Nisos Spétsai

The roughly oval island lying in the eastern approaches to Argolikos Kólpos. It has a gentler aspect than either Îdhra or Dhokós and the climate is described by the Admiralty Pilot as 'exceedingly healthy'. Much of the island is covered by pine trees planted in an inspired afforestation programme implemented in the early part of the last century. Unfortunately with the dawn of this century some of the forest has been destroyed by forest fires, many apparently caused deliberately. Most of the population lives in Spétsai town on the northern coast (conspicuous from the east).

Spétsai has the distinction of being the first island (with Îdhra) to revolt against the Turks and commit her merchant fleet to the Greek cause. The local heroine was Boubalina (many of the local boats are named after her) who commanded the Spétsai fleet - her most daring deed was the destruction of part of the Turkish fleet at Navplion with fire ships. The deed is commemorated by a regatta in September when a small caique rigged out as an old trader is set on fire in the harbour accompanied by a noisy fireworks display and much merriment. Like Îdhra, the mercantile power of Spétsai declined after the War of Independence.

Spétsai town is more akin to the Italian Riviera than a Greek town although recent architectural additions have reduced the effect. Of late a number of large hotels have been built in the town to cater for the large numbers of tourists who descend on the island in the summer.

Just outside the town the buildings of the large public school, the Anarghyrios and Korghialenios School of Spétsai, was modelled on an English public school. John Fowles taught at the school for a time and his novel The Magus is set on the island - most of the places in the novel can be easily identified including the Villa Yasemia on the west coast where most of the action in the novel takes place. The school closed in 1984.

SPÉTSAI (BALTIZA CREEK) (Spetses, Balza, Palaio Limani)

BA 1683
Imray-Tetra G14

Approach

Conspicuous From the distance the houses of Spétsai town around the northern shores and on the gentle slopes are easily seen. Closer in, the lighthouse on Ák Fanári, the headland forming the Ε side of the harbour, and a number of whitewashed windmill towers (now converted to houses) are conspicuous.
By night Use the light on Ák Fanâri FI.WR.5s 18/14M and the light on the extremity of the headland Q.R.3M.

Dangers

1. Care should be taken rounding the extremity of the headland where there are some above-water rocks and a short reef.
2. There is often a confused swell at the entrance with S winds.

Note A large unlit mooring buoy lies between Spétsai and Spetsopoula.

Mooring

Anchor in the bay with a long line ashore or stern or bows-to in the inner harbour if there is room. Bâltiza Creek is a popular destination for yachts in the season and the inner harbour will usually be full to bursting and the outer harbour too crowded for you to swing at anchor. In the outer harbour the bottom is sand and weed (poor holding in patches) and in the SW corner there is a large permanent mooring chain fouling the bottom. In the inner harbour the bottom is mud - excellent holding.
Shelter With strong NW winds the outer harbour is uncomfortable and possibly dangerous for small yachts. Wash from the water-taxis in the outer harbour can be uncomfortable though not usually dangerous. The inner harbour has excellent all-round protection and a number of yachts are wintered afloat here.
Authorities Port police and customs in the new harbour. Charge band 2 in the inner harbour.

Facilities

Water On the quay. A € 10 charge for water in 2003.
Fuel On the quay.
Repairs Yachts can be hauled out in any one of the yards around the harbour, though you will need to book early to get a place. Some mechanical repairs. Old-fashioned wood repairs. Small chandlers. Hardware shops.
Provisions Good shopping for provisions near the harbour and in town. Ice available.
Eating out Good tavernas near the harbour and others in town.
Other PO. OTE. Banks. ATMs. Greek gas and Camping Gaz. Hire motorbikes and bicycles. Horse drawn gharries. Car ferry to Kosta across the Spétsai Strait and ferries and hydrofoils to Piraeus and the other islands in the Saronic Gulf.

General

Spétsai is an attractive town popular with tourists and Athenians alike. Spétsai restaurants often have an excellent dish peculiar to the island, fish àla Spetsiosa, a casserole of fish, tomatoes and green peppers covered in cheese - which is well worth sampling.

Spétsai old harbour and environs is a wonderful place to wander around. There are several yards building caϊques and Spetsiot boats are said to be among the best in Greece. Tim Severin had his replica galley built here for his voyages tracing the routes of Jason and the Argonauts and Odysseus wandering home from the Trojan War. Surrounding the harbour are many grand old houses built in the prosperous era of the 18th and 19th centuries when Spetsiot ships traded all over the eastern Mediterranean, and because no cars are allowed on the island (motorbikes unfortunately are), walking around the old quarter is a delight.

NAVPLION (Nauplion, Nauplia)

BA 1683

Approach

Conspicuous The large town will not be seen until around Akronavplia. A chapel on Ak Khondros and a hotel on Akronavplia will be seen. The fortress of Palamidi will also be seen. Once close to the point the small fort on Nisis Bourtzi will be seen.
By night Use the light on Ák Panayitsa Fl.l-5s5M and the lights at the entrance (light buoy Q.R and Fl.G.3s3M).
VHP Ch 12, 16 for port authorities.

Mooring

Go alongside or stern or bows-to the quay in the large inner basin. The bottom is gooey mud which plough anchors will sometimes pull through.
Shelter Good shelter although strong NW winds cause an uncomfortable slop. If the swell becomes dangerous anchor off.
Authorities A port of entry: port police, customs, and immigration.
Note Sewage empties into the harbour and with the summer heat it can get very smelly.

