Yacht Charters and Flotilla Sailing in Greece

Greek Islands Flotilla

Flotilla sailing is a group of yachts which travel together. Within these yachts there usually is one boat which has an experienced skipper who not only knows the waters but can guide novice sailors in the handling of the boat. There is the option within a flotilla for every yacht to have a skipper on board.
There are two main reasons why one would prefer to be part of a flotilla of yachts. The first is that there is a camaraderie and companionship when travelling as a group of yachts, when all the yachts are docked together in a port or in a bay the group bonds and the friendships are forged. The second reason is that flotillas tend to be best suited for sailors who are not very experienced and who like the feeling of security being part of a flotilla.

More Info about flotillas

Yacht Charters in Greece

Charter a yacht and sail the Greek islands; that is the dream…. In reality it is quite easy and not very expensive either.
Basic consideration is how experienced you are. It really all comes down to your comfort level as there are multiple areas and combinations to accommodate from the novice sailor up to a challenging route for the most experienced.
The Greek Islands are in general close to each other and passages (crossings) are relatively short, this makes the itineraries exciting. The ports of call are of extreme beauty and the deserted coves at which you may drop anchor are ready to be explored by you.
You can charter a yacht as "bare boat", that is without crew; or alternatively you can charter the yacht with a skipper and optionally with an extra deck hand (usually doubling as cook). We do believe that a skipper is necessary not only for his sailing experience but more importantly for the local knowledge a skipper provides.

More Info about Charters

Useful info about Yacht Charters in the Greek Islands

Yachting hubs (departure points) in Greece
The Main Hubs where one can find charter yachts and also perform a good itinerary are:
Athens,
Corfu (Lefkada)
Rhodes,
Paros
All these ports have an equipped Marina which is an absolute requirement for a sailing yacht to be prepared and get provisions, water and all the various consumables and other facilities needed to perform sailing trips using the hub as a base.
Sailing from the Saronic Islands and the Ionian sea
The most attractive areas to sail in, mainly because of the fairly calm weather conditions enabling the yacht charterers to have safe itineraries with islands very close one to another. For example:
(a) Piraeus-Kea-Egina-Hydra-Poros – Spetses - Porto Heli etc ,
(b) Corfu-Zakynthos-Kefallonia etc
and not to suffer cancellations of sailing because of bad weather.
Some details about days and times of a yacht charter
Yachts are chartered for 7 days or for 14 days and on a Saturday/Saturday pattern or rarely on Sunday/Sunday.
Each boat is delivered clean at 17:00 on Saturdays.
Redelivery is on Saturday at 09:00

Sailing itineraries in the Greek Islands

Saronic Sailing: 7days itinerary
Departure from Athens with a total distance of 175 nautical miles approximately

1st day: Embarkation
2nd day: Athens – Aegina (25 nm)
3rd day: Aegina – Angistri – Poros (30 nm)
4th day: Poros – Hydra (20 nm)
5th day: Hydra – Dokos – Spetses (25 nm)
6th day: Spetses – Tselevinia – Poros (40 nm)
7th day: Poros – Perdika (Aegina) – Athens (35 mn)
8th day: Disembarkation

Cyclades Sailing: 14days itinerary
Departure from Athens with a total distance of 355 nautical miles approximately

1st day: Embarkation
2nd day: Athens – Sounio – Kea (Vourkari) (40 nm)
3rd day: Kea – Loutra (Kithnos) (20 nm)
4th day: Loutra – Syros - Mykonos (40 nm)
5th day: Mykonos – Delos – Paros (25 nm)
6th day: Paros – Ios (25nm)
7th day: Ios – Sikinos – Thira (20 nm)
8th day: Thira – Folegandros (30 nm)
9th day: Folegandros – Kimolos – Sifnos (20 nm)
10th day: Sifnos – Serifos (20 nm)
11th day: Serifos – Merichas (Kithnos) (15 nm)
12th day: Merichas – Poros (45 nm)
13th day: Poros – Aegina (30 nm)
14th day: Aegina – Athens (25 nm)
15th day: Disembarkation

Ionian: 7days itinerary Corfu (Ionian Sea)
Departure from Corfu Marina Gouvia, with a total distance: 102 nautical miles approximately

1st day: Embarkation
2nd day: Corfu – Sagiada (15 nm)
3rd day: Sagiada – Lakka (23 nm)
4th day: Lakka – Gaios {Caves + Antipaxos} (16 mn)
5th day: Gaios - Parga (11 nm)
6th day: Parga - Sivota (14 nm)
7th day: Sivota – Corfu (23 nm)
8th day: Disembarkation