Episode 4- We discover Albania

Albania is a beautiful country, which offers many possibilities. The fact that it is not yet developed for sailors has advantages and disadvantages. You get everything from a very lively “party town” to quiet anchorages.

Sunday

On Sunday noon we arrived in Durres. The procedure is the same everywhere. Since we knew that we need an agent in Albania to clear in we called him 5SM before the port. After a short conversation and the completion of all formalities we released him then also again into his deserved free Sunday.

From Croatia we are used to the fact that it is also possible to clear in on Sunday. But in Albania there are “normal” opening hours, that means on Sunday nothing works….

Monday

On Monday we couldn’t sleep in because we had to move the boat 9:00. Durres is an industrial harbour, which means that here everything is full of ferries and tug boats. There is a small jetty for sailors, but it is also limited.

We stayed 3 days because we absolutely wanted to see Tirana. Unfortunately there are as well as in Dürres no sightseeings. Only a few parks, a theatre place and a small passage…

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning we started to Vlores. The next anchorage was 60 SM. Not exactly what you would wish for as a sailor. But what should, so we could at least still test the long trip sailing a little 😉

The bay is not quite easy. In the beginning it’s military, so it’s a restricted zone. Then there were lots of fish farms. Then we decided to anchor in front of the Marina Orikum. We lay the night quiet and could finally sleep outside again.

Thursday

We were woken up by the sunrise and started after breakfast. After Palermos it was “only” 50 SM this time. There there is something hidden a jetty to put on, but of course with Albanian charm 😉
There is a small castle to visit, with 0,75 € per person also justifiable. In the bay there is a bathing place and a restaurant.
Mooring here is free of charge.

Friday

The 15 SM to Sarande were almost a piece of cake. Here comes to refuel the tank trucks, a little outside the city. For this and for clearing out we needed an agent again…

In the actual harbour there was no place for us. But in front of it there is a big anchor field. From there we could moor directly in the promenade with the Dinghy. The big disadvantage of the harbour is that it is extremely noisy. It was a party every night, unfortunately we couldn’t sleep outside.

One of our highlights in Albania was the scooter ride followed by a visit to Butrint. A small island directly at the sea. If you like old buildings and archaeology it is a definite must 😉

Conclusion:

We acted on the advice of our agent and only went to the places discussed… In between we saw some places to anchor. But because of the permanent military and police presence we decided to go on…

It is above all a beautiful area and the costs are very low. The harbour was either free of charge or cost 10€.

Make your own experiences and discover this beautiful country.