Learn fast and have fun. Live on a yacht for a week with your own skipper / instructor and either sit back and relax, learn to sail, or improve your sailing skills with one of our qualified instructors.

This is the perfect holiday for:

• groups or families who want an 'activity' holiday or to learn (or improve)  their sailing skills together
• couples or singles who want to learn or improve, who like mixing with and meeting new people, and do not mind sharing a yacht for a week together
• those who want to gain experience and qualifications so that on their next holiday they can sail their own yacht.
• anyone who always wanted to experience the thrill of exploring the islands on a yacht, who isn't committed to becoming a skilled sailor but who doesn't mind helping out every now and again

 On this holiday you will spend one or two weeks on a yacht with an experienced skipper / instructor (who also lives on the yacht), learning all the skills of sailing a yacht at your own pace and in your own time. You may aim to gain certification (explained later). But more importantly, you should have fun. You will have the chance to:

• experience the freedom of sailing under canvas
• learn to handle a yacht and work as part of a team
• visit beaches and tiny Greek villages which are not usually seen on 'ordinary' holidays
• experience the unique social life of a flotilla holiday, as you meet up in the evenings to meet new people and exchange the day's stories

Families and groups of friends will enjoy the chance to spend some real 'quality' time together. Couples and singles will have the opportunity to make new acquaintances, and possibly lifelong friends.

However...

This holiday involves all aspects of living on and managing a yacht - preparation of lunches, cleaning and tidying up are duties shared by all on board.  Evening meals are normally taken at a taverna, although you have the full use of the on-board facilities should you wish to prepare your own meal/s.  Space limitations on board mean that you are closer to people than you normally are for the rest of the year. Your skipper / instructor will also be living on the yacht. They may sleep in the galley if all cabins are full. He / She is your teacher, guide and friend. They will work to make sure you have a memorable, enjoyable holiday. But you are expected to play a full role in all the chores.

Interested? Please read on to find out more about this type of holiday and whether it suits you...

What is a flotilla?
Why the Mediterranean?
Sharing a yacht and single travellers
Certificates and Qualifications
Your first day of sailing
Mornings, afternoons and nights - fun and learning
Daily sailing distances
Where will we visit during the week?
Two week sailing holidays
Skippered charter (for mixed groups of sailors and non-sailors)
Two week cabin charter, learn-to-sail and flotilla to the Sea of Corinth

What is a flotilla?
Your yacht is part of a group of yachts with a mix of people on board - from novices to experienced sailors - which makes for a lively social side to the holiday, especially when we all meet up in port in the evening.

Why the Mediterranean?
Learning to sail in the Mediterranean is infinitely preferable to learning to sail in the North Sea or Atlantic. The Mediterranean is tideless, making sailing much easier and more pleasurable.

Sharing a yacht and single travellers
Sharing a yacht is economical, and a great way of meeting new like-minded people.

Certificates and Qualifications
Our teaching programme is designed to be relaxed and informal - we don't forget that you are on holiday - while ensuring that you follow the general syllabus laid down by the majority of the international yachting organisations.  You can thus gain certification that will allow you to sail on other occasions and in other locations.
For example, Skipper Certificates (for those aged 16 and over) demonstrate that you can skipper a yacht in a safe and seamanlike manner in non-tidal waters in daylight hours. The Non-Tidal Crew Certificate will ensure that you will be a useful assistant in the preparation and running of a yacht when at sea and also when ready to enter and leave port; it can be gained by those aged 12 and above. Cadets (9 to 12 years old) can gain the Introduction to Yachting Certificate.
The time taken obtaining these certificates depends on individual ability and keenness on the part of the participants.

Your first day of sailing
On the first day of the learn-to-sail course, there is a very comprehensive safety briefing before leaving port. The workings of the yacht, the engine, handling the boat under power, sail controls etc., will all be explained while the prior experience (if any) of the team on board is assessed. The yacht will make its way along the coast to the first lunch-time stop and swim of the week in a private cove - one of the main joys of sailing your own boat.

After lunch, the afternoon will probably be spent sailing, letting everyone get the feel for the yacht in its natural environment.

Mornings, afternoons and nights - fun and learning
Arriving in port on the first day, around 1730/1800 hours, you will have gained a much better understanding of the mysteries of sailing and will be ready for a long, cool drink. Mornings tend to bring lighter winds - perfect for practising and teaching. After lunch, the brisker afternoon winds make for great sailing.  Evenings are spent in port.  During the course of the week, the complete beginner to sailing will be shown how to tie knots correctly as well as general rope handling, how to steer a boat under both sail and power, how to handle the sails, mooring and anchoring, basic navigation and all the other sailing functions which lead to gaining the Yacht Crew Certificate (non-tidal). Those with prior dinghy/yacht/boating experience will be taught how to develop their skills, with more advanced techniques, to gain (depending on the individual ability) the Yacht Skipper Certificate (non-tidal).

Daily sailing distances
Daily distances on the lead flotilla yacht (also one of the training yachts) are relatively short, and we are usually moored up for the day by late afternoon, having anchored in a secluded bay for lunch and a swim although, occasionally, lunch may have to be taken on the move.

Where will we visit during the week?
We will change the itinerary and route depending on the weather and experience of the crew, but during your week you can expect to sail, swim and sleep around Lefkas, Meganisi. Ithaka, Kefalonia and the mainland.

Two week sailing holidays

If you are taking a two-week sailing holiday and if at least one of your group has some previous boating experience, you may wish - after spending the first week on the tuition yacht - to take a yacht yourselves for the second week, sailing as part of the flotilla. It's an excellent way to learn - all the group benefits from the first week's training and those wishing to become skippers can take the lead during the second week, all the while under the watchful eye of the overall flotilla skipper and instructors on the other yachts.  Such skippering experience makes it much easier to upgrade to a full tidal skipper's certificate at a later date. Another popular two-week combination is to spend the first week of your holiday on the learn-to-sail yacht and the second week ashore, at one of our wide selection on hotels, apartments and villas all over Lefkas.

Skippered charter (for mixed groups of sailors and non-sailors)
You may not wish to learn to sail, but like the idea of sailing around the Ionian islands, partaking in the social life of the flotilla, with friends or family who are learning to sail.  If so, you are welcome to join our live-aboard flotilla with them.  While you may be asked to lend a hand when necessary, the rest of the time you can relax, enjoy the scenery, read and daydream about the countless historical and mythological tales originating from these Greek waters.

Two week cabin charter, learn-to-sail and flotilla to the Sea of Corinth
On certain dates we also operate a two-week Cabin Charter and Flotilla route which go much further into the Sea of Corinth and which allow for a couple of non-sailing days to do some sightseeing in such stops as Delphi and Missolonghi (The famous British poet Lord Byron, who supported the Greek struggle for independence, died here in 1824. He is commemorated by a cenotaph containing his heart and a statue located in the town). Two of the legs (to and from the Straits of Patras – the entrance to the Sea of Corinth) are longer then our ‘normal’ daily distance on the one-week route; but this is more then compensated for by the sightseeing stopovers, the scenery and antiquities in this ‘off the beaten track’ cruising area.

The prices are the same as above (2 x 1-week rate) but the on-site cash payment is €250pp to allow for the extra fuel and we shall also provide breakfast, lunch and refreshments aboard. This is a once in a lifetime experience – do come and share it with us!

More information:
Ionian Learn to Sail from Lefkas
Ionian yacht share from Lefkas
Ionian cabin charter from Lefkas
Ionian skippered yacht charter from Lefkas