Readers favourite Anchorages of the World
We’ve told you some of ours, now we’re showcasing your favourite anchorages.
Lakka
From Ocean Sailor Reader John Buckley
Location: Lakka, Paxos, Ionian Sea, Greece
Coordinates: 39° 14.251’N 20° 07.966’E
Seabed: Fairly good holding in fine sand
Protection: Very good from all directions in the inner part of the anchorage as marked with an. The outer anchorage can be affected by wind and swell from the North although they generally both die away in the late evening.
This is a must-stop if you’re in the area. It’s a short sail south from Corfu Greece and only a few hours hop over from the mainland of Greece where there are also some excellent anchorages at Syvota or Parga.
Paxos, and Lakka in particular, is how you might imagine a tiny Greek island should be.
Ashore there is a beautiful picturesque waterfront with a few very Greek bars and after a short meander up the narrow cobbled streets, you’re in a cluster of small piazza’s which are surrounded by typical greek restaurants and tavernas. The restaurants pride themselves on serving typical Paxos dishes that are both very tasty and different from the regular Greek menus you find elsewhere.
There are many very good restaurants in Lakka but one that stood out for us was O Diogenis, try the Paxos Moussaka. It’s excellent but the herb and lemon marinated lamb chops are right up there too.
Limited food supplies are available in the ambitiously named ‘supermarket’, more like mini market. Fifty percent of the shelf space is thrown over to wine, Ouzo and Metaxa, the excellent Greek brandy! I think the stock profile may have been significantly influenced by the demands of visiting yachties, of which there are many.
This anchorage is very busy in the summer months and I would advise planning to arrive here in mid to late morning as many boats leave in search of the next idyll. By 15:30 the anchorage will be filling up fast, by 17:00 the only spaces left may be in the outer anchorage near the entrance, which is much more affected by swell.
Getting into the inner anchorage will require crossing over a shallow bar. I would not advise yachts with drafts deeper than 2.5m to try because the tidal range here is very small, a few inches or so, so if you get stuck the tide won’t help.
Lavezzi
From Ocean Sailor Reader Jon Petersen
Location: The Lavezzi Archipelago, Strait of Bonifacio, Tyrrhenian Sea
Coordinates: 41°20.308’N 9°15.001’E
Seabed: Good holding in sand
Protection: Well protected, especially from the afternoon Mistral from the north
Although close to Corsica, these islands have an atmosphere of their own. In particular, Lavezzu is populated with the ghosts of the wrecked French Frigate Semillante that met her end here in 1855. Two memorial cemeteries hold the remains of the crew.
In light winds towards early evening, Gavetta our Beneteau 40, made her way cautiously past the Monumento al Naufragio della Semillante to port and rocky outcrops to starboard until our anchorage just 50 metres off the Plage de la Cala di U Lioni. After dropping anchor and securing Gavetta to ensure she didn’t swing onto the nearby rocks, we rowed our dinghy the short distance to the beach where we set up camp for the evening. We lit a bonfire and set up a BBQ for the evening’s feast. We swam in the tranquil bay trying to imagine the demise of a grand lady of the French fleet; difficult in such a naturally beautiful spot.
As the sun dropped into the sea and the bonfire grew in stature in the clear night sky, the irregular rock backdrop only metres from our campfire echoed an eerie symphony as the wind rose and fell. The conversation veered back towards the tragedy of 128 years earlier with the memorials only a short distance away, our imaginations did the rest. The flames flickering on the rocks gave them a life of their own and we invited them in to join in our evening of feast and song. The party was in full swing helping us all to remember that we may never return to such a beauty spot, and that we should make the most of it. After much merrymaking into the small hours, it was time to return to our respective vessels. We cleared away the debris and extinguished the fire.
Bozukkale
From Ocean Sailor Reader Jean Groenewald
Location: Bozukkale, The Bozburun Peninsula, Turkey
Coordinates: 36°34.108’N 28°00.925’ E
Seabed: Good holding in mud and sand
Protection: There are positions to take shelter from any wind direction. Large mountains surround the bay
When sailing the coast of Turkey, you are almost guaranteed to sail south of Bodrum to experience the beautiful coastline of Fethiye and further south to Antalya. Bozukkale is a must stop at anchorage that is located halfway between Bodrum and Göcek on the Bozburun peninsula. The large bay has safe spots to anchor to allow protection from any wind direction.
The remains of an ancient castle watch over the bay from a hilltop at the entrance giving the bay its name, Bozukkale, ‘Broken Castle’ in Turkish. The remains of the ancient city of Loryma is located on the northern end of the bay.
The bay played a strategic role throughout history as a safe staging point for naval fleets prior to battles in the region. Notably, it was used in 394 BC as a staging point before the Battle of Cnidus at modern-day Knidos between the Achaemenid Empire and the Spartan naval fleet.
There are three restaurants in the bay with piers that all cater for yachts. The villagers bake fresh bread in their stone ovens which you can buy in the mornings. We anchored close to the first restaurant at the foot of the castle ruins which is a good place to take in the sunset before dinner. No problems getting alcohol at this restaurant, indeed the proprietor seemed to have sampled the entire wine list prior to our arrival! The staff were friendly and cooked up a deliciously fresh, fish dinner for us.
What’s your favourite anchorage?
Would you like your favourite anchorage featured in Ocean Sailor Magazine? If so, send the anchorage details with a brief description of why you like this anchorage, photos, showing the layout of the anchorage ideally, plus the primary details: Location, coordinates, seabed type and protection.
