We race across the Ionian Sea in full sail while my wife whips up a perfect lunch of Greek salad, fried halloumi and an ice-cold glass of rosé.
Fortunately, none of it slides across the table, let alone onto the floor, even when the wind picks up. This is because we are sailing in a catamaran. And stability is not the only attraction. This boat is so spacious that there are bean bags on the foredeck. It also has two fridges and even air conditioning.
We opted for a flotilla holiday, which means you sail your own boat all day but encounter a small fleet at night, knowing that the flotilla organizer has chosen good places to anchor, eat and sleep. If you don’t want to sail your own boat, someone will arrange for that to be done for you too.
We booked through Sunsail, the UK sailing holiday experts now approaching their 50th anniversary. It all started with just half a dozen boats in Greece in 1974, the year Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest. And here I am with my family, all these years later, living out the Mamma Mia dream as we cruise around some of the most beautiful islands in Greece while the kids blast Abba through the built-in sound system.
Our boat is a Leopard 45 with four double ensuite cabins, a large saloon and several outside sunbathing areas. In total, it can accommodate up to ten people, so that two families (as in our case) can easily live in it. It’s like vacationing in a villa by the water, except the villa changes location every night.
Through tour operator Sunsail, Robert Hardman and his family are enjoying a Greek Navy holiday, which means you’ll be sailing your own boat all day but encountering a small fleet at night. Above is a Sunsail yacht in Greece (file photo)
Sunsail offers several flotilla cruises in Greece, but we signed up for the North Ionian route, which goes to Paxos and the southern tip of Corfu. After flying into Preveza, it’s an easy taxi ride to Sunsail’s Ionian base at Lefkada’s large marina.
Here you will purchase your basic supplies, get a tour of how the boat works, and meet the other crews. Our fleet consists of 10 boats, most with families who, like us, have sailed a little but are grateful to have this expertise at hand.
Each fleet has a lead boat with a fleet captain (a professional skipper), an assistant and an engineer/mechanic who is only a radio call away if needed. Get together every morning for a coffee and a briefing on where to go when the sun goes down, plus some tips on where to stop for lunch.
Robert and his family stop at the beautiful island of Antipaxos, pictured, and discover that it has ‘the clearest waters’.
On the first day, after a leisurely 20 mile sail and a few swim stops, it is a relief to arrive in the old town of Preveza and to see our flotilla Captain Jack at the dock taking us to ‘ take a pre-booked place to sleep. to lead
Another night he waits in a dinghy to guide us to a quiet place near Parga where we will spend the night at anchor. The kids love to discover that our boat has underwater lights and they jump in and out of the sea until late at night.
Paxos is thronged in the summer, mostly by Brits who say they have skilfully avoided the crowds of Corfu. We simply sail along the more sheltered east coast and stop at quiet coves that would be difficult to reach by land.
“It’s like holidaying in a villa by the water, except that the villa changes location every night,” says Robert, with his family, about the trip.
In the island’s capital, Gaios, Jack arranges for us all to moor in front of the old fort opposite the main harbour, a secluded spot just a short drive from town. So we enjoy the hustle and bustle of Gaios and then retire to the tranquility of our cool cabins. Even more beautiful is the neighboring island of Antipaxos, with the clearest water. At the end of the week we sail south past Lefkada and spend a day surfing the sheltered gulf beyond. Here we find some more enchanting islands, such as Meganisi and Skorpios.
The latter is now the gated, fortified hideout of a Russian oligarch, but it was here that Aristotle Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy.
She loved the place, especially the little white beach house he built for her on a southern bay next to a crescent of sand and pebbles. I can very well understand why. Where better to anchor for one last lunch – and one last swim, Mamma Mia style?
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
