I know this is a BVI sub but clearly it's also a de facto "Chartering in General" sub so I hope you'll indulge my questions.
Life long sailor with ten-ish charters in BVI's and St. Martin. I'm thinking about trying the Greek Islands but I have some questions/reservations taking this next step. Here are some of my concerns (in no particular order).
Certification - Seems like I've read that you need some kind of certification but I'm unclear on the details
Med Mooring - I've watched the YouTube examples but I've never done it. Seems like it's easy in the calm and a potential disaster in cross winds.
Provider - For better or worse, I'm just more comfortable with using The Moorings but I think I read that they outsource their service to others in Greece. What's the scoop on providers?
Logistics - How much of a hassle is it getting to and from the charter area and what are the best places to go?
Language - I sadly only speak English - how much of an issue is that?
I'm really on the fence on this. I like the idea of exploring a new, exotic area but I'm not sure I want to deal with the extra effort of getting there and dealing with the extra stress. Interested to hear your thoughts, experiences and any other words of wisdom you might have to help me decide.
ASA issues a license (the IPC) if you have already passed ASA 101, 103 and 104, it's not an ICC per se but accepted as equivalent by European charter bases. You just have to pay a few and they make you join ASA.
We did a Greece charter aboutt 10 years ago... opted for a Sunsail flotilla and was not sorry, as the support with mooring and communicating with harbor masters was much appreciated.
We have a Croatia charter planned this summer, will also be joining a Sunsail flotilla, so unfortunately 4-cabin boat for just the 2 of us. We may be looking for crew :-)
I've been thinking about the same. We (three boats) did Turkey in October and really enjoyed it. The Med sailing is much different from BVI - distances are longer and depths are far deeper. Almost no mooring balls, so all anchoring and med mooring. Wasn't a problem with the Jeanneau 64, it had 300ft of chain. One of the other boats only had 100ft and that was a challenge. Once you get the hang of med moor it isn't so bad, but it can have a steep learning curve.
License wise - you will need an IPC at the minimum - if you are ASA103/104 or US sailing bareboat grad they can facilitate it for you. First time I've had to show my credentials in a decade!
I'm thinking of chartering for a week out of Lavrion and sailing around the islands. You really need two weeks to cover the area though. Send me a DM if you're interested in joining up as a flotilla. I will likely have 2 or 3 other boats with me - I am an Instructor for a couple sailing clubs.
Yes, this board gets more sailing attraction, so I’l provide my two bits herein as response.
I’ve charter sailed in the Med 5 times, all with the Moorings. Moorings/Sunsail does the USA Marketing with sales staff who are remote, including in the UK. They team up with local outfits for in-country operations, and those marina offices are branded with the Moorings/Sunsail signs and logos.
I’ve not had any issues with the marina locations in two Greek bases or in Croatia (Split), or Italy (Procida-near Naples). All the staff speak English, are very friendly, and those European locations are easy to find and get to. We’ve not pre-provisioned with Moorings, as we’ve found that there are very good food stores all within minutes of the respective bases.
We’re experienced independent travelers, so we enjoy the pre-planning process and arrange our own travel to the bases. We have found that a mix of public and private transport makes it pretty easy to start and end our trips to the Med. No more stress than dealing with the Caribbean “soon come, no-problem -mon’” attitude, and equally challenging airlines. Just longer flights, but more sightseeing options pre/post and during the sailing experience.
I sailed as a young adult with my family in South Florida, owned motor boats, but hadn't sailed in decades. Resumed sailing as crew with some folks (who owned a boat in the Moorings fleet) on my first trip in 2007 which interestingly was in Greece. I loved it, and quickly expanded to chartering on my own. I’ve done bareboat in the Caribbean (four 7night BVI trips, 9 nights USVI, 9Nights Windwards St. Lucia to Grenada, and a 7nights Abacos). Now over 100 nights on charter. But we have always used a local skipper in the Med. Yes, you need licenses in Europe, details are on the Moorings/Sunsail web pages. While I could take the courses, we’ve found that having a skipper reduces the stress with language and local knowledge. I can take it, that’s part of the fun. But the Admiral(s) get uptight, which isn’t fun. A skipper is like having our own concierge in each town and village we visit. No need for VHF, his cell phone(s) contain all the contacts.
A local skipper knows the best anchorages, or village quays, recommends best restaurants, and suggests the best destinations and routing. And for sure, he takes out all the worry about Med mooring, as there are several different types of Med mooring, with lazy lines, anchoring, etc. It is fun watching those come into a harbor late in the day and watching disasters in the making…as long as it isn’t YOU and YOUR boat that everybody is making fun of and pointing to!
We pulled into Hydra one time to an absolutely packed harbor. No space at all. But our skipper had coordinated with another so that when we cleared in the harbor entrance with our 45’ cat, the other skipper was waiting to pull out, and we slipped right in as he pulled up his anchor. Later there were TWO monos parked on our bow! They tried to step aboard on our boat on their way to the dock - until our skipper forcefully advised that wasn’t happening! They had to use their dingy instead. And we’ve got some fantastic photos from a shore based photographer arranged in advance as we stood on deck and waved upon entering another harbour one afternoon. He can arrange cars, drivers, guides, etc. for land-based sightseeing too so you can explore the historic sights. We had a winery and restaurant all to ourselves up on top of a Greek island while we sipped their wine and watched the setting sun. Fantastic!
We have enjoyed combining a great sailing vacation with additional in-depth explorations and travel in Europe. We did the trip from Naples in 2021 at the start of a three week Italy adventure, including land based in Sorrento, Almalfi, Florence, and Tuscany. As others say here and elsewhere, Med sailing can be wonderful. Longer sails, clear, deep water, fantastic vistas and cute little villages. So cool to be stern-to, 5-steps on the gangway (that’s another story!) and 30 feet to town shops, tavernas, and restaurants.
Specific to Greece, I’ve sailed from Lefkada/Lefkas in 2007 for 7 nights in the Ionian, and from Athens/Piraeus Zeus base twice; Once 2016, on a 7-day down the peninsula in the Saronic Gulf, and just this last May 2024 when we did two weeks in the Cyclades. Fantastic villages and towns with wonderful sightseeing, food and people. If you want more details about Europe sailing including Greece, feel free to dm me.
In a couple of weeks, we’re going back to the Virgins for the first time in 8 years. But this time we’re taking a 56’ Lagoon for 8-nights from St. Thomas and plan to hit St. John, the typical BVI spots including to Anegada, and back. As that is more in keeping with this forum, I’ll try and post a report after our return. One of our fellow sailing mates has also just acquired an interest in a 82' Motor-sailer based in the Balearics. So in July and August we plan to be sailing in Corsica and Sardinia! We’re stoked about that too!
Wow jphart - thank you so much for all that information! Frankly, I hadn't even considered a captain (since I've never wanted or needed one in the carrib) but you make some excellent points and it does seem like that would make a huge difference in stress.
Thinking back, one of our early trips to the BVI was with a flotilla and it WAS really nice to have the lead boat arranging all the shore activities.
This gives me much to think about - many thanks again!
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