Charter & Itinerary guidance notes for Greece
Please note; the following guidelines are based solely on our own experiences of chartering in Greek waters. I have both read and listened to so called ‘Greek charter guides’ that are full of the historical myths and legends of Greece, but sadly lacking in the realities of travelling around here. Also, I have experienced yacht charter companies who will tell you what you want to hear, in order to get your booking! Please take the time to do some research before choosing the vessel and area you wish to sail in, particularly if you want to go to the Cyclades islands during the summer months, the reasons for which are explained below. In all cases we are happy to advise you on all aspects of your proposed charter holiday, even if you decide to charter a yacht from someone else!
Quick guide to sailing areas;
One of the fabulous things about Greece is that each of it’s geographical areas have their own unique scenery, character & cultures. Each time you visit a different area, it is almost like visiting a new country! Therefore until you have visited all of the areas Greece has to offer, in my opinion you haven’t really seen Greece!
Cyclades; (The most popular destination choice). Pros; Iconic scenery but islands can be quite barren, good beaches, good nightlife on the larger islands, some ancient sites & classical era archaeology , usually very hot & dry . Cons; 1 or 2 days sailing from Piraeus to reach the northern most islands - 4 to 5 days for the Southern most (such as Santorini), very very busy - hard to find places at ports or anchorages at the most popular islands, generally expensive on the popular islands, sometimes difficult to get water for the vessels (for on board showers e.t.c), sometimes rough seas and subject to Meltemi winds during July, August & early September. (see the guide below, regarding weather and wind)
Argolic & Soronic Gulfs (including the Peloponnese); (Second most popular destination choice). Pros; Very close to Piraeus, not usually too windy but even when it is there are lots of safe ports within easy reach, lots of interesting places to visit within a few hours sailing of each other, sites of ancient archaeology (including the very famous site at Epidavros), good beaches, some night life, good for all water sports. Cons; Can be busy at weekends and during high season (due to proximity of Athens)
Ionian Sea; Pros; Excellent sailing with light winds and low sea states, fabulous scenery (have you seen the film ’Captain Corellis Mandolin’? - that was set here), good beaches, some nightlife on larger islands, perfect for all water sports, Cons; 2 days sailing from Piraeus and involves the extra cost of going through the Corinth Canal - currently €400 each way, can be a little busy in the high season, not much ancient archaeology (area is subject to regular earthquake activity!),
Sporades and Dodecanese Islands; Pros; Very beautiful with some unique architecture & archaeology (the recent hit film ‘Mama Mia!’ was shot in the Sporades), not visited too much so there are a lot of quiet areas (except at the most popular islands such as Rhodes in the Dodecanese), Cons; Quite a distance from Piraeus involving 3 or 4 days travelling each way - (best visited on charters of 2 weeks or more, but well worth it!), the Sporades Islands are subject to strong winds in the summer months - the same for the northern Dodecanese islands but less so for the south (sheltered by the Turkish Coast).
In cases where your chosen cruising area is some distance from our base in Piraeus, it is possible for us to deliver our yachts to a port within your chosen cruising area. It will involve a little extra travelling by high speed ferry or airplane for you, and we must make a charge for the delivery (usually just to cover the cost of fuel used), but if time is a factor for you, then at least your holiday will begin in the cruising area of your choice, thereby saving several days of travelling time with the yacht. Additionally you may also want to consider a 1 way trip whereby you leave the vessel at the end of your holiday in the sailing area of your choice, thereby forgoing the trip back to Piraeus on the yacht, so you spend more time in your chosen cruising area. There will be a charge for delivery of the yacht back to Piraeus, usually to cover the cost of fuel used. Finally, you may also choose to join and leave the yacht in your chosen cruising area, thereby maximising your time within your chosen cruising area. Delivery charges for the yacht to and from Piraeus will apply.
Firstly, some examples of information regarding our vessels;
M/S Zora (classified as a Motor Sailor) has a cruising speed of 9 knots so in an average day we can cruise for a distance of approx. 36 nautical miles per day (1 nautical mile = 1.1 land miles), which can be extended to approx. 54nm per day by special request. Please note: Cruising for 6 hours a day is only recommended if you are cruising enthusiasts who don’t mind spending a lot of time at sea and making an early start each day. Most people who charter our yachts prefer a maximum of 4 hours travelling per day in order to spend time swimming, exploring islands or generally relaxing. Also note that for the extra time cruising 6 hours per day, the extra fuel used will add €100 per day to the total cost of your holiday. So to summerise; Our cruising range on a 1 week charter with Zora would be between 252 and 378 nautical miles.