Facilities

Water On the quay when you can find the 'water man'.
Fuel In the town. A mini-tanker can deliver to the quay.
Repairs Some mechanical repairs. Good hardware shops.
Provisions Excellent shopping for provisions. Ice available.
Eating out Numerous tavernas in the town, including some quite sophisticated places in and around the old streets.
Other PO. OTE. Banks. ATM. Greek gas and Camping Gaz. Hire cars and motorbikes. Buses to Athens. Hydrofoil to Piraeus.

General

The large town of mostly 18th and 19th-century buildings, mainly two or three-storeyed and shuttered and balconied, is a gem. The stone houses seem to be engulfed in vegetation as they vie with each other to grow the biggest swathe of bougainvillea or clematis. The narrow cobbled streets wind in and out of modest mansions and less modest public buildings, many of them built in a golden sandstone that seems to absorb colour from the sun. Shops and tavernas are tucked away in streets everywhere. It is the sort of place you could willingly live in and has always been the most important city of the Argolid. At the beginning of the fledgling Greek Republic after the War of Independence, Navplion was briefly capital before Athens was chosen.

In the square the museum is the large building, originally built by the Venetians as a naval arsenal. It has a number of interesting exhibits including a suit of Mycenaean armour, a reminder that this whole area was the heartland of the Mycenaeans and in fact Navplion may have been a Mycenaean naval base at one time. Navplion is also thought to be the birthplace of Palamedes who is credited with the invention of lighthouses, the art of navigation, and the games of dice and knucklebones.
The Venetian citadel, Palamidi, is reached by a winding track of about 1000 steps. The hot climb is worthwhile, not only to view the most finely-preserved piece of Venetian military architecture in existence, but also for the view over the Argolic Gulf. Alas, the vast structure was out of date not long after it was completed. The citadel is open 0800-1845.

KIVERION

37°31'·4Ν 22°44'·ΟΕ

A bight on the coast opposite Navplion which is really only suitable before the afternoon breeze gets up. There is a short mole here with l-5-3m depths off it, but it is usually occupied by fishing boats. If you can tuck behind it there is good shelter from the SE breeze. Alternatively in calm weather anchor off in 3-5m on mud and weed.
Good fish tavernas ashore.

ÁSTROUS (Astros, Paralion Astros)

Approach

Conspicuous The rocky headland, connected by a low isthmus (on which the village is built) to the Peloponnisos, looks like an island from the distance. Closer in, the castle and some houses on the headland and the lighthouse are conspicuous. From the Ν and Ε the village will not be seen until you are around the headland.
By night Use the light on Âk Âstrous F1.5s7M and the lights at the entrance F.R.5M/F.G.5M.

Mooring

Go stern or bows-to either mole where convenient. The S mole usually has space free. Along the S mole the ballasting projects some distance underwater in places. The bottom is mud and weed - poor holding in places.
Shelter Good shelter from the prevailing southerlies. Care is needed at night as Astrous is notorious for katabatic winds which blow strongly off the mountains from the NW-W in the evening - it is generally over in 3-4 hours.
Authorities Port police.

Facilities

Water On the quay.
Fuel On the outskirts of the village.
Provisions Most provisions can be obtained. Ice available.
Eating out Good tavernas on the waterfront and in the village.
Other PO. OTE. Irregular bus service to Astrous town and Tripolis.
Hydrofoil to Navplion and Piraeus.

General

Astrous is a bustling fishing village and tourist resort. The village is built around the slopes above the harbour with the new development along the long sandy beach around the bay. The harbour is one of my favourite places in the gulf and even with its tourism remains a likeable and very Greek village.
The medieval castle on the top of the hill is in reasonable condition and well worth the short walk up to it for the views over the gulf. Local folklore tells of a subterranean passage leading from the castle to the cave at sea level on the S side of the headland, but I haven't been able to find any trace of it. On the tip of the headland are the ruins of a large classical building.

The village around the harbour is properly called Paralion Astrous and the main village of Astrous is some 2'/2 miles inland. It is a down-to-earth agricultural town in the middle of a region which is noted for its orchards and particularly for its peaches. Also nearby is Moni Loukous, a large monastery approximately 2Vz miles from the village, which is worth a visit.

Mycenae (Mikinai)

This ancient city situated some nine miles from the head of Argolikos Kólpos was the centre of a great Helladic civilization between about 1650 and 1100 BC. Despite scholarly conjecture, it is widely accepted that the period dominated by Mycenae (and therefore called the Mycenaean period) fits in with the Achaeans of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, although he probably telescoped events occurring over five centuries into a smaller timescale.

The site was occupied very early on, but not until 1700-1650 BC did it become important. Its position guards the approaches to the Argolic Gulf and the natural land route through the mountains to Corinth. The Mycenaeans were a militant race that quickly came to dominate Greece: their domain covered the whole of the Peloponnisos, the Aegean Islands, the Greek mainland and Crete.

Their cultural influence spread even further, to Asia Minor, Cyprus, Egypt and the Ionian Islands. The wealth of Mycenae was legendary and the dead were buried with lavish amounts of treasure, much of which was lost to grave robbers in later centuries. Particularly notable are the gold death masks, of which the mask of Agamemnon found by Heinrich Schliemann is the most famous. The Mycenaean period came to an abrupt end around 1000 BC and scholars are still at a loss to explain just what it was that stopped a great civilization in its tracks and put the clock back for four centuries in the Greek ‘Dark Ages’.

The site can be conveniently visited from Navplion (by taxi or bus) and there is enough for the layman to see to make it a worthwhile excursion. The site on a virtually treeless hill can be unbearably hot in the summer and it is recommended you go early in the morning and take a hat and water.