Who's going sailing and where?
Discussion
PushedDover said:
Anyone…..?
How’s the knowledge on the Cyclades? And Mykonos ?
I’m picking up a whopper Dufour 530 with five guys in May. Can I moor / anchor in the Old Harbour ?
(Also looking forward to Alfabeats excellent Nisos later in the year for a honeymoon
)
I’ve got a 530 for a family holiday around the Greek islands in July. Will be our first sailing holiday, so hoping for good things.How’s the knowledge on the Cyclades? And Mykonos ?
I’m picking up a whopper Dufour 530 with five guys in May. Can I moor / anchor in the Old Harbour ?
(Also looking forward to Alfabeats excellent Nisos later in the year for a honeymoon
)The 530 looks a great yatch.
Just back from a week in the Cyclades, out of Mykonos.
Fun week with four of my best pals from the last 20 years, but not without incidents and maladies - and weather.
Arrived Saturday 7th, to 25kn winds and overcast. Obligatory night on the hoy in town (my second time around stag) and got ready to ship out Sunday morning in 25kn winds downwind. Hoodies donned !
The 530 we booked was apparently struggling with paperwork issues so the sister above ^^^^^ was shipped down from Athens. I would place aa bet on it that the boat had hardly ever sailed (800Nm on the log on a 2021 boat) and certainly not sailed this year. Everything was tight as a drum, and hard work hoist the main, the reefs wouldnt shake out etc.
I made my first proper balls up in all my years the next morning coming out of Paros, with a cross wind of 20kn I was too eager away / bowman didnt shout the slime line clearance, and next thing, we are moored by the prop in the harbour. f
ksticks.Lots of swimming, scrabbling for lines, and diving down to lay one on the laid ballast / chain saw us secured and had a diver down to check everything. Pride properly bruised.
The week eased up in weather and problems but again I can't help thing piss poor prep by the company.
eg: the pin on the Vang:
batten / car :
split pins missing on boom bolt....
the angle of the headsail winch 'cut' in tot the coaming,
the Service batteries were f
ked and despite firing up the genny numerous times a day the Voltage would drop sub-12v within an hour etc etc......BUT - great times,
I've a 'honeymoon' on a Nisos charter in September and I can not emphasis the difference in prep, quality, handover our own PH'er Alfabeat and his team at Nisos demonstrate compared to the above
although more expensive
Jaguar steve said:
PushedDover said:
On the matter of general grief with charter boats, with which I entirely empathise, was that particular one not equipped with a handle for the main halyard winch too? And that falls under poor maintenance.
The winch had a handle
it was even powered. But spluttered out of power, as did our arm / my fear of something letting go and damage such was the friction in the rigging. It was not good.I ended up having to put some olive oil on the track / cars. The deck mounted pulleys were all seized and the halyards were squealing under tensioning.
Thanks for the kind words Pushedover :-)
Reassuringly expensive I like to call it. Boats aren't cheap to maintain! A set of batteries on that boat will be around Euros 1000 I bet - we typically change batteries at the start of every season so as to try and avoid problems in the season ahead.
I would hesitate in chartering a brand new boat this early in May, due to the risks with the commercial paperwork. At least they got you an equivalent boat. We now bring new boats into the country before Christmas so that we are comfortable that we will have the commercial paperwork by May (yes it takes that long).
Lazy line prop wrap in a crosswind - not a comfortable situation to be in!! Been there, got the T-shirt!
Glad you had a good time. See you in September for a more relaxing experience on the beautiful "Zahra".
Reassuringly expensive I like to call it. Boats aren't cheap to maintain! A set of batteries on that boat will be around Euros 1000 I bet - we typically change batteries at the start of every season so as to try and avoid problems in the season ahead.
I would hesitate in chartering a brand new boat this early in May, due to the risks with the commercial paperwork. At least they got you an equivalent boat. We now bring new boats into the country before Christmas so that we are comfortable that we will have the commercial paperwork by May (yes it takes that long).
