Saronic Gulf - Athens itineraries

Poros Island

Hydra Island

Spetses Island

Argolic Gulf

The Saronic gulf is - due to its proximity to Athens - the prime yacht charter area in Greece and Hellenic Charters head office base. Apart from the location also the rich ancient history of places like Epidavros, Sounion, Poros, Aegina and Methana attracts tourists and sailors alike to these waters.  

Most charter yachts are based at the marinas along the Attic coast where the majority of the yacht charter companies operate. As a result of this concentration, many yachts follow the same trail and flock together at Aegina, Poros, Hydra and so forth. To avoid this pass these places at the start of your holiday and sail on (in front of the herd) for the east coast of the Peloponese, where there are unspoilt harbours and anchorages.
The western coast of the Saronic is mainly mountainous with a ridge running parallel to the shore (600 - 900 m) and rising to 112 m near the Methana peninsula. Higher up the land remains barren, but below densely wooded areas can be found.
The normal summer winds depend heavily on where you are. During the summer the meltemi is the normal wind in this area. Along the mainland coast from the Corinth Canal to cape Sounion as well as the area between Methana and the mainland (Attica) it will blow Force 4-6, from NNE - NE. The winds are less strong near the Methana peninsula and Poros, whereas near cape Sounion they might be stronger. Furthermore, the meltemi blows with less regularity than in the Cycladic waters.

Satellite Photo

Akropolis

Athens

British Admiralty Chart 1657

satellite photo

Cape Sounion - Poseidon temple looking south-west. 

Ports

Temple of Aphaia

The legendary ancestor of the Aeginetans was Aiakos, son of Zeus and Aegina and father of Peleus and Telamon, who was celebrated for his wise and just rule and became judge in the Underworld together with Minos and Rhadamanthys.
The earliest traces of Pelasgian settlement on the island date from the 3rd millennium BCE. In the 2nd millennium Aegina was already an important trading-station, dealing in pottery and ointments, as finds of Helladic, Cycladic and Minoan material have shown. It is first recorded in history as a colony of the Dorian city of Epidavros, and together with Epidavros was ruled in the 7th c. BCE by Phaidon of Argos.

Aegina harbour

After shaking off the control of the its mother city in the 6th c BCE. Aegina enjoyed a period of some prosperity, which soon brought it into competition with Corinth. The Aeginetans had trading posts in Umbria, on the Black Sea and in Egypt, and their ship owners were the wealthiest in the Ancient World. Aeginetan coins bearing the effigy of a tortoise are the oldest known, and by 656 BCE already had a wide circulation, and Aeginetan weights and measures remained current into Roman times.
At the beginning of the Persian Wars this seafaring State was at the height of its power. After the Battle of Salamis, in which 30 vessels of Aegina took part, an Aeginetan ship was awarded the prize for the highest valour. But Aegina was also led by its commercial interests to offer Darius' envoys earth and water in token of submission, whereupon, on the motion of Athens, it was called to account by Sparta. This was the occasion of further conflicts with Athens, which saw the strong neighbouring island as an obstacle to the expansion of its sea-power. After naval victories at Angistri and off Aegina itself the Athenians - though simultaneously fighting with Megara and in Egypt - forced Aegina to submit after a nine-month-long siege, and in 456 BCE the city was compelled to pull down its walls, surrender its warships and pay tribute to Athens.

St Nicholas chapel in Aegina harbour

At the beginning of the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) the Aeginetans were expelled from their island and the land distributed to citizens of Attica. After the final defeat of Athens in 404 BCE many of them returned, but the island's great days were over. Athens rapidly recovered and after a series of military campaigns regained control of Aegina, which thereafter shared the fortunes of the Athenian State.
From 12 January to 3 October 1828 Aegina was capital of Greece.

The chief place on the island, Aegina (pop. 5000), lies on gently rising ground on a wide bay at the north end of the west coast. It occupies the site of the ancient city, which was larger than the present town. From the harbour, sheltered by a breakwater, there are fine views of the smaller islands of Metopi and Angistri to the south-west and Moni to the south and of the hills round Epidavros. The Archaeological Museum contains material from the temples of Aphaia and Aphrodite, together with pottery and other grave-goods ranging in date from the 3rd millennium BCE to Roman times.

On the hill of Kolona, to the north of the town, is an 8 m high Doric column. According to Pausanias this belonged to the temple of Aphrodite by the harbour (460 BCE): in fact the temple was dedicated to Apollo. Under the temple were found remains of Mycenaean and pre-Mycenaean settlement (3rd millennium BCE). To the west were two smaller temples, probably dedicated to Artemis and Dionysos. A sphinx (circa 460 BCE) which was discovered here in 1904 is now in the Archaeological Museum.

Below the temple, to the south, was the ancient commercial harbour, now silted up. When the sea is calm the old quays can still be seen under water. The modern harbour, on the site of the ancient naval harbour, is still protected by the ancient moles which have been maintained in good condition. On the north mole, the longer of the two, is and early 19th c. chapel dedicated to St Nicholas.
 

	The Methana peninsula is an ancient volcano about 6 nm north-west of Poros island. Geologically, the island is very interesting indeed, but the peninsula also manifests itself in the form of very pungent solfataras. Go stern-to or bows-to opposite the local fishermen. The sulphurous waters will perhaps corrode your anchor chain, but makes perfect anti-fouling.
The main attraction of Palaia Epidavros is its major archaeological site, approximately 35 km to the east (20 min. by taxi) with its evocative theatre (4th c. BCE) set in the forest. Build by Polykleitos as part of a much larger sanctuary, the 14,000-seat theatre has extraordinary acoustics; whispered voices from the beaten earth stage are easily heard high up among the 54 tiers of seats. Palaia Epidavros itself is a beautiful little village set within lush surroundings. Anchor some distance away from the village (port police will instruct you to keep your distance to the beaches as well) or go stern-to or bows-to the quay.
		About 3 nm south-west of Aegina is the wooded island of Angistri (12 sq. km; 0-216 m), with a population of 700, descendents of Albanians who settled here in the 16th century.