Why base your sailing holiday in Poros, Peloponnese, Greece?
May 7th, 2012
Why start and finish your sailing break in Poros, Peloponnese, Greece
If you are planning a sailing holiday in Greece you will have a huge number of different yacht charter operators and locations to choose from, but are any better than the others? There are in fact numerous points to consider:
What is the sailing like? Is the wind and sea state suitable for the type of sailing you want to do? If you hope for an enjoyable family sailing holiday, you probably don’t want to sail an area known for higher windsand seastate; that probably won’t suit the family.
What is travel like? Many bases advertise being close to an airport. This is great in terms of a quickairport transfer, but it also means the quay is likely to be subject to aircraft and other noise and of course, the port must also be close for everyone else; not so good if you are hoping to get away from the crowds a little. You might find your sailing holiday doesn’t really start until after you leave the quay and ends once you returnthe sailing boat.
What is thesailing area like? Do you have an option to see placesof interestand interesting ports, maybe having some variety to yoursailing holiday, or are you and all the party happy to stay on the sailing boat for the entiresailing holiday?
For these reasons Poros on the Peloponnese makes and excellent start and finish for your sailing holiday; It is an hour south of Piraeus, the port of Athens via fast ‘sea cat’ meaning the travel distance isn’t much further than the flight to Athens, but you do get away from the crowds and busyAthenian marinas. Yoursailing holiday starts from the moment you get off the fast ‘sea cat’ and doesn’t end until you get back on the ferry…youeffectively extend yoursailing holiday by twoadditional evenings. Of course, maybe you are happy to start and end in a harbour of over 1,000 yachts?
Poros also provides immediate accessnorth into the Saronic Gulf,south west to the Argolic Gulf andsouth west to the eastern Peloponnese coast oreast to the Cycladesislands. The Saronic and Argolic Gulfs are sheltered sailing areas making them ideal for family sailingholidays. The Argolic is also away from the many fleets that set out from Athensin the summer, and Poros puts you one to two days sailing ahead of any boats departing from Athens.
If you saileast to the Cycladesislands you have the benefitof not sailing so far north against a Meltemi wind on your return and can instead sail westback towards Porosand the shelter of the Peloponneseand Hydra.
The area around Porosalso has some wonderful sites of the ancient world if you would like to add a little culture to yoursailing holiday. You have the world renowned theatre and ‘Asklepion’ at Epidhavros, the temple of Aphaiaon Aegina, theancient site of Mycenae, thestunning Palamidi fortressat Navplion and thewondrous rock and medieval town of Monemvassia. Not forgetting that you will pass through Athens itself and so could include a city mini-breakand visit theancient sites in this cradle ofwestern civilisation. It all makes Poros a perfect start and finish for your sailing vacation.
