ALBANIA – Porto Palermo and along the coast

The Albanian coast is long; surprisingly long.  Actually, I didn’t realize just how long it was until we started motoring north – why motoring?  Because the wind simply didn’t blow, or at least didn’t blow in the right direction.  It’s not really a problem because it does mean flat seas, and good visibility and we can poke our nose into little bays and coves for a look which we otherwise might not be able to do.

We didn’t have far to go the first day we left Sarandë – a mere 15nm – so we took our time and explored a couple of nice-looking bays.  Unfortunately they were not suitable anchorages for the anticipated wind direction later on that day so we couldn’t stay but it was nice to have a look.

Arriving at Porto Palermo some three hours later, we were amazed at the size of this lovely natural harbour.  Amazed because it is such a well-protected bay, and also that no one has thought to develop it into a marina or other water-based centre.  Of course the north end was occupied by the military (navy) during the communist era and there are still remains of the buildings, and old wharf and other detritus.  But the centre of the bay has a small isthmus at the end of which is one of Ali Pasha Tepelena’s castles, still in excellent condition.  There are also the remains of a concrete wharf to which one can tie up (although it is very high and the means with which to tie off are few and far between) – we were the first boat to arrive in the area, although we knew that our friends had left the day before, and we chose what we felt was the best (and safest) place to moor Bisou.  Waiting for us on the wharf were a young man and a policeman – the young man turned out to work at the nearby restaurant but was helpful in tying us up as we came into the wharf – and the policeman just wanted our passports (checking that we had legally stamped into Albania).  It was somewhat amusing to see the stern face on the policeman as he asked for our documents, and then, once he had written everything down in his little notebook he gave us a big smile and said “Have a nice day!”

The fortress at Porto Palermo

Some of the old, pre-communist buildings including a small church

Sunset over Porto Palermo with Bisou in the foreground

Bunkers on the hillside

Once settled, the first order of the day was to have a swim in the lovely clear and warm water!  Heaven after being in a harbour for the previous four days.  It was not long after our swim and a bite to eat that the wind started gusting from over the mountains; for an hour or so it blew up to 35 knots but we were securely fastened to the wharf and just waited it out.  When the sun came out again and the wind subsided, we went ashore to explore the castle on the isthmus.

Palermo castle, or more appropriately ‘fortress’ was another of Ali Pasha Tepelena’s constructions.  It was also used by the Italian forces that occupied Albania during WWII, as well as a prison.  The views from the fortress over the bay are lovely, especially in the soft light at the end of the day.  We returned to Bisou to find an Austrian couple moored up behind us in their catamaran and ended up going ashore with them at the local restaurant for a simple (and very cheap) dinner.

An early departure the next morning was in order as we had a long journey ahead of us to our next destination – the Albanian coast is lovely but has very few sheltered anchorages along it and the usual northwesterly winds were predicted for later in the afternoon.  As usual, there was little to no wind during the morning and we motored along the coast looking at beach resorts, cliffs and isolated coves.  In spite of the isolation of some of the coastline, the areas were peppered with concrete bunkers (apparently some 750,000 were constructed and placed along the coast during the communist era!  That’s a lot of concrete!).  We wondered how the soldiers reached the bunkers and how often they were relieved from their shifts.  Further up the coast, as we approached the Karaburun Peninsula, our charts indicated that the area was previously mined (our pilot guide reassured us that the authorities had cleared the mines many years earlier). By early afternoon, we had rounded the Karaburun Peninsula (even more bunkers and larger lookouts here) and anchored off a lovely beach in crystal clear water for a swim.  Then it was time to head into the bay of Vlore and down to Orikum Marina, the only marina on the Albanian coast! 

Built and run by an Italian-Albanian organization, the owners obviously had grand plans.  The marina is not large, but the red-brick, castle-like structure of its buildings which contain holiday apartments, and the empty ground-floor areas that were to house shops, restaurants, etc. are imposing.  The marina is run by an Italian called “Luigi” (Tad wanted to ask him if he had a brother called “Mario” but we never got around to it) and he was very helpful and friendly.  The marina is not really set up for catamarans, but they were able to accommodate us on the main key alongside a large motor yacht and we felt quite secure.  The toilet and shower block was close by and we were quite private as there were not many occupied boats around.  There are a number of beach concessions right beside the marina and a small town about a kilometer away for shopping, restaurants and ATMs.

It was while we were checking in at the marina office, and advising the agent of our intention to head to Durres in the next day or two, that we had a good look at the map of Albania in the office.  This, in addition to our conversation with the Austrian couple, of the facilities at the remainder of the harbours in Albania (they are all commercial harbours and not really equipped for yachts although they will find a place for you to stay the night), made us reconsider our need to continue northwards.  We’d already managed to get through almost a week of our one month ‘escape’ time from Greece, and we could feasibly use the remaining time to explore Albania while ‘parking’ the boat in Orikum.  So that is exactly what we did – we hired a car and planned a circular route to visit as much of the centre of Albania as we could manage in a week.