Tag Archives: Kolymbari harbour

More breakwaters planned at Kolymbari beach

Old-timers in Kolymbari remember when there was a beach in front of the restaurants on the sea front. Then in the year 2000 the modern harbour was built with EU funds and changed the course of the sea currents, with the result that the beach was completely eroded and only rocks were left up against the sea wall.

The modernisation and extension of the harbour carried out from 2019 onwards included the building of three large stone breakwaters a hundred metres or so offshore with the aim of stopping further erosion and protecting the sea wall from damage caused by winter storms. Not only were the measures effective but they resulted in a build-up of sand inside the breakwaters, creating a large beach area which has been highly popular with both visitors and local residents.

An expanse of sandy beach with white and blue umbrellas and sunbeds, the sea with a line of stone breakwaters in the background.
The sandy beach created by the construction of the breakwaters has been colonised by the restaurants along the sea front, which have installed sunbeds and umbrellas for their customers.

While the sand now threatens to completely fill the area between the breakwaters and the shore, erosion still continues to the east, with the beachside road regularly broken down by the force of the waves during winter storms.

The original plan for the harbour modernisation included the construction of a total of seven breakwaters, extending the protection to the east, and as we reported last October, local residents and businessmen had been lobbying for the completion of this plan. As a posting on the Haniotika Nea website on 29th June makes clear, with the approval of a planning study by the Chania Port Authority, this has now taken a step towards fruition:

Kolymbari: breakwaters to stop the erosion
A first step towards the construction of four more breakwaters at Kolymbari was taken with the receipt and approval of the relevant plan by the Ports Committee of the Port Authority of Chania.

A beachside road runs into the distance, its surface eaten away by the action of the waves.
Unprotected by breakwaters, the road which runs alongside the beach towards the east is regularly broken down by winter storms.

Among those present at the meeting of the Ports Committee was the Mayor of Platanias Giannis Malandrakis, who told Haniotika Nea: “The plan was accepted, there were a few minor additions and now we will have to go to Athens to get it approved by the Special Environmental Inspection Service of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, which may not be so easy, and after that the way is open for us to seek funding.”

The three breakwaters which were installed five years ago had the effect not only of stopping the erosion at Kolymbari, but also creating a very large expanse of beach. However, the erosion is continuing to the east.

“The four breakwaters will extend the anti-erosion protection towards the east and its possible that with a coastal engineering study we can adjust their dimensions so as to better confine the sand, so that the sandy beach stops spreading towards the sea,” the Mayor said.

More capacity in the harbour
Although classified as a fishing harbour, in recent years Kolymbari harbour has been used by many tourist and associated boats for visits to Menies, to Balos and the Gulf of Chania. The plan also contains provision for the construction of a pontoon like those in the Old Harbour in Chania, at the point where the crane is located, in order to increase the number of moorings. It is also proposed to extend the quay so that more and larger ships can tie up alongside.

A concrete quayside with lamp standards, a slipway for boats, and a large gantry-type crane.
To provide more capacity, a pontoon with moorings is planned at the point where the crane now stands.

(Haniotika Nea 29/06/26)

Platanias acquires the old Magistrates’ Court in Kolymbari

On Monday 10th November, the Ministry of Justice signed over the building which formerly housed the Magistrates’ Court (Eirinodikeio) in Kolymbari to the Municipality of Platanias for use by the municipality and local social organisations. At an announcement to the press the following day, the Deputy Immigration Minister and MP for Chania Sevi Voloudaki said that this was an issue which had been first raised with the then Justice Minister in 2021 [by her late husband, the Chania MP Manousos Voloudakis], but had ground to a halt. It had then been taken up again recently, initially with the Deputy Justice Minister Giannis Bougas and then the Minister Giorgos Floridis, resulting in the signing of a ministerial decision for the assignment of the building to the Municipality.

