Cruising the Cyclades

[nevdoc]

I''d like to hear from anyone who has chartered in these islands. We, six of us on a 45 footer, will be there in early October and would appreciate any tips, suggestions etc. We are all fairly experienced sailors.

[verticalmoves]

I have sailed in this region in 98'' Pick up a copy of the Greek Waters Pilot by Rod Heikell. It was a great nav tool during my charter. It is now a weathered keepsake of my trip cause recorded my experiences in the book.
You might consider self provsioning, depending on where you are starting your trip. Most of the area markets will deliver right to the dock. The experience of the greek market and the savings are worth it.
I would be glad to go into greater detail but the chartering companies and the forementioned book are the best sources

[Wensum]

Give Kithnos the Kursed a miss, but don''t miss Delos whatever you do (good anchorage on S end of Rhenia for night before so as to arrive early on Delos).
Hope you are not chartering from GPSC, crap boat.

[KPBaker]

When we chartered in Greece, we sailed part of the Cyclades. Once we reached Mykonos, we opted to leave the boat for a couple of days and take a short flight to the island of Santorini. The island was to far for us to sail to in the amount of time we had, and mooring/docking possiblilities are very limited. I highly recommend visiting this island though. It was the highlight of the trip. All the ruins at Delos and other spots were fantastic as well, but Santorini (Thira) was incredible. There''s plenty of stuff on the web to research if you''re interested.

[RichardElliott]

As you look over the other bareboats, you will note an astonishing lack of women aboard, nearly all muscular men. You may also encounter the reason for this as we did - it''s spelled Meltemi!

[Wensum]

The Meltemi can be a problem but it needs to be put into perspective. It is a katabatic northerly that sweeps out of the Black Sea down the Aegean and results from high pressure over the Balkans and a low over Anatolia. It usually is stronger on the eastern, Turkish, side than in the west.
Generally it begins in mid-morning, reaches F5-6 in mid-afternoon and abates later. (Rarely it can reach F7+ and blow continuously). Its fearsome reputation is largely historical, but it commands respect.
Unlike moderate gales on the Atlantic coasts, however, the Meltemi comes out of a cloudless sky with brilliant sunshine and superb visibility. In a well found yacht, well reefed down, it provides exhilarating swimsuit sailing. There is little fetch, so no big seas. But the Meltemi does generate short, steep seas which are hard to beat into; a yacht tends to pound on the spot. So it is better to lay off a point or two and ease sheets, making the apparent wavelength longer.
Quite the best conditions to have dolphins playing alongside..... ENJOY!

PS The weather forecasting in the Aegean is now much improved and good info can be obtained at harbour offices. On the net a good site is www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/weather
And don''t leave yourself with a long northerly leg to make at the end of your charter!

[ChuckPeck]

Hello and thanks in advance for a reply. I am considering a "skippered bareback" out of Paros with Naoussa Paros Sailing Center. They have a 40' Darfour of recent vintage. Trip to be in mid-June. Would the Meltemi contraindicate children who haven't sailed on board - ages 9 and 13? Anyone familiar with this outfit? Want to go south to Santorini, is this just opposite of advice from Wensum??

[chrondi]

Dear Chuckpeck,
if I understood well your message, you plan to charter a skippered 40' foot yacht out of Paros, mid-June.
It is early in the season and probably the much dreaded meltemi local wind will not blow that hard to cause you any problems. On the other hand, your skipper will make the right choices so that you enjoy sailing without unnecessary suffering. There is much information about sailing itineraries in many threads right in this message board, under "Chartering", e.g. try "First Greek Charter, looking for hints ...".
As far as kids are concerned, I would be very careful not to scare them off at their first experience with sea-sailing. The Cyclades group of islands is not suited for novices, adults or children alike, any time of the year. On the contrary, I would surely take 10-year old kids on board if they had repeatedly experienced capsize of Optimist dinghies while sailing on a lake a windy day! In any case, watch out that they wear always properly their lifejackets.Greek charter, looking for hints..