CABIN CHARTER SAILING HOLIDAYS | Greece

During the high season (July & August), embarkation takes place on Fridays at noon, at the yacht port of Parikia, in Paros (300 yards from the ferry dock). This allows you to arrive by plane or ferry during the morning and weigh anchor early in the afternoon. Thus, you do not loiter in harbour.

Breakfast, fresh food provisioning if needed, sailing (average of 2 to 4 hours per day), lunch onboard and swimming, arrival in a Greek island around 3 pm, dinner ashore, evening leisure time.

Sharing a yacht means one partakes at running the boat: provisionning, preparing breakfast & lunch, washing dishes, keeping the galley clean, helping the captain sailing and docking the boat. That said, these are all simple tasks that people share and are fun. All in all they take very little time and unless you are hyperactive, basking in the sun watching the sea is what you will do most of day on the boat, while once ashore you will be going snorkeling or discovering the islands. The crew members on board share their time and skills: some cook, others pull ropes, others do the dishes or chop up a salad, the captain makes sure the chores are done smoothly and in a fun way.
Meals (breakfats & lunches) taken on board are simple and casual so there’s no big preparation time, particularly lunches (while sailing) which usually consist of salads, sandwiches and fruits. In the evenings we have dinner ashore but you are not obliged to follow the group. Since sailing is an outdoor activity and we start before 10 am, there is not much with people staying late at night. Of course if some guests want to party, they can do that ashore as that would not affect those spending their evening onboard. As earlier said, we take great pride at appropriateness and at finding a common ground to run smoothly our cruises.

You get more sailing time and less loitering! To be specific, most charter companies check their guests in at 5 pm on Saturdays constraining ing you to stay put till the next day. Likewise the same companies will check you out on Friday afternoon and allow you to spend the last night on board till you disembark on Saturday at 9 am. In all you will get 6 sailing days and 5 islands to visit. On the other hand with Archipel Club, you embark on Fridays at noon and sail as soon as you are ready. No evening spent waiting. You disembark on Thursdays at 6 pm and still make the last ferries back to Athens. Again no loitering. In total you will enjoy 7 sailing days and visit 6 islands. Thus you also benefit from a hectic free harbour by avoiding weekends. In the mean time we have a whole evening (and even a night) to sort out maintenance and carry out eventual repairs in order to warrant our guests a hassle free vacation.

A kitty is built on first day in order to cover all shared expenses, which are the meals onboard and ashore, drinks, skipper's meals, fuel, water, port dues, end cleaning of the yacht. We hardly spend more than 220 Euros per person per week. The skipper is the bookkeeper, having all invoices at ready for perusal. Of course, we make no profit on the common kitty !

Unlike the Carribean were dinners are typically taken on board, taverna dinners are part of the Greek lifestyle experience. We run a constantly updated list of the best tavernas and since we systematically patronize local businesses, that are open all-year-around, authenticity is very often synonymous with reasonnable prices! There is at least one good taverna in each port and we know everytime what are the unique specials that you should not miss. We find so apalling when visitors to our country condemn themselves to the banality of the tourist fare usually on offer on harbour front establishments! However, should you wish to to dine on your own, let the skipper know, he will be more than happy to indicate you an alternative restaurant (if there is one, since most villages we visit are pretty small!) and pay you back from the kitty, the 12 Euro per meal.

2 or 3 of the fellow crew members -including yourself if you wish :-) will do the grocery shopping (the kitty covers this shared expense), we provide a shopping list for those who fear to get lost in the Greek food shelves! Of course you may re-supply in most islands. If you suffer from any food allergy or have any diet requirement, please let your captain know.

We're usually able to make enough personal contact with each of our guests to have a clear picture of how to match them with a team they'll find compatible. Because of the vacation mode, style and cost, all our customers are reasonnably fit, they enjoy open air activities, understand the meaning of propriety on board a sailing yacht and finally end up having a lot in common. Furthermore the fact that they embark in such a shared boat vacation more than implies they are willing to be flexible (within reason) and have the greatest fun. We’ve been involved in this kind of cruises for over 10 years now, some of our guests became friends for life while actually few people got married! One of the keys to success is that our new boats ensure a lot of privacy as all have en-suite private bathrooms with individual companionways and boast 700 square feet of deck space. Finally our skippers know how to manage group dynamics in order to ensure a seamless vacation for everyone onboard.

Our catamaran can accomodate up to 9 guests + skipper.

Our Paros-Paros via Santorini itinerary is the most popular among our guests. Your captain will sit and discuss with you, with the week’s weather forecast in hand, customizing precisely your route, by keeping in mind your safety and comfort. While the sea is a demanding environment, your sailing cruise will be an instant success thanks to your good mood, your captain's excellence and an impeccable yacht. Exceptional weather conditions may force us to alter intermediate stop overs and skip Santorini. But don't worry, there are many other must-to-see islands such as Mykonos, Sifnos, Amorgos, Delos, Ios. You have many choices of alternative itineraries!

