Telltale 95
Symi and the ongoing fight with authorities.
Okay, this one is for all of you, who like to see me get into some
trouble, as a revenge for the nice life that I have. So, read on and
smirk, laugh out loud or feel sorry for the poor bureaucrats of this
world (not me!!!!)
Since I have been coming to the port of Symi (my home island for the
past two
years), I have been having "some" trouble with the port authorities
there. It is all about nothing, but still, it got out of proportion,
somewhere along the road. Like in every greek port, there are no
officials to help you berth, no docks, no help in finding a safe place
for the night or
anything else. This is part of the charm of Greece. Everyone (and every
sailor) is on its own, sometimes
leading to chaotic situations, but most of the times all works out
well as in soo many more of these "great"
small fishing ports in Greece that accomodate an influx of
(un)experienced
sailors in the summer months. As said, most of the times it is a battle
between the skipper and his boat (and sometimes the dock!!), but
nothing serious. Like in every port worldwide one has to pay a fee for
the
overnight stay, but nothing compared to Porto Cervo or Capri.
All would have been well, if it was not for two explicit reasons to
start dis-obeying the greek system:
1. They have introduced illegal fees for foreign yachts, making a clear
distinction between greek and other flagged boats. What about free
travel for people and goods within the EU for a european regsitered
boat. NOT IN GREECE. The Greek government has been taken to european
court several times and lost each and every time, but to no avail. They
simply immediately introduce a new and illegal law, basically repeating
the old one. The last time I disagreed with this "tax" I got arrested
in Pilos (and with me the rest of the crew and the boat) and was forced
to stay three days. A phone call to my own Embassy was very helpfull,
as the advise was: "Just pay, these are Greeks....not Europeans one can
debate and argue with" Thanks Embassy!
2. The greek authorities are not serious in collecting the overnight
fee. And to be honest; I would not be either, as the amount is mostly
below 10 euro a
night for an average 45 footer and a lot of paperwork has to be filled
in. So, in most ports the procedure is the following: the poor port
authority official (in complete uniform!!) makes a tour of the harbor
at
the end of the day, asking each skipper to come to the office to pay.
If you don't go....nothing happens.... 15 years experience....believe
me.
The exception to the rule
being Amorgos island some 12 years ago, where
we send the port police official away every time he came, saying that
the
skipper (i.e. me sitting in the cockpit) was not there....they came at
10 in the evening with 4 guys and I spend the rest of the night in
their company and offices... fun after all...... one must admit..
So, above listed are all the ingredients for a perfect love affair
with a port that I would be visiting many times, over the last two
years. My boat sticks out, that is obvious and I can't hide that. It
may even cause some jalousy. On top of the above: I have also decided
to ignore
the absolutely INoffcial harbor master of Symi, called Lefteri (he is
no official AT ALL). He tries to create some order in the chaos, but
most of the times only adds. By telling boats to dock here and once
that is finally completed, he tells them to go to the other side of the
port, leaving the stunned skipper with the whole operation to be done
again. So, after two times, i decided to ignore him, all in all. Of
course this did not make me the most popular guy on the dock.
And add to this: Symi is opposite of Turkey (only 10 miles) and many
boats enter Symi, coming from Turkey and that adds really to the
-bureaucratic- chaos. After all, even European registered boats must
report to the Greek authorities and customs, when entering from Turkey.
However most of them don't. Sometimes there are weeks where I go three
times up
and down between Symi and Turkey...forget about the
reporting.......... Especially as they have introduced a
tax of 15 euro for every boat that comes from Turkey, each time. What
is this for money making scheme. If I enter Corfu, coming from Italy or
Croatia, there are no such charges. Forget it, I will
object.........long and fearless....
So, stated above one has all the ingredients for a serious
hide-and-seek. The police in the role of trying to catch me on doing
something illegal and me trying to avoid as much as possible reporting,
obeying or paying.........The Tom and Jerry cartoon for grwon-ups . So,
last year they got me for a technicality in my paperwork, resulting in
me paying a 400 euro bill. Fair, I had dug my own grave on that
occasion, and I learned from it.
