Saronic Islands - Experience ?

[jckb]

GoCati,

Great posts. You know the area so well . . . I guess you run a skippered charter business out there. I set up a flotilla business there 30 years ago! Then visited for fun in my own boat after retiring - as part of a "Grand Europe Cruise" which took ten years! My web site is the result of that trip.

Your Google map was excellent. I'd like to put a link into it from my site page: The Athens Sailing Region | JimB Sail

You say you'd like to do more of those maps. Well, if you wish, my site would be an eager home for them!

[Lagoon4us]

For us this thread is gold, to all who have posted THANK YOU the timing is perfect, we leave HVAR in 6 weeks heading for Greece, cheers all Frank & Vivien.

[antaris]

Great info!

You may also want to add Korfos (West of Aegina, great protected harbour) for a night and Dokos (near Hydra) for another!

Enjoy!

[Jacques2]

To Lagoon4us :
We have been wintering in Turkey (Kusadasi) since 2007 and are very satisfied by their professionalism. And it is very safe wherever the marina you will choose (from Kusadasi to Finike). Indeed, you have a lot of choices in Turkey. But prices are up and up each year !
In Greece, it will be difficult to find a berth in a real marina, I guess... But there are a lot of spot where you can find an arrangement with somebody who will watch on your boat, either on a buoy either with anchor in a port, or on a yard (there a lot of small sizes yards in Greece). And it will be cheaper.

[GoCati]

Hello again all!

Thank you very much the kind comments about the map. Antaris, I will update it to include my (somewhat biased) opinion on Korfos (it should already have a marker on Dhokos) and a couple of other things that this thread has reminded me of.

Jim B, I would be genuinely honoured to be linked to on your site. I'll PM you with my accreditation details once I've added the updates. While this is the area I know best, I should also be able to put one together for stops in the Gulfs of Patras & Corinth, one for Halkidiki and (representing my now reduced circumstances) one for the Clyde in time.

As I mentioned before, I'm really enthusiastic about this software as a medium for sharing knowledge so if anyone else is inspired to put together a chart for their favourite cruising grounds, I've started a thread on the destinations forum where it would be nice to see more.

Happy sailing and/or cartographing,

C xx

[alex_sauvage]

I don't want to highjack this thread since I enjoy it so much, but I am wondering if early September (let's say first 2-3 weeks) will be a good time to cruise Saronic Gulf? The crowd should be gone and Meltemi might not blow that hard. Or it's not the case???

[antaris]

Originally Posted by alex_sauvage

I don't want to highjack this thread since I enjoy it so much, but I am wondering if early September (let's say first 2-3 weeks) will be a good time to cruise Saronic Gulf? The crowd should be gone and Meltemi might not blow that hard. Or it's not the case???

As I live by and sail in the Saronic bay (Athens, to be exact)... I'd say that what you are saying about September is true. Indeed it is a great period - not just for this area, but for the rest of Greece, too (not too hot!!!). September can be very lazy and romantic - if you get the usual calms... June's also great - more "summery", everyone is getting worked up for the summer, therefore there's a slight buzz everywhere.

The Meltemi is not the worst enemy of the Saronic bay / islands, altough it can certainly "push" conditions. Generaly speaking, the area is protected by the Attica peninsula and Aegina Island. It feels really safe at any time of the year, since you are practically inshore throughout.

Lately, due to the financial situation, sea traffic is really low and the ports are less crowded, so I'd consider this coming summer a great destination (prices have dropped, too).

IMHO Aegina and Poros are all time favourites, year-round. We're going sailing tommorrow in the Bay - it's gonna be sunny at 16 degrees C with a southerly breeze (10-15 knots)...

[alex_sauvage]

Thank you very much Antaris for your advice! I will definitely try to organize trip to Greece (probably Saronic, due to proximity to Athens and opportunity to see all it's historic sites) this fall. Can you recommend good charter company in that region?
I also would love to go sailing right now, but it's about -15C were I am and water is rather solid

[antaris]

-15? minus 15? Jeeez... This must be up North somewhere I presume? Just to rub it in, yesterday we did go out sailing, it was a beautiful 17 degrees C day, t-shirts on, tried to learn to deploy the spinnaker on my new (old) boat with a friend. Took us 45 minutes of debate, but we managed in the end. All the kids were out in their optimists and lasers...

Well, as for charter companies I really do not know which to recommend - I've not had any experience whatsoever with any one of them (there are many...)

I guess check out their price/boat offers and pick for yourself. Sorry, I cannot be of any real assistance on that...

PS> the weather has gone mad, this is not ordinary, even for Greece...