Storm Daniel, safe anchorage, Porto Heli, thunderstorm, Greece
The day after the meeting with Daniel

Storm Daniel – a scary encounter in an anchor bay (1/2)

Storm Daniel was forecast. But we were prepared and had found a safe anchorage in Porto Heli. Still, it was a frightenlng encounter

Storm Daniel the conception

Now that it was the end of summer, the sea began to release warmth. But only at night. Hard to believe. We were still struggling with the temperature at night and the early morning hours were nowhere near cool.

But off Libya there was already low pressure over a large area. It would be filled with cooler air from a high pressure area over land north of Greece.

Perfect.

This meant that we would have the wind with us when we sailed south to Porto Heli, where we were to meet Tom in Alifrina. 

The meeting between the high and low pressure would not go quietly. It would bring thunder. A weather phenomenon that is surrounded by mystery and myths. Probably because natural science doesn't fully understand it (yet). 

It would also rain and blow strongly. 

It was so certain that the meteorologists had already given it a name. Storm Daniel they called it. Almost like parents giving their child a name before it is born.

The bay in Porto Heli is known as a "hurricane hole". Dimitris, who knows the local conditions, confirmed this with a "you're gonna be ok there".

When the wind as predicted changed to north, we left Poros. Pulled out the sails and enjoyed the downwind on the 30 nautical mile southerly sail.

Porto Heli

On entering Porto Heli, you pass a few small bays. Here are large villas with a boat or two on a pontoon at the coast line.

The area radiates fashionable or perhaps rather discreet luxury. This is where the now deceased ex-King Konstantin and his Danish wife Anne-Marie settled when they were allowed to return to Greece in 2004.

A marina was built in the innermost part of the large bay a few years ago. Almost all the boats are permanent residents.. A few have professional crews. They live on the boats and look after them as if they were their own.

The marina is well managed. You book a place by phone, e-mail or the Navily app. On arrival, you call on the VHF. Get permission to enter. Are received by a couple of marinoros who assist with mooring and connecting shore power and water. If you need help later, you call on the VHF. Then a marinero comes rushing in a smart electric golf cart with room for a couple of passengers in the back seat.

There is also berths for guests.

But the town quay is a tough competitor. Here it is usually free to stay for a night or two. The guest berths in the marina are therefore not very well visited.

At anchor in the bay

There were only a few boats in the bay. At a long distance, we spotted a boat with a white freeboard in the far end. At the top was a wide blue stripe and Dannebrog sat on the flagpole aft. It had to be Tom in Alifrina. 

We sailed over to him.Dropped the anchor in the 4 meter deep water. Pulled out almost 40 meters of chain. Put full power on the engine, causing the anchor to dig deep into the soft bottom. Gave a little more chain and put the reliever on.

So. Now we were securely anchored. Close to the marina and with a reasonable distance to Alifrina, but no further than we could easily visit each other.

We have a weakness for marinas. In the morning we jumped into the turquoise colored water and swam around Heron. And yes. We had to admit that life at anchor 'can also do something', as they say in modern Danish

And if needed, we could spend a night or two in the marina.

Among friends again

No one left the bay the next day. During the afternoon, more boats joined.

One sailed close by. Only then did we see that it was Tina and Niels-Jørgen in Pupu, whom we sailed together with on the trip from Preveza to Athens last year. They came from nearby Ermioni and thought it would be safer to be in Porto Heli during the storm.

Now we were three Danish boats in the bay.

Before dinner we all met on Pupu and the next day we sailed into town with Tom in his dinghy. Got rid of some rubbish, did a few purchases and had a cup of coffee at a cafe next to the city quay.

 »It is the climate change« said the cafe owner when we got to talking about storm Daniel. »It will be bad. But you're gonna be ok here. Never any lightning in Porto Heli. It is a safe anchorage « he reassured us.

...Why don´t we

The weather forecast didn't look too good.

Rain from late evening for the next 36 hours and occasional thunder.

At anchor in rain and thunder for 36 hours? and a water tank that was almost empty. 

We called the marina.

"No sorry. We are fully booked" was the reply

..WTF

There had been plenty of free berths when we were there last year at the same time. You could not bunker fresh water on the city quay and now the wind had picked up. That ruled out sailing back and bunkering water in our safe berth with Dimitris on Poros.

