Cruising the Corinth Canal

When you say "the Canal" in the Americas, everyone assumes you’re referring to the Panama Canal. But when you’re in the Med and you say "the Canal," many sailors will understand you to mean the Corinth Canal, the 3.9-miler that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.

Built in the late 1800s, the Corinth Canal saves vessels from having to make a 430-mile journey around the Peloponneusus and up to important destinations such as Athens. Alas, it’s only 79 feet wide and 26 feet deep, so although 11,000 vessels pass through each year, they’re smaller ships, tourist vessels and yachts. A transit costs about $350 U.S.

The Pimentel family — Rodney, Jane, and sons Leo and RJ — of the Alameda-based Leopard 47 Azure II recently passed through the Corinth Canal as they are nearing the end of their two-year Carib/Med cruise, and created the accompanying video. Although the focal length of whatever lenses they used flattened the 150-ft high sandstone walls of the Canal, we thought the video was very, very funny.

In fact, we sent a copy to our kids, with whom we transited the Canal 20 years ago aboard the Ocean 71 Big O. They found it equally hilarious, and it touched off countless memories. In fact, about the only thing Lauren and Nick can remember from that summer two decades ago was of our cruising adventures in Greece and Turkey. We think that’s noteworthy.

The Corinth Canal is unique in that it has submersible bridges at each end, which, when lowered, allow vessels into the sea level canal. When the bridge is raised, children often run out on the roadbed to collect fish that got caught on it. Perhaps the most unusual type of ‘fishing’ we’ve ever heard of.