SAILING HOLIDAYS IN GREECE: Flotilla or Assisted Sailing?

What is a Flotilla?

A flotilla is typically a group of between 7 and 12 yachts who sail around the Ionian as a group of yachts with one boat acting as a Lead Crew. This yacht has an engineer, skipper and hostess on board. Flotillas meet each morning for a briefing on where they will be heading each day, meet at lunchtime, typically in a bay, and again in the afternoon at around 3-4pm when each boat is helped moor up alongside each other for the evening. Each evening the lead crew of the flotilla organise some sort of entertainment, whether it is a group meal or drinks party.

For those sailors who want to learn, do not have the confidence to sail bareboat and but do not necessarily want to spend their holiday following a group of other yachts and get in early each evening on a flotilla, assisted sailing is a popular alternative.

An assisting skipper will work with you and your crew for the first days of your holiday, will not sleep on board, and aims to give you and your crew the confidence to sail bareboat without the need for a flotilla, with support if you would like it.

What is the difference between Assisted Sailing and a Flotilla?

Assisted sailing allows you to be taught by an instructor on board your boat rather than getting advice from the quay. This allows us to teach your group as a team how to sail and moor the boat safely and confidently and also make sure every crew member on board knows what they are meant to do in situations such as tacking, man overboard or stern too mooring. The assisted sailing means that once the skipper does leave the boat you and your crew will be happy and confident to sail bareboat in any similar area in the future.

Assisted sailing lets you choose where you want to go. Flotillas follow a set route around the Ionian usually visiting the popular port on each island. We find that in the Ionian the wind is very unpredictable meaning where you decide to end up each evening is best planned having left the harbour. There are so many smaller bays and ports in the Ionian with room for just a few boats which means you can explore these rather than having to visit the more popular busier harbours and anchorages.

Assisted Sailing lets you choose what time you arrive in port each evening. With only one boat to moor up each evening our skippers have no need to return to port early to find a space. Our staff will also be in the local harbours until seven in the evening for the first 2 days meaning you can sail late and gain the benefits of the wind which tends to increase as the afternoon progresses. Our assisted skippers run by your time schedule - as long as you promise to buy them a beer on arrival in port!

If you have younger children, our Sail Ionian yachts with assisted skippers tend to head to the same harbours for the first two evenings, so you will have plenty of oportunities to meet other families. The children group together and then often dictate where you go for the rest of the holiday!

For more information about Assisted Sailing with Sail Ionian please click here.

What Support is there after the assisted skipper gets off our boat?

We are at the end of a phone 24 hours a day and we are there to answer any questions, whatever they are. We send you a weather text each morning and if the forcast is looking slightly different to the normal Ionian weather we will advise on ports to go where you will be sheltered and help with mooring is available if needed. On an average week we have two fully qualified and experienced skippers sailing around the area, so if you want support in the evening just follow them! We also have "Rodney", an 8 metre rib which can get to you anywhere you are likely to visit in the Southern Ionian in under and hour.

Who are the skippers?

We are a family company and only have a few staff so the ones we employ are chosen for a reason! All our skippers are patient, used to teaching novices and newly qualified sailors and know the area well (for most it is our 5th year teaching in the area!) For more information on our skippers please visit the Sail Ionian instuctors webpage.