Summer 2022 holidays on sale!
South Ionian sailing holidays
South Ionian Flotilla,
Greece
The sheltered waters and light winds between mainland Greece and the beautiful islands of the south Ionian create ideal conditions for less experienced sailors. You'll never be more than a few miles away from shore and distances between ports are relatively short – giving you plenty of time to explore hidden coves and anchor to enjoy the beauty of the area.
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Keep a close eye out for dolphins, turtles and rays, as they all enjoy the Ionian waters at certain times throughout the summer. Bring or buy masks and snorkels, so you're able to explore life below the waterline too.
The one week south Ionian flotilla starts and ends from our yacht base at Vounaki Beachclub in Paleros.
Your flotilla route
This flotilla route will give you a flavour of what to expect from your week on the flotilla, it's an example, is not fixed and may vary from that listed below (nm = nautical miles).
7
days
If you want to spend longer afloat on a two-week flotilla, you can choose to do two one-week flotillas back-to-back. After your first week on flotilla, you will return to the yacht pontoon at Vounaki Beachclub with the rest of the flotilla. That evening and the following day you will have the chance to stretch your sea-legs and relax at Vounaki Beachclub, making full use of the facilities, you can even have a game of tennis, go on a bike ride or take out a kayak. (Use of facilities (with exception of the spa) and activities is free of charge). 


You will then be refreshed and ready to set sail again for the second week of your holiday with a new bunch of sailors. Please note, we may re-visit at least one of the harbours from your first week on flotilla.Â
Arrival and departure
Your flotilla boats will be ready from five pm on your arrival day. Once settled on board, the Neilson crew will give an individual boat briefing. If you arrive after 7.30pm the crew will give a short briefing on essentials such as lights, loos and gas with a full briefing the following morning.
The main flotilla briefing for all yachts is the following morning at 9 or 9.30am and boats are free to depart at any time after the briefing is over. All boats will need to be back at the Neilson base before 6pm on the final sailing day, and vacated by 9.30am on the day of departure.
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Your sailing experience
Before you head off on flotilla, we need to know you can sail. You'll need at least two adults aged 18+ who have previously sailed. One will need documentation to prove they can sail and the other will need enough experience to be able to take charge of the boat and complete a man overboard procedure.
If you hold RYA YAchtmaster, RYA Coastal Skipper or RYA Day Skipper you must apply for a UK ICC - International Certificate of Competence (ICC) issued by the RYA and take this with you in addition to your RYA certificate. You can apply for the certificate here. All original certificates must be taken with you on flotilla. If you don't have the necessary level of experience, a stay and sail holiday, coupled with one of our sailing courses might be a better option for you.
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If you have any of these certificates, you're good to go: ICC, RYA Sailing Skills: Basic Skills - Level 2 (completed on yachts); RYA Keelboat Level 2 (completed on yacht).
A few extras
Our sailing holidays include damage waiver, marine insurance and fuel, plus we don't ask for a security deposit. There are a few bits we don't include in your holiday, such as mooring fees. If you do need to pay it's usually just a few Euros per night.
For £100 per week, you can book inflatable stand up paddle boards (SUP) to take with you. This includes paddle, pump and buoyancy aid. Due to limited storage space, we recommend no more than two SUP per yacht.
Stay and sail
If you'd like to go on a sailing holiday but don't have the experience, our stay and sail holidays might be just the thing. Stay and sail holidays are exclusive to Vounaki Beachclub, we can get you to the correct level of experience during a week of yacht training, you can then join the flotilla in the second week relaxed, fresh and with the required experience.
Travel info
Departure airports:Â London Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol or Edinburgh
Departure days:Â Sunday
Arrival airport:Â Preveza (Aktio)
Flight duration:Â approx. 3 hours 35 minutes
Airlines: Titan Airways (ZT) / Jet2 (LS)
Transfer time:Â approx. 30 minutes
Departure dates for summer 2022
First 7 night dept: Sunday 8 May / Last 7 night dept: Sunday 23 Oct
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Flight times for summer 2022
Gatwick (ZT):outbound dept: 06:15 / inbound arrival: 14:00
Manchester (LS): outbound dept: 06:50Â / inbound arrival 15:05
Bristol (LS): outbound dept: 06:00Â / inbound arrival 14:00
Edinburgh (LS): outbound dept: 06:15 / inbound arrival 14:45
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In-flight meals and drinks are not included, a buy onboard service is available. Flight timings are provisional and will be submitted for approval by UK and overseas scheduling committees and are therefore given for guidance only are subject to alteration and confirmation. Your ticket will show the final timings of your flight and your luggage allowances.
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