Go a little crazy - Sail the Greek Isles with us.

May 15, 2017

Our friends are a pretty divided bunch regarding what we have done with our lives over the last six years or so. During this time we’ve turned our backs on the normal world of the big house and working 9 to 5 (or a lot longer hours in our case), sailed off to distant lands, immersed ourselves in different cultures in South East Asia, explored the Mediterranean’s old world, snorkelled remote tropical islands in the Pacifc and generally lived life large. Perfect - although we have seriously depleted our finances in the process. Half of the people we know think we’re stark raving mad. The other half want to be us.

Obstacles have been placed in our path at different times as we pursued our new life afloat. Fortunately we have been able to make it over or find a way around each and every one of them so far.  Recently we thought we would need to ‘swallow the anchor’ for a while and return to full time jobs ashore to rebuild our bank balance before we could cast off again. Then a new opportunity presented itself  allowing us to once again leap over the hurdle blocking our path.

We have found a way to keep sailing while actually earning some money instead of just spending it. We’re currently preparing to fly to the Greek Isles where we will be leading week and fortnight long flotilla charters around one of the world’s most spectacular cruising areas for the summer season.

The Greek Island of Poros will be our base for the northern summer.

 

Unless something else unexpected fortuitously arises, we will probably still have to bite the bullet and return to the shore based working world later but, in the meantime, we are going to make the most of the sunshine and delights of sailing Greece’s Saronic Gulf with the very professional company, Greek Sails,  from their base on the island of Poros, less than a hour’s travel  from Athens. We will be leading the Greek Sails flotilla group from mid-June for the remainder of the northern summer. You could even come too and sail your own chartered yacht in a small group lead by us.

Greek Sails have an outstanding reputation and a Five Star rating with TripAdvisor

 

On a flotilla holiday you sail separately in your own chartered yacht, but meet-up with the other yachts in the flotilla each evening at an agreed location. You don’t need to be a highly experienced world cruiser. You have the benefit of an experienced crew on the flotilla lead boat who are there to help you throughout your flotilla holiday; each skipper in the flotilla can benefit from their local knowledge of weather and wind, harbours and eating places and should there be any problems on passage, help is close at hand. This therefore increases safety for all and bestows a feeling of security that makes a flotilla holiday stress free and  far more relaxing, certainly for the skipper!

Flotilla holidays are ideal for:

-          Those new to yacht chartering and skippering a yacht, or those who simply appreciate having a flotilla lead crew available for advice & assistance to allow a more relaxed sailing holiday.

-          Those who simply enjoy the social aspect of being able to charter their own yacht, yet make and meet friends from the flotilla each evening.

Sailing in company under the guidance of a Flotilla Leader provides a stress free holiday

 

On the Greek Sails flotilla charters we will be leading, skippers and crews will receive a briefing each morning covering the day’s weather and sea conditions, route and details of the evening’s port of call. We will organise all formalities with the harbour authorities, be on hand to assist you to dock and provide information about local highlights to see and things do.

Each evening, all will be welcome to join us for dinner at an excellent range of local tavernas to experience the best of authentic Greek cuisine in a highly sociable atmosphere.  Flotilla charters are an outstanding way to meet people from all over the globe who share your interest in sailing and travel.

A sailing holiday needs to be stress free and relaxing

 

A flotilla holiday must be exactly what it says on the brochure - a holiday! In truth, if you just wish to sail all day, you would do better to select a bareboat yacht charter where you can sail as much, or as little, as you wish and enjoy the adventure. However, if you want a stress free holiday with relaxed sailing in paradise and a great time with new friends without the hassles of dealing with officialdom in a foreign land, a flotilla charter is for you and Poros is THE place to do it.

Poros is located away from the hustle and busy shipping channels a quick ferry ride from Athens

 

Rod Heikell’s West Aegean pilot guide describes Poros by saying; “The approach to the town is one of the most attractive in Greece...” and goes on, “...it has something else other than the appearance of a little Greek Venice, it has a sensuality, a calm, and what can only be described as a conviviality...”. But Rod Heikell is not alone, Lawrence Durrell, described it as “the happiest place I have ever known” and in her “Greek Odyssey” television series, Joanna Lumley reveals how her love affair with Greece started with a chance visit to Poros; “It was just enchanting...the best holiday ever”. What better place to start and end your sailing holiday!

 

 

Spare yourself the nightmare of starting your sailing holiday from one of Athens’ noisy coastal ports such as Kalamaki or Lavrio. Enjoy the beginning and end of your sailing holiday by wandering the quayside restaurants & bars of Poros or shopping in the winding streets. You even save yourself the long upwind beat back north to an Athens base against the Meltemi. In Poros, your sailing holiday starts the moment you step off the ferry.

For a perfect flotilla holiday, Greek Sails has planned three sailing routes; one north and two south of Poros, which combine all the elements of a fulfilling flotilla holiday. Each route allows for daily lunchtime/mid-day swimming stops and you can opt to combine routes if you wish to stay for more than a week (the eastern Peloponnese route is already a two week route, but you could still combine that with a week in the Saronic Gulf to make a three week flotilla holiday if you wished!).

Each route has been selected to keep the emphasis on fun and a relaxing sailing holiday with daily sailing distances that are rarely more than fifteen miles.

Whichever way you look at it, Poros is a great place to start and end your sailing. Greek Sails are also the only yacht charter company in Poros, so if you are being offered a flotilla sailing holiday with a “Saronic fleet” and from a Poros base, it will be with us; there is no other yacht base here.

Greek Sails is one of the longest-established sailing holiday businesses in Greece being founded in 1983, the very early days of sailing charter holidays. It is a family owned business with an unmatched reputation

They don’t simply have over 30 years’ experience but their customers have awarded the company  ‘5 out of 5’ (excellent) on TripAdvisor with the reviews of their Greek Sails charter holidays.

-“Sailing perfection”

-“Amazing company”

-“This would be difficult to beat”

-“Best Yacht charter in Greece...”, and

-“Greek Sails Are The Best Company We Have Sailed With” ...

 

These are just some of the very positive comments. You can read the TripAdvisor reviews in full  ‘HERE’

Check out the Greek Sails Website,  get some friends together and join us sailing the Greek Isles on the trip of a lifetime. When you book say you would like to sail with Rob and Karen.  We’d love to have you aboard.

Join us for sundowners in the Greek Isles.

 

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