Contents Why Greece?........................................................................1 The Main Sailing Areas........................................................8 Sailing Certificate Schemes.................................................10 Which Course to Take..........................................................12 Comparison of RYA and ASA Courses...............................18 Choosing a Sailing School...................................................20 12 Most Frequently Asked Questions..................................25 Questions You Should Ask .................................................38 A Day’s Sailing In Greece...................................................43 About The Author................................................................45 Useful Links & Resources....................................................46 Learning to Sail in Greece Why Greece? Greece is a unique sailing destination. Set on the edge of Europe, it has fascinated travellers for centuries with its spectacular islands, crystal clear seas, and stunning scenery. Climate One of the main attractions is the wonderful Greek climate. For most of the year Greece has plenty of sunshine. Even in winter there are many sunny days and during the main sailing period you’re pretty well guaranteed wall-to-wall sun, blue skies, and warm seas to swim in. It can get very hot in August but for most of the summer temperatures are pleasantly warm, ideal for sailing in the minimum of clothing. I first came to Greece to sail with some girlfriends in 1998. Before that I’d rarely been on a sailing boat without several layers of clothing plus oilskins on top. Sailing in shorts and bikini tops was an absolute eye-opener. Discover for yourself that sailing doesn’t have to be wet and cold! Scenery If you’re looking for a beautiful cruising area you can’t beat the Greek islands. It’s much more interesting to sail in archipelagos than sailing up or down a coast. Greece has thousands of islands - you could sail here for many years and still not visit them all. The villages are picturesque and the coastline isn’t dominated by hotels or holiday home villages, unlike some parts of the Med. Despite the heat, many areas of Greece remain surprisingly green, even in summer, with pine forests and mountains as a backdrop to the sea. Sailing in Greece is very natural. This has disadvantages as well as advantages. There are not many on-shore facilities for cruising yachts, such as marinas with toilets and showers. You’ll experience a more natural type of cruising than in more sophisticated countries. 1 Learning to Sail in Greece You can anchor in a pretty bay for a swim and sleep under the stars at night. In port, you’ll often be in the middle of everyday life in a fishing harbour and will truly experience the local culture. Note that this includes a café society and not going to bed early so expect some noise … Cuisine At the end of a day’s sailing it’s important to look forward to an enjoyable meal. Unlike sailing schools in northern Europe, where you often cook on board, here in Greece you’re likely to have your evening meal in a local taverna ashore. Cooking makes the yacht hot and humid and so is best avoided. Eating out at the harbour side is an integral part of your sailing holiday experience and prices are reasonable unless you are in a popular tourist area. Good Greek food is based on fresh, natural ingredients. Many people remark on how tasty things like tomatoes are in Greece compared to those they buy at home off the supermarket shelves. 2 Learning to Sail in Greece Over the past ten years there has been a quiet revolution in restaurant food, especially in areas near Athens. You’ll now find unusual ‘daily special’ dishes as well as traditional favourites. The amount of good bottled wines produced in Greece has also increased. Ask the taverna for recommendations for bottled wine if you want something better to drink than what is served in the carafe. Hospitality Greeks are by nature welcoming and generous to visitors. You’ll frequently be given a free dessert in a restaurant, or handed a fresh orange or fig if you pass someone gathering fruit. Even small children may greet you in English and it’s common for adults who deal with tourists to speak two or three languages. Despite the economic crisis, Greek parents still try to find the money to send their children to frontisteria, private language schools, and a great many young Greeks attend universities abroad. It’s re-assuring to know people will be able to understand you when shopping or travelling around. A few words of Greek to say hello or thank you are always appreciated. kali mera = good day / good morning yassas = hello ef-ha-ris-TOW = thank you (emphasise last syllable) 3 Learning to Sail in Greece Culture & Heritage Greece is often called ‘the cradle of civilization’ and an important part of a holiday in the country for many people is the opportunity to visit ancient sites and archaeological museums. The Aegean has most to offer if you are interested in ancient Greek history so this is something to consider when choosing where to sail. Schools in Greece recognise that most people who learn to sail here also want a holiday. You should be able to take a little time off during the week to visit a historical site such as the ancient Theatre of Epidauros, shown below. Most sites are open early and late in the day, when it is cooler, so you can often arrange a visit before you leave in the morning or when you arrive in the evening. If your instructor knows the area well they will be able to advise you on transport if required. 4 Learning to Sail in Greece Preparation for the Future What is your eventual aim in learning to sail? If you want to own or charter a yacht in the Mediterranean to sail with your family or friends, then it makes sense to learn in a similar area. You can become familiar with local charts and weather systems and learn important techniques like Med mooring (mooring stern to the quay). What Greece Isn’t Although Greece is a wonderful place to sail, it’s important to know what you won’t find here. To enjoy your training, it’s impor- tant to have realistic expectations then you’ll be pleased rather than disappointed. Although sailing in Greece in summer is a delight in many ways, with warm seas and blue sky, it isn’t particularly comfortable below decks in the summer. Yacht cabins are small and get very warm. If you come to Greece in July or August expect it to be hot. Very few sailing yachts are equipped with air-conditioning. Those that have a/c units may not be able to use them. They use a lot of electricity and the shore-power supply in many Greek ports may not be adequate to run air-conditioning. Motor yachts often have a generator but you won’t be popular with neighbouring yachts if you run a generator all night! If you walk along a row of yachts moored in a typical Greek harbour early in the morning you’ll see that many sailors prefer to sleep on deck or in the cockpit in the summer. Depending on your point of view you’ll either love to do this or hate it. If you can’t take the heat the best advice I can give you is don’t come to Greece in mid summer. It is lovely early or later in the year. If you’re restricted to school holidays, consider Easter or autumn. Some people may be happier in a country where you’ll moor in a purpose-built marina with good shore-power each evening. If you 5 Learning to Sail in Greece simply can’t live without an iron or hair-dryer, Greece is probably not your ideal sailing destination … Another misconception is that the Mediterranean is always calm and blue and like a mill-pond. There can be days with little or no wind, especially in the Ionian, but you can also get quite strong, gusty winds. You need the wind in order to be able to sail and so, if it was always flat calm, you’d have to motor everywhere which would be no fun. Sea conditions vary in different parts of Greece. If you are worried about finding conditions too rough you should avoid the more challenging sailing areas. Sailing schools tend to be located in the more sheltered spots. The wind commonly blows hardest in the late afternoon when the difference in temperature between land and sea is greatest. The sea can get choppy but the sailing is great! What About Tides? Most of the earth’s surface is covered by great oceans. These are subject to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, which causes the water in them to move. This effect is what we know as tides. Where there are smaller bodies of water the gravitational effect is not large enough to be significant. It is there, but only to a very minor extent. These are called ‘non-tidal’ areas. The Mediterranean is non-tidal, as is the Baltic Sea. Sailing involves working with natural forces. In a non-tidal area the strongest natural force is the wind. In a tidal area, you will have to consider both wind and tide. This makes passage planning and boat-handling more complex and difficult. As a beginner you won’t have to worry about passage planning. If you are learning to crew it makes no difference whether you learn in a tidal or non-tidal area. The skills are identical for both ... so why not learn somewhere warm and sunny. :) 6 Learning to Sail in Greece Those learning to be captains / skippers in Greece will not have to worry about dealing with tides.