Overview: Casual flotilla vacation with Sail Ionian, Lefkada, Greece

For one week this Summer season, we had been the captains of our personal Greek journey. With not one of the common family chores and with out a lot as opening my laptop computer, we merely loved high quality time collectively — and a beneficiant stretch of Ionian blue. Welcome to the charming pleasures of a flotilla crusing vacation — courtesy of Sail Ionian, an impartial family-run firm working out of Vliho Bay, Lefkada.

With out being complacent, we had been wanting ahead to some hopefully straightforward crusing in pleasant winds, quick hops between islands, and a solar that not often clocks off. Most of our coaching had been in considerably much less inviting circumstances off the west coast of Scotland, however this is able to hopefully have put us in good stead for something surprising.

The thought of crusing in a gaggle — in convoy, however with the liberty to roam and assist available — supplied the proper mix of independence and reassurance.

What’s a flotilla vacation?

A flotilla is a small fleet of boats — often not more than ten — loosely travelling the identical route. Every night, everybody gathers on the similar port or anchorage, however by day, you’re free to sail, discover, meander, race, or pause as you would like. Some firms supply a social programme every night, while others — like Sail Ionian — don’t, permitting you to combine with others as a lot or as little as you want.

Assist comes within the type of a lead crew who information, advise, and infrequently step in while you’re struggling to moor. It’s camaraderie with a lightweight contact. Steerage with out intrusion. And our knowledgeable flotilla assist group included skipper Maria (who glided by the radio identify of Rodney for some cause!), Ervin, and Nick — all calm below strain, and at all times showing exactly when wanted, like nautical genies.

What’s required to sail a yacht?

In Greece, a minimum of one individual on board wants an ICC (Worldwide Certificates of Competence) or an RYA Day Skipper qualification. A second grownup have to be a minimum of on the stage of ‘Competent Crew’ — primarily somebody who is aware of their port from their starboard and gained’t tie themselves to the increase throughout a gybe.

To turn into an RYA Day Skipper, there’s a idea and sensible part — with a minimum of 40 hours of research advisable for the idea, while the sensible component is a 5-day course (however assumes a level of prior expertise, such because the 5-day RYA Competent Crew course). After getting the RYA Day Skipper qualification, you will get ICC certification however this isn’t at the moment required for Greece – simply the Day Skipper will suffice.

We had been a combined get together of ten adults throughout two households — 4 certified Day Skippers of differing experience in our household and 6 enthusiastic novices within the different. We had initially checked out chartering two yachts however rules wouldn’t have allowed us to often chop and alter the personnel on every each, so we as an alternative opted for one boat to accommodate us all.

This made for a super steadiness of expertise and fresh-eyed surprise, with sufficient talent to sail independently however no scarcity of awe for what we had been about to expertise.

Our yacht

Our floating house for the week was Te Anau, a Bavaria 46 Fashion yacht, which Sail Ionian retains in immaculate situation.

She boasts in-mast furling, a self-tacking genoa, bow thruster, generator, and that uncommon Aegean luxurious — air con. The cockpit was spacious, shaded by a bimini, and the saloon was equally beneficiant.

Te Anau sleeps ten folks – as much as 4 with an en suite within the bow, two en suite rooms both facet of the aft, and a saloon that may accommodate one other two or three. In fact, with ten of us on board, it was cosy – however we knew that may be the case and had been ready for it… it’s a superb job we get alongside effectively. Because the week progressed, a number of of us most popular to sleep below the celebrities on deck as that tended to be pretty and funky.

There was a stunning welcome basket that greeted us on arrival, too.

Our route

Our route was to take us across the South Ionian, calling at a wide range of completely different islands, with the precise itinerary evovling because the week went on, relying on the climate circumstances. Right here’s the place our journey took us:

Day 1: Vliho Bay, Lefkada to Vathy, Meganisi

Sail Ionian doesn’t dilly-dally. After a welcome briefing and yacht handover by Chris, we had been off the dock and motoring by way of the Vliho strait by late afternoon. The ocean was light, our spirits excessive, and we had been wanting ahead to the journey that lay forward.

We lower east between Skorpios and Sparti — Skorpios as soon as owned by the Onassis household, now shrouded in billionaire thriller. Our vacation spot: Vathy on Meganisi, the place a desk awaited us at Karnagio, a beachside taverna draped in bougainvillaea and attraction. A couple of of us paddleboarded after dinner, as a result of… why not? When in Greece…

Day 2: Vathy, Meganisi to Sivota, Lefkada

The morning concerned the transferring of fenders and somewhat parking apply earlier than setting off once more. Between Meganisi and Lefkada, we caught a fleeting glimpse of dolphins — too fast for the digital camera, however sufficient to place large smiles on our faces.

