26 June 2024
| Metric | Details |
| Departure Time | 2230 |
| Expected Wind (max) | 5.0kn |
| Expected Wave (max) | 0.5m |
| Engine Hours | 4439 |
| Generator Hours | 1767 |
Brijuni National Park
Having the battery issue temporarily resolved, we decided to leave in the evening as it was about a 56-hour voyage to Saranda and we wanted to arrive in the morning. Leaving at 22:30 would put us in Saranda around 07:00 on July 1st. The trip was uneventful, with good weather and following seas, and we made good time. However, it was a relief to get to a marina again.
Saranda, located on the Ionian Sea, is a charming coastal town known for its beautiful beaches and vibrant promenade lined with cafes and restaurants. It’s a popular destination for both tourists and sailors, offering a picturesque view of the Greek island of Corfu just across the water. The town’s history dates back to antiquity, with several archaeological sites, including the nearby ruins of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We tied up at a marina, which was really just a short pier where they asked us to enter bow first, making it more difficult than it needed to be. The captain of the boat to our starboard was not nice, impatient, and overly worried but also unwilling to loosen his mooring a bit to make docking Anna bow first easier. It turns out he was causing trouble for everyone before we showed up.
Anyway, we were greeted by Jelia, owner of Saranda Summer Tours, who also helps ships with the paperwork to enter Albania and purchase discounted fuel. Marcel Waltzer, a good friend and Selene owner of Seabreeze, recommended Jelia as he goes often. Fuel in Albania is normally about 50% of the cost of fuel in other ports in the Med, which average around EUR 1.40 per liter. So, I was expecting to get a good deal, but the fuel was EUR 1.22 per liter, and with the registration of the boat entering Albania, the total cost was close to EUR 1.35—not much of a savings. But we got a trip to Albania for the same price. Jelia informed us that the price of diesel had increased to its current price due to the war in Ukraine.
After sorting out the fuel, we had a great salad for lunch with a few beers at one of Saranda’s many seaside restaurants. The town is also known for its vibrant nightlife and delicious Albanian cuisine, with fresh seafood being a highlight. In the evening, we went to a local pizza place for dinner, each having our own 30cm pizza. I then ordered a 60cm pizza (a 2-foot diameter pizza in imperial measure) for takeaway as we didn’t have a lot of food on board and thought this would suffice until we got to Athens—which it did!
The next morning, we set out to get the fuel and then headed south towards the Corinth Canal, which was another two days away. As we departed, we couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty and hospitality of Saranda, making it a memorable stop on our journey.