The Corinth canal

301_5231 [Corinth canal]

The Corinth canal is about 70 km west of Athens

and connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic gulf.

Since its completion in 1893,

it has allowed ships to continue their voyage through a canal of only 6,4 km,

instead of having to sail for an extra 700 km in order to bypass the Peloponnese.

 

I have been at the canal a number of times but

only once have I had the chance to see a ship being towed.

For a moment,

the view looked strange and I started wandering why it was towed,

but as I was told later,

whether a ship is towed or not

depends on its size, the nature of its cargo, and its mechanical state.

On the other hand,

small commercial and recreational vessels navigate the canal using their own engines.

That was for me a unique, personal photographic experience

which I thought I could share with you.

 

By the way,

recreational boats navigate the canal every weekday

and they provide probably the best way for one to explore the canal

and experience the scale of the limestone walls which rise 79 m above the water

or

to see bridges submerging into the water to let ships sail unimpeded!