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| Queen Elizabeth in Piraeus Port |
We are due to dock in Piraeus early in the morning. The city is one of the largest in Greece, and has been the port for Athens since ancient times. We are awake at 6:00 AM as we have a busy day ahead - a trip to Corinth to see the ruins of the old city, and then a passage through the canal of Corinth.
First we are delayed by Ferry traffic in the busy port. Then the wind begins to rise. While waiting we are blown into the port area and the wind speed reaches 75 knots. The harbor master closes the port, and the Queen Elizabeth leaves the port to circle for a while in the Aegean Sea. The wind dies down enough that we can dock in Piraeus about 11:45 AM. All the tours have to be rescheduled or canceled. Our tour now will only visit the canal, and not the ancient city of Corinth. Most of the passengers are bound for Athens - all their tours are changed as well. 1,500 passengers leave the ship at mid-day.
The Corinth Canal connects the Aegean Sea to the Ionian Sea., saving several hundred miles for ships making the transit. The Romans tried to build the canal, but gave up. It was finally built over a 13 year period at the end of the 19th Century. It is an impressive feat of engineering. The canal walls are 200 feet high - cut through the limestone rock. It is about 4 miles long and 76 feet wide. We are able to make the transit in both directions. The drive to Corinth is along the coast, with lovely views of the Aegean Sea.
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| View of the Corinth Canal |
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| Canal Road Bridge that Submerges |
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| Sumner in the Stern |
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| Corinth Canal and Bridges |
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| Ship used for Tour of the Canal |
We return to the ship about 4:45 PM - when everyone else is returning. The Greek coast guard is not prepared to deal with the crush of people. It takes us about 45 minutes to clear customs. For others it is worse.
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| Passengers going through Customs |
Meanwhile, the winds have returned, and it is not safe for the ship to sail at 6:00 PM as scheduled. Three tug boats are holding the Queen Elizabeth against the dock, in addition to her auxiliary thrusters. A ship this size, broadside to the wind, has an enormous surface against which the wind can exert force. While we are waiting, a small tanker runs into the Queen Elizabeth, blown off-course by the wind. Fortunately, now serious damage results. The wind decreases somewhat by about 10:00 PM, and the ship edges out of the port with the help of the three tug boats.
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| Queen Elizabeth Bumped by a Tanker |
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| Evening in Pireaus |
The schedule called for a full day and two nights of sailing to reach Civitavecchia, the nearest port to Rome. We have left Piraeus so late we would not reach Rome until Noon. The decision is made to spend another day at sea, so we can arrive at Civitavecchia in the morning as scheduled. This means we will not have the following day in Monte Carlo. After Rome, we will head directly for Portugal and Lisbon.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteSo the best laid plans of men and mice can go awry. Sorry some of your sights were canceled. The wind has been a problem even here at home (IL). We had to call a tree surgeon to work on our trees after some huge limbs that were the size of normal trees, landed on our lawn. Things have calmed down but Steve is working on the landscaping building a large heavy 16 ft. planter for the front yard. The night wind kicked up and blew it over. So it is back to re-engineering for Steve. Perhaps this is global warming? We should, however, consider ourselves lucky since southern Illinois and much of the Midwest has had a huge outbreak of severe weather and the multiple tornadoes have been treacherous. We are grateful that our area has not been a target yet.
I have been doing family research on Ancestry.com. When I traced the roots from our great grandmother (Emmett Pugh’s mother) Minnie Alma Sumner Pugh there were all kinds of coats of arms and a path back to the Colonial Governor of Virginia, Edward Digges (1620-1698). I followed his (male) line back to England through the generations, I discovered an interesting relative, especially for you, the Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham (1430-1532). So it appears that you literally returned to your roots. Interesting.
Everyone is okay but the weather has been lousy. Sorry you’ll miss Monte Carlo.
Love, Jane