So yes.

Rationing of fresh water to the most necessary.

I´m a professional

Several boats entered the bay.

We had obviously chosen an attractive spot. Many wanted to be close to us, even though there was much more space elsewhere.

There are no rules about how close you can anchor to another boat. But it is good practice to anchor with a greater distance if the nearest boat requests it. 

We ended up requesting this many times that afternoon.

But when a catamaran tried to anchor too close and the skipper replied "Don't worry. I'm a professional, I will be on watch all night and put out more chain if necessary" we gave up on following up on our "You are too close" 

Now we entered a night of bad weather with a neighbor too close.

…But

"Skipper is a professional after all. So don´t you think he know what he's doing?" as Tom asked rhetorically when we had a visit from him and Tina and Niels-Jørgen before dinner.

God knows how many times we read the weather forecast closely. Discussed our options and were somewhat reassured when Niels-Jørgen concluded

"I don't think you're safer in the marina. They are only pontoons. They can blow away as easily as nothing. This is a safe anchor bay'

Storm Daniel – full born

Before sunset, the sky was covered with black clouds. No doubt. The storm was coming. 

"No, let's come back. Now Jørgen," said Tina with a slight desperation in her voice. Understandable. Last year in Sicily there had been a thunderstorm while they were at anchor. A boat had started dragging. Had caught their anchor chain and pulled them towards the shore. Miraculously they had got off and, shaken, they had seen the other boat being washed up on the beach.

Before midnight we saw the first lightning. 

By reflex we counted.

A case of beer, two ca…

and then came the thunder.  

Shattering, deafening, frightning, and so close that the pressure of the sound wave shook everything, including us. 

And then it went mad.

Lightning after lightning. Some so close that the flash came at the same time as the thunder. Others were further away. Maybe a few hundred meters. 

36 hours. No now only 34 hours

An hour later the wind came.

In an instant it went from light to what in the darkness seemed like a hurricane. Heron heeled and pulled hard on the anchor chain. The anchor held. Good thing we had set it thoroughly.

Would it continue to holdf? Most likely.. Still, we started the engine and gave a bit of throttle forward to reduce the pressure on the anchor gear. As an extra measure we turned on the windlass. Then it would be faster to pull the anchor up if it became necessary to act quickly to avoid a collision. (As with, for example, the catamaran with the professional skipper).

Phew 36 hours, no now only 34 hours in a hurricane at anchor with the engine running?

But the hurricane-like wind was fortunately short-lived. It disappeared as quickly as it had come.

A little later, Tina wrote on Messenger

“Is everything alright with you? OK here, but the wind blew hard at the bimini”

"OK. Except for a CAT that is a bit close” replied Pia.

And from Tom it sounded "Everything ok here"

Nice with contact and good to know that the others had also coped with the strong wind.

The flashes of lightning and thunder continued as the rain came. Big heavy drops that came whipping down vertically with a force and density we had never experienced before.

One less problem

There was activity on the boats around us. Several drifted and had to pick up the anchor and reanchor. A difficult, if not close to impossible maneuver in that weather.

The catamaran with the professional skipper was in trouble and was trying to raise the anchor. Finally they succeeded and they sailed towards the marina. Why? Had the crew been frigthend ? Had the skipper given up reanchoring? We didn't find out and didn't see the professional skipper, the crew or the boat since.

Then we had one less problem. But not for long.

Skipper lonely

Another boat suddenly came close. Wasn´t it? Yes, it was Tom in Alifrina. Mysterious. Had he started drifting? and would he hit us?

But he didn't hit us, and as he slipped past once more, he shouted through the thickening rain "I've lost the rudder"

Skipper Lonely in that weather without being able to manoeuvre.

…Phew and we couldn't do anything but watch.

After a short time he luckily managed to find the emergency rudder. Now he gained enough control to steer towards a motor yacht moored alongside the pontoon in the marina.

It was crowded with people on the big motor yacht and through the rain, we heard a voice shouting “I am the captain. It is my decision”. Did he refuse to help? A couple of crew members came rushing in with huge fenders. Well. Phew. Now it seemed they were finally helping him.

