Are you keen to join our flotillas, but not ready to skipper your own yacht just yet? We have possibilities for individuals and couples to join a shared yacht.
Share-A-Yacht Beneteau 361
Are you a solo traveler? Whether you have sailed with us before or never sailed on our flotillas, then Share-a-yacht is a great way for you to enjoy the Greek Islands and meet new like-minded individuals along the way.
Our Share-a-yachts bring together three individuals, each having their own private cabin and sail together as one yacht, as part of a broader flotilla. Options are available on any of our 1-week flotillas in the Ionian. Share-a-Yacht flotilla
Luxury Share-A-Yacht Beneteau 50'
Perhaps you are a couple or solo traveller who longs to learn to sail, not RYA or ICC qualified but prefer to learn the ropes with an experienced skipper on board in a relaxed manner? Join a flotilla in the South Ionian on one of our luxury 50ft Beneteau yachts with your own private ensuite cabin (4 cabins, sleeping 4-8 guests).
Enjoy the social element of a flotilla holiday, exploring waterfront tavernas, picnics on the beach, and cold beers in your cockpit. Improve your sailing skills with the guidance of one of our friendly skippers, who have good knowledge of the local area. Luxury Share-a-Yacht
We have several dates for you to book a cabin, and here are some for you to consider listed below. In addition, we can open a share-a-yacht on a date to suit you subject to availability.
Share-A-Yacht / Book a cabin (flights included) - Beneteau 361
| Date | Route |
Price pp (single cabin) |
Price pp (2 sharing cabin) |
Spaces |
| 19/05 - 26/05 |
Highlights of the Southern Ionian |
£1,425 | £1,195 | 3 cabins |
Full financial protection (ATOL), flights, transfers, diesel, gas, linen are all included.
Book a cabin today: 020 8459 8787 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you are doing an RYA training course with us, why not boost your qualification by adding the Marine Radio Short Range Certificate? In some countries, like Croatia, this certificate is the minimum requirement by law to charter a yacht.
Those of you that have sailed before will know that the VHF radio is a vital piece of equipment on board your yacht. On our flotillas you will use your VHF to communicate with your lead crew and other flotilla sailors, so knowing how to operate it correctly, would come in handy.
You may think that the use of a VHF radio is simple and you may have also used one if you have sailed on flotillas with us before. However, you have probably been lucky enough to never have needed to use your VHF Radio in an emergency. This certificate will enable you to hone the skills that you already have and feel confident if you needed to use the radio as a piece of safety equipment on board your yacht.
If you are planning on chartering a yacht independently some countries, such as Croatia, legally require someone on board to hold this certificate so it may come in handy on future holidays.
The bonus of adding this certificate to your RYA course it that it is then done and dusted, it never expires so there couldn’t really be a more convenient way of taking this course. Who wants to sit in a class room when you could study in the sun?
Prior to you heading out to Greece, you will be sent all of your online theory materials by email, and a theory book for the VHF Certificate will arrive in the post. The online course is very flexible and should take you about 8 hours. This can be spread over the time leading up to your course.
When you are out enjoying the sunshine, and completing the practical section of your course, you will complete the final part of the VHF Certificate. Your instructor will sit down with you and do your 1 hour assessment for the final section of the qualification.
• The basics of radio operation
• The correct frequencies (channels) to use
• Distress, emergency and medical assistance procedures
• Making a ship to shore telephone call
• Digital Selective Calling (DSC) using simulators
• Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS)
• Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB)
• Search and Rescue (SART)
In addition to the week (or two week) RYA Course cost the VHF Certificate is an additional £120 per person, this includes the online theory course, the VHF theory book and your assessment out in Greece.
To obtain the RYA Short Range VHF Certificate participants must be at least 16 years old.
Ever tried fishing? Well if you have a week or two at sea you might as well give it a go! Here are some first-hand tips from our ex-flotilla skipper (and very own office fishing expert) Charlie to get your lines tight. Give it a go and we reckon you’ll be hooked...
All fishing tackle can easily be bought locally in Greece and you don’t need as much as you’d think. No one wants to be ‘that guy’ who turns up with all the gear and well...you know the rest! I’d recommend a simple hand line reel with about 75 metres of 20 – 30 lb line, quite strong, in case you hook a big old Tuna!
You're also going to need a couple of lures. Here are some examples (below). They aren’t the manliest looking lures but we find the glittery squid work a trick! On the other hand if you are really trying to save your Euros (and have had a few beers), or even if you are just a real eco warrior, we hear these bottle cap lures are very effective!
Simply trawl the lure about 30 – 50 metres behind your yacht under sail or under motor. Fish will still take when you are sailing at 8-9 knots however around 3- 6 knots is perfect (these are Greek fish remember, they are a laid back bunch). You will know when you get a bite! Remember to wear some gloves if you get the chance to pull one to save the line hurting your hands.