Specifically designed for sailing charter in the Greek islands under Meltemi conditions, our Pahi catamaran sails to her destination every day, providing safety and comfort to everyone onboard. However, rough weather sailing is not every one’s cup of tea. This is why our skippers daily monitor long term forecasts, anticipating a blow and tailoring your itinerary according to your preferences. You may rest assured that whatever happens, you will not be stuck in port if you do not wish to!

MAY - JUNE
Carpets of colourfull flowers drape the Greek islands, the days are long and you may enjoy walks without fear of sizzling in the sun. All the tourist infrastructure and transportation on the islands are operating but without the crowds. There maybe a few clouds in early may otherwise there’s an average of 12 hours sunshine per day. Sea water may be felt a bit cool at 19°C. Average air temperature at 21°C.
 
JULY - AUGUST
Greece like in the post cards: cloudless skies and constant northerly winds that cool the air. Average of calm days are 3 per month and they are hot. Otherwise average air temperatures around 25°C and the sea at 20°C. Some destinations like Mykonos and Santorini gather large international crowds so make sure you reserve your ferry and air tickets in advance!
 
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
In the fall, crowds are gone home but good dry weather is still around! The strong summer winds have calmed down, summer heat is receding and just the sea water temperature has risen. All in all its a delightful season to visit the islands. To be frank, the only down side are the shorter days. There could be a few clouds and even more rarely rain in the first half of October, otherwise the average sunshine are at 9 hours per day, average seawater temperature at 22°C and air temperature at 20°C.

There is no need for air conditioning as there is almost everyday in summer a cool notherly breeze in the Cyclades islands and the Pahi insulation is excellent. For the rare hot days, each cabin is equiped with a fan.

Yes, there is waterproof Sony CD & MP3 player, fitted with two waterproof 60W loud speakers on long wires so that one may have music in almost everypart of the boat.

Our catamaran is equipped with an inverter, meaning that we have 2 AC plugs for recharging mobile phones, cameras or Ipods and operating small household appliances like a fruitblender. The yacht also has DC cigarette lighter plugs like in a car.

Yes, we do have a score of masks & snorkels as well as flippers of various sizes, in a deck locker.

Regarding Scuba diving: because of the large number of antiquities on the sea floor and the amount of damage and theft occurred in the past, scuba diving is very strictly regulated in the Eastern Mediterranean (Greece & Turkey). One may only dive in areas cleared by the archeological authorities and is required to register with Coast Guard for each dive. Should a reasonnable amount of poeple on board be interested in diving we can prearrange dive sessions with dive clubs in the following islands: Paros, Syros, Mykonos, Milos, Santorini.

If no one else booked to sail with you, you would have the whole yacht for yourselves but you would be the only subscribers to the kitty. In any case, do not worry, the charter would not be cancelled.

You can get to Paros either by fast ferry or by plane.
A. If you're landing in Athens:
1. Catch a flight (1 or 2 flights per day) for Paros with Olympic Air (www.olympicair.com). Make sure you book well in advance as there are only few seats available. Flight duration: 25 minutes. One way fare: around 80 Euros.
2. Catch a ferry from either Piraeus harbour (45 minutes by cab or 1 hour and 15 minutes by shuttle bus from the airport) or Rafina harbour (35 minutes by cab from the airport).
Booking & Timetables on www.greekferries.gr Click on ‘Ferries to Greek Islands’ at the top of the page. Trip duration: between 2 hours and 45 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the ferry. One way fare: between 25 Euros & 40 Euros, depending on the company.
Note: if you spend a night down town Athens, the port of Piraeus is 30 minutes away by subway by cab. If you're looking for accomodation in Athens, do avoid Omonia area and prefer the safe and lively area of Plaka.
 
B. If you're landing in Mykonos or Santorini: catch a fast ferry for Paros. Booking & Timetables on www.greekferries.gr
 
C. If you're landing in Crete: a super fast ferry (Flyingcat 4) sails daily at 09:30 from Heraklion to Santorini, Ios, Paros, Mykonos, return. Booking & Timetables on www.greekferries.gr

By shuttle bus, taxi, subway train.
A. Direct express shuttle n° 96 will take you to Piraeus in around 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the traffic. Ticket costs approximately 3 Euros at the booth in front of the bus, right outside the airport.
B. Taxi cab will take you to Piraeus in around 45mn, depending on the traffic.
C. The airport is connected to and from the airport and Piraeus (change at Monastiraki station to Metro Line 1) by Metro Line 3. Trains operate every 30 minutes (:00 and :30)to and from the airport. The journey time to Piraeus is 60 minutes. Tickets are 8 Euros single fare.
Note: apart from the obvious port of Piraeus, ferries also sail from Rafina, barely 35 minutes away from the airport.

Yes, it is necessary at peak vacation times like Easter, Whitsunday and during July & August. Outside these dates, you may purchase them at the ticket booth, on the ferry dock.

Yes you may access them on the website www.greekferries.gr. Click on ‘ Ferries to Greek Islands ’ then on ‘Reservation Type’. Online booking available.

15 minutes by cab.

Websites like www.paros-online.com (contact: Martina Blair) and www.parosweb.com are an excellent source of information about Paros hotels & activities.