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Journalistic clichés and the Blessing of the Waters

Journalists everywhere, no doubt, use stock phrases to describe the events they report on, but they may be more evident in a foreign language, rather than in one’s own where they are, as it were, part of the furniture. Greek reporters seem particularly prone to this habit, and especially in local media such as the Haniotika Nea. Thus, criticisms of politicians by other politicians are always “sfodres epitheseis” (withering attacks), damage to property and crops from natural phenomena are always “vivlikes catastrofes”(biblical catastrophes), and the victims of such catastrophes are always described as “se apognosi” (in a state of desperation), especially if government help seems to be slow in coming.

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The Blessing of the Waters returns to Kolymbari

After an intermission of a couple of years caused by the coronavirus pandemic, on Friday January 6th the ceremony of the Blessing of the Waters, which marks the feast of Epiphany in the Greek Orthodox Church, was once again celebrated at Kolymbari harbour.

Epiphany, known in the Eastern Church as Theophany, marks the end (the 12th day) of the Christmas period. Both words have Greek roots: “epifaneia” means “appearance” or “manifestation”, while also being used in modern Greek as the word for “surface”; “theofaneia” means “divine manifestation”. In the Western tradition it is associated with the visit of the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus, but in the Eastern Orthodox church the association is with the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. The feast is also known vernacularly in Greek as “Fota” (“Lights”). In both cases it is symbolic of the revelation of Christ as God incarnate.

The baptism of Christ is considered to be of triple significance: according to Wikipedia, “the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist marked one of only two occasions when all three Persons of the Trinity manifested themselves simultaneously to humanity: God the Father by speaking through the clouds, God the Son being baptised in the river, and God the Holy Spirit in the shape of a dove descending from heaven”.

Like baptism, the Blessing of the Waters ceremony is a ritual of purification. All over Greece, and among established Greek communities in the rest of the world, the public and local clergy gather at the nearest suitable stretch of water and, after a series of prayers, the officiating priest throws a cross into the water and local youths dive in to retrieve it. The person who gets the cross receives the blessings of the bishop, which will bring good luck to him and his family for the rest of the year. Although primarily a male-dominated ritual, it is by no means exclusively so, and newsreel shots from around the country often show women taking part, albeit in fewer numbers.

Swimmers dive into Kolymbari harbour
Thirteen swimmers leap into the harbour to retrieve the cross at the Blessing of the Waters. Kolymbari, 6th January 2023.

The event in Kolymbari, as elsewhere, is a big social occasion, with people enjoying the opportunity to breathe some sea air and greet friends and acquaintances with a handshake and the customary “Chronia polla”, or if they have not already had the opportunity, “Kali chronia” (Happy New Year). The cafés and restaurants around the harbour are packed as parties of families and friends gather for a coffee before the ceremony or for meal afterwards.

Boats release flares in Kolymbari harbour
Small craft in the harbour let off flares to celebrate the retrieval of the cross.

This Friday the ceremony got under way shortly after midday, presided over by Father Dionysios from the church of Agia Marina in Kolymbari. Also present on the rostrum on the quayside were Amphilochios, Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selino, the director of the nearby Orthodox Academy of Crete Dr Kostas Zorbas, and the mayor of Platanias, Giannis Malandrakis. As the weather was warm and sunny the swimmers were not obliged to stand shivering on the quayside as so often happens, and launched themselves with gusto into the water as the cross was thrown. The victorious swimmer took the cross back to the waiting priests, while the assembly of fishing and leisure boats in the harbour sounded their sirens and let off emergency flares – a convenient occasion for disposing of their old stock, which has a limited shelf life.

Platanias mayor Giannis Malandrakis addresses the crowd at Kolymbari harbour
The mayor of Platanias, Giannis Malandrakis, concluded the proceedings by wishing all those present a happy and prosperous year ahead.

The ritual was repeated three times in all, with the cross being thrown for the last time by Metropolitan Amphilochios. While more often it is thrown only once – no doubt to spare the swimmers the shock of diving repeatedly into the cold water – the full, correct ceremony is the triple one, as local friends informed us, being symbolic of the Trinity.

