You can’t beat sailing in Greece for variety. From the gentle sailing of the Ionian and the Peloponnese, through the more challenging Dodecanese and Sporades, to the sometimes vigorous Cyclades, there something for all sailing abilities. There’s the full range of holidays on offer, including bareboat charter, flotilla holidays, skippered, crewed or cabin charter, and sailing courses. And when not sailing, the countless Greek Islands provide endless ways to enjoy your time ashore.
Map of Greece’s Sailing Areas & Main Bases
A larger version of this map can be seen here.
About Greece
Greece offers countless islands to explore. The mainland coast is heavily indented and often sparsely populated so even the ports there have an island feel.
You’ll be sailing in an area of small towns and villages, mooring mainly on town quays. Though ferries between the many islands are plentiful, many tourists don’t stray far from the larger centres and in some areas your yacht will give you access to places well off the tourist trail.
You can expect a choice of bars, cafes and places to eat, with a smattering of small shops for provisions. Greece is awash with antiquities so there is often a ruin or old tomb to explore somewhere nearby, and of course plenty of places to swim.
Greece is one of those are places that really does look like the picture postcards. A land of whitewashed or pastel painted buildings, classical churches and fishermen mending their nets. And from the numerous historic sites to the lovely beaches, there is something for everyone.
Mooring in Greece
Given the amount of money sailing must bring to the economy, it’s surprising how few marinas there are (though maybe less surprising when you hear how much tax goes uncollected). Most people will only see a marina at the start and end of the trip, with the fees there picked up by the charter company.
Other than in the scarce marinas, tying up your boat is cheap, and in fact often free. Mooring fees are only payable in harbours with a port police presence, and only then when they can be bothered to collect them!
In some areas, notably the Ionian, you can often spend you whole holiday without ever paying a mooring fee. Even if you are asked, the charge is usually small, typically four or five Euros. It’s hard to be precise as the formula seems so complex that no two officials seem to be able to come up with the same result!
Unless you’re in a marina, facilities ashore are as you’d expect in a small town or village. Showers, if available at all may be in a municipal block, or courtesy of an enterprising hotelier who has realised that charging 5€ a time for a procession of sailors to take a shower earns much more than hiring the room out!
On the down side, Greece does have some extremely busy spots. Without the organising presence of the marina staff you’d find in many (though not all) Croatian marinas, or the “can do” attitude of the Turkish restaurateurs, mooring can become a stressful squabble. This applies to large parts of the Ionian (even outside peak season), and a few isolated spots elsewhere such as Hydra and at weekends, Skiathos and Rhodes.
For those that don’t want to anchor off in busy places, the Greek solution is rafting out, where you treat the yachts already moored as “quayside” and tie your boat to the seaward side of theirs. This sounds quite normal until you remember that yachts in the Med usually moor stern to the shore, not alongside.
This can be a bit of an eye opener for inexperienced bareboat charterers, perhaps less so for those that have been on flotilla!
Rafting out works fine in calm conditions, and provided that you don’t moor too close to your “quay” in an attempt to reduce the leaping distance to the next yacht. But it’s not without its hazards, both to your yacht, and in people crossing between yachts, the latter often resulting in someone falling in before the night is out!
But sailing in Greece isn’t all like that – in many areas you can happily sail until teatime safe in the knowledge there will be plenty of space to moor up at the end of the day.
Sailing In Greece
Sailing in Greece offers very varied sailing conditions. From the tranquil Ionian to the sometimes raging Cyclades, there’s something for everyone but it’s important you pick the right area and the right time to visit.
Greece’s real selling point is the easy sailing in the Ionian, and the often overlooked Peloponnese. For those less experienced skippers, or crews that like the boat largely upright, these areas are ideal starting points for discovering the joys of sailing in the Med.
If you like more wind, or longer distance sails, there are several other options. The South Eastern Peloponnese is a bit blowier, while the Dodecanese and Sporades provide potentially more challenging sailing. Here winds up to F6 are not uncommon, especially in more exposed areas or when the Meltemi wind blows in the summer. The Cyclades can be real hard work if you hit it at the wrong time of year (July & August) and even at quieter times is definitely not a place for the inexperienced.
Sailing Holidays in Greece
There’s plenty of choice when sailing in Greece. Bareboat charter is available in all areas. As many operators have several bases, one way charters are readily available if you book early or go early or later in the season.
There is generally a supplement payable for one way trips. However, at the start and end of the season, yachts need to get to or return from outlying bases to their winter base in Athens. And then you may get a one way trip at no extra charge.
Flotilla holidays are popular and readily available in all areas except the Cyclades. However, there aren’t so many options in the Sporades and Dodecanese of late so if your heading there don’t leave it late to book.
Greece sits somewhere between Croatia and Turkey in terms of its attitude to sailing qualifications. The authorities require a practical Skippers certificate (ICC, RYA Day Skipper or similar, though the Day Skipper is no longer accepted in many places. UK Day Skipper holders can obtain an ICC from the RYA when necessary).
Skippered and crewed charter are readily available in all areas and several operators offer cabin charters, which can be an excellent way to enjoy the pleasures of sailing on a large yacht at a manageable price.
There are a number of RYA sailing schools in Greece, a couple of which are tied in to flotilla operators. This gives the option of combining some training with a flotilla holiday. And of course once you’ve got your certificate, the options for next year are much greater.
So if you think Turkey sounds a bit primitive and Croatia a bit too developed, Greece is the ideal compromise with plenty to do, sailing to suit every taste, and a charm largely undiminished by tourism. If you don’t enjoy sailing in Greece, I’d be very surprised.