On another occasion, very early in spring with the whole harbor
empty, I went out to open sea for an hour, but leaving the dinghy tied
to the quay. When I came back they were waiting with 4
officials for me. A rather loud (and publicly watched by some 100
on-lookers on shore) discussion followed. About me illegally reserving
a place in
the port....ahhh no way, the whole place was empty anyway. When they
saw that
this discussion was not going anywhere, they tried to blame me for
leaving my safety-equipment (i.e dinghy) behind. Ha, now things turned
really funny, since when is a dinghy being regarded as a liferaft. So,
they publicly lost this discussion and that taught them a lesson as
they lost face openly to the locals and the
tourists. To be continued, however, I am afraid.
This year things started off more serious, with my boat being damaged
twice IN PORT by other boats, while I was up in the house. Of course
there are people who have seen this happening, i.e Lefteri, but nothing
was reported to me, leaving me to deal and pay for the damage. I get
fed up with all these damages that are inflicted upon my boat...Ayvalik
fisherman (ran away in the middle of the night), uninsured Turkish
fishing boat in Marti causing 20 mille Euro damage, leaving my
insurance company to pay the bill. And now twice in the port of Symi. I
had enough of it. And Symi port is no longer my favourite destination.
And where are the officials when you really need them?
Early June, I am once again in Symi. My paperwork (the one that is
unnecessary and illegal) says that my last port of call was also in
Greece, albeit a month ago. However - betweeen you and me- I had been
to Turkey and had left
the boat in Marti Marina for that period, while I was off to Holland. I
get summoned by the Port Police and have to report. I go over and after
a
three hour long discussion, they find a receipt of my payment to the
turkish marina for that period....OUCH, caught red handed. This led to
even more
discussion about me not reporting and the whole reason for the thing
being illegal, etc, etc. They have some understanding for my point of
view and I have some for theirs. After 4 hours I leave the office,
don't have
to pay anything (!!!???) and we are all friends again. After all, we
are neighbours and all live here.
In July I bring the boat to Turkey (and thus check out of Greece
officially) and fly to Palma de Mallorca to deliver a sailboat to
Greece. On my way back to Sylphe I decide to have a few days holiday in
Symi, by leaving Sylphe in Turkey and taking the ferry to Symi. Finally
all peace, I could sleep well in the house, without having to worry
about the boat in the port. However, my love affair with the port
police continued as they eyed me conspicious. I sat several evenings in
the port. Having an ouzo and see Lefteri create more havoc in the port,
but this time I could laugh about it. After all, my boat was not here
and not in peril of being damaged. Some more discussions with the
locals about this whole affair led me to writing an official complaint
letter about the process in Symi port, with copies to ministries,
port authority Athens and of course the local office, newspaper,
etc. The letter is attached at the bottom. As mentioned on the
bottom of the letter; sailing Sylphe back into Symi, would be asking
for
trouble. 4 days later I did exactly that.
Many locals talked to me about the letter and agreed. Clearly it had
been going around. I sailed into Symi and parked Sylphe without being
bothered by Lefteri or the Port Police. I had expected to be summoned
by the Port
Police directly, but nothing happened. To avoid further hassle and to
make sure
I was all square, I went to the Port Police office at the most quiet
moment of
the day and was duly stamped on all my paperwork by a new (female) Port
official. She clearly had no idea, who I was. Fine with me, as I was
not looking for trouble (I NEVER do.......).
A day later I say farewell to my friends on Symi, as I have to leave
for Mykonos and some 1,5 month of sailing there. By house, by friends,
by Symi, by Port police, by hassle.......
5 miles out at open sea a fast dinghy approaches and for sure, 4 port
Police Officials in it...looking for me........and finding me. This
time they clearly did not wanted any onlookers on the dockside to
witness. They board me and ask to see my papers, which I duly produce,
after all, everything is stamped and in order with greek law. One
should have seen their faces when they realised that I had been in
their own offices and had all my stamps and duties paid for. The smirk
on my face was there to be clearly
noticed. Frantic phonecalls from their side and after ten minutes they
gave up and disappeared like a very beaten dog. Sorry guys, but to
impress (or catch me) you have to do better. Maynard and I were
arrested by THIS (see picture) in Georgia in 2005:
So, you really think that a small dinghy with four guys in it, would
impress me??? Guess not.............
To be continued I am afraid........... but the score is 1 - 0 for the
stupid blond.
AHOY,
Roland
www.sail-in-style.com
OPEN LETER TO THE MAYOR OF SYMI, GREECE
Copy to Minister of Tourism, Athens
Port Authority Athens
Port Authority Rhodos
Port
Authority Symi
Journal Symi Visitor
Symi, 19 JULY 2007
SUBJECT Symi Harbor...and its problems
Dear Sir,
Lets face it, Symi Harbor is the charm of the island. Unique,
pictoresque and the attraction of the island. I will not elaborate on
its beauty, we all know it.
