Cruising Greece

We got a delicious lunch served at a taverna overlooking the bay of Sikias; in the background you can just make out our own yacht moored at the head of the small quay. The port of Sikias is located in the northernmost cruising area of Greece on the Chalkidiki peninsula, if you leave Sikias bay you can immediately see Mount Athos towering 2000 metres above sea level. Cruising Greece is not quite popular here, mostly due to its remote location with respect to Athens. Yet, the coastal region of northern Greece as well as the Northern Sporades are extremely beautiful and tremendously rewarding to explore despite the possible difficulties of getting there. Cruising Greece is generally done more south.
The various cruising possibilities:

• Bareboat or selfsail - you skipper the yacht your self
• Skippered charter - you hire just a skipper or captain with your yacht
• Fully crewed charter - with added gourmet chef cook, hostesses and deckhands

The various cruising yachts:

• Sailing yachts smaller than 56 feet or 22 metres, which can be rented as bareboat as well
• Sailing catamarans. Nearly all of these multihulls can be hired without captain or skipper
• Gulets or Caiques, which are the traditional wooden designs of the regions. These luxurious yachts combine sailing and motorings hence their other name: Motorsailers.
• Blue voyages or Blue cruises take place on similar motorsailers, yet only along the Turquoise coasts of Turkey and the Dodecanese waters of Greece
• Superyachts and megayachts, which are always fully crewed. Cruising on these yachts is typically the same as on a gulet, yet the style is modern, and due to more powerful engines you can cover more terrain

Larger cruising ships cannot be hired full charter or as a private charter, but only cabin-charters will be possible, which means that you will cruise along a predetermined standard route. Moreover, cruising Greece is all about the smaller fishing ports and lovely secluded anchorages, which would be impossible to enter for a larger cruise vessel. Hence, the proper way of cruising greece is by full charter and on a yacht or gulet smaller than 40 metres, which can enter all ports, anchorages and swimming bays. Moreover, you yourself will determine the route and the captain and chef cook will only have to attend to your needs and wishes!

.: Back to our yacht charter holidays in the north Aegean :.