Greek Islands

[Sandy Beaches]

Hi All.
Just planning two weeks cruising the Greek Isles and starting with a blank page. Would appreciate some guidance on regions and key points to look out for.
Over to you and thanks in advance

[dlymn]

Beginner- Ionian
Experienced - Aegean you need to be able to handle the conditions that the Meltemi wind sometimes creates

We cruise in the Ionian which you can completely cover in 2 weeks. It can get crowded in the ports but there are plenty of places to anchor out. There's plenty to see and do, the food and beer is the same everywhere. You're always in sight of land or an island. Only 3-4 "proper" marinas, the rest are town quays and nearby anchorages. Not many places with electricity or water but plenty of tavernas. Google Corfu,Sivota, Parga, Preveza, Nidri, Fiskardho to get a taste of some of the places you can go to.

[Palarran]

Heres some links:

Yacht charter Greece and sailing holidays Greece and Turkey - Marine navigation - Yacht charters Greek islands and Turkish coasts
Matt Barrett's Guides to Greece and the Greek Islands
Alonissos | Official website of the Municipality of Alonissos
Welcome to Skiathos Island

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMWDPUMNzwI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFOX5tSbK78

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZI_S9MqKrI

http://www.cyclades-tour.gr/index.ph...emid=1&lang=en
Cycladia | Your Quality Travel Guide in Greece
Astypalaia - a beautiful island in the Aegean Sea
Slow Boat to Bliss - Condé Nast Traveler
Aegina island Greece tourist travel Guide | AEGINAGREECE

[Sandy Beaches]

Thankyou for that,
We are experienced sailors so was thinking more Cyclades and a bit more challenging sailing. Dodecanese is also of interest. Am I right in thinking Ionian side is probably more gentle/less challenging sailing with shorter distances. Please don't take that as rudeness but we have 14 days so am happy to sail some extra distance. I am sure wherever we go it will be great fun as we haven't sailed here before. Have sailed Croatia which was great. And lots of ocean/coastal sailing in Australia. Also is the ICC certificate suitable in Greece?
Ian

[Sandy Beaches]

This is great. Thanks We have some time to plan this so your refs will be invaluable. I'll look them up asap. Many thanks

[Palarran]

And some more videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqGo...kbxk0Z&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-g...kbxk0Z&index=6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhVM...kbxk0Z&index=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-5M...kbxk0Z&index=8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBPu...kbxk0Z&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mSF...kbxk0Z&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTM...kbxk0Z&index=4

[Sandy Beaches]

wow, maybe I'll stay and watch the videos - Joking - thanks

[Palarran]

There are a lot of previous threads on chartering in Greece here on Cruisers Forum. If you haven't done a google search on the site yet, go to the top of the screen and hit the "Search" button. Choose the second option. Then enter something like "Greece Greek Island Charter" That should give you a few hours of reading.

Maybe then it would be best to post more details about who is going such as family or couples, young or old, sailing skills, and what your thinking.

We do a lot of walking and exploring. There are several UNESCO World Heritage sites easily accessible in the Aegean and also around the Saronic. Two weeks is great but really you can barely scratch one area with that amount of time.

I love Greece !!

[Palarran]

Oh, I forgot the best source of information. YOU NEED THIS BOOK

Publications

[chuckr]

We sailed both sides of Greece last year from Corfu to Turkey. the Ionian is full of charter boats and more than a few are first time sailors - it was not exactly pleasant for us and disgusting at times

After the Corinth Canal you get the meltimi winds that bring with them short very short choppy steep seas. But some good sailing and great ports.

We have not sailed Turkey yet, except to sail from Samos to Kusadasi but looking forward to it for the beauty, anchorages, history and amenities from the various ports. Remember the very first sailor Noah sailed Turkey --

[dlymn]

Have you found this site yet?
JimB Sail | Helping Skippers plan European Cruises
Ionian very light winds in the morning then a stronger wind from 1 to 8 in the afternoon mostly from NW. Some katabatic winds can spring up and make things messy for an hour. Problem with finishing at 8 is that you'll never get a mooring at the town quay. Read up about Med mooring, needs some skill. Preveza and Lefkas are in the middle of the island group. They are close to each other and serviced by Aktion airport out of Athens, You can fly emirates in the 380 from Melbourne to Athens then Aegean or Olympic (same) to the east or west. Ionian is tourism savvy but still low key and lots of fun. There are no towns painted blue and white, but Gaios does have a really crappy building on the quay which they cover with a canvas screen with a pretty building painted on it- charming. Mt Olympus at the very south up to kassiopi on Corfu at the top is simple, predictable, low stress.

[athene]

I'd be inclined to look at the Dodecanese if you want a mix of sailing and interesting things ashore and you have just two weeks. If you flew into - say - Kos you've got an arc of islands between Patmos in the NNW to Chalki and Rhodes in the SE which are IMHO some of the most interesting and picturesque in Greece and none of them more than a day sail apart.

Also, if you're in the northern part of the arc for the second week and the weather turns, the winds are likely to be behind you for the run back to Kos. Another useful source is the World Cruising Wiki at http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Greece.

GORDON KNIGHT

[Sandy Beaches]

Thanks to all. Very helpful. I have heard a lot of the refugees from Turkey and north Africa have made Kos and nearby islands a bit problematic. Do I need to take this into account?

[Palarran]

I think you need to be aware but not fearful.

In an earlier post I missed that you are experienced sailors. With that, I'd not recommend the Ionian's. If this is your first Greece visit, they the Cyclades would be your best bet. You can charter out of Athens or Paros, maybe Poros. Don't go to Santorini on your boat - please believe me on this. I would try as much as possible to head west to east then back as the winds almost always blow for some northerly direction. Milos, Paros, Naxos, the small Cyclades, Amorgos (especially), Patmos, etc. Many choices.

[yeloya]

Originally Posted by Sandy Beaches

Thanks to all. Very helpful. I have heard a lot of the refugees from Turkey and north Africa have made Kos and nearby islands a bit problematic. Do I need to take this into account?

The refugees will not cause any problem or create any problem if you decide to cruise in Dodocanes islands. Last year, they were an issue on nearby islands to the greek coast guard and port authorities..Less of a problem in Rhodes but in Simi and Kos there were more refugees than local people, the police didn't know how to deal with them other than calling big ferries every day or two and shipping them to Athens. I've heard that many charter boats in Dodocanes have been sent elsewhere in Greece.
You can otherwise cruise along the turkish coast and visit couple of Dodocanese islands in and out, if you wish so.. Two weeks are largely enough to do this.

Cheers

Yeloya