Greece - a perfect sailing holiday

For those who are seriously into sailing, Greece is one of the perfect places to visit. As around twenty percent of the country’s area is the islands, the opportunities are simply endless.

The Greek shoreline is fourteen thousand eight hundred and eighty kilometers long and there are over a thousand and four hundred islands, many of which are uninhabited, which creates thousands of opportunities of spending the perfect sailing holiday.

Sailing in Greece is possible for about nine months, between March and November. Some call it a sailor’s heaven, as the region is ideal for both advances sailors and the sailing beginners.

One of the characteristic occurrences in the Greek regions is the Meltemi. It is a certain type of wind coming from the North in Cyclades, from the North-West is Dodecanes, with the power of 4-5 degrees of the Beaufort scale, reaching even 8 degrees between June and August. In the Sporades the Meltemi is said to be much weaker than in other regions. The Meltemi affects sailing around Greece, but still it is not a discouraging factor for those on the lookout for sailing adventure.

The vital thing is to charter the boat up to a year ahead, especially if you plan to start the voyage sometime in June or August, which is the very peak of the sailing season.

Normally, some people say that to sail around all of the Cyclades, it takes about two weeks, but you can of course extend the voyage to other parts of Greece.

Starting from the islands of Corfu and Zakinthos, all through the Ionian Sea, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Saronic and Argolic and the Mediterranean, you can charter various motor boats, catamarans, monohulls, powered catamarans and all other kinds of crafts, depending on your budget. The peak of the season is basically July and August, so during these months the price can jump from several tens or hundreds to even several thousands of euros per week for chartering a catamaran. Of course, most charters offer a highly experienced captain and staff that are very helpful during the trip.

One of the most popular motor boats chartered in Greece if the thirty five meters long, fifteen meters wide Dufour 35 yacht produced in 2011, offering ten spacious cabins and ten bathrooms for thirty passengers. Although gulet charters are even more popular, motor boats are also seen quite often in the Greek region.

In the Ionian region, the most popular boats chartered for sailing holidays are the gulet charters and bareboat charters. It is also one of those regions, in which you will not see many other boats, although the wonderful, mild climate and magical views are simply unforgettable. In exchange, you get lonely islands, untouched by human hand. But make sure you also visit Athens, Rhodes or Samos, which are incredibly picturesque, with numerous monumental, ancient ruins and other places, famous for their views, inviting villages and friendly locals.

When leaving the boat in a marina, be sure to check the fees, as in some of them the fee for a catamaran is about 1.5 of the regular boarding fee.