Seeking Advice for a Family Sailing Trip in Greece This July

[alfoso]

Hello, sailors!

I'm thrilled to have found this forum full of insights! I'm planning a sailing trip in Greece with my family this coming July and would appreciate some advice.

I have two sons, aged 15 and 11, who took sailing lessons last summer and really enjoyed them. We plan to visit Greece, and I was thinking of renting a sailboat for a few days. My wife and I don't have sailing experience, so we will hire a skipper.

We will be flying into Athens and our final destinations are Mykonos and Santorini. I'm guessing it would be ideal to make some stops at other islands as well. Here's the route we're considering from an online sea route calculator.

From my research, I understand that the Cyclades can be very windy in the summer. Do you think a trip like this could be uncomfortable? My wife is somewhat hesitant about the idea, and I really want her to enjoy the holiday. Also, what do you think of our proposed route? Should we make any adjustments?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by alfoso

Hello, sailors!

I'm thrilled to have found this forum full of insights! I'm planning a sailing trip in Greece with my family this coming July and would appreciate some advice.

I have two sons, aged 15 and 11, who took sailing lessons last summer and really enjoyed them. We plan to visit Greece, and I was thinking of renting a sailboat for a few days. My wife and I don't have sailing experience, so we will hire a skipper.

We will be flying into Athens and our final destinations are Mykonos and Santorini. I'm guessing it would be ideal to make some stops at other islands as well. Here's the route we're considering from an online sea route calculator.

From my research, I understand that the Cyclades can be very windy in the summer. Do you think a trip like this could be uncomfortable? My wife is somewhat hesitant about the idea, and I really want her to enjoy the holiday. Also, what do you think of our proposed route? Should we make any adjustments?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

The first thing you should be aware of is the Meltemi winds. You can read more about them here:

https://www.kavas.com/blog/the-meltemi-wind.html

When they are blowing you can end up not being able to sail for up to a week (or more). This can have serious consequences financially since if the boat has to be back at the starting point and you can't get there, you will have to pay for the skipper, boat, and harbor fees for the period where you are gone adn the boat is not sailing.

But you might be able to plan around it - stay as far to the south as possible, less windy there, don't expect to sail 150nm. You can be quite happy sailing just around 3-4 islands in the south.

[SV_FlyingTigress]

We had a great 9 day catamaran sailing trip to Greece last year. We did bare-boat (no captain) but had a great time just staying at the Sardonic Gulf, going to a different town every day.

[Franziska]

Agree with what has been written about Meltemi. Earlier than July would be better, normally it's blowing less in the first part of summer.