We dropped anchor at Mikros Gialos for a swim and snorkel, earlier than persevering with to Sivota, the place we moored exterior Taverna Ionion. Our waiter there was fairly a personality and even posed for a selfie with our group, advised us a story or two, and served us the catch of the day — purple snapper and dorada, merely grilled, completely flaky.

Day 3: Sivota, Lefkada to Fiskardo, Kefalonia

The wind was in our favour. We sailed — truly sailed — a lot of the passage at round 4-5 knots, a sort of unhurried tempo that makes you realise time on the water flows otherwise.

Fiskardo isn’t any secret — a pastel-painted harbour the place superyachts jostle with constitution boats and the scent of jasmine competes with espresso. We made landfall early to safe an area and took the tender to Foki Seaside, the place we explored a once-mined limestone cave with tunnels that stretch over 100 metres deep.

Dinner that night time was a curveball, advisable by our assist crew: Lord Falcon, a stunning Thai restaurant tucked away in considered one of Fiskardo’s again streets.

Day 4: Fiskardo, Kefalonia to Vathy, Ithaca

There are lots of Vathys in Greece, and right this moment we visited one other: the one on Ithaca, fabled house of Odysseus and proud bearer of one of many deepest pure harbours within the Ionian. (The identify ‘Vathy’ comes from the Greek phrase “βαθύς” (vathýs), that means “deep” — an apt description for the sheltering harbours that bear its identify.)

We stopped first at Filiatro Seaside — turquoise, crystalline, postcard-perfect — and spent an hour swimming, lounging, and paddleboarding. That night time, securely anchored, we skipped the taverna and cooked aboard Te Anau . A dinner with the celebrities as our ceiling.

Day 5: Vathy, Ithaca to Kalamos, Kalamos Island

After a morning stroll, we sailed ownard towards Atokos Island, a dramatic hunk of rock with aquamarine waters — and pigs.

Sure, pigs. With completely different theories abounding as to why they’re there, from shipwrecks to a supply of meals, they’ve turn into unlikely icons. However when you ought to go to, please keep in mind these are feral animals and don’t choose them up as we noticed one baby try… the piglet’s mom didn’t appear so pleased!

Later, we reached Kalamos, the place we wandered to Alogoborós seashore, essentially the most great secluded cove which we loved to ourselves.

Dinner was at George’s taverna, a neighborhood favorite with essentially the most scrumptious hen souvlaki.

Day 6: Kalamos, Kalamos Island to Palairos, mainland Greece

A variety of us — myself included — had been working every day. This morning’s problem: a 180m climb to the church of Agios Georgios earlier than breakfast at George’s. Inbuilt 1886, this lone basilica supplied sweeping views and, maybe, somewhat cardio-induced readability.

After a day on the boat, having stopped for a swim in a stunning bay simply east of Mytikas, we anchored off Palairos, took the tender ashore, and located a bar with chilly refreshments and a pool desk. We loved dinner on board at sundown.

Day 7: Palairos, mainland Greece to Vathy, Meganisi

With storms within the forecast and our flotilla return imminent, we determined to move again to Vathy, Meganisi, returning to a well-known bay the place we knew the taverna. However earlier than that, we anchored at Pachara Bay, cooled off with a swim and messed round on the paddleboards both facet of an on-board lunch.

Day 8: Vathy, Meganisi to Vliho Bay, Lefkada

A brief, quiet morning motor introduced us full circle. The Ionian solar had shone all week and we had been now somewhat extra tanned, somewhat saltier, and completely smitten.

We packed our issues, disembarked Te Anau and had a late breakfast at Vliho Yacht Membership, earlier than our respective households mentioned our farewells, however not with out promising to do an identical journey collectively subsequent yr. Our holidays weren’t as we every had just a few days left – us in Greece nonetheless, and the opposite household returning to america by way of Italy.

The ultimate verdict

Usually when folks consider luxurious yachting holidays, they could consider silver trays and white gloves. This wasn’t like that every one – it was one thing higher. It was casual, magical, mildly chaotic (there have been ten of us on board in any case), and totally joyful. And the luxurious got here within the type of time collectively, limitless laughter and a very memorable expertise.

We took selfies with pigs. We ate purple snapper that was caught simply hours earlier. We in some way managed to cram eight days of being on the boat right into a seven-day florilla. And the flotilla set-up gave us freedom with a security web. Journey with steerage. Independence with out isolation.

Would we do it once more? Completely. Although subsequent time, we would maintain a tally of what number of occasions we mentioned, “That is the life”.

Disclosure: This publish is sponsored by Sail Ionian. Our journey was sponsored by AEGEAN Airways.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxurious Journey Weblog and has labored within the journey business for greater than 30 years. He’s Winner of the Improvements in Journey ‘Finest Journey Influencer’ Award from WIRED journal. Along with different awards, the weblog has additionally been voted “one of many world’s greatest journey blogs” and “greatest for luxurious” by The Telegraph.