What's new for 2019
Two week south Ionian flotilla
South Ionian Flotilla,
Greece
Take a little more time to soak up the beauty of the hugely popular south Ionian. On this two-week flotilla you'll have plenty of time to indulge your love of sailing, sea swimming, sand castle building, dolphin watching, turtle spotting and trying lots of delicious food and drink at welcoming tavernas.
Expect plenty of jaw-dropping views, beautiful vistas, sparkling blue seas and sunshine all day long. You'll be sailing to authentic Greek towns and traditional fishing villages, some of which can only be reached by water. When not sailing take some time to relax on board and top up your tan. Some not-to-be-missed highlights of this flotilla include Fiscardo, Ithaca and Meganissi.
This two week south Ionian flotilla starts and ends from our yacht marina at Vounaki Beachclub in Paleros.
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 Beachlub yacht marina. Get settled on your yacht and listen to briefing from the Neilson lead crew. Yachts are available from 5pm. | - |
Monday Vathi (Meganissi) | Sail to this picturesque inlet with charming tavernas and restaurants. | 8nm |
Tuesday Kalamos | Tightly packed houses on the slopes down to the harbour give you some wonderful photo opportunities. | 15nm |
Wednesday Kastos | Separated from the island of Kalamos by a deep channel, the island of Kastos is just 8km long. Port Kastos is the main harbour with safe mooring and several tavernas. | 5nm |
Thursday Frikes | On Ithaca, this beautiful, secluded spot is home to some wonderful restaurants. | 15nm |
Friday Vathi (Ithaca) | Explore the capital of Ithaca and the largest village on the island. | 9nm |
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 Agio Euphemia | On the island of Cephalonia, is this very small town, worth a visit for its handful of delicious restaurants. | - |
Tuesday Fiscardo | Mingle with the rich and famous. This town is known all over the world due to the book and film set here, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. | 12nm |
Wednesday Vassiliki | On the southern coast of Lefkas island, Vassiliki has a pretty village extending around the harbour. | 11nm |
Thursday Sivota | You'll sail further around the coastline of Lefkas to Sivota, a beautiful town set in an enclosed bay with crystal clear waters. | 9nm |
Friday Spartahori | Located on the northern side of Meganissi, the town is high above Spilia Bay and can be reached by a ten minute walk from the harbour. | 7nm |
Saturday Vounaki | You'll be heading back to base. There's plenty of time for exploring on the way, as yachts don't need to be back at Vounaki Beachclub 'till 6pm. | 15nm |
Sunday Departure day | Yacht check out time is 9.30am. If you have time before you catch your flight, you're free to make use of the facilities at Vounaki Beachclub and if you have the energy for more, try a few activities (small supplement, payable locally). | - |
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. Guests on bareboat charter are free to leave the following morning as soon as the boat is fuelled and the boat papers have been stamped (approx 10.30am). 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
There's a few bits and bobs which 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 £60 per week (£100 for two weeks) 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 (if you prefer) during a week of yacht training in one of these two beachclubs. You can join the flotilla in the second week relaxed, fresh and experienced.
Travel Info
Departure airports: London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester
Departure days: Sunday
Arrival airport: Preveza (PVK)
Flight duration: approx. 3 hours 35 minutes
Airlines: British Airways (BA) / Thomas Cook (TCX)
Transfer time: approx. 40 minutes
Departure dates
First 7 night dept: Sun 30 Apr / Last 7 night dept: Sun 15 Oct
Flight times
London Heathrow (BA) outbound dept: 11:20 / inbound arrival: 19:15
London Gatwick (EZY) outbound dept: 09:10 / inbound arrival: 16:35
Manchester (TCX) outbound dept: 09:00 / inbound arrival: 17:40
London Gatwick (EZY) outbound dept: 09:10 / inbound arrival: 16:35
Manchester (TCX) outbound dept: 09:00 / inbound arrival: 17:40
In-flight meals and drinks are not included with British Airways or Thomas Cook, 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 are subject to alteration and confirmation. Your ticket will show the final timings of your flight and your luggage allowances.
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