THE LEARNING CURVE
REAL LIFE
When a long-term closure of the Corinth Canal was announced with hours to spare, one crew faced a 300-mile detour to get home. Rosemary Macray recalls the desperate sail to make it through
Five hours into our madcap race, we feared that we weren’t going to make it. We knew the odds were stacked against us, but we had no choice but to motor on, slamming against a five-foot swell that shook High Flight, our Bavria 40, to its 25-year-old core.
Our Greek marathon sail began at 2200, but really it all started at 1400 on 3 October 2022. This is when Greek authorities announced on a government website that the Corinth Canal would close at 0700 the following day – for eight months. Never mind that the same office promised us a day earlier that the canal that bisects the mainland and Peloponnese peninsula wouldn’t close for repairs before 15 October.
Unaware of the stealth afternoon announcement, we received the first hint of a changed plan when the harbour master greeted us at Trizonia Port in the Gulf of Corinth.
‘Kalos irthate, welcome,’ he said as he tied off the bowline for us. ‘Are you headed east or west?’
‘East,’ we replied. ‘We’ll spend tomorrow night in Corinth then pass through the canal on Wednesday.’
He grimaced. ‘You know the canal will close tomorrow morning at 0700, don’t you?’
‘No, it won’t,’ we replied knowingly. ‘The canal operations people told us by phone yesterday that it won’t close until the middle of the month.’
‘Hmmmm, that’s not what I heard today.’ At which point he shrugged, took our 15 euros, hopped on his bicycle, and rode off. Our tired, hungry family sailing crew attributed the information to a faulty island rumour-mill, showered and headed to a nearby taverna. With Greek beer and barrel wine in hand, a table arrayed with calamari, fried saganaki cheese and the freshest of fish, canal passage slipped far from our minds. Then the waiter delivered Hint Number Two along with the dessert menu.
‘You must be headed west since the canal is closing tomorrow morning.’ ‘No, it’s not,’ we repeated dutifully. Not inclined to argue with the guests, the waiter left to get our baklava and walnut cake. We’d found nothing online earlier, but grabbed our phones and stretched our arms for optimal cellular reception. With a click, my heart sank.
‘This is unbelievable, only in Greece,’ I whined to my tablemates. ‘The authorities posted a press release this afternoon. The canal will close tomorrow at 0700.’
SPRINT FOR CORINTH
To call this news unwelcome would be an understatement. My husband’s brother Dan and daughters Georgia and Elena had to fl
