...Yachting and Sailing in Greece is a dream-come-true...
The Greek seas and coasts, with their many comparative advantages, have made yachting a very popular activity, both among Greeks and foreign visitors.
A trip on the calm Greek waters, on your own or a chartered yacht, offers you the possibility to sail among beautiful clusters of islands, to anchor in naturally protected bays of rare beauty, to visit inaccessible beaches and to swim with safety in exceptionally clear and transparent waters.
The Greek coast has a total length of approximately 16,000 km. Half this length is found around the thousands of Greek islands, while the rest extends along the mainland. A main characteristic of the Greek coasts is their unique diversity (beaches stretching over many kilometres, small bays and coves, sandy beaches with dunes, pebbly shores, coastal caves surrounded by steep rocks and with the characteristic dark sand of volcanic soils, coastal wetlands), and their clean and transparent waters that have made them famous and extremely popular all over the world.
In 2007, in Greece 428 beaches and 9 marinas were awarded the “Blue Flag”, which places the country in second place among 49 other countries.
Greek yachting has become very popular in the past two decades and yacht chartering has developed from a small business into a vigorous industry, offering over 20,000 yachts and itineraries to suit even the most demanding sailor.
Greece has to offer the yachtsman a great deal, not only because of its splendid natural attractions in the Aegean and Ionian, but also thanks to the readily available supplies, both on the islands and around the mainland.
There are three main groups of yachts: crewed, bareboat and flotillas. Most of them are based in the marinas along the coast of Athens and Piraeus, but also at the islands of Rhodes (South Aegean) and Corfu (Ionian), the northern Greek "gems" of Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki, as well as at several major Aegean and Ionian islands.
Yachting in Greece is a dream-come-true and there is nothing like exploring the country's innumerable bays and inlets, dipping into crystal-clear waters and lying under cloudless skies.
The sea is always the top option for summer holidayers. Sailing offers an opportunity to experience much excitement while crossing a sea dotted with hundreds of islands and islets of immense beauty. Cruising by sailboat is a very interesting sport that can be enjoyed by men and women of practically all ages. Knowing how to swim is usually the only requirement for being admitted to a sailing school.
Apart from the sailboat with all its rigging and accessories, sailing does not require any special equipment. Greece has an immense coastline and literally thousands of friendly coves where you can cast anchor and have the time of your life snorkeling, fishing, exploring the wilderness, or visiting picturesque seaside villages. A sailboat will allow you to pick gorgeous totally isolated beaches that are not accessible by land.
There are four basic categories of charter yachts: (a) Motor Yachts: Large modern boats, with engine and crew. (b) Motor Sailors: Sailing boats with engine and crew; (c) Sailing Yachts: sailing boats with crew; (d) Bareboat: Small sailing boats. You can sail the boat on your own, or you can hire a skipper. No matter how independent a cruise is, the boat and its crew will need food, water and fuel, which are available in practically all Greek island harbors, even where there is no organized marina.
If you have done any sailing at all, you will be able to appreciate how much work it involves, especially when seas are rough and anchorage uncertain, but also under normal conditions. Even if you hire a skipper, everyone in your crew will be expected to help along every way they can. Those who plan to assist with the actual sailing should be physically fit and able to do some hard sailing work for several hours if conditions require.
MAIN MARINAS AND HOTEL BAYS IN GREECE
1. Piraeus, Attica, Argosaronikos Bay
• Zea Marina
• Flisvos Marina
• Alimos Marina
• Glyfada Marina
• Vouliagmeni Marina
• Olympic Marine, Lavrion
• Methana Marina
2. Peloponnese
• Xylokastron Marina (Corinthiakos Bay)
• Patras Glyfada Marina (Patraikos Bay)
• Kalamata Marina (Mesiniakos Bay)
3. Crete Island
• Porto Gouces Marina, Iraklio (Cretan Sea)
• Aghios Nikolaos Marina, Lasithi (Cretan Sea)
4. Dodecanese Islands
• Mandraki Marina, Rhodes (SE Aegean)
• Kos Marina, Kos (SE Aegean)
• "Lakki Marina" protected bay, Leros (SE Aegean)
5. Cyclades Islands
• "Porto Paros" hotel harbour, Paros (SE Aegean)
6. Central Macedonia
• Kalamaria Aretsous Marina, Thessaloniki (Thermaikos Bay)
• "Porto Sani" Marina, Cassandra, Chalkidiki (Thermaikos Bay)
• "Porto Karras" Marina, Sithonia, Chalkidiki (Cassandra Bay)
7. Sterea Ellada
• Vounaki Marina, Palero, Etoloakarnania (Ionian Sea)
• Cleopatra Marina, Aktio, Etoloakarnania (Amvrakikos Bay)
8. Ionian Islands
• Gouvia Marina, Corfu (Ionian Sea)
• Lefkada Marina, Lefkada (Ionian Sea)