For us visiting yachtsman (and the daily ferries and tripper boats)
this is the place where we can land on Symi, and right in the center of
town. Great, one would think, however that is not completely the case.
I am the owner of a sailboat and have been visiting Symi for the last
three years, but my experiences have resulted in frustration and
staying away from Symi completely.
Unfortunately I speak for a larger group of people -within the sailing
community- that have decided that Symi harbor has become a place to
avoid going to. The hassle in the port with authorities and
non-official ”authorities” has become such a nightmare and source of
frustration that we no longer wish to come. What a shame and what a
loss for Symi. For sure this can not be the intention. Better go to
Panormitis or Pedi bay.
The Symi harbor has two sources of problems: one natural and one
man-made.
The natural problem consists of the fact that the harbor is too exposed
for winds from certain directions. Luckily those winds are most of the
time in the winter and cause little problem in the summer. Besides
building a new breakwater there is little one can do about this and we
will have to accept this.
The other natural problem is that it is very deep in the middle of the
harbor, ranging from 10 to 25 meters, which is a problem for ”normal”
sailboats. Basically the harbor has a deep trough (a V shape bottom)
making the anchoring and the holding of the anchor a problem. This is
why we see so many boats having trouble with anchoring and having to do
it two or more times before the anchor holds properly. Not to mention
the anchor-spaghetti in the morning when boats are trying to leave, by
being hooked onto other anchor chains. Always a nice show, every
morning again.
Filling this trough up, would easily solve the problem. A few loads of
soil dumped in the harbor and bringing the average depth to only 6-8
meters, will suit all boats and not cause a problem. A nice project
during a winter with barges bringing in the soil from construction
sites on Rhodos, for example. Could be resolved and maybe even with a
subsidy from europe???!!
The man-made problem is on a more personal level and caused by Symiots
themselves: being the Port Police and a man called ”Lefteri” (the man
with the pipe and -more horrible- his wistle). Lefteri and his
assistant are such a source of frustration, confusion and anger, that
many of us decided no longer to come to Symi.
The only people officially in charge of the port are the Port Police,
but we hardly see them around and it seems that they prefer to sit in
their airconditioned office or a cafe.
Unfortunately Lefteri has been allowed to organise the mooring in the
harbor. On whose official authority, I still have not figured out. He
has no official papers to prove this or state his authority. I asked
many times for it, but to no avail. I took a picture of him the other
day, and he got rather angry...does he has something to hide???
More importantly; he does not understand what it takes to dock a boat
or any knowledge of what is important to yachtsmen. (see the above
argument about the depth problem in Symi harbor)
When a yacht enters the port Lefteri starts blowing that horrible
whistle of his. For sure one of the biggest annoying sounds in the
harbor (funnily enough there is a parrot imitating his whistle, adding
to the confusion!!). And he points at a place to dock your boat,
although there is no logic why he wants your boat there. I have been
coming many times, even when the complete port was physically empty (in
winter and spring) and he still would insist to have my boat in an
illogical and unsafe place of the harbor. Talking with him is virtually
impossible as he speaks very limited english. For sure it is important
to have some one in this position, who will be able to communicate with
visiting yachts from all kind of nationalities, and thus being able to
speak english. Lefteri’s only form of communication seems to be blowing
his whistle even harder. Since Lefteri is the initial contact with
Symi, it would be in the interest of the community to have a welcoming,
capable and communicating person in this position.
And with a little knowledge we can fit more boats in the harbor,
believe me.
Every boat that docks in Symi is immediately handed a receipt by
Lefteri and asked to pay. For what services is completely unclear. The
receipt that Lefteri hands out, is all in greek (of course), has no
official stamp on it or referral to what is charged. I think he simply
gets the receipt book in the bookshop around the corner (they certainly
look the same). For small sailboats this charge is somewhere around 3
euro, but I am sure that for the gullets and the big motorboats the
charge is much higher.
I have seen him send away small boats, only to allow a bigger
motoryacht or gullet coming in a few monents later...some bribery going
on here??? And NO, it could not be that these boats had made a
reservation, as I have been made very clear on several occasions that
it is not possible to make a resaervation. First come, first serve.
