swell from the open sea away from the lagoon. There are no high mountains in the area and therefore no katabatic winds. A masterpiece of the coastal designer. (As Douglas Adams would have said).

Port Cheli/Heli has something to suit every sailor, depending on their preferences and budget. For the Rivercafe it would be €25/night at the community dock, €135/night at the Marina Porto Heli and €0/night at the anchorage. All together, Porto Cheli can accommodate hundreds of boats. We had around 40 vessels at anchor and there was still room for many more. There was also plenty of space at the community dock and in the marina. After a few days at the dock in Nafplio, we need the fresh air and movement of an anchorage.

Cheli anchorage with wreck, views and the community dock

The fact that Porto Cheli is not the yachting centre of the Peloponnese – the bay would be absolutely suitable for this – is probably due to the village itself. This is completely unremarkable. After all, there is a small yacht chandlery and a few grocery shops (we found AB to be the best), plus restaurants and bars where we met up with our sailing friends Stefan, Anja and Markus. Nobody has to starve here, but if you want to see a small town without any charm, then this is the place to be. 2,200 people live here and there are also a few hotels around the bay. We saw many beautiful houses along the coast on the way here.

We are ready for ‘Greece weather’

The weather was forecast to deteriorate again, so we decided to stay at this anchorage for a few days. This May was very changeable, which according to people with local knowledge is unusual. A few days are around 30 degrees, others are just over 20, and the water is still around 21 degrees. Rare days with lulls are replaced by 30-kn winds, usually with unpleasent gusts. Blue skies and heavy cloud cover change quickly and we also have some rainy and thundery days. We are happy when the rain comes from the north, then it is free of sand and the Rivercafe doesn’t look muddy.

Ermioni

Our next destination was Ermioni, continuing our anti-clockwise journey around the Peloponnese. The route took us along many small islands that reminded us of “Lummerland”. A bit like the British Virgin Islands, only denser. A wonderful area with smooth seas. Blue skies and sunshine did the rest.

Lummerland in Greece

Ermioni was actually only a stopgap solution, but we found a nice little village on a headland that has a dock to the north and south and another – quite crowded – anchorage to the north. We dropped our anchor for the community dock in 17 m depth. Once docked you will find tavernas everywhere on front of the clear water, 5 metres away from our mooring on the community dock (€24/night). The finest Greek cliché.

Ermioni and Michaels taverna next to Rivercafe

We moored here because we actually wanted to go somewhere else: to Hydra. Fortunately, we followed the advice of many sailing friends and left the Rivercafe on the Peloponnese mainland.

Hydra

Last season, Hydra was in the news after a superyacht crew kicked off a bush fire with illegal fireworks – from the sea, no less. After realizing the trouble they had caused, they tried to flee – in the very same superyacht. They were later caught in Athens. Turns out, luxury yachts aren’t exactly built for stealth getaways.

From Ermioni, a ferry takes 30 minutes to the island, which was made famous by Leonard Cohen, among others. 10 € per person, per journey. The Greeks pronounce it ‘Idra’ and of course it has nothing to do with Marvel’s super villains. When our morning ferry called at the tiny little harbour, we crossed our fingers that we hadn’t taken the Rivercafe. The vessels were so close together that not even a breeze could get through. In front of (!!!!) each vessel was another one at the bow. I wouldn’t be surprised if they needed to let some air out of the fenders on the sides. These were claustrophobic mega packets. In addition, there were numerous waiting vessels in front of the harbour and every few minutes a ferry came rushing in and spread its swell. This is harbour cinema on a whole new level.

“Optimized” harbor for sailors with a great insurance

An alternative to the ferry was the tip to anchor in Mandraki Bay, east of Hydra town, just under an hour’s walk away. But even this bay was already completely overcrowded. Hydra is obviously very popular.

   

Hydra, tight but charming, Ka in front of the outside waiting vesseln

We felt the town is a mixture of St Barth and St Tropez, only in Greek, narrower and steeper. Breakfast costs as much as dinner anywhere else in Greece, but it’s still cheaper than the two aforementioned glamorous towns. We thought it was cool, but it’s very touristy. Definitely worth a visit. The guests are international, many Americans and Asians and they certainly outnumber the 2,000 inhabitants. For overnight guests, mules are available at the harbour to transport suitcases up the sometimes very steep mountain slopes. There are no cars on the island. By the way: the water in the harbour is crystal clear. It took us 3.5 hours to see everything. So good that we were there without the Rivercafe.

Thats why there are no cars in Hydra

Back in Ermioni, the next flotilla was docked and convinced us to change our plans for the next few days. / Holger Binz