Chios yacht charters
For unique sailing holidays it pays to look at the east Aegean, notably at the Southern Sporades directly north of the famous Dodecanese. One of the gems of this archepelago is the island of Chios, also known as Hios or Khios. Although there is no base for yacht charters on the island itself it is well within reach from the yacht charter base in Samos (one week) and certainly also from Kos island if you are planning a two week itinerary or longer. Ferries from Athens or the Cyclades are rare and very time consuming, better to arrange a domestic flight from Athens to Chios. Alternatively fly on Samos or Lesbos (Lesvos), good ferry and hydrofoil connections between these islands.The extra logistics are very much worth a visit to Chios and Psara as well as the rest of the Sporades islands in the east Aegean. And indeed these remote islands are often included on Blue Cruises from İzmir, Kuşadası, Çeşme and even as far south as Bodrum. Although sailing across the border is troublesome and expensive many sailing holidays organized from the Ionian Coast of Turkey include both the Turquoise coast and the Sporades islands, which can easily be done on gulets or motorsailers as long as the total number of guests isn't larger than twelve. (note that blue cruises are identical to blue voyages).
Sporades yacht charters
The predominant sailing holidays in these waters concern sailing yachts and catamarans, mostly from the Samos and Kos yacht charters bases, but also privately owned yachts that wish to avoid the melee near Athens and the Saronic, especially in the main sailing season of July and August. The Kos marina is home to one of the largest fleet of catamarans in the east Mediterranean.From Chios one can sail to Limnos, Lesvos, Psara, Ikaria, Samos, but also cross towards the Cyclades, particularly Tinos and Andros islands.
