Patras & Corinth

Routes

Given the confines of the two gulfs, yachts will pretty much be heading east or west most of the time.
When heading Ε into the Gulf of Patras the prevailing wind in the summer is the NW breeze which is funnelled into a W wind and blows right through the Gulf of Patras and into the Gulf of Corinth from a westerly direction. The funnelling effect can substantially increase the strength of the wind, especially where it is squeezed by the land at the Strait of Rion and Andirrion and for some distance into the narrow W part of the Gulf of Corinth. For yachts headed Ε this is no real problem as once into the gulfs the seas are relatively slight and you are on a downwind run to Corinth.
When heading W from Corinth you will be plugging into the wind most of the time. As the prevailing summer wind tends to gradually extend into the gulfs from the Ionian, if a yacht leaves early in the morning it will generally be able to motor some of the way in the morning calm. If you are beating into the wind when headed W then it pays to stay on the Ν side of the gulfs where you will often pick up a bit of a lift with the wind getting a bit of northerly in it. You will also have less sea under the Ν side of the gulfs.
When heading out of the Gulf of Patras into the Ionian, care is needed not to get too close to the shoal water on the Ν side of the gulf. Keep an eye on the depthsounder and on your position. Once up to Oxiâ it is better to continue out past the S end of the island for a bit before putting a tack in as the wind tends to follow the contours of the inside channel between Oxiâ and the coast.
At times in the summer you will have N-NE winds at the Ε end of the Gulf of Corinth and there can be fierce gusts off the high land on the Ν side. In this case stick close in to the Ν coast before turning down to Corinth. If you arrive off the Corinth Canal with strong westerlies it is often better to stay overnight in Corinth harbour and venture out in the morning calm to transit the canal.

PORTS OF ENTRY

Patras
Itéa
Corinth

PROHIBITED AREAS

The small harbour on the Ε side of Órmos Andikiron and the area immediately surrounding it.

MAJOR LIGHTS

Ák Oxiá FI(2)15s17M
Nisis Kavikalidha (Cape Killini) LFI.WR.10s12/9M
Ák Páâppas LFI(2)20s10M
Ák Áy Sostis FI.WR.5s17/HM
Rion FI.6s6M
Andirrion FI(2)10s10M
Ák Mornos FI(3)15s7M
Ák Dhrépanon FI.10s22M
Nisis Trizónia FI.4s4M
Ák Psaromita FI(2)15s21IVl
Ák Andromákhi FI(3)15s10M
Nisis Apsifia (Galaxidhi) FI.7s5M
Ák Mákri-Nikolaos FU-5s5M
Ák Likoporiá FI(2)16s10M
Ák Kefáli FI.3s4M

0·5M S of Ák Oxiá
38°16'·60Ν 21°05'·95Ε WGS84
2Μ Ν of Ák Páppas light
38°14'·9Ν 21°22'·4Ε
0·2Μ S of lightbuoy off Ák Evinos
38°16'·86Ν 21°29'·16Ε WGS84
Mid-channel of Rion - Andirrion Strait
38°19'·25Ν 21°46'-45E
Mid-channel: Ák Mórnos - Ák Dhrépano
38°21'·22Ν 21°52'·19Ε WGS84
SE end of Nisos Trizónia
38°21'·49Ν 22°05'·47Ε WGS84
0-5Μ S of Ák Psaromita light
38°18'·9Ν 22°11'·1Ε
0-5Μ S of Ák Andromákhi light

38°19'·5Ν 22°22'·7Ε
1M S of Ák Mâkri Nikólaos light
38°16'·ΟΝ 22°33'·1Ε
0·5Μ Ε of Ák Kefáli (Andikiron)
38°21'-6N 22°39'·4Ε
1M Ν of Ák Likoporia light
38°09'·2Ν 22°29'·5Ε
1Μ S of Ák Melangávi light
38°00'·8Ν 22°51'·ΟΕ
0·5Μ W of Corinth Canal entrance (Posidhonia)
37°57'·29Ν 22°56'·88Ε WGS84