Corfu
PargaFiskardoLefkasPrevezaIonian Sea PatraiFanari
Bay
IONIAN
ISLANDSCORFU
PAXOSITHAKILEFKASKEFALONIAMAINLAND
GREECEGulf of
PatraiIonian
SeaParga
BayFanari
BayTwo Rock
BayRiver
AcheronAmmoudiaPargaMAINLAND
GREECEIONIAN
ISLANDSPAXOSANTIPAXOSNkilometres0 10the mountains is very cold, and when we
went up the river from Fanari Bay in our
dinghy the temperature change was
obvious. The warm water of the bay was
replaced by fast-moving, cold river water
as we entered its mouth.
The air in our dinghy became colder and
the dinghy started to deflate. Not
dangerously, but it certainly looked a little
sad and floppy. We also felt the
temperature change on the soles of our
feet through the thin dinghy floor.
The other thing that surprised us was the
current of the river. It was running at about
4 to 6 knots. By dinghy you can go quite a
way, and if you don’t want to take your own
craft, there are river trips from the quay. The
river’s depth at Ammoudia is just 1.5m
(5ft), which limits the numbers of yachts,
and powerboats that can go up it. Also,
there’s nowhere to turn around shortly
after the quay and the pathways run out.
Just before Ammoudia we found half a
dozen boats – yachts, motor-cruisers and
a couple of cats – moored on the
riverbank. There’s a good reason for this.
Apart from being a great little spot from
which to explore inland, it’s also a
fast-flowing, freshwater river, which is
great for cleaning the growth and crud
from your hull. I understand quite a few
liveaboards with a shallow keel park up
here for a while to do just this. Sadly we
draw 1.85m (6ft) otherwise we would have
given it a go, too. It’s also bullet proof from
almost any rough weather.
On the riverbank and in the resort thereare shops, tavernas and other facilities.
Coming out of the river you find yourself
being pushed along, back into the bay. I
wouldn’t recommend overloading your
dinghy or doing it on anything
unseaworthy as the water churns a bit
when you are carried out of the river’s
mouth, back into the bay.
I haven’t seen Fanari Bay in the height of
season. Like most people we’ve always
sailed passed, but if it were full, both
Parga and Two Rock Bay are fairly close
by. So provided you’re happy with a bit of
overnight rolling, Fanari Bay with its little
resort of Ammoudia, and the river with the
entrance to the underworld, is an
interesting and surprising stop over.CRUISING NOTES
TOP Boats moored on the River Acheron at
Ammoudia. ABOVE Heading down the
Acheron towards Fanari Bay
A Waka Odyssey
Festival of New Zealand celebrates Polynesian
exploration and the discovery of Aotearoa
T
ens of thousands of people
gathered at Wellington Harbour
last month to witness the
arrival of a fleet of waka hourua
(traditional double-hulled sailing
canoes). The journey undertaken by
the crews began almost four weeks
earlier, departing from Auckland,
Tauranga and Napier.
They arrived for the opening of the
New Zealand Festival where
performers paid tribute to Polynesian
explorer Kupe’s discovery of
Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the first
landing of the waka Matahourua in
the harbour.
Creative director Anna Marbrook,
part of the team behind A Waka
Odyssey, said the performance was
“a way of capturing all of our stories
of voyaging here to Aotearoa New
Zealand. At the heart of that are three
thousand years of voyaging history.” The magnificent waka fleetRawhitiroa Photography