A boat is on fire

Tom and Alifrina had hardly reached safety before we discovered flames 400-500 meters away.

"Oh no, a boat is on fire" Pia exclaimed as she aimed the binoculars at the fireball.

Shocked and horrified, we stared over there. Unbelievable that something could burn in the heavy rain. But the flames had a good hold and once in a while the wind carried the smoke from burning fiberglass over towards us. Eventually the flames got smaller and then disappeared completely. 

What had happened? How did the boat catch fire? Had it been manned? Had the crew been saved? What if we also caught fire?

When you hear the thunder

We turned off the engine and windlass. Put on life jackets and found the waterproof grab bag with the essentials. Then, without talking about it, we made a shift schedule. One kept a lookout in the cockpit, while the other sat and dozed off on the berth amidships.

A few hours before dawn, a message came from Tom

“Hey just for info. Don't know what happened. Either I hit a boat or vice versa. The anchor lost its grip and the boat lost control. Now alongside on a yacht at the bridge. Everything OK here”

The rain and thunder continued unabated. But as frightning as the thundercalps were, as bizarre as it may sound, they were also somewhat soothing.

After all, we weren't hit if we heard the clap.  

A little calmness

At dawn the thunder stopped. An hour later we were startled when an alarm went off. It was from the mobile phones. SMS from the Emergency Management Agency with the message

“Warning against severe weather. Everyone is advised to stay indoors and follow the instructions of the authorities”

Maybe a little late. But still not. The storm was by no means over.

The weather forecast said a few hours of calmness and then rain, rain and rain and during the night thunder again.

"Nobody leaves the marina in this weather," complained Maria from the marina on the phone. But she continued consolingly, "I promise to call if there is a free place"

Out again

But she didn't call when a big black rib left the pontoon. The skipper threw a line to Tom. He tightend it in bow. Then the rib throttled the two large outboard motors and towed the Alifrina away from the pontoon.

≫Where are they dragging you to?≪ shouted Pia as Alifrina sailed close past us once more.

≫I don't know≪ we managed to hear Tom reply as the big rib continued out towards the gap of the bay. In the binoculars we could see that he anchored there. 

A little later he wrote that he was going to the Port Police and if one of us wanted to go with him.

Then what happened

When he had come over to us, he told us what had happened later that night.

He was soaking wet and exhausted. Still, the captain had ordered him to climb aboard the motor yacht immediately. A few crew members escorted him to the Port Police Office. It was only a few hundred meters from the marina. But he had seen enough to understand how extreme the storm was.

Rainwater gushed down from the higher lying areas. Cars were washed off the road and out to the shore line. Or stood buried in the masses of water in the parking lot.

When he had finally arrived at the station, he had told what had happened and shown the papers on the boat. But still an officer had asked him to meet at the station the next day.

The visit to the police had been important.

When he had come back, the captain had finally been friendly. 

At the police

»Oh there you are« exclaimed an officer kindly when we entered the door of the station.

Then he wrote a name and a phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Tom. 

"Here is the number of the person who towed you. You may want to call him to arrange payment"

Was that all?

Yes, obviously. The officer continued to tell us that the storm was not yet over and that we should hurry back and stay on the boats.

Did they know anything about the burning boat?

"Yes, it burned down and sank. It was 60 foot catamaran with 7 people on board" the officer told "It was struck twice by lightning. The first time all the electrical went. The second time it caught fire" but he finished triumphantly "We were out there quickly and saved them all."

And then just one more trip

When we got back it started to rain. Strong, but less violent than at night. Even so, we were out a couple of times emptying the dinghy when it had filled with rainwater.

At night it started to thunder again, but this time the cafe owner was right.

The thunderstorm passed around Porto Heli.

Only at dawn did a single bolt of lightning strike us. 

But we heard the thunder clap

...and then we knew we hadn't been hit.

Postscript

Storm Daniel claimed 15 lives in Greece. A few days later it reached Libya. It became the strongest storm to hit the African continent so far. The devastation was enormous. 5.000 people died and over 10.000 were reported missing.

