First Time Flotilla

[jac]

Does eldest daughter specifically want a flotilla for the social element? You're an experienced family of sailors so wouldn't bareboat give you a little more flexibility?

For flotillas, sailing holidays were my one experience and whilst reasonably priced and friendly which would be top of many people's criteria, their boats were functional but quite "well used" which I'm wondering from jac's phrasing above may not be ideal.

I think the social side for her is moderately important but she does ( at the moment) get on well with her sister and lovely parents. She has said that if she doesn't like the other kids ( well teenagers) then she can just avoid them. So having the opportunity to socialise is good - Butlins style forced jollity and knobble knees socialising would be a deal breaker ( for all of us.) I hadn't really considered bareboat - My sister did a flotilla a couple of years ago and i think both daughters liked the idea from what they had been told so just went with it! Worth thinking about though.

No problem with one or two days of only a handful of miles - no-one is treating this as a mile builder but would hope to get some slightly longer sails in some days I see that Sailing Holidays can provide cruising chutes as well so light winds are less of an issue as SWMBO tends to have firm ideas when a chute can and can't be used!

 

[ridgy]

Did the sailing holidays saronic flotilla a few years ago and would recommend. We had reasonable wind in September most days.

 

[Tranona]

I think the social side for her is moderately important but she does ( at the moment) get on well with her sister and lovely parents. She has said that if she doesn't like the other kids ( well teenagers) then she can just avoid them. So having the opportunity to socialise is good - Butlins style forced jollity and knobble knees socialising would be a deal breaker ( for all of us.) I hadn't really considered bareboat - My sister did a flotilla a couple of years ago and i think both daughters liked the idea from what they had been told so just went with it! Worth thinking about though.

No problem with one or two days of only a handful of miles - no-one is treating this as a mile builder but would hope to get some slightly longer sails in some days I see that Sailing Holidays can provide cruising chutes as well so light winds are less of an issue as SWMBO tends to have firm ideas when a chute can and can't be used!

Think you will find that most flotillas are flexible with no real compulsion to stick together all the time. In a (normal) school holiday season, most overnight stops are in busy places full of similar groups of holiday makers, so not a lot of difference between flotilla and bareboating except of course for the backup services. For good bareboat with immaculate recent Jeanneaus can recommend bobsyachts.gr

 

[newtothis]

Give Greek Sails a look based in Poros.

Plus one for Greek Sails. Did my first flotilla with them when I was starting out and found them very good.

 

[st599]

Having skippered for The Yacht Week before, that's where you'll find most of the 20 somethings partying. Just try and avoid their routes if you like sleep.

 

[tudorsailor]

Having skippered for The Yacht Week before, that's where you'll find most of the 20 somethings partying. Just try and avoid their routes if you like sleep.

We did flotillas in lots of places before buying our own yacht. The BVI flotilla remains our favourite. Reliable wind and spectacular swimming and snorkling. We did our flotilla early in the summer.
TS

 

[mjcoon]

We did flotillas in lots of places before buying our own yacht. The BVI flotilla remains our favourite. Reliable wind and spectacular swimming and snorkling. We did our flotilla early in the summer.
TS

That one (June 2001 BVI Flotilla Track) was perhaps our least favourite. Lots of thunderstorms, certainly not "reliable winds", but then I believe that was the wrong time to go. And we were not keen on swimming and snorkelling, so missing out some of the point. We made the effort to take US visas and sailed to the US VI, but mostly to see if we could detect the difference; not really! Of course getting there is harder work than going to the Mediterranean...

 

[st599]

We did flotillas in lots of places before buying our own yacht. The BVI flotilla remains our favourite. Reliable wind and spectacular swimming and snorkling. We did our flotilla early in the summer.
TS

Not sure any of my clients were interested in sailing - never actually saw them during the day.

https://www.theyachtweek.com/

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I've had more fun with Sailing Holidays in the Aegean/Ionian than on a bareboat Catana 50 in Turkey - they really have got the flotilla thing completely nailed. They managed to keep both kids and anti-social gits like me happy and I would thoroughly recommend them. Neilsson also seem to have a good rep (been with them once). On one holiday I simply filled an empty berth with a bunch of folk I'd never met and had an absolutely brilliant time despite me wondering if I'd finally lost my marbles on the flight out. We all agreed to meet up and the same again next year (but never did of course) we all enjoyed it that much. It's quite common to find boat owners on flotilla holidays as it's just so stress-free. Whether it's finding somewhere to eat that evening, knowing whether the wind picks up and causes problems in the morning/afternoon or even a blocked head, it's all someone else's problem for once. Turns Dads into really nice people to be around I'm told.

 

[jac]

Turns Dads into really nice people to be around I'm told.

For reasons you need not worry about, I shall bookmark this quote and may later rely on it in the court of family opinion!