A Corfu sailing tour is a day on the Ionian Sea aboard a sailing yacht or a sailing catamaran that sets out from Corfu. The trip is one of the Greece Tours on Greece Ville, listed with the other Ionian Islands tours and Greece boat tours.
This post covers the island in numbers, the mines of the Corfu Channel in 1946, the afternoon wind of the Ionian Sea, rainfall, which boat gives way at sea, how sailors find their way, hull speed, how an anchor holds, the sieges of Corfu and the questions that sailors and guests ask about toilets, water, gas, fishing, flags and the smell of the sea.
What is a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour is about Corfu, the seventh-largest Greek island by area. It ranks between Kefalonia in sixth place and Lemnos in eighth place. The Ionian Islands region, which is based on Corfu, counted 204,532 residents in the 2021 census.
On a Corfu sailing tour, the south of the island belongs to the municipality of South Corfu. This municipality had 14,744 residents in 2021, covers 145.0 km², and has its seat at Lefkimmi.
Thinali lies in the middle of the north coast. It covers 77.899 km² and was the largest former municipality on Corfu. Kassopaia, at the north-eastern tip of Corfu, had 2,281 residents in 2021.
During a Corfu sailing tour, the north-west corner of Corfu holds Esperies. It had 6,925 residents in 2021 and covers 54.462 km². Achilleio, south of Corfu town, had 10,134 residents in 2021.
The Corfu town community counted 30,737 residents in 2021, out of 40,047 in its whole municipal unit. Kassiopi is a fishing village in North Corfu and had 1,147 residents in 2021.
- Adriatic: The Adriatic Sea stretches 800 km from northwest to southeast and is 200 km wide.
- Pontikonisi: Pontikonisi’s highest natural point, without trees or buildings, is only about 2 m above the sea.
- Lefkimmi: It is the island’s southernmost municipal unit and had 5,647 residents in 2021.
The First World War Otranto Barrage blocked the sea passage between Brindisi in Italy and Corfu. It had over 200 vessels there at its peak.
What happened in the Corfu Channel in 1946 near a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour sits near waters where two ships hit mines. Forty-four people died, thirty-six on Saumarez and eight on Volage. The dispute then went to the world court. It named naval experts from the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish navies.
Near the waters of a Corfu sailing tour, Saumarez hit a mine at 2:53 in the afternoon. Volage, which was towing her at the time, hit another mine at 4:16 in the afternoon.
The two ships were at Action Stations, which means the crew was ready for battle. Their guns were unloaded and pointed fore and aft, meaning along the ship, not at the shore.
Britain demanded an apology after the shots of the 15th day of the month after April in 1946. Around a Corfu sailing tour, Albania said ships needed its permission to use the channel.
Operation Retail, the November 1946 mine-clearing, ran without Albania’s approval. Enver Hoxha wrote that Albania never mined the Ionian Sea. He also wrote that the British staged the affair to patrol near Saranda.
- Veto: A Soviet veto blocked a Security Council resolution that blamed Albania indirectly for the minefield.
- Referral: Security Council Resolution 22, of 9 April 1947, recommended the world court for the dispute.
- Judgment: Albania skipped the compensation stage, so Britain got judgment by default on 15 December 1949.
In 1958 a UN sea-law conference adopted a draft rule on innocent passage, meaning harmless sailing through straits. The Corfu judgment was its base.
How does the Ionian maistro blow on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour depends on the wind over the sea. A sea breeze is a wind that blows from the sea to the coast. Etesian winds over the eastern Greek seas reach the western Greek seas with less intensity.
On a Corfu sailing tour, the sea breeze is one wind worth knowing about. A sea breeze formed at Volos on 85.6% of days from the month after April to July.
The sea breeze at Volos mostly began between 09:00 and 11:00 local time. It mostly ended between 20:00 and 22:00 local time. A normal breeze at Volos lasted about 10 hours.
On a Corfu sailing tour, wind speed is worth reading. The average peak strength of the Volos sea breeze was 2.6 metres per second. It was mostly reached between 14:00 and 17:00.
As a sea breeze builds through the day, Earth’s spin bends it. Part of the wind runs parallel to the coast. The sea-breeze front marks the edge of cooler, more moist air pushing inland.
- Beaufort force 3: On land, leaves and small twigs move constantly and light flags stretch out.
- Beaufort force 4: At this force, the wind raises dust and loose paper and moves small branches.
- Beaufort force 5: At this force, small trees that are in leaf begin to sway on land.
On ordinary etesian days, the wind normally falls to less than 10 knots at midnight. The strongest Volos breeze reached 5.9 metres per second.
