The Ballad Exchange

And, finally, part 4.

Thank you very much, Nicholas! Those are excellent photos of a really beautiful place. Also timely, as it is still below freezing here with snow and house-shaking wind. A little view of Spring helps a lot.

What are the general rules for anchoring, tying off ashore, or walking beaches or trails in the Mediterranean? In the USA, anchoring is mostly allowed except in special places, all beaches are (theoretically) public property to the high tide line, but otherwise most shoreside land is private and walking is not allowed.

Hi Bob:

I can't speak for the entire Med but in Greece you can anchor pretty much anywhere you want to. Obviously, this excludes bays that are adjacent to Naval bases or spots where they are underwater cables (there're signs to warn you off). There's no such thing as private property on the shoreline, with the exception of hotels--even in these cases you can anchor in the bay and swim or row ashore. Same is true with walking beaches or trails. At any rate, I think the law states that you cannot build within 150 meters of the coastline but, this being Greece, laws can be interpreted very creatively. What makes this country so attractive cruising-wise is that they're thousands of secluded bays and coves that you can anchor in and, no matter what the wind direction is, you can find shelter. Having said that, a good anchoring system and long-ish stern lines are a must.

Nicholas