Corfu May Bank Holiday Weekend

Saturday 4th – Wednesday 8th May 2019

About Corfu

The Club’s curtain raiser to summer sailing in the Med will be in Greece for the May Bank Holiday weekend.  This will be a 4 day cruise from Corfu, called Kerkyra by Greek people, which belongs to the Greek Ionian Islands.  This is an easy cruising ground so challenging sailing conditions are not expected.

Compared to other Greek island groups like the Cyclades, the Ionian is greener with lush vegetation.  In May, following the winter rains, Corfu is at its most verdant with a massive number of flowers in bloom and night-time offers the spectacle of millions of fire-flies in the countryside.

Itinerary

Taking advantage of the Bank Holiday weekend, we’ll be flying to Corfu on Saturday 4th May.  We’ll board the boats at Gouvia marina, which is just 20 mins from the airport, and set off on Sunday morning.  Then there will be 4 days to explore the fishing villages, ports and idyllic anchorages in this picturesque area.  You’ll be able to fly home on Wednesday evening or on Thursday.

Sailing Area

This part of the Ionian includes the beautiful Greek islands of Corfu, Paxos and anti-Paxos as well as picturesque waterfront villages and traditional small towns on the mainland including Plataria, Sagiada and Mourtos. There are small fishing villages, island groups with crystal clear water perfect for swimming and snorkelling and historic towns with Venetian fortresses to be explored.  Paxos and Anti-Paxos offer secluded bays and white sandy beaches, perfect for lunch time stops and a swim.

History

As with the rest of Greece, the Ionian is rich in history, having been ruled by the Minoans, Myceneans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Venetians, Turks and, briefly, the Germans since 2000BC.  After an interlude of French rule the young Republic of the Seven Islands became a British Protectorate in 1815; in 1864 Britain returned the islands to Greece.

Weather

The Ionian sea is a protected area with predictable winds, generally ranging from 10 to 20 knots usually from the north west.  Most days start clear and calm and then a good sailing breeze, known as the maistro, builds from midday before it drops again at sunset. This means you can spend the morning gently cruising to a lunch time stop and then have a great sail to a destination for the night.

Daytime temperatures in May are around 24 degrees with an average of 9 hours of sunshine a day.  May is a good month before the summer heat.

Important Trip Information
Corfu Sailing In The Sunshine

Embarkation: 1700 on Sat 4 May 2019

Set sail: 1000 on Sun 5 May 2019

Arrival Back in Corfu: 1700 on Wed 8 May 2019

Disembark: 1000 on Thu 9 May 2019

The Sundowners member price of the trip for the yacht charter is £280.

Not included in the sailing event price are: flights, transfers, personal insurance, victualling, meals ashore, diesel, water, mooring fees, outboard, end cleaning and any personal expenditure.

The Club’s standard terms and conditions apply. Full details can be found here but in summary:

• Paying your deposit commits you to the trip and to paying all payments as and when required.
• If you withdraw from an event you are still liable for the full cost unless a replacement participant is found.
• If a replacement is found there will be an admin charge made for the change of participant.
• You agree to bear the shared cost of any security deposit loss levied by the charter company for damages.

The full cost of the deposit is 2500 Euros per boat.

Flights

Return flights to Corfu are available from London for approx £173 including bags.

Do not book flights until advised to do so by the event organiser.

 Payment Schedule

Payment	Due Date	Amount
Deposit	Immediately	£100
Final Payment	11 January 2019	£180
	Total Cost	£280

Bookings