M/Y Vagabondo (classified as a Motor Yacht) is a high speed vessel, although at higher speeds the costs of extra fuel is quite significant! Vagabondo will cruise at speeds between 12 and 22kts. So the cruising range for Vagabondo would be between 20 and 88 nautical miles per day. Please note that whist there is no extra charge for cruising for 20 nautical miles per day (see our special offers for Vagabondo), there is an extra cost for fuel used at the higher cruising speeds, which would depend on the travelling speed, but for example would be approximately €600 per day @ 18 kts cruising speed. So to summerise; Our cruising range with Vagabondo on a 1 week charter would be between 140 and 616 nautical miles.
If you have your heart set on visiting a certain place or area, please make sure the vessel you wish to book has the capability of reaching it without spending too much time at sea (and don’t forget to budget for extra fuel costs). The more time travelling means less time for you to enjoy the sites or spending time relaxing and swimming or using the facilities on board the vessels (water skiing, snorkelling, e.t.c).
General information to bare in mind when planning your cruising areas and daily itineraries.
Apart from the many beautiful areas Greece has to offer, the weather is a major factor in choosing a holiday in Greece. Essentially from June to September you can guarantee to have fabulous hot sunny days for all or almost all of the time. It does occasionally rain here in the summer, but this is usually a sudden downpour lasting a few minutes and half an hour later everything is bone dry and hot again! The most important thing to consider when holidaying in Greece in my opinion, is the wind! The main reason for this are that all Greek registered professional chartered motor yachts & motor sailors are forbidden to sail in winds above 5 on the beaufort scale and of course it would be fairly uncomfortable and not particularly safe to do so anyway! This rule does not apply to sailing yachts but never the less is is still pretty uncomfortable in any yacht in beaufort 6 and above winds! The most popular destination during the summer months is the Cyclades, which is also the area most affected by strong winds (the Meltemi winds for example) in the summer months.(There are so many great areas to visit in here Greece, and I think it is such a shame that they all have to play second fiddle to the Cyclades, but that is just my opinion!)
The Meltemi wind, like all of natures blessings, is unpredictable at the best of times, but in the past few years it has had a habit of blowing hard and strong for days on end, at forces that prevent all vessels from leaving port (except very large ferries or cruise ships, and even then it is not a very pleasant experience being on board!) If you have your heart set on the Cyclades and decide to take a chance with the weather, you could get lucky and have a half reasonable week but it would be more likely that, even if you got to the Cyclades islands, it is possible that you would spend some of your holiday locked in island harbours due to the strong winds.
During the summer season the ports and anchorages in Greece are busy, during the high season they can be completely full very early in the afternoons. Therefore careful planning is needed if you want to visit a certain place and do not wish to spend the nights anchored outside of ports, which will involve going ashore by tender and sometimes being subject to the sea swell (waves) all night, which can be uncomfortable. As a rule it is best to aim to arrive at a port or anchorage no later than 1700hrs latest (5pm), in order to have some possibility of finding a berth alongside a jetty or wall, or in the case of an anchorage, find somewhere that is sheltered and safe for swimming or water sports.
Although some minor meal preparations can be done whilst sailing, for safety reasons, the actual cooking of hot meals must be done with the vessel at anchor or in a port. It take anything from 1 to 2 hours to prepare a meal, depending what is on the days menu, therefore, as we usually serve lunch at around 2pm, we should be stopped at anchor or in a port by approx. 12 midday.
Almost all of our guests like a bit of lay in in the mornings, and why not! they are on holiday after all. So generally breakfast is served between 8:30am and 9:30am, sometimes later if they have spent a night out ‘on the town’ so to speak! This would mean that we would not expect to leave our port or anchorage until approx. 10 am to 11 am.
So already you can see that a daily plan is starting to emerge; 1 or 2 hours cruising in the morning, anchorage at approximately midday, waters ports or relaxing until 2 pm, lunch until 3 pm, 2 hrs cruising to our next destination, arriving at approx. 5 to 5:30pm giving you time to shower, change and make your plans for the evening. This is the reason why, with Zora we include an allowance of 4 hours fuel in our initial daily cost. Simply because this is the most you can expect to do on an average day in order to enjoy a relaxing holiday and also include the activities that most of our guests enjoy doing, after all, for most people it is the main reason for choosing a holiday with us in the first place!
As always, we will do our best to ensure we take you to the most picturesque and beautiful areas that Greece has to offer. With our local knowledge we will also try to show you areas that are not in the tourist books and may only be accessible by sea. Please do not hesitate to contact us with
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Black - An example of a typical 1 week cruise.
Blue - An example of another 1 week cruise itinerary.
Red - An example of a 2 week cruise itinerary.
