Nautica Bay Hotel, Porto Heli. Comfortable,
clean and the staff were very friendlySailing the
Bavaria 38 with
Spetses in the
backgroundJames steering Peter Pan as Pete gives directionsFAMILY SAILING
78 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016How much does it cost?
■ Prices £2,596 - £3,876
(Seven nights for two adults and
two children with all the activities
mentioned and breakfast/dinner and
flights/transfers included).
■ Te l 020 3642 6754
■ Web http://www.alpineelements.co.uk/
beach-holidays/resort/porto-heli.htmlstraight line and tacking so it was time to
try a more ambitious gybe.
It wasn’t a big splash, more a sedate
‘plop’. She hadn’t moved fast enough
to get her weight from one side of the
boat to the other and inevitably ended up
in the water. The smile on her face
as Holly clambered back on board said
it all. When the sea is this warm you
don’t mind falling in.
A few more runs up and down the
teaching area and she soon got the
hang of it. At the end of the lesson Jeki
explained what Holly had done wrong and
praised her for all she had done well.
Ocean Elements has a large area of the
bay marked as its ‘Sailing Area’. The staff
carefully watch their guests on the water
at all times, making sure everyone is safe.
But there are escorted trips outside this
area so you can explore further afield. The‘ The location was perfect, the staff were
knowledgeable and enthusiastic and
we managed to keep everyone happy’
bay is skirted with rocky coves
and we saw the submerged
remains of the ancient, original
Porto Heli.
A large twin-masted tall ship
called Father Murphy was
anchored and abandoned in the
bay a few years ago. She made
a useful landmark and we all
called her ‘The Pirate Ship’.Out to sea
Ocean Elements can also arrange daysail
cruises outside the bay with one of the
instructors for an extra €350 (£268). Pete,
a 19-year-old Yachtmaster, supervised
while we took turns to steer the Bavaria 38
as she motored out to sea. Once in open
water, up went the sails and we headed
towards the island of Spetses. The gently
rolling waves only got lumpy when thehydrofoil ferry went past. We put the boat
through her paces and enjoyed the brisk
evening breeze.
On the way back it was my son James’s
turn to steer. I asked if Pete was a fan of
the in-mast reefing? ‘It works well,’ he
said, ‘and it means we can quickly get
the boat ready to go out. But the lack of
battens on the sails does mean they can
flap about a bit.’ The sun was going down
as we returned to Porto Heli Bay and Pete
took the helm to masterfully moor the
boat stern-to. A lovely end to a lovely day.
Next season, the Bavaria will be at Ocean
Elements’ Lefkas base, not Porto Heli.
We spent a week at Porto Heli and
loved every minute of it. My children
and I enjoyed pottering about on the
water and my wife made the most of the
sunshine. The location was perfect, the
staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic
and we managed to keep everyone in the
family happy. Mission accomplished. WFather Murphy,
the ‘Pirate Ship’
made a very
useful landmark