Lazy line prop wrap in a crosswind - not a comfortable situation to be in!! Been there, got the T-shirt!
Glad you had a good time. See you in September for a more relaxing experience on the beautiful "Zahra".
Did a delivery a few weeks ago. Lagos to Cartagena.
Stopped off in Cadiz for a couple of days, then a forced 2 day stay in Gib when the water pump failed… had to source and fit a new one… which turned out to be too powerful and blew some fittings. Then further overnight stops in Almerimar and Agulas, and a couple of days in Cartagena at the end.
3 up, so plenty of space onboard and a very relaxed trips… lots of nice food and plenty of wine.
Stopped off in Cadiz for a couple of days, then a forced 2 day stay in Gib when the water pump failed… had to source and fit a new one… which turned out to be too powerful and blew some fittings. Then further overnight stops in Almerimar and Agulas, and a couple of days in Cartagena at the end.
3 up, so plenty of space onboard and a very relaxed trips… lots of nice food and plenty of wine.
Did two weeks in the Ionian again in August, one week sailing and a week on land on Lefkada.
Fabulous time as always, great fun, with a group of 25 of us, across 4 boats (Bav 46, Jeanneau 440, Bav 45 and Bav C57.)
Weather was great and not too hot. Travel was easy. Only one very stormy afternoon, but we got tucked in alongside in Frikes so were safe if a bit wet.
Already planning the 2023 trip and have 4 school friends lined up with their families so 4 skippered boats and us in a mini flot. No better holiday for kids and adults alike!
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/vt3jzfVU.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/6iKdQdML" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/6iKdQdML.jpg)
Fabulous time as always, great fun, with a group of 25 of us, across 4 boats (Bav 46, Jeanneau 440, Bav 45 and Bav C57.)
Weather was great and not too hot. Travel was easy. Only one very stormy afternoon, but we got tucked in alongside in Frikes so were safe if a bit wet.
Already planning the 2023 trip and have 4 school friends lined up with their families so 4 skippered boats and us in a mini flot. No better holiday for kids and adults alike!
Edited by alfabeat on Wednesday 31st August 07:29
PushedDover said:
Anyone…..?
How’s the knowledge on the Cyclades? And Mykonos ?
I’m picking up a whopper Dufour 530 with five guys in May. Can I moor / anchor in the Old Harbour ?
(Also looking forward to Alfabeats excellent Nisos later in the year for a honeymoon)
Got a boat booked for mid May next year out of Lavrion. Quite a novice crew and will be using it more like a floating hotel that a full on sailing trip. If there are any recommendations for nice secluded beaches / anchorages in the northern cycladies, I'd love to hear of them!How’s the knowledge on the Cyclades? And Mykonos ?
I’m picking up a whopper Dufour 530 with five guys in May. Can I moor / anchor in the Old Harbour ?
(Also looking forward to Alfabeats excellent Nisos later in the year for a honeymoon
)Already looking over the Greek pilot guide to start planning
brickwall said:
Anyone got recommendations for good charter companies in Croatia?
I’ve sailed the Ionian the past few years so it’s time to go somewhere different.
I’ve been spoiled in the Ionian with high-spec boats (generator, aircon, water maker…) and keen to find something similar!
I’ve used nautilus yachting 4 times over the years to book Croatia out of Trogir (4th booking is a Lagoon 420 next year) they’ve brokered for a couple of different companies last one and the next trip was Navigare and happy with the standard of equipment but they were very slow to show us around the boat compared to other charters so I will crack the whip next year. And the year before was with dreamyacht charter who were brilliant although they cocked up on the spec and the brand new dufour didn’t come with a bow thruster as listed (not an issue for me but a few tight marinas in strong winds would have been helpful. I’ve sailed the Ionian the past few years so it’s time to go somewhere different.
I’ve been spoiled in the Ionian with high-spec boats (generator, aircon, water maker…) and keen to find something similar!
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