Anchorage· Parga (mainland)· Greece — Ionian, Saronic & Argolic

Ormos Fanari Anchorage (Ammoudia)

39° 14.2′ N · 20° 28.4′ E

Ormos Fanari is the open sandy bay in front of Ammoudia village, where the Acheron, the mythical river of the dead, reaches the sea. Yachts anchor off the buoyed swimming beach and take the dinghy into the river for the tavernas and the run upstream.

Ionian IslandsSaronic Gulf & Argolic

Practical

Position is the Plaisance Pratique waypoint for Ormos Fanari (39 14'12.1"N 020 28'22.8"E). Anchor in 4-8 m on good sand that holds well; depths come up quickly towards the buoyed beach, and the lines of swimming-zone floats cut down the room to anchor. Sheltered from N and E but open to W and S. Rod Heikell warns that a strong W-NW swell wraps round the NW point and makes the bay uncomfortable, even untenable, in the summer wind; the fallback is Agios Ioannis Bay, 2 nm north. The Acheron mouth is dredged periodically to about 1.5 m, with a few jetties for shallow draught and total shelter inside; the quay inside the river is 1-1.5 m (see Ammoudia & Acheron River Mouth). Do not enter or leave the river at night, and expect breaking seas at the bar when a NW wind over force 4 meets the river current. No fuel berth: Plaisance Pratique suggests jerry cans by dinghy from Ammoudia; the nearest road stations are on the Igoumenitsa-Preveza road at Mesopotamo (Shell, 39.23735N 20.52815E, OSM), about 4 km inland. Ammoudia has small supermarkets on the beach road (Dina's Market and others, OSM) and a bakery on the main street (OSM). Mobile data on Cosmote reported in the village; VHF 16.

Best for

A sand-bottom stop for the Acheron river and the Necromanteion

Season

May-Oct in settled or E-N weather; rolly to untenable in strong W-NW swell; open to S

Nearby