First time charter in Med

[keseyken]

Absolutely out of Gocek in the Gulf of Fethiye. Why? You and your friends will have a lovely time visiting the many anchorages and mini-marinas in Skopea Limani for as long as you like. When you are happy you can nose out of the the bay and head to numerous places depending on how far you want to travel. Food and people are wonderful. Water is beautiful, scenery is magnificent.

[Q. Helm]

The Ionian out of Levkas is perfect for what you want, but it was crowded enough in September, could be packed when you want to go. For good cat prices, I would look into the local operators. If you find a good deal, but aren't sure whether to commit, Sunsail has a price match guarantee.


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[Raythesailor]

Cats are becoming more prevalent in the E Med and no more so than in Greece.

Unfortunatly the harbours in these areas were designed and evolved for smaller boats.

The net result of this is that there is becoming a aura of antagonism between Mono Hulls, and multi occupied charter cats.

Different swinging characteristics and excessive taking up of space on quays are becoming a problem.

[Q. Helm]

Didn't experience any antagonism in September. Maybe it's worse when it's more crowded.


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[Barra]

The only antagonism ive seen in the eastern med isnt between cats and monos (thats reserved for CF) - its between owner boats and inexperienced charter boat skippers ie anchors not being set properly and dragging into other boats while all crew ashore, anchoring "too close", banging into other boast on the quays med mooring etc. ie the typical stuff

Having been all over the eastern med for past 2 1/2 summers in a cat I would say the Ionion is the best pick for your requirements with Gocek/ Fethiyeh a close second but only due to the very hot peak season temps.

[Barra]

oh and my personal favourite - crossed anchors med mooring on the tight town quays.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Barra

The only antagonism ive seen in the eastern med isnt between cats and monos (thats reserved for CF) - its between owner boats and inexperienced charter boat skippers ie anchors not being set properly and dragging into other boats while all crew ashore, anchoring "too close", banging into other boast on the quays med mooring etc. ie the typical stuff
....

Amen to that That's mostly on the North Ionian where most charters are, also near Athens. On the South Ionian and on the Aegean Islands there is a lot less charters. It seems they don't like wind and that's a good thing

[dlymn]

Most Charter boats are based in or near the Inland sea east of Lefkas. I suppose you might call that north Ionian. From there, charter sailors go north or south often in flotilla. We first came to the Ionian in July and found it very easy to get a quayside mooring. However, it appears that the traffic jams occur in May,June and September, October. July, August is too damned hot and many sailors go home in Europe only to come back when it cools down a little.
The real problem is the rush to get a spot on the quay and this often occurs just when the wind is at its best. Solution is to anchor out and this is not too hard to do in most places. If you want to go to Gaios, Paxos, sail to Lakka, anchor for the night then head down in the morning. Sail to Parga, anchor in the big bay and hitch a ride on the ferry boats into town. There is always a place to drop the hook.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by dlymn

... July, August is too damned hot and many sailors go home in Europe only to come back when it cools down a little.
...

Dlymn, on Southern European countries the coolest place you can be is on a boat on the water. Better than that only in the water

July and August is the high season on the med.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

This was an an anchorage in the Dodecanese in July of 2013.

The tiny white spec in the bay is us:

Tilos - The view from the top of the cliff above the old abandoned village. Am I right?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Tilos - The view from the top of the cliff above the old abandoned village. Am I right?

Bingo .

I walked there from the boat down the valley along the old dirt trail to the elephant cave, then uphill cross country to the ruins of the crusaders' fortress then across the ridge to this spot. I discovered ruins of Byzantine churches with 2000+ years old columns serving as alters that would grace any museum worldwise, surrounded by thick layers of pitch black goat droppings.

I had my picnic lunch at the spot where I took this photo, read my Kindle with eagles soaring below me, then came and back down via the abandoned town, and took the stone paved donkey trail to the road where the bus driver recognised me and stopped to pick me up .

An absolutely fabulous day . A huge part of why I so love being in Greece.

SWL

[Palarran]

My daughter and I walked there from Livadia then across the road NE to the sea and along the shore back to the village. It was the best hike we did in 2014. If we go back we would either anchor where you were or as located on the map. I can't agree with you more about these places being what makes Greece, (and Turkey, Yeloya ) special.

[Raythesailor]

Originally Posted by Barra

The only antagonism ive seen in the eastern med isnt between cats and monos (thats reserved for CF) - its between owner boats and inexperienced charter boat skippers ie anchors not being set properly and dragging into other boats while all crew ashore, anchoring "too close", banging into other boast on the quays med mooring etc. ie the typical stuff

Having been all over the eastern med for past 2 1/2 summers in a cat I would say the Ionion is the best pick for your requirements with Gocek/ Fethiyeh a close second but only due to the very hot peak season temps.

Don't we know it. Sometimes can be a total nightmare.

We were once the ONLY BOAT
on the quay in Little Vathy, Meganisi, and a boat came in and attempted a stern to in perfect conditions, and still managed to drag across and lift our anchor !

He was to say the least embarrassed, and that evening when we were in the same taverns sent us a carafe of wine over !

[Tudorsailor]

Originally Posted by terah

I'm looking for suggestions for where to go for our first time chartering in the Med next summer. I have been racing and coastal sailing in Scotland for several years, and dinghy sailing before that, but not been further afield. Will have 3 crew with me, all relatively inexperienced.

We're looking for a fairly relaxed holiday, so short (4h?) hops between stops, nice places to see, swim, and eat. Would really like to charter a cat, as we're considering purchasing one, though that's not essential.

While we won't have kids with us we need to stick to school summer holidays, so it will be between 1st week July and 2nd week August.

So far have been looking at Croatia and Greece, where prices are fine for monohulls but quite expensive for cats. Also started looking at Turkey where cat prices seem much more reasonable, but I know very little about the area.

Croatia beats everywhere else as a destination for inexperienced. It has short distances. Easy to change plan if the weather is not coming from the expected direction. A variety of marinas, mooring buoys and anchoring. Most town quays have laid lines unlike Greece. Beautiful towns with great sites to entertain the non-sailors when you arrive
Food is great. If you really want to eat well, invest in the Gourmet Guide to Cruising the ADriatic
Zelena knjižara | online bookshop
I would start from a base near Split.

TS

TudorSailor

[terah]

Well we've opted for Croatia in the end.

Looked at Split to start with but flights to Dubrovnik are much better for us. Also decided to do a flotilla for our first time, which in turn makes it more sensible to go monohull. Will look at Ionian and / or catamaran for next time.

Almost managed to get a good price match with Sunsail so useful to know.

Thanks for all the suggestions.