Thinking of doing my first Bareboat

[Tranona]

I was talking about lunchtimes in villages or towns where you can easily top up with water while the flotillas are out. I'm not sure it's really practical to fill water tanks by dinghy.

I don't recall water being remotely a problem with two or four adults on board, nor was power although we always turned the fridge off when the engine was off. We were always in and out of the water all day so all we really needed was a rinse with fresh water after the last swim before bed. Also I used salt water soap because I thought it was cool which reduced the need for fresh water.

Agree, that is my experience, but our boat had 300l which was fine for 2 people. We also sometimes used hotel or taverna showers for a good soak.

 

[Mark-1]

I know, that’s what happened though. Had a thread about it at the time. Charter Co useless. Ditto Hanse reps at boat show. I never got to the bottom of it but it screwed up the idle of our week.

Ahh so it wasn't by design. That's fine then, things go wrong.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Ahh so it wasn't by design. That's fine then, things go wrong.

Well, you wouldn’t think so but there was no evidence of any onboard means of getting alternator voltage to the leisure batts

 

[Lucky Duck]

That is quite common - my boat has only a single output mains. There is rarely a need to charge the engine battery from the mains if you have a means of starting the engine from the house bank.

Sadly no ‘emergency’ switch despite the batteries them being in one bank of four (in forecabin of all places)

 

[Obi]

Another thread has got me thinking about heading back out to the South Ionion this year with the family.

I've done 5 Flotilla holidays in the Ionion and know the area and most harbors quite well. Although we enjoyed the safely of the flotilla (especially with Nisos) it would be good to choose the destinations at our leisure rather than having to be at a particular place. Due to school holidays we will have to go in the height of the summer which I know is very busy.
My worry is mooring in the busy harbors in the evenings and would want to avoid doing this to keep the stress levels down. We're not fussed about going to tavernas in the evening and would be happy to eat and sleep at anchor. TBH we would probably prefer this...
I guess my plan would be to stock up in harbors we can anchor in during the day when everyone is out (e.g. Sivota, Big Vathy) and then spend a few nights in bays at anchor.
Does this sound feasible or do I need to just get over my worry about the harbours in the evening? I'm the only 'sailor' in the family so I'm pretty much singlehanded except for basic rope handling.

Morning Gixer,
A few comments/thoughts from an ex-Ionian bareboat skipper.
First, great idea. You know the area a bit, it is one of the safest and easiest areas I have sailed in, so seemingly perfect for a family holiday. Alas, light winds as you probably know are a bit of a downside, and mid-summer that can be especially true.
Height of summer. August can be unbearable hot. I had 47'C regular which makes sleeping on the smaller yachts rather warm. Air con is a god send, but no one appreciates listening to air con running all night in a port or on a quiet anchorage.

Not all charter companies are equal. One thing I did notice was that Sunsail have yachts with staff, or ribs, or fisher boats that can get to most areas of their Ionian cruising grounds within a few hours to bring out spares/effect repairs etc. Also the proximity of lead boats with engineers/hostess etc provide additional support to guests as needed, even those on Sunsail bareboat: The flotilla staff will often help another Sunsail bareboat into port, taking lines, pointing to a space, effecting repairs, answering questions. Watching the Sunsail guys and girls dive into the channel at Fiskardo to untangle anchors on the sea bed, I realise "That is a passtime for younger men than I". What impressed me was these youngsters would do it for anyone, not just the Sunsail boats.

Conversely, I saw other charter companies in the Ionian that rafted up the flotilla at Frikes with barely a fender between them. The yachts were just smashing into one another and slowly destroying themselves whilst crews were ashore. (I found the lead crew, asked them, and then they stayed in the bar, whilst I went back and tended to the yachts in question).

As a skipper one thing that surprised me was just how upset some guests would get that there was something inoperable on the yacht. It surprised me because as a skipper/owner I know from experience that there is usually at least one thing to fix onboard. So, being able to call up Sunsail and get an engineer out to you within half a day is IMO, "Good".

It seems to be a good idea, anchoring out at night, going ashore in the day when the pontoons are quiet. I think some tavernas that own pontoons would still like you to eat lunch at theirs even if you only tie up for a couple of hours in the day.

Weather, when overnight forecasts are bad in the Ionian people tend to try and get in to port earlier, or know of a good bolt hole/sheltered anchorage depending on forecasts. With this in mind, if it were me, I would be spending some time enjoying a bit of research into where to go in strong conditions from certain directions. Starting with where I want to go, then a route, then options with back up options in the event of the wrong type of wind.
My personal recommendations for places in the Ionian I really liked staying at Kalamos and eating at George's, and Alex's at Kastos (IIRC, he is a bit of a Dire Straits fan, from Athens who resettled to get out of the rat race). I also really liked Frikes, Kioni, there are a couple of anchorages on route to those. No idea if those places had shore power, it was a while back for me.