So, what is happening with this money??? Where does it go?? Does the
community of Symi benefit from this?? Has the city council approved it
at all??
It is in the interest of the Symi community to have as many visiting
boats as possible. After all visiting boats spend money, some of them a
lot more than the average day-trip tourist that comes with the Symi
ferry. And a full harbor with boats from all kind of countries adds to
the charm of Symi.
Hydra harbor is half the size of that of Symi, but handles two to three
times more boats, every day. So, it can be done.
The solution would be: lets make the Port Police responsible for the
organisation in our beautifull port and not Lefteri. The chaos would be
less, the frustration gone and we would have more boats visiting Symi
harbor. OR, if the Port Police really does not want to come out of
their office, delegate this task to a welcoming, english speaking,
capable person on behalf of the community of Symi.
As for the official part: All visiting boats must go to the Port Police
to register and pay the official charges for visiting a greek port.
These charges are the same all over greece and very reasonable.
However, not many boat-owners go to pay this voluntarily, and this
makes sense. I am not going to bring my own rope, when they want to
hang me at the gallows either, am I?? If they want my money, they must
come for it. And give me some real services for it, like toilets and/or
showers.
In all other greek ports a Port Police official makes a tour through
the harbor at the end of the day, to ask the owners/captains to come to
the office and pay. If you don’t......well, your choice and the greek
authorities have certainly not bothered to be serious about collecting
this money (15 years of experience in greek ports). After all, a lot of
paperwork for them(two receipts and a very big register to fill in),
and that all for say 6 - 15 euro’s, depending on the size of the boat.
Can imagine that they are not really keen on collecting this. Secondly,
this money does not belong to the Symi community, but to Athens. So,
who would care.
Maybe I should not mention the following, but there are solutions (now
I am digging my own grave, already):
There is one port in Greece, Poros, where they have an easy and clever
system. The moment you dock your boat, the Port Police hands you a
receipt and you have to pay immediately. But they dont bother to see
your papers, they just ask the length of your boat and the name, and
...ready you are. They get their money and we dont have the hassle.
Good for them and cleverly done.
Another (far more!!!) effective system is for the Port Police to ask
for the ships papers upon docking. The only way to get them back is to
go to the office and pay. Very effective indeed, and used in most
Turkish and Croatian ports. A ship would never leave port without its
papers.
More Port Police frustration, but not unique to Symi: The greek
government (so nothing to do with Symi) have introduced a law some
years ago, forcing all european boats to buy a Yacht Trip Log, which
you need to get stamped regularly. This whole document (again not a
word english on it) is absolutely illegal according to european law.
After all, while sailing within the european community all european
yachts are free to travel. I dont have to fill in any papers (or report
and/or pay for that matter) when I sail into Italy, France, Malta etc,
The greek government has already been taken to european court for
this...and lost..... But still we are forced to oblige and pay.
Please note that yachts from all NON-european countries have to buy a
Transit Log (different from above) and this is completely legal, so
this would apply to all turkish boats, americans, and all these other
strange nationalities that you see on boats, like the Cayman Islands
(tax purposes only, the boat has never been there).
The last real joke is a Symi Port Police charge of 15.- (or 24,-) Euro,
when you enter Symi coming from Turkey. Serious. On what basis is
this???? Or is it just taking advantage of soo many boats coming from
Turkey?? Let me remind you, I am a european citizen, with a european
registered boat and Symi is just as much my homewater as Poole,
Marseille or Amsterdam. Why charge me when I come from Turkey??? If I
enter Greece coming from Italy I am not being charged this!
I realise that the Port Police has to follow rules from Athens, so some
of these problems/frustrations can not be resolved at local level. But
I am still convinced that with a little transparancy and good will some
of these problems can be resolved .....and certainly a lot of
frustration avoided.
I am writing this letter sitting in the garden of my house in Symi
(Yes, I also live here). I arrived by ferry and left my boat in Turkey,
as it simply is too much hassle to take my boat along, and I want a
holiday and no stress, while I am here. But a shame it still is. After
all, I have a beautifull classic boat, called Sylphe, most of you will
know her. And it looks nice to see her in the port of Symi, both for
myself as for the tourists and Symiots.
But I am afraid that I will have to stay away now, having written this
open letter.....
Yamas anyway,
Roland Bouwkamp
P.O Box 262610
85600 SYMI, Dodecanesos
Greece