May Bank Holiday Weekend

4 day: Friday 28th April – Tuesday 2nd May 2017

7 day: Friday 28th April – Saturday 6th May 2017

About Athens

The Club’s curtain raiser to summer sailing in the Med is heading to Athens for the May Bank Holiday in 2017.  We’re organising a seven day option in addition to a four day trip to cruise the unspoilt islands of the Saronic Gulf.

The plan is to fly out to Athens on Friday 28th April, sleep aboard and set sail on Saturday morning.  We’ll cruise around the local islands (Hydra, Poros etc), returning to Athens Tuesday evening (2^nd May) to check out and fly home the same evening.  The 7 day option will return to Athens on Friday for disembarkation on Saturday 6^th May.

Given that this is a Bank Holiday weekend you can have four days sailing (Saturday to Tuesday) and only need to take two days holiday!    This is the 4 day itinerary.

You may feel it’s worth taking the rest of the week off which is why we’re offering an extended option.  The 7 day trip will have longer to explore the Saronic Gulf and the Peleponese with the possibility of spending a night at Epidavros where the best preserved amphitheatre in Greece is located.

Costs of flights are about £175 per person and the boat will be £240 per person (4 days) and £340 for 7 days.

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Itinerary

 

Our first port of call will be Hydra which is arguably the most picturesque of all the Greek Island ports. There are no cars there and donkeys are the only form of transport, weaving their way through the myriad of back streets and alleyways. In the 50’s and 60’s Hydra became a fashionable artists’ colony attracting, amongst others, Leonard Cohen. He still has a house there.

We will also visit the island of Spetses is where superyachts bob up and down next to traditional wooden fishing boats and where the super-rich rub shoulders with the locals in quayside tavernas.  The shipbuilders of Spetses still do things the traditional way and the shore is dotted with the hulls of emerging caiques and other sailing vessels.  All are drawn to this pine-covered island for its secluded coves and clear waters and the glories of Spetses Town, the island hub, untainted by package tourism.

For the 7 day charter another possible destination is Monemvasia in the Peleponese.  It’s nickname is the Gibraltar of the East or The Rock.  The old or lower town of Kástro lies within stone ramparts on the Rock of Monemvasia’s lower slopes. A short  walk across the causeway from the mainland takes you to the entrance portal in the walls. A few steps through the tunnel and you emerge into a sunny town of tiled-roof houses, attractive shops and cafés, pleasant squares, and tiny churches.

Sailing Weather

The weather is usually pleasant for sailing at this time of year with daytime temperatures reaching 27 degrees. Winds are generally light but may reach F5.

Important Trip Information

The member price of the trip for the yacht charter is:

£240 for 4 days

£340 for 7 days

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

The payment schedule is as follows:

PAYMENT	DUE DATE	AMOUNT
Initial Deposit	Late October	£100
Final Payment (4 days)	12th Jan 2017	£140
Final Payment (7 days)	12th Jan 2017	£240

 

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 2800 Euros per boat.

Flights

Return flights to Athens are available from London for approx £175.
Do not book flights until advised to do so by the event organiser.