Captain of the Gulf a cook ("cuoco"), a wine steward ("canever"), and two orderlies ("fanti di pizzuol"). In addition he had at his disposal a boat ("felucca") with twelve boatsmen ("caiccheri") and a rowed frigate with a captain ("padrone"), two steersmen ("timonieri"), two artillerymen ("bombardieri") and 18 rowers ("galeotti"). Captain of the Gulf The Captain of the Gulf (; ) was a senior naval command of the Republic of Venice. The post was established around 1330, when a squadron of ships was set up to patrol the "Gulf of Venice" (the Adriatic Sea) and provide protection for commerce there. Neither the squadron nor the
Gulf of Patras of 350–400 km. The port city of Patras lies to the southeast and is the only major port on the gulf. It serves ferries to Ancona and Brindisi in Italy and to Cephalonia. On the northern shore Missolonghi also has a port. The old ports of Rio and Antirrio lie at the east end of the Gulf; there is a ferry service between them which complements the traffic over the Rio-Antirio bridge. The gulf is rich in fish as well as molluscs including sea snails and clams. A number of major naval battles took place in the Gulf of Patras: