Orei was pleasant and reasonably priced except for the fact that the electricity was a card based minimum purchase of 20 euros from any of the “Tabac” like stalls along the harbour front. You could, we found out later, get 7 euro cards but the Dick Turpin Inc. we frequented seemed to boast a shortage of that variety, lol. And although they could apparently be used everywhere in Evoia this geographically would be our last planned stop on the island.
Ah well! Maybe we can use the balance next time.
We were stern too on the North quay just over the wall from a small town beach. For some reason we do not have many pictures of the actual harbour itself so I have taken one from the pilot along with a schematic to remind us.
The bottom is sand & weed, good holding but there is a 2.5ft tidal range at springs that you need to watch out for – very unusual for the Mediterranean. Coasters use the outside of the south quay & if you happen to visit the tavernas nearby when they are unloading (which we did) it’s impossible to hear yourselves talking, happily it doesn’t adversely affect drinking.
Robb & Lizzie
In ancient times Orei was an important maritime city. Above the harbour the remains of the Acropolis that guarded the city can be seen. In 1965 a Hellenistic Bull was dredged from the sea by fishermen and placed in the town square.
A load of Bull
Today it seems to have a modest summer tourist trade and a few yachts that venture into Stenon Oreou.
Views from the harbourside
We didn’t expect 10 days stay but it wasn’t too arduous having met up at differing times with Dale & Linda and Rob & Lizzie, the latter ending a rather late liquid night on Camira as a result of the noise from the trawler where they were berthed.
We, or rather Lily, made friends with a couple of boats, A Bulgarian couple with a small dog with dyed pink ears and a Dutch couple sailing a 22 ft gaff rigged dinghy – I was on it and could hardly move & both of them were well over 6ft each ! We also met a lovely Liverpudlian guy who was stuck in Orei harbour as after having bought the boat his wife decided she wasn’t keen on it and an expected friend had let him down. He didn’t feel confident enough to go off on his own. I felt quite sorry for him as he was only able to use the boat as a “caravan” but none the less he seemed to be enjoying it as best he could.
Dale, Linda & friend
The boat was not due to be hauled out until Wednesday 7th June so in the interim one day I took a walk along to Pirgos, the village where we would be taken out & the next a 12km walk to Istiaia – the nearest ATM for cash !
Walk to Pirgos – harbour off in the distance top left
The rather more risky walk to the bank
Nice square but some dodgy food perhaps ?
To be hauled out by tractor & sled was a 1st for us to be followed sooner than expected by a 2nd!
The outs and ins where relatively stress free other than on the 2nd launch when we felt a small bump which turned out to be a wee dink in the gel coat, easily fixed in the winter.
Dimitri the engineer donns his wet suit while his team on the tractor guide us aircraft like onto the sled & make us fast. He then disappears under the boat with his snorkel to chock up the hull and secure the boat. We are then pulled up the beach & across the main road into the yard.
On the 1st haul out he thinks he has sussed the issue – overlong screws used to secure the cutlass bearing, you can see the scoring on the shaft.
We are relaunched full of hope & relief and set off BUT unfortunately still have a whine! Dimitri directs us back to the harbour where he gets on board and off we go so listen to the sound – we decide to replace the “new” shaft seal in the hope that this must be the cause. So the whole process is repeated. We have done all we can seemingly do.
It’s now Tuesday 13th June & tomorrow we will leave Orei after 10 days stay, a week more than intended & also probably just in time as Lily is getting brave and venturing up into town where there are a pack of wild dogs running free. One day they had turned as a pack on another dog & it had only narrowly escaped.
It’s been a nice stop but the dogs would prevent us returning I think.
