Skippered Yacht Holidays

27/09/2020

This has been a seriously weird season. We were unable to return to the boat until early July, and did not leave our winter base of Licata (Sicily) until July 16th.

The south coast of Sicily was not really our cup of tea, but we did enjoy the Egadi Islands. From there we made the 150Nm crossing to the south east of Sardinia - the longest distance that we have ever sailed. We were really lucky with the conditions - calm with light breezes.

We have to admit that we didn't like Sardinia much either, with the exception of the charming marina in Arbatax. That we were there in ultra High Season is true (we should have avoided that), but Italy is just not organised for sailors like Greece and Turkey. Getting fresh water was something of a struggle, and not only were anchorages very crowded, but the lack of respect for others sometimes degenerated into dangerous carelessness. We had a 60 foot power yacht come within 2 metres of our stern. He was simply not looking! The Maddelenas are for sure a great cruising ground with wonderful constant summer winds and many beautiful anchorages, but in truth we left for Corsica with a sigh of relief.

My partner knew the island fairly well already. I had never been there. Nothing, but nothing, can prepare you for arriving in Bonifacio. The Lavezzi islands make the Maddalenas seem ordinary, the area around Porto and the Scandola National Park are jaw dropping. Now we are in the charming village of Saint Florent where Aramon is to spend the winter. We have cruised at length in both Greece and Turkey, and have the warmest memories of both - particularly Greece where we were based for 4 seasons. As a cruising base, Corsica is right up with the best. The Italian islands of Capraia and Elba are but 40 Nm away; the Balearics and mainland France are in reasonable range, as is the north of Sardinia.

Next season is divided into three season; Early, Mid, and Late. Early and Late we will be based here in Saint Florent. In mid Season I will be offering Saint Florent, Ajaccio, and Figari (Bonifacio) as boarding points. One ways will be an option for cruises of both 7 and 14 days. If you book early, you can design your own itinerary. Later comers will have to accept whatever constraints result from earlier bookings, but the beauty and range of the west coast of Corsica means that is a very minor inconvenience!

27/09/2020

27/09/2020

16/06/2020

Fancy a late summer holiday in Sardinia? We have room for you after August 19th for a couple of weeks. The Italian hordes have gone home, the water is as warm as toast and the days long. None of us know what this winter will bring, but we do know that summer is here. Let's make the best of it!

11/06/2020

At long last the season is getting under way. We leave for Sicily on July 3rd hoping to leave there on July 8th bound for the west of Sicily; the Aegadi Islands, and then on to Sardinia for the rest of the season.

We are full until August 20th but have some room after that if you feel like the perfect late season holiday when the days are still long, the water warm, and the mad rush has subsided.

Get in touch and we can talk details.

27/05/2020

This is a seriously weird season. Aramon is currently in Licata, Sicily. From the middle of next month we could actually set sail for Sardinia - our original plan - if we wanted to. The question now is do we want to?

Rather reluctantly the answer is no, not yet. We'll wait and see if there is another spike in a couple of weeks time. Flights are slowly resuming, but the health risk of flying is quite obvious and unavoidable, however often the air is cleaned and changed on the aircraft. You touch things; loads of other people will have touched them too. Social distancing seems pretty much impossible in an air terminal and on board the plane. And then there is the vexed question of masks. If we fly to Catania, we will have to be wearing one for at least 5 hours maye much more. Just wearing one to pad round the local supermarket is tiresome. It is hot inside and your glasses mist up all the time. I'm mildly claustrophobic so the sensation is quite stressful. Not sure which way to turn really!

20/03/2020

There has been a noticeable rise recently in visits to the page. Not sure whether this is wishful thinking, but Aramon is currently in Sicily and we are most doubtful that we will see her this season at all. I may be a pessimist but the evidence is all that way. Book now for 2021!

18/03/2020

I have recently launched a new site the purpose of which is to provide a single source of information for everything to do with sailing in the Mediterranean - www.Med-Sailing.com.

For existing yachties, it provides comprehensive information about all the marinas, ports, and anchorages with Windy built-in. You can also find all the Services that you need when you arrive including restaurant recommendations.

For those looking to charter, it has all the charter companies plus private yacht shares.

All the RYA sailing schools are also listed together with details of the courses that they offer.

Have a look and tell us what you think. Access is FREE.

21/12/2019

Come and join me as new found friends on my 2006 Bavaria 39 « Aramon ». She is immaculately maintained above and below decks, and comes with a barbecue, paddleboard, constant hot water, and an internet connection. The tender has a small outboard motor for shore trips.

For the 2020 season we are based at Olbia. Apart from being the ideal starting point to visit the Maddalena Islands and the North-East of Saqrdinia, there are numerous flights to there from numerous British airports.

I look after all the sailing side of things, but some help with manœuvres is more than welcome. You can take the helm if you want to and have the necessary skills. The experience is also quite different to that of chartering a bareboat yacht and then hiring a professional skipper. I know my yacht and I know the area – those are important advantages for you.

Breakfast, lunch, and the evening apéritif are always on board. What we do in the evning is up to us. We can eat aboard and take advantage of the barbecue, or we can go ashore with the tender. If we are in a port, we will eat ashore. The bar is always open and what we eat is what we choose together.

We normally sail for something like 6 hours on average, always under sail if possible. « Cool » is the order of the day. On the programme : swimming, diving, the paddleboard, but also visiting the local towns and villages. I speak a little Italian and that helps oil the wheels. Skinny dipping is fine by me.

Guests get the two spacious aft double cabins and exclusive use of the main head (shower room and toilet).

The quoted price is for the whole boat with me as skipper. There is an extra charge of €250 per week if you occupy both rear cabins. We never take bookings from people that do not know each other. Costs incurred during the trip are split between all of us – me included. Food costs in Italy are similar to those in the UK, but drink and basic restaurants are both cheaper. Marinas are however outrageously expensive in Sardinia and will be avoided as much as possible. Anchorages are much preferred. Fuel and wate­r costs never amount to much.

SMOKING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ANYWHERE ON BOARD. Please only bring soft bags – preferably backpacks.

21/11/2019

At the end of last season, we moved Aramon from its previous Greek home to the marina of Licata in southern Sicily. This was a bit of a shock to our sailing system. Distances in the boot of Italy and southern Sicily are much greater than in Greece and safety is only to be found in marinas - anchorages there are almost none.

In late April, we will be leaving Licata and heading west along the south coast of Sicily and then to the Egadi Islands off the NW coast before making the long crossing to Sardinia - our chosen cruising ground for 2020.

Unlike southern Sicily, Sardinia has a wealth of modern marinas and anchorages. Shelter is not always the same as in Greece, but helpfully there are so many that you can always find shelter almost regardless of the wind direction. If all else fails, there are more marinas than most of us have had hot dinners, if at eye-watering prices at some in the north-east.

Our main summer base is going to be Olbia. Flights are frequent; there are free moorings in the harbour; and it is the perfect jumping off point to cruise the north-east coast - the fabled Costa Smeralda.

Next season (2020) we are further reducing the time we devote to welcoming new friends on board. The first two weeks in August are already full, but if you are interested in joining us in July drop me a line or give me a call and we can talk.

09/10/2019

The 2019 season is drawing to a rather stormy close. We are wintering in Licata in southern Sicily. The time we have so far spent in Italy has been a triple culture shock. Our impression to date is that the Italians are a whole heap less cheerful than the Greeks. Prices in the marinas are very very high - to the point that we almost turned round and went back to Greece. The sailing needs much more experience with longish distances between safe harbors in open seas and it is much tougher to find safe free anchorages.

We have finished our current guest programme and in 2020 we will only welcome guests for 4 weeks on the basis of me being the skipper and guests mucking in and we all share running costs. Most likely, we will be in Sardinia, with Olbia as the airport. We will give priority to guests that we already know. If therefore you are thinking of joining us next season, drop me a line. No commitment, just an expression of interest!

If I can, I am also going to change the page name to something like "Aramon". I am also going to make some kind of editorial use of the wonderfully rich season we have enjoyed. My other half is a fine photographer and I am thinking of using a blogging tool that links to Facebook to publish that.

So many people do wonderful things with their yachts, that I am not sure what extra I bring to the party, but nothing is lost either, so I'll give it a go. If any of you has a view, let me know.

22/09/2019

This has been an awesome summer seeason. The few guests we have had on board have been charming and the places we have visited have been astonishing. On the cultural front, we did not rate Delos, but Mt. Athos, the Corinth Canal, Delphi, Agios Loukas, and above all the Meteora monastries are completely astonishing.

On the sailing front the off the beaten track islands of Psara and Evstratos were unexpected pleasures, as was Galaxidi.

Now just south of Corfu, we are heading for Sicily where we will be based next season. We will again welcome a small number of guests in July and August. In June and September, ask if we already know you.

