When a Greek civic alert pinged every mobile phone in the region warning of a forest fire, Robert Hardman was not worried. His holiday home was a boat, and his boat had air conditioning.
Hardman and his family were renting a sailing catamaran in the Greek islands for a week, cruising between the Cyclades and the Saronic Gulf. With temperatures at 38C and smoke rising above distant hills, the onboard air conditioning made the difference between a miserable summer holiday and a comfortable one.
Why a catamaran with air con
Air conditioning has long been standard in Mediterranean hotels and villas, but it remains uncommon on charter boats. That is starting to change. Hardman's wife, Diana, had declared after a sweltering voyage the previous year that she would not board another boat without it. She also wanted a catamaran, which she noted are steadier, have a larger galley, and keep the kitchen accessible without going below deck.
Hardman used the charter platform Borrowaboat, which lists more than 20,000 vessels across more than 70 countries, to find a suitable craft. He was travelling with his wife, another couple, and their two younger teenage children, each of whom brought a friend, so he needed a boat sleeping eight across four cabins.
The boat and the cost
Borrowaboat found them a five-year-old Lagoon 42 with air conditioning in every cabin. The cost came to just under £6,000 for the week, working out to roughly £100 per person per night, which Hardman compared to a mid-range hotel or villa.
Because other people's children were on board, he hired a professional skipper rather than rely on his own Royal Yachting Association qualification. The skipper, Manolis, cost an extra £170 a day.
The group flew into Athens, took a 40-minute cab ride to the marina at Lavrio south of the city, stocked the boat from local supermarkets, and set off the same afternoon.
The route
By dusk on the first day they were anchored below the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. Manolis advised heading to the more exposed Cyclades early in the week while winds were lighter, then crossing to the more sheltered Saronic Gulf as conditions strengthened.
Stops included Kea, described as having good swimming bays and a lively port, and Kythnos, where the sandbar at Kolona separates two bays. In the Saronic Gulf the group tied up at Poros before taking a hydrofoil across to Hydra. The final sailing day took them to Aegina, where the Temple of Aphaia drew some of the group up by scooter.
The air conditioning, Hardman noted, ran off the boat's engine. A short burst before bedtime was enough to chill a small cabin, after which the engine could be switched off for the night.
Back at Lavrio on the last night, with another forest fire visible on the horizon, the family plugged into the marina's mains supply and ran the air conditioning on full. It was, Hardman wrote, the first summer night on any boat in southern Europe cold enough to sleep under a blanket.
