Following our courses for the route to Santorini mainly meant that we hugged the Greek coast for the whole day and night. First we passed Kerkyra better known as Corfu and then saw the Peloponnisos on our port side. This used to be a big Peninsula south of Athens. But then they built the Corinth Canal, which runs between Loutraki on the West and Pireaus on the East side. The Corinth canal cut straight through the connection with the mainland and so technically the Peloponnisos is now an island. The Veendam cannot go through the Corinth Canal as the ship is too wide. Only small cargo and cruise ships can be accommodated and even then there is the occasional bump against the sides. So the Veendam sailed all the way around the Peloponisos and by 11 pm we were at the south side.

There is a sea passage of about 5 miles wide called Stena Elafonisou. It has the “island” of Peloponnisos to the north and the island of Nissos Kithira to the South. Through this passage goes all the traffic to and from Eastern Greece, Turkey and Lebanon. As a result it can be very crowded there with ships going East and West and sometimes in directions that nobody can understand but do happen. When things get complicated it means that the captain has to be on the bridge. The officer of the watch knows what to do but it always helps to have an extra pair of eyes on the bridge and to some extra experience on the bridge as well, does not hurt either.

Our passage through was enlivened by a tanker who decided to make a 360o turn just off the entrance. The only reason for him doing this, at least what we could think of, was that the ship was diverted to another port or called back to the home port. It was from a safety standpoint not the most opportune moment and location to make a maneuver like that, but as my father in law says: “They are out there you just have to find them”. As a result we had to make a much wider turn, a very wide turn, around three other ships, who had to delay their course change as well as this tanker was in their way.

While we were sailing there, the wind started to increase to storm force. A bit of wind, caused by a weather front over Rhodos had been expected but it was according to the weather forecast not to be more as 20 knots and with an overcast sky. Now the wind suddenly increased to 40 knots as the weather system intensified by wind coming from the Turkish Mainland. It caused a bit of bumpyness for a few hours and the cruise director got concerned about his revue show. We were able to line up on a course that took us a bit more into the lee of the island Nissos Kithira, before we came to the passage of Stena Elafonisou and the cast could happily dance to their hearts content.