How wet is the island of a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour visits an island with plenty of rain and thunder across the year. Kerkira on Corfu had 84.5 days a year with at least 1 mm of rain in 1961–1990. Thunder sounded on 55.6 days a year there on average.
On a Corfu sailing tour, the season matters for rain. In a Mediterranean climate, a weather pattern called the subtropical ridge moves toward the equator in winter. This move raises the chance of rain.
Storms are not only a summer event. Kerkira averaged 6.4 thunder days in December and 5.6 in February over 1961–1990. Hail also fell there on 4.0 days a year on average.
A Corfu sailing tour meets rain that swings between years. In the wettest December at Kerkira, 503.7 mm of rain fell. The driest December had 59.9 mm. September ranged from 1.8 mm to 236.0 mm.
One millimetre of rain equals one litre of water on each square metre of ground. The Kerkira weather station on Corfu, number 16641, stands just 4 m above sea level.
- Sound: Thunder arrives roughly three seconds later for every kilometre of distance from the lightning flash.
- Strikes: Only about 25% of lightning flashes worldwide go from a cloud to the ground.
- Mast: A lightning protector sits at the mast top, with a conductor running down to the water.
The Kerkira record shows that rain, thunder and hail are all part of the weather on Corfu. Wet and dry Decembers there are far apart.
Which boat gives way on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour boat that gives way must keep clear of the other boat. It must take early and large action to stay well clear. If it alone can no longer avoid a collision, the other boat must act to help.
On a Corfu sailing tour, two boats driven by engines can meet head on. Rule 14 says each must turn to starboard, the right side, and pass left side to left side.
Rule 15 covers two boats driven by engines when their paths cross each other. The boat with the other on its starboard side, the right side, must keep out of the way.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a sailing vessel is a boat under sail with no engine in use. A boat under sail with its engine running shows a cone, point down, at the front.
Risk of collision exists if the compass direction of an approaching boat does not change much. A change of course or speed to avoid a collision needs to be big enough to be seen.
- Overtaking: A boat that is unsure if it is overtaking another boat must assume that it is.
- Narrow channel: A boat stays as near as is safe to the outer edge on its right side.
- Fog: A sailing boat sounds one long and two short blasts, never more than two minutes apart.
The rules for sailing, overtaking, head-on and crossing apply only when boats are in sight of each other.
How do sailors find their way on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour finds its way with compasses, charts, satellites and radio signals. Sailors turn true bearings into magnetic ones. Charts are updated every month, yet can be incomplete. Position comes from GPS and dead reckoning, which uses speed, heading and time.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a compass needs correcting for declination, the gap between true and magnetic north. At Corfu, the World Magnetic Model gives 4.91375 degrees east, changing 0.0674 degrees a year.
Navigators say, “West is best, East is least,” to turn a true bearing into a magnetic one. Kelvin’s balls, two soft iron spheres set beside a ship’s compass, cancel magnetism induced in its iron.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a GPS receiver needs at least four satellites in view. Three give position, and the fourth corrects its own clock error. EGNOS, Europe’s GPS correction service, reaches the metre level.
Dead reckoning works out a boat’s position from its last known fix, speed, heading and the time passed. Errors add up, because each new position builds on the one before.
- Radio channels: AIS units send on two VHF radio channels, 161.975 MHz and 162.025 MHz.
- Small boats: Class B AIS units report every 30 seconds above 2 knots and every 3 minutes below.
- Radar reflectors: Masts at least 4.6 m above the sea give a minimum horizon of about 8 km.
The Mariner’s Handbook says that “No chart is infallible” and “Every chart is liable to be incomplete”.
How fast can a sailing boat go on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour boat has a hull speed that depends on its waterline length. A 5 m waterline gives a hull speed of 5.4 knots. A 20 m waterline gives 10.9 knots. A 30 m waterline gives 13.3 knots.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a displacement hull pushes through the water. Drag, the force that slows the boat, rises smoothly as it nears hull speed. The rise can show no clear kink at that speed.
Modern naval architects do not use hull speed. They prefer the speed-length ratio or the Froude number. With waterline length in metres, the hull speed rule uses a constant of 2.43 to give knots.
On a Corfu sailing tour, hull speed matches a deep-water wave as long as the waterline. In deep water, longer waves travel faster than shorter ones. Deep here means deeper than half the wavelength.
William Froude was born in Devon in 1810. He was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance water offers to ships. Froude also tested the Raven and the Swan hull models.
- Raven: The sharp Raven hull model had less resistance at low speeds than the blunt Swan.
- Swan: The blunt Swan hull model had less resistance at higher speeds than the sharp Raven.
- Squat: Past a speed-length ratio of 1.34, the stern squats and the bow rises.
