Greece Travel Guide logo

Greece Travel Guide

Athensguide

 Greek Island Guide

Lesvos

Hotels of Greece

Turkey

Paris

Sailing in Greece

Sailboat and Yacht Charters.....
The Way to REALLY See Greece!

Sailboat in Santorini 

Travelers to Greece who have sailed the Greek islands agree that chartering a yacht or sailboat or joining one of the sail-cruises and flotillas is the best way to see the country.

I took a trip in August of 2001 and you can read about it at www.greecetravel.com/sailing and since then I have been longing to do it again. Even if you have never sailed before I recommend it. If you are afraid of getting sea-sick... half the people on our boat were afraid and nobody got seasick. And if you are a true sailor then you will discover that the Aegean and the Greek islands are probably the best place to sail in the world. Distances are short and at the end there is a beautiful island, great restaurants, beaches and if you go with a skipper, a guide and host that will make everything at land and sea run smoothly, evening helping you order from the menu and introducing you to the friends they have in every Greek island port..

David Econopouly has a company based in the USA called GM Yacht Charters that works with several sailboat companies and individual skipper-owners in Greece to find the customer the best and most suitable boats at the best price. Whether you want to charter a large sailboat with some friends with a skipper or on your own, or join a group of boats called a flotilla, he does the research and gives you the choices. A great service and very helpful whether you know little about sailing or are an experienced skipper bringing a group and looking for the right boat. He also does power yachts and sail cruises as well as cruises for disabled, cruises with pets, student party cruises, winter charters, naturist charters (that means naked), archaeology charters and more.
See www.greecetravel.com/sailing/gm-charters

David is also the booking agent for superstar-skippers like Billy Joe Leck and Stefan Richter. German born Stefan has one of the biggest and best sail boats in the Aegean and is a terrific Captain and host. His boat the Caraya II is airconditioned and has heating and he can sail at any time of the year. He is an amatuer archaeologist (since his wife is a professional archaeologist) and like many skippers a fine story-teller and cool person to hang out with. And Billy Joe Leck is a legend of the Greek seas.

Another option for those who want to avoid the crowds of traditional cruise ships is to consider a private cruise on a 6-25 cabin luxury sailing or motor cruiser either in Greece, or Turkey. Get a group together and they will arrange for a flotilla sailing experience or just book for you and your family by the cabin.. Boats of all sizes and catagories including air-conditioned 50 foot or larger sailing yachts. Charter an impeccable sailing yacht of 50 foot or larger, with a skipper/captain and sail the seas of Greece or participate in a one-week guided diving safari, with or without lessons either in Greece or even in the Red Sea. Also look into their small island cruises on wooden boats with10 to 20 cabins that visit the popular islands but also go where the cruise ships can't. For More info see www.greecetravel.com/sailing/gm-charters
 
See Also:
Greek Island Cruises and Matt's Sailing Page and if you plan to spend time in Santorini be sure to see Captain Ted's Santorini Day Sails

Return to Athens Survival Guide