Maruzza's Horizonsvideo
Coastal Sailing Adventure: Narrow Channels & Strong Currents in Greece
May 24, 2026 · 7 min · 523 views · Chalkis
Sailboat glides under highway bridge, cargo ship looms behind
What this video covers
Giuseppe sails Maruzza, a sailboat on a roughly 1,000-mile test cruise in Greek waters, through the notoriously narrow Chalkis strait between Evia island and the mainland.0:27 The passage is part of a shakedown to verify recent upgrades before a planned voyage to the coasts of West Africa.0:32 En route, Giuseppe misjudges a weather window: with a favorable tailwind five miles short of Chalkis, he stops for the night; the wind shifts 180 degrees overnight, turning a 90-minute run into a five-hour upwind slog at 40°C.1:04 He reaches Chalkis entirely under sail, including through the bridge passage against strong current.2:21 The Chalkis strait produces tidal currents exceeding 6 knots as the tide forces water through the narrow gap between Evia and the continent; the old Chalkis Bridge opens only briefly at slack water, typically around 2 a.m., to avoid blocking city traffic.3:36 Giuseppe anchors south of the bridge, waits from 9 p.m. until after midnight for the delayed opening, then transits north into the Aegean in a chaotic queue of boats.3:58 The lesson he draws: when the wind turns favorable, stop everything else and sail — over-reliance on the engine makes it easy to forget that rule.1:25
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