Gale force winds in much of Greece on Friday kept ferry boats docked, except in a handful of cases when the master and owners of a vessel – usually among the larger ships – submitted a course to the coast guard for approval and then took responsibility for the voyage.
Winds of up to force 9 on the Beaufort scale (with gusts exceeding 90 kilometers per hour in some cases) kept most passenger ferries and other coastal shipping docked in the main Athens-area ports of Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina.
Passengers were advised to contact agents and the shipping companies directly to inquire if one of their vessels was setting sail.
Conversely, routes from Piraeus to various Saronic Gulf destinations, which are nearer to the mainland and not as exposed as are more open sea regions of the Aegean, continued uninterrupted. A route connecting the eastern Attica prefecture mainland with the harbor town of Marmari, in southern Evia Island, was also open.
Meteorologists forecast that the wind speed would subside, somewhat, in the early morning hours of Saturday.
