Sailing

This most enjoyable group sport can be practiced with as little as a couple of weekends of minimal training, for which the main requirement is knowing how to swim, although those wanting to get a sailing permit for chartering a sailboat without a skipper, may need to take weekend training over a period of months.

Equipment other than a well appointed sailboat is minimal, including mainly a waterproof windbreaker and pants, and shoes with good traction (for slippery or water-sloshed decks).

Greece is a paradise for sailing enthusiasts with its 15,000 km (9,300 mile) coastline, including 11,000 km (6,820 miles) around the islands, which total 9838 islands and islets, 8000 of them in the Aegean Sea.

Sailing gives access to many tiny coves and beaches impossible or very difficult to reach overland, and the generally warm climate of coastal Greece makes sailing a year-round pastime.

It is very easy to rent a sailboat in advance over the internet (though in the off season this may not be necessary), with sailing centers in many harbors and marinas which provide a trained skipper along with the boat if two of the group do not have a internationally recognized open sea sailing permit. Everything from luxury yachts with comfy lounges and full crews to small sailing boats are usually available.

Many areas in Greek waters are relatively calm, compared with oceans and other seas, but one must not be lulled into forgetting that storms also occur in the Mediterranean (the Aegean and Ionian Seas included), and that those sailing without a crew must all be fit and ready to work together for long stretches of time if needed.

The famous meltemi, a northwesterly trade wind, which is at its worst in Greece from July through September can make sailing in summer exciting, and is at its strongest during the day, tapering off in the evening. The duration of its most continuous spurts is unpredictable, with occasional long periods of calm, and then again, maybe ten days of incessant wind, meaning that during the months of its peak, one would be well advised to sail towards the northwest (from which direction it is blowing).

The nice thing about the meltemi is that it provides coolness in the hottest part of summer in the southern Aegean, which can get much too hot for comfort. And of course one of the pleasures of sailing is the opportunity to swim in little coves (or even long sandy beaches) without competition from hordes of similarly-minded visitors (and no one will insist that you wear a bathing suit). There are almost unlimited sites where sailing is good in Greece, in fact almost anywhere both in the islands and along the beautiful mainland coasts.

We have many resources to help you arrange any of the above activities so please contact us for more information.