as space in many of the anchorages and
ports in the high season is at a premium.
The lead crew can also assist with the
idiosyncrasies of Med-style mooring.
Itineraries are generally f lexible and
dependent on weather conditions and
the lead skipper’s discretion.
We opted for an English cruising holiday
operator and chose the northern Ionian
route, on the western side of Greece.
However, the company does offer a range
of other itineraries in different sailing
fields and countries and the trips are
graded, based on conditions and degrees
of sailing experience.
We f lew to Athens and then to Preveza
airport before travelling approximately
an hour by road to the island of Lef kas
(Lef kada), which is linked by a causeway
to the mainland. Our departure point was
the picturesque Sivota Harbour.
On arrival we were greeted and briefed
by our first mate and introduced to our 32
foot, two cabin Bavaria, Lila; a lovely spick
and span little boat, which turned out to
be easy to handle and sailed like a dream.
After a restful first night in Sivota, we
met up at Stavros’s Taverna at 9.00am for
our first briefing. Daily briefings covered
weather, destination, possible routes, best
lunch and swim stops, particular hazards,
local weather phenomena and mooring info.MOORING
As anyone who has sailed the
Mediterranean knows, mooring can be a
little different from Australia. The harbours
vary in size and facilities, some offer power
and water, others are quite basic and the
boats are packed in pretty tight.
Mooring can mean stern-to with lazy
lines, stern-to with anchor, long-lines to
shore, rafted alongside another boat or
five or simple off-shore anchoring. On
our f lotilla, boats were usually given a
two hour arrival window each afternoon.
Prior to entering the harbour, each boat
called the lead boat on a nominated VHF
channel for mooring instructions and
prepared their boat with appropriate
lines and fenders.THE VALUE OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Especially on a short trip, when there is not
the time to slowly build local knowledge,
having an informed lead crew was invaluable.
Our lead skipper was experienced, helpful
and passionate about his country, it really
enhanced the whole experience.
The crew were also able to assist with
any technical boat issues. We had some
problems with a malfunctioning windlass
controller that kept shorting out. We were
offered assistance but, luckily, my sailing
partner’s engineering experience meant
he could effect a temporary fix until a
new one was available; just as well, as the
waters of the Med. are deep and the reality
of trying to haul up 45 metres of anchor
chain by hand was not appealing!SOCIAL BENEFITS
Sailing in a f lotilla means you get to meet a
range of people of all ages, which is always
interesting, but it is still up to you how much
time you spend with your fellow sailors.41
http://www.mysailing.com.auMAIN: Spartochori Harbour.
BELOW: Vassiliki.