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FAMILY SAILING

76 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016

You want a sailing holiday. The rest of the family are

either keen but inexperienced or have no interest at all.

Is there a way to please everyone? Simon Fevyer reports

A family

watersports

holiday

in Greece

CHART: MAXINE HEATH

L

ook, the turtle!’ my son James

shouted, pointing towards a black-

beaked head that had popped up

from the sparkling blue water. We

were paddling kayaks and I was

trying my hardest to keep up with my two

super-charged children. It was the fi rst day

of our holiday in Greece. We had been

told there was at least one turtle living

in the bay but I was surprised we had

seen one so soon.

We paddled round the grounded

wreck of an abandoned fi shing boat.

My children were obviously enjoying

their time on the water. I looked

PHOTOS: SIMON FEVYER

PORTO

HELI

Porto Heli

Bay

Father Murphy

‘The Pirate Ship’

Wreck of

fishing boat

Ocean Elements

Sailing Area

Nautica

Bay Hotel

Prevailing

morning wind

Prevailing

afternoon wind

Our plane had landed at Athens airport

the previous evening and we had been

met by the Ocean Elements’ staff, all

suntans, enthusiasm and shiny white

smiles. We boarded a coach for the three

and a half hour drive to our hotel. It was

dark when we arrived and after a delicious

but hasty evening meal we made our way

to our apartment for a good night’s sleep.

Perfect location

Opening the curtains next morning we

were greeted by our fi rst proper view

of Porto Heli Bay. It is a perfect setting

for this type of holiday. The narrow

entrance opens up into an oval bay

more than half a mile wide, protected

on three sides by the surrounding

hills. Predictable winds and warm,

calm water make it an ideal place to

introduce beginners to watersports.

We were staying in the three-star

Nautica Bay hotel. It was lovely –

clean, comfortable with friendly staff

and good food. But we didn’t choose

the holiday for the hotel. Ocean

Elements holidays are all about the water.

Kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfi ng,

and dinghy sailing are all on offer. There

is also the chance to head out of the bay

in Ocean Elements’ Bavaria 38. The RYA

(Royal Yachting Association) qualifi ed

instructors offer training at a variety of

levels to suit all abilities, but if you don’t

want or need training then the kit is

available for personal use. All this plus

the facilities at the hotel (beach, pool,

restaurant, bar) promised a way to keep

all the family smiling.

Our instructor, Jeki, gave my daughter

Holly her fi rst sailing lesson in a Laser

Pico. After 15 minutes of land-based

theory Holly was sailing. Jeki was

shouting enthusiastic instructions as she

buzzed around in a small powerboat:

‘A fl appy sail is not a happy sail’.

Holly soon got the hang of going in a

Peloponnese

GREECE

Spetses

Idra

Athens

Ionian

Sea

Aegean

Sea

Monemvasia

Porto Heli

back towards our hotel. My wife was there

soaking up the sun on the beach. My plan

was to have a family holiday that would

keep everyone happy. It seemed to be

working pretty well.

We were on an Ocean Elements

watersports holiday in Porto Heli, Greece.

0 500m

We paddled to

the ‘shipwreck’

and saw a turtle