Next season our offer will normally be me without Marie on the basis of sharing food and drink and direct yacht costs. Drop me a line if a cruise in Sicily sounds good to you. There are only four one week slots during the season!

18/07/2019

I am stuck in Ermioni for a few days with a threat of a big Meltemi even this far west. There are worse places to get stuck, but even so it makes my trip to Paros next week just that bit more stressful 'cos an unwelcome time pressure has been added to the equation.

Marie also has to return to France on August 6th so I am looking for company between the13th and her return on or about the 2Oth. I'll be in Paros then, heading north. This could be a bit bumpy though and is not for the faint-hearted!

Get in touch if interested. €1600 for a week excluding on board costs for 4 people maximum.

13/07/2019

07/06/2019

We have decided to change our summer 2019 cruise base from Poros in the Saronic to Paros in the Cyclades - what most people refer to as the "Greek Islands" - land of white houses with blue shutters surrounded by sun-drenched sparkling sea. We will be there from July 13th to August 17th.

If you fancy the holiday of your lifetime, now is the time to book. Paros is under three hours from Piraeus - the port of Athens and there are many ferries all day.

Get in touch if you want to know more.

11/05/2019

11/05/2019

Batsi, Andros - the harbour

06/05/2019

Returning to my second home at the start of the season is always an anxious moment. You know that things are going to be wrong but you don't know what.

The good news is that, unlike last year when the marina staff in Marmaris helped wrap a rope round the propellor, the bad news is that this is Greece, charming and beautiful, but chaotic so things planned from last November and written down in endless monitored lists are not even started when I got back. Some are insignificant, irritants, some are more serious, like the fresh water leak.

For all that it looks as though we will be able to set sail to-morrow Tuesday as planned heading for either Kea or Andros depending on the wind and our departure time. The weather forecast is clement to the point of being boring for the rest of the week.

From Andros, we are heading gently towards Pythagorion on Samos where we will take a short break to fix anything needing fixing before heading north against the Meltemi to Chios, Le**os, and Limnos.

If you feel like a Greek sailing holiday, we still have high season vacancies from our twin bases of Poros and Nafplion. They are both easy to reach from Athens airport so well served by flights from so many UK airports. We welcome young and not so young, old salts and no salts. All we ask is a smile and a little help with the minor daily chores of running the yacht. The rest of the time we all relax, soak up the sun, and jump in the sea to cool down. In the evening, we eat either at a local taverna or turn on our on-board barbecue.

Get in touch and we'll design your dream Greek islands sailing holiday

05/04/2019

Our season starts in a month. Yippie.... We have taken a rather late New Year's resolution! This year we are going to keep a detailed record of where we go and publish images and short videos as we go along. Marie is a fine photographer, and I chip in occasionally. Hope you like what we show.

03/04/2019

Our current post is generating loads of interest, but to our surprise not a lot of applications to come sailing with us! Can some of you tell us why you think that the offer is attractive but don't ask to join us? It's a mystery. A cheap week on a sailing yacht in Greece must be a pretty cool idea to many of you!

02/04/2019

GOOD NEWS! We like having interesting people with us on the boat, and we are not always full. If you want to join us for a very modest cost, tell us why we should welcome you on board, and make us an offer of the amount that you are willing to pay. Maximum of 2 couples for one week, but not those starting between July 20th and August 10th. Kitty costs are always extra.

We will share the sailing and the domestic chores. We will give preference to people who might otherwise be unable to sail in Greece and whose presence on board will add to all our experiences.

Use the "Send Message" button to get in touch or visit our web site www.skippered-yacht-holidays.com for more details. Please note that if you are viewing on a phone, the site will come up first in French. Click on the menun option and go to the bottom of the page, where you can switch to English!

20/03/2019

Bonjour.
Par inadvertance, j'ai "Boosté" vers les Bretons un article de cette page anglophone et beaucoup d'entre vous ont eu la gentillesse de "Like". Merci. Je tiens simplement à vous signaler que nous avons aussi une page Francophone . Venez nous rendre visite et si vous voulez bien un petit "Like" là aussi sera le bienvenu. Un grand merci

14/03/2019

We've been tinkering with our 2019 programme. Facebook friends have rather deterred us from making a detour up to Thessalonika, but we are definitely going to Thassos and the "Three Fingers" particularly Sithonia) but may well then head for the Gulf of Volos that we don't know and then Chalkis.
The friend who was joining us on June 22nd has dropped out so if there are candidates out there wanting to join us, now is the time to get in touch. PRICE €375 per person if there are 4 of you.