If you haven’t had luck out at sea, the harbours normally have plenty of fish in them which are fun to catch. You will need a whole new set up for these fish, mainly small sea bream and mullet. About a size 16 hook and 4 – 6lb line would do the job with a small hand line off the front of the boat or quay. The best bait has to be small pieces of white bread on the hook – the perfect use for lunchtime leftovers!
Charlie’s top three:
1. The channel between Corfu and Albania – although we don’t advise fishing the Albanian side, they like their fish!
2. The west coast of Paxos is a top spot. It is definitely worth sailing around the island anyway to see the cliffs. The best time of day for this is in the morning as the west coast can get choppy in the afternoon.
3. Between Ithaca and Atoko Island in the South Ionian. There are often whole schools of fish there. We once caught a sword fish!
Trawling at sea: Tuna, Dorado, Spanish mackerel, Mackerel, Bonito and our pick of the bunch Sword Fish. Dorado and Swordfish shown below by Judy and Jon who caught these sailing with us in 2015.
Harbours and bays: Mullet and a few different types of sea bream. The sea bream caught from bays and clean harbours are good for the plate.
If you were to catch a decent fish you could either cook it yourself on board or if you want to show off your catch (and don’t want to miss out on the social aspects of the evening) most Tavernas will happily cook it for you. Doesn’t get fresher than that!
It is well known that the Mediterranean has been hugely overfished in recent years, but never fear, line fishing is the most sustainable method. The rate at which you or I will catch fish trawling is very sustainable, and shouldn’t make a notable dent to fishing populations, trust me! Just remember good things come to those who bait...
If you’ve enjoyed our introduction into fishing, have any questions or want to find out more about fishing out in Greece, give our resident expert Charlie a call! Give us a call on 020 8459 8787 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
In this guide we take you through every aspect of stern to mooring; from the all important preparation to pouring yourself a well-deserved beer. In May 2015 Theo Stocker from Yachting Monthly went out sailing with Barrie and his crew. Whilst out there they covered all sorts of Mediterranean sailing techniques which, as a sailor in the UK, you don’t necessarily come across. Theo noted one persistently daunting prospect, of chartering in the Med, was ‘stern to mooring’.
Stern to mooring is essentially reversing into a ‘berth’ or space, on a quay, in a harbour. A little like bay parking your car at your local supermarket although, as many who have tried with attest, slightly more complicated! Unlike your local Waitrose car park, Mediterranean harbours generally have a few challenges up their sleeve – cross winds, other boats and limited manoeuvring space to name a few!
Theo and Barrie set out to create this video to show, plain and simple, how stern to mooring needn’t be a scary prospect. We know hardy sailors will argue that our video was filmed in a quiet harbour, on a fortuitously calm day, making it look very simple.
We agree it could be far more amusing if filmed in Fiskardo, in August, with the Meltemi blowing. We also considered some of the key points may be lost in the pandemonium of bikini clad (female) and shouting (male) Italians. So, instead we opted for somewhere with slightly fewer distractions – a small fishing village, close to the Albanian border, in May. This said the same principles, of being prepared and controlling speed, will stand you in good stead no matter what the conditions...
1. Be prepared! By this we mean prepare your boat before you enter the harbour. Make sure you have your mooring lines (at the stern) ready to throw, your fenders are out doing their job and the anchor is free of its perch dangling just above the water ready to be dropped!
2. Once you are in the harbour, you want to give yourself as much of a run up as possible, so leave plenty of space.
3. When you think you have enough space, pop the boat into neutral until it comes to a stop. Once it has stopped you can put it in astern (reverse).
4. Once it starts moving backwards (and not before) head around to the other side of the wheel to face the direction of travel (as per Theo's excellent photographs below). This means you can control the speed and see where you are going – rather useful! Especially in a busy harbour.
5. Whilst moving backwards and when you are about 3 boat lengths from the quay let your crew member know to drop the anchor.
6. Control your speed whilst heading towards the quay – nice and slow and easy. Keep an eye on where you’re going and steer to counter any cross winds etc.
7. The majority of the time – on a flotilla – someone will be waiting on the quay to take your line (as Theo's photograph above shows). At which point it is time to throw it to them! You can pass it, if this is a possibility, but it might mean you are a little close to the quay. They will either tie a bowline on the quay, or loop it through and hand it back to you, at which point you can secure it with an OXO on the cleat.
8. Don’t panic! Mooring rarely goes perfectly to plan, even when done the experts, so just remain calm and take things slowly.
9. Once the ropes are secure it’s time to pull up on the anchor to keep the boat off the quay.
10. Turn the engine off and pour yourself a well-deserved cold beer... (And don’t forget to offer your lead crew or any local helpers one too!)
Put it to our team! Everyone who works in our office, used to work out on the water, so we can have a good go at answering any potential questions you may wish to throw at us. Give us a call on 020 8459 8787 or drop us an email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Alternatively you can read more about the Expert's Guide to Stern To Mooring with Yachting Monthly here.
