Kalamaki Marina, Athens, what it looks like?

[alex_sauvage]

Originally Posted by Jacques2

Hi !
This a link with a kind of TripAdvisor for marinas : it is a french website despite its name "Sail The World" and hundreds of marinas in the world have been evaluated .
Let's use Googoo translator to read it...
Bateaux autour du monde - Sail The World - L'Univers de la grande croisière en voilier - STW)

Thank you : it is a great site. I will need to work on my French

[beneteau-500]

Alex I forgot to mention this but you are better of sailing up to ZEA Marina in Piraeus it is a secure marina usually visting yachts are berthed right out in front of the secuity and port police i would go there if i did not want to travel across from Aegina and its with in ten mins walk of metro trains see K&G med marinas www.medmarinas.com

[alex_sauvage]

Originally Posted by beneteau-500

Alex I forgot to mention this but you are better of sailing up to ZEA Marina in Piraeus it is a secure marina usually visting yachts are berthed right out in front of the secuity and port police i would go there if i did not want to travel across from Aegina and its with in ten mins walk of metro trains see K&G med marinas www.medmarinas.com

This is great advice: ZEA marina looks nice and prices are not too bad. Some of those boats on the photos are impressive Do you know if one needs to book a berth in advance or you can just show up?

[beneteau-500]

usually you can just rock up as most of the boats/ yachts are out of marina but i would email them in advance thou

[iLog Sailing]

We planned a similar trip several years ago, my recommendation would be to stay downtown those few nights in or around the old town centre of Palaka, from there you can walk to all the sites worth seeing. I would take full advantage of your charter days and head into the saronic gulf and not stay a moment longer than necesary in or around the marina area.

Also be aware of an ongoing scam to dive the boat on return of the charter and accuse you of prop damage, the marina is so filthy you would never consider taking a look so you accept the verdict. I would put a mask on first chance you get to take a look over the prop and be confident of your position upon return of the charter. Otherwise an amazing trip with then island of Idra the highlight.

[alex_sauvage]

Originally Posted by iLog Sailing

We planned a similar trip several years ago, my recommendation would be to stay downtown those few nights in or around the old town centre of Palaka, from there you can walk to all the sites worth seeing. I would take full advantage of your charter days and head into the saronic gulf and not stay a moment longer than necesary in or around the marina area.

Also be aware of an ongoing scam to dive the boat on return of the charter and accuse you of prop damage, the marina is so filthy you would never consider taking a look so you accept the verdict. I would put a mask on first chance you get to take a look over the prop and be confident of your position upon return of the charter. Otherwise an amazing trip with then island of Idra the highlight.

Thanks for your advice regarding "prop damage". Do you think taking underwater camera and asking them to take a picture of the damage would work? Alternatively I was thinking of getting damage deposit insurance ( they don't seem to be too expensive from the third party. Do they normally work?
As far as staying in Athens is concerned: it seems to be difficult to find a charter boat for something like 10 days. So having 2 week charter plus a few days in Athens (plus flying time) would mean 3 week vacation, which is difficult to get for us here in North America

[Buena Vista]

Originally Posted by beneteau-500

Alex I forgot to mention this but you are better of sailing up to ZEA Marina in Piraeus it is a secure marina usually visting yachts are berthed right out in front of the secuity and port police i would go there if i did not want to travel across from Aegina and its with in ten mins walk of metro trains see K&G med marinas www.medmarinas.com

I would agree with beneteau-500, we stopped at Zea Marina last year and had a good time, the marina was secure and the staff helpful.

For looking around Athens, consider the Hop On/Hop Off bus, you can catch it right outside the marina and it stops at all the places you will want to see. A good, quick way of seeing everything.

Stay away from the taxis, they rip you off and have all sorts of scams like pocketing the 50 Euro note you gave them and insisting you only gave them 5 Euros etc, we know from painful experience.

[iLog Sailing]

Originally Posted by alex_sauvage

Thanks for your advice regarding "prop damage". Do you think taking underwater camera and asking them to take a picture of the damage would work? Alternatively I was thinking of getting damage deposit insurance ( they don't seem to be too expensive from the third party. Do they normally work?
As far as staying in Athens is concerned: it seems to be difficult to find a charter boat for something like 10 days. So having 2 week charter plus a few days in Athens (plus flying time) would mean 3 week vacation, which is difficult to get for us here in North America

Hi your call on the underwater camera, it cost me $400 for damage I know didn't happen on my watch. It's hard to argue after the fact with an emails image of a prop with damage.

[Jacques2]

Just to say : don't forget that there are thousands of people chartering a boat in Greece and very few problems (OK , I understand that when you are concerned, you see things in a different way..., but ...)...

[alex_sauvage]

Originally Posted by iLog Sailing

Hi your call on the underwater camera, it cost me $400 for damage I know didn't happen on my watch. It's hard to argue after the fact with an emails image of a prop with damage.

O'h, I see want you mean now. I thought it was the case of "non-existing" damage, but it seems like it might be left by previous charterer. So one has to check the boat before and after the charter...Deposit insurance sounds better and better

[jckb]

Have a look at E Peloponnese and around Athens | JimB Sail , which lists the local Athens marinas and gives links to their web sites.

You can rock up at Zea and also at Alimos (also called Kalamaki), but booking ahead can guarantee you a berth with a permanent mooring. If you're on your own anchor, you need to be on board when nearby boats depart, because they'll lift your anchor half the time and leave you banging the pontoon or quay.

I don't recognise the description of Athens as a pickpocket's paradise. It's one of the safer cities I've roamed around the northern coasts of the Med. But it is true that Greece wakes up at 18:00, works until 21:00, then plays (sometimes noisily) until midnight or later. Coastlines are holiday areas, after all.

There's a lot to see in Athens. The Parthenon museum is a must, and with the surrounds and some time in Plaka (a tourist area), you'll fill a whole day. And that leaves a whole lot more unseen.

But you'll find there's probably just as much to see around the Saronic anyway, with the choice of islands, anchorages and villages. Notes about these on the web site link above

[kevlarmike]

RE Kalamaki marina, I would recommend this marina to stay for a few days, great place to explore from, Aigina is nice for many reasons but not to travel to Athens to explore.
Samatas.

[svBeBe]

Two friends (different boats on different days) were pick-pocketed on the subway/train in Athens in summer of 2011. I would be extra watchful of wallets and pocketbooks while there. Also, we berthed at Zea marina 4 times during 2011. Felt very secure; water is filthy but so what. Easy to fuel. Easy walk to train to Acropolis and easy bus ride back to marina from that return train. We found it an ideal place to berth while visiting Athens.

Judy