A majority of large vessels run at speed-length ratios well below 1.0. The wake forms a V about 19.47 degrees either side of the path.
How does an anchor hold on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour boat stays put when its anchor grips the seabed. In good holding ground, an anchor digs in and holds far more. The metal blades, called flukes, hook on rocks or bury themselves in soft seabed.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a 10:1 scope gives the greatest holding power. It also lets the boat drift about much more. Heavy anchors and moorings can use a scope of 3:1 or less.
When scope is worked out, depth is measured from the bow roller to the seabed. Coloured plastic inserts in a modern chain show the crew how much chain is out.
On a Corfu sailing tour, a chain anchor line gives an entirely horizontal pull with enough scope. A rope-only line never gives that pull. Chain resists wear from coral, sharp rocks and shellfish beds.
Nylon and polyester anchor ropes sink, so they do not tangle with other boats. Polypropylene floats and is much weaker than nylon. A rope line can fail in a short time on rough surfaces.
- Breaking out: An anchor is broken out by shortening the line until the boat sits directly above it.
- Admiralty anchor: Its stock digs into the bottom and tips the anchor until one fluke digs in.
- Deadweight anchor: It holds by underwater weight on any seabed and keeps its force if it drags.
A set Admiralty anchor always has one fluke sticking up. The line can catch on it when wind or current swings the boat.
Which sieges tested the walls seen on a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour sails waters where Venice and the Ottomans fought for the island. Suleiman turned on Corfu in 1537 and later went home. The Holy League gathered ships there in 1571. Schulenburg defended it in 1716 against an Ottoman fleet.
On a Corfu sailing tour, the first siege to know came in 1537. By 14 August, Suleiman dropped his attack on southern Italy. He turned against Venice, with Corfu as the target.
The French admiral Saint-Blancard brought 12 galleys to join the Ottoman fleet in early September 1537. Bad weather and fear of plague in his camp sent Suleiman back to Istanbul by 15 September.
On a Corfu sailing tour, 1571 stands out. A scouting party warned the Holy League that about 150 Ottoman ships were plundering the coast of Corfu. The fleet took on reinforcements at Corfu.
On 19 August 1716, Janissary troops overran the St Athanasios bastion and reached the Scarpon Gate. Schulenburg drove them back. A storm on 20 August hit both fleets, and Ottoman ships suffered heavier losses.
- Lepanto galleys: Twelve galleys from Kefalonia, Corfu and Zakynthos sailed with the Holy League fleet at Lepanto.
- Defences: Count Schulenburg reached Corfu in February 1716 and strengthened its neglected defences with trenches.
- Winds: Sailing fleets struggle to enter Corfu’s bay from the south because of prevailing winds.
The Ottomans lost about 15,000 dead at Corfu in 1716, plus 56 cannons and eight siege mortars. Historians still debate why the Ottomans left.
What do visitors ask about a Corfu sailing tour?
A Corfu sailing tour raises questions about life on a boat. Boats need fresh water, safe gas and clean toilets. Sea rules cover sewage, fishing and flags. The smell of the sea comes from microbes, algae and chemicals made by them.
What happens to sewage on a Corfu sailing tour?
Sewage in the sea can harm health and spoil coasts. At sea, natural bacteria handle raw sewage, so MARPOL Annex IV bans it by distance from land. Air pumps feed oxygen-loving bacteria in boat toilets to cut smell.
How much fresh water does a Corfu sailing tour need?
Cruising yachts use 4 to 20 litres of fresh water per person daily. Small yacht watermakers make 2 to 150 litres of drinking water an hour. Reverse osmosis turns up to 50% of seawater into fresh water.
Why does leaked LPG sink on a Corfu sailing tour boat?
Butane, a gas blended with propane to make LPG, is denser than air. It weighs 2.48 kg per cubic metre at 15 °C. Propane boils at -42 °C, so it becomes gas once it leaves its container.
What are the Greek fishing rules for a Corfu sailing tour visitor?
Without a boat, a fisher can take up to 30 of each live bait kind a day. With a boat the limit is 60. The throw net called pezovolos is allowed. Longlines from the shore are not allowed.
What is the Q flag on a Corfu sailing tour?
The yellow Q flag asks for pratique, the licence to enter a port. A courtesy flag flies from the starboard spreader, an arm on the mast, of a sailing yacht. Greece’s flag has 9 blue and white stripes.
Why does the sea smell on a Corfu sailing tour?
Dimethyl sulfide is one part of the smell of the sea. It forms when microbes break down DMSP, found in seaweeds and phytoplankton, which are tiny sea plants. Ozone was wrongly blamed for the smell of sea air.