Some charter companies have restrictions on where you can go, what conditions you can sail in and what hours you are covered by the insurance. I met a few that were not allowed onto the western side of the western Ionian islands, so that ruled out Assos for example. Also, some not allowed out in F6+ or after dark,

Have a great time.

 

[Gixer]

@Obi Thank you so much for taking the trouble to give such a detailed reply. It’s much appreciated and I’ve taken your comments onboard.
Funny you mention Frikes, Kioni and Kalamos, these are three of my Favourites, I think I’ve been to the Tavernas you mention.
I agree about the wind but for my family ‘sailing’ is of little interest. Unless we’re doing 6kts directly towards the next swim spot they just stare are me like ‘what are you doing?’.
I was thinking of going with the company we did the last Flotilla with, reason is we can hire the same boat as a bareboat so I’m familiar with the boat.
Thanks again

 

[sealegsjim]

My last boat had the opposite problem as the shore only charged the domestic batteries.

In my boat, a Benny, the battery charger only charges the domestic batteries and not the starter. Just found this out recently

 

[Obi]

@Obi Thank you so much for taking the trouble to give such a detailed reply. It’s much appreciated and I’ve taken your comments onboard.
Funny you mention Frikes, Kioni and Kalamos, these are three of my Favourites, I think I’ve been to the Tavernas you mention.
I agree about the wind but for my family ‘sailing’ is of little interest. Unless we’re doing 6kts directly towards the next swim spot they just stare are me like ‘what are you doing?’.
I was thinking of going with the company we did the last Flotilla with, reason is we can hire the same boat as a bareboat so I’m familiar with the boat.
Thanks again

Morning Gixer,
Thanks for your reply.
It sounds like you are well set, you know what kind of yacht you want, where to go It is such a good way to spend a holiday isn't it ?

I was a 15 year old on my first Greek flotilla with much the same attitude as some of your crew members. Needless to say the seeds were sown and over the years sailing got more and more under my skin, so despite the early boredom I felt at 2-4 knots and 15 years old, I am grateful to those that introduced me to sailing when I was too young to appreciate it (thanks dad/brother), because it came back to me in later life and turned into one of my most rewarding hobbies. Greece was a lot better than sailing The Orwell/E coast at the age of 15.

I think time passes more slowly the younger one is, and for me, that made a 6 hour passage at 2 knots difficult for me as a 15 year old. These days, it's very different and patience pays dividends to sailors but I would not be able to teach my younger self that lesson.

Over the course of my job I had a lot of guests with crew that ranged from uninterested and indifferent to really keen. Not sure if this is for you, but I felt that on the catamarans, in general the teenagers seemed less frustrated and bored, probably due to the flexible accommodation set up, privacy offered and the ability for a teenager to chill out away from parents in a cabin with nice views, or on one of the other deck areas. Invariable they would pull out a phone and start tapping away and this seemed to prevent boredom. Some of the younger crew found the smaller mono hulls a bit restrictive.
Manoeuvring a cat into a cat sized space is a piece of cake once you get the basic idea. They are so manoeuvrable and predictable to use, and quick. But they are the more pricey of the charter range and it sounds like you already know which company/yacht you want. Makes a lot of sense to stick with something you know and are comfortable with.


Frikes, Kioni and Kalamos Yep, pretty special places. Ionian is just lovely. I also thought for a bit more excitement Fiskardo is a good option, it has a disco pub in the town and a nightclub up in the hills.

I am not sure about 2025 but Zues Bar in Vassiliki used to be great fun. A small harbour side bar when you might end up dancing on the shelf or the bar at 1am-6am. Although that was a long time ago, it was sill there last time I checked but I don't know if it still parties as hard as it used to. The clientele in Vass seemed to me mainly windsurfers, sailors, yogis or mountain bikers as well as a few Greekophiles looking for something off the beaten track, so the party crowd at Zeus was always a well behaved happy crowd having a huge amount of fun.

Starting the day at Georges in Kalamos. I think I will remember this morning as the best start to a working day I ever had.



Have a great trip
M

 

[Obi]

P.s. I used to like going to the supermarket in Kalamos, where a lot of the stock was in one big bag on a table, and the owner would root through the bag and offer something similar to that which you asked for. Charming, old world, like Greece used to be <1990s.