Links 

Facts about Storm Daniel

Ianos the Medican 

 

Film : Watch the video about the report

 

Thank you for reading the story 

We love hearing from readers.

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Christer o Annette
Christer o Annette
December 29, 2023 16:11

Who needs a detective/horror novel when you can get a story from Carl o Pia. Good to understand that you passed is fine.
Jump for better weather in the new year.

Klose
Klose
December 29, 2023 17:23

Phew, almost forgot to breathe 😁 . Always good to read your reports. Thanks

Pia
Pia
December 29, 2023 17:58

My dear, thank you for an exciting report, keep it up I must say. I am in Sweden with Pia and Carsten to spend New Years. I will say hello many times from here.
I/we wish you a happy New Year and a greeting to children and grandchildren.
kh Pia🎉🥂🍾

Alexandra
Alexandra
December 29, 2023 18:29

Something dramatic almost always happens when sailing. Thanks for the story it was exciting

Susanne Nielsen
Susanne Nielsen
December 29, 2023 19:53

Then hold up an experience you have had. I experienced and Daniel and the weather that followed with lightning and thunder in the distance all night and the rain that poured down, and then a very violent storm. But unlike you, I experienced it from the land side, but couldn't get out of the hotel for a few days.
Glad you got through it all.
Etc. Susanne ❤️

Viggo Peetz
Viggo Peetz
December 30, 2023 12:31

I come to think that ¨sailing is like going fully clothed in a cold shower and tearing a 100 krone saddle string to pieces¨Thanks for the crime, and Happy New Year.

Tina Hansen
Tina Hansen
December 31, 2023 13:01

Thanks for a really good report 🙂

Thank you, we are over Christmas, although there has been a lot of illness and busyness. Hope you had a good Christmas too. Also a very happy New Year to you, and thanks for the fun times in Greece 🙂

Many greetings from Niels Jørgen and Tina 

Jørgen Alkil
Jørgen Alkil
December 31, 2023 13:51

Hi dear Carl and Pia, what honesty and what drama at sea Good to escape the incident which was harrowing to read about – You seem to be able to keep calm and act quickly and thoughtfully – Fantastically captivating and – as usual – professional well-edited and well-written report - thanks for the film. It is a story that leaves traces and provokes thought. Let me now wish you continued luck and happiness and as a New Year's wish put forward the wish for peace in the world for all the unnecessary wars and man-made accidents. The year that passed can hardly... Read more »

Peter Pålsson
Peter Pålsson
3. january 2024 8: 42

For a land crab like me, everything sounds like a long nightmare. It's great that everything went well for you and your Danish friends until the end!🙏

Jan
Jan
3. january 2024 12: 51

Thank you for an exciting report with accompanying film. As usual, well told and well filmed. Add for a storm that you experienced there. The weather right now and here can remind you a bit of what you were out for - funny enough! By the way, Carl: Congratulations on turning 70. Hope to see you sometime during the spring? Kh. Mette & Jan

Anne Cramer
Anne Cramer
4. january 2024 11: 59

Heaven and hell at once. Add for the lead. Goosebumps and palpitations as I read the report. Trembling.

Peter Michael Woldike
Peter Michael Woldike
4. january 2024 12: 00

Terrible

Karine Thomas
Karine Thomas
5. january 2024 17: 57

It's been FRIGHTENING! We were also on our yacht in Porto Heli that night – and it was our worst experience in 6 years sailing the Aegean. Watching the yacht burning – it seemed to burn for hours, we too put on lifejackets and discussed an emergency plan if we were hit by lightning – the rescue effort by Porto Heli Police was yes, very quick with the burning yacht – the weather was treacherous but they were out there – all kudos to them! An issue for us anchored more in the middle of the bay was one American... Read more »

Ineke Mul-Muller
Ineke Mul-Muller
7. january 2024 14: 55

But it's all ok now

Torben WR Jensen
Torben WR Jensen
16. April 2024 7: 56

Crazy 😳 good that you managed it all in a good mood 👍🏻

Soren Kjær
Soren Kjær
16. April 2024 8: 16

A good story
Thunderstorms in the Mediterranean can be scary 
Really scary

Judith
Judith
16. April 2024 11: 34

Wow! Scary, but extremely well written

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