Similar ceremonies were being held across the country and around the world – at different intervals according to time zone. What is claimed to be “the largest Epiphany celebration in the Western Hemisphere” is organised by the Cathedral of St Nicholas in Tarpon Springs Florida, the largest Greek community in North America, which is twinned with the city of Chania. In Australia, Archbishop Makarios was scheduled to officiate at ceremonies in Sydney on 6th January and Melbourne two days later.

In Istanbul prayers were held in the garden of the Greek Patriarchate at Fener. The congregation then proceeded to the shores of the Golden Horn where Patriarch Bartolomeos threw a cross into the sea, and as reported on Greekreporter.com, “Twenty people promptly jumped into the frigid waters to retrieve it…. Thanos Apostolakis, who said he came from the island of Crete, was the one who succeeded in grabbing the cross.”

In Athens, the Blessing of the Waters took place at Hadrian’s Reservoir in Dexameni square, Kolonaki – the Roman monument is opened once a year for that purpose. Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Ieronymos performed the ritual at Piraeus, with opposition leader Alexis Tsipras in attendance.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Gavdos for the occasion, the first prime minister to do so since 1996. His presence was a highly symbolic one, considering that the far-flung island is one of those, Greece’s sovereignty over which has been specifically questioned by the Turks. “Greece does not accept suggestions on how to assert its sovereign rights,” Mr Mitsotakis said in a speech.

The President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou was on the island of Lemnos for the celebration of Epiphany. “Today brings the message of the victory of light over darkness. Light which modern man seeks so that it may flood his heart with hope, especially in times of difficulty. Celebrating Epiphany on the frontier island of Lemnos, I wish long life and enlightenment for all,” she said.

Kolymbari beach is expanding

The construction of the new Kolymbari Harbour with EU money a few decades ago was no doubt seen as a project to promote development in the area, but in practice it created a number of problems which are only now being addressed. The harbour was apparently designed with little reference to local weather conditions, the entrance being left open to the East so that in rough weather the prevailing north-easterly winds brought waves surging right into the basin and there was no safe mooring except in the small fishing harbour at the back.

In addition the harbour construction altered the pattern of currents along the coast, with the result that Kolymbari beach was eroded and the stretch in front of the restaurants was reduced to a narrow band of rocks. In rough weather the waves would crash against the rocks, drenching passers-by on the promenade above, and winter storms would regularly break down the sea wall and cause damage to the buildings behind it.

A second phase of building, begun in 2019 and only now nearing completion, sought to remedy both of these failings. The northern sea wall was extended outwards at an angle, protecting the harbour entrance from the winter storms. A major replanning removed the small fishing harbour from its original site, which has been filled in and concreted over, creating a space for events, extended car parking, and an area in front of the Argentina and Dyktina restaurants where they can place extra tables during the summer. A new, enlarged fishing harbour sited against the outer sea wall is equipped for mooring larger vessels, and can provide protection for recreational craft during the winter, as well as for the few local fishing vessels which are still active.

Kolymbari beach

Equally importantly, as part of a plan to reduce erosion, three long breakwaters have been created in a line some 200 metres from the shore. The effect has been startling. Aided by importations of sand and gravel, the area in front of the restaurants now boasts a beach some 20 metres wide which has been rapidly colonised by sunbeds and umbrellas belonging to the adjacent restaurants and holiday apartments. The lagoon between the breakwaters and the shore is calm except in fairly rough weather, and has become a favourite bathing place for both locals and visitors. There is even a shower provided by the municipal authority. There has been talk of building a further four breakwaters in line towards the East, which would undoubtedly transform the currently rather bleak Kolymbari foreshore.

Further planned improvements to the harbour include the installation of power and water points on the quayside for visiting yachts, whose number has increased this year along with the general post-pandemic rush of visitors. However, it has to be said that the changeable weather conditions and the lack of facilities along the coast towards Chania mean that it is unlikely that the area will become the yachtsman’s paradise of the Dodecanese and some other Greek islands.