What's new for 2019
Two week north and south Ionian flotilla
Two Week North and South Flotilla,
Greece
The great thing about this two-week flotilla is that you get to experience the best of sailing both the south and north Ionian. You'll see for yourself how the sailing areas differ. Island hopping and sheltered waters in the south give way to exciting open water sailing, longer sailing legs and coastal cruising in the north.
It's a one-way route, so you'll really be covering the miles. Depending on your departure date you'll set sail from our base at the Retreat Beachclub in the north, or the marina at Vounaki Beachclub in the south. The fortnight is yours to enjoy as you wish, sailing independently or with the flotilla, you can even enjoy a few free sail days and pop back to your favourite spots or make some new discoveries of your own.
Your flotilla route
This flotilla route will give you a flavour of what to expect from your week on flotilla, it's not fixed however and may vary from that listed below (nm = nautical miles).
14
days
Sunday Vounaki Beachclub | Arrive at Vounaki Beachclub yacht marina. Get settled on your boat and listen to your briefing from the Neilson lead crew. Yachts are available from 5pm. | - |
Monday Sivota | Starting out in the south Ionian, we head to the scenic harbour of Sivota. It's on the island on Lefkas in an enclosed bay. | 8nm |
Tuesday Fiscardo | Sailing south to Cephalonia and the village of Fiscardo. You might bump into a celebrity or two in this popular village, best known for the film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. | 10nm |
Wednesday Frikes | The flotilla sails into the small and colourful port of Frikes on the northern shores of the island of Ithaka. | 10nm |
Thursday Vathi | Sailing further south around the coast of Ithaka to Vathi, a bustling town with a vibrant, lively atmosphere. | 9nm |
Friday Kalamos | Sailing to the island of Kalamos, we head for the sleepy port of Kalamos with a couple of great tavernas and a small pebble beach. | 16nm |
Saturday & Sunday Freesail | Enjoy a couple of free sail days to explore, visit places you've always wanted to see or go back to your favourite flotilla stops. | - |
Monday Preveza Town | Heading away from the south to Preveza Town, it's the half way point of the flotilla. | - |
Tuesday Parga | Navigate the islands in the bay, moor up and immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of this historic harbour town. | 30nm |
Wednesday Mongonissi | This is a small island set in stunning surroundings and joined to Paxos by a causeway. If you've ever wanted to try Greek dancing, this is the place to give it a go! | 10nm |
Thursday Lakka | Lakka is an elegant little town framed by awe-inspiring mountains. You won't believe your eyes when you see the colour of the sea, the clearest of turquoise blue. | 5nm |
Friday Freesail | More opportunity to go your own way. The flotilla is close to Corfu at this point and a visit to Corfu Town comes highly recommended. | - |
Saturday Retreat Beachclub, Sivota | The flotilla heads back towards the Neilson base at the Retreat Beachclub. Flotilla boats should be back at base before 6pm. | - |
Sunday Departure day | Yacht check out time is 9.30am. You're free to relax around the pool at the Retreat Beachclub (there's showers and changing facilities), or for a small supplement try some of the beachclub activities. | - |
Arrival and departure info
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.
Your experience
Before you're let loose on one of our yachts, we need to know you can sail. You'll need at least two people who have sailed before and are over 18 years of age, and one will need a piece of paper to prove they can sail.
If you have any of these certificates, you're good to go: International Certificate of Competence (ICC), RYA Yachtmaster, RYA Day Skipper, RYA Coastal Skipper, RYA level 2 Keelboat, RYA level 2 sailing certificate (completed on yacht). 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.
A few extras
Our sailing holidays include damage waiver, marine insurance and fuel, plus we don't ask for a security deposit. There's 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, with the exception of Corfu which is approx. €25 per night.
For £60 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. Exclusive to Retreat and Vounaki Beachclubs, we can get you to the right level of experience or even a qualification during a week of yacht training at either the Retreat or Vounaki Beachclub in the Ionian. You can join the flotilla in the second week relaxed, fresh and with the right level of experience.
Travel Info
Departure airports: London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Manchester or Bristol
Departure days: Sunday
Arrival airport: Preveza (PVK)
Flight duration: approx. 3 hours 35 minutes
Airlines: British Airways (BA) / Titan (ZT) / Thomas Cook (MT)
Transfer time: approx. 40 minutes to Vounaki (South Ionian) and 1 hour 15 minutes to Retreat (North Ionian)
Departure dates for summer 2019
First 14 night dept: Sun 19 May / Last 14 night dept: Sun 22 September
Flight times for summer 2019
Heathrow (BA): outbound dept: 09:35 / inbound arrival: 17:25
London Gatwick (MT): outbound dept: 09:10 / inbound arrival: 16:35
Stansted (ZT) (26 May to 13 October): outbound dept: 15:30 / inbound arrival: 23:10
Manchester (MT): outbound dept: 14:10 / inbound arrival: 22:20
Bristol (MT) (5 May to 22 September): outbound dept: 13:35 / inbound arrival: 21:00
In-flight meals and drinks are not included with British Airways, Thomas Cook or Titan, all offer a buy on board service. 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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