The Perfect Storm
16 September 2020 | Lakki
Maggie Fowler
The weather chart facing boats heading west
Three separate issues have conspired to create a nightmare of a problem for Brits like our friends, with boats in Turkey who would like to sail in EU waters next year. First is Brexit - the regulations will be much easier for boats that were physically in the EU on 31st December 2020. Knowing this, many Brits with boats in Turkey planned to return to Greece during 2020. (It's less than 10mls between Greece and Turkey in many places). Then there was Coronavirus - and it wasn't possible to sail in either Turkey or Greece in the Spring. Finally, in May, following growing antagonism between the two countries, Greece closed its borders with Turkey - refusing to allow people - or boats - to pass directly from Turkey into Greece. That's why our friends in Levithia were having to travel 630mls to Malta or Sicily rather than 11mls to Kos.
And to cap it all there's a hurricane in their path.
When we had a medicane 2 years ago, they said it was a once in a lifetime event - well now there's another one brewing off the coast of Africa. It's currently heading for the Ionian - it probably won't reach us in the Eastern Aegean, we just hope our friends manage to avoid it too.