Around Evia (Special!)
Unique three-week itinerary. More wind, longer distances between islands, rewarding the most beautiful places. Average daily distance 20-35NM. Suitable for experienced sailors.
Unique three-week itinerary. More wind, longer distances between islands, rewarding the most beautiful places. Average daily distance 20-35NM. Suitable for experienced sailors.
The Sporades and Cyclades islands are a beautiful sailing area! This summer we will sail a three-week(!) flotilla here. We depart from Lavrion (near Athens airport) and then sail around Evia, the second largest island in Greece.
Are you curious about what a flotilla sailing holiday with Portokali could look like? Then read the example route below for a nice impression of the atmosphere. Please note that this is only an example route, purely to give an idea. We never have the routes of our flotillas fixed, so that we can optimally adapt to the wind and the wishes of the group. Every flotilla trip with Portokali is different and it is also perfectly possible to join the same flotilla several times and still discover different places. After all, there is so much beauty… You can never fit it all into one holiday!
Saturday July 24 Check-in and first briefing
Today is the arrival day for everyone who will sail this beautiful route. This means that today we receive our new home and during check-in the owner tells us everything about the yacht that we need to know for an enjoyable holiday. Then we meet the rest of the group and receive the first briefing from the flotilla management about what we can expect. Tomorrow is the big day…
Lavrion โ Ormos Makropoulo 13 Nm
Bunches loose! Today a fairly short stretch of sailing to get into the swing of things. Plenty of time to get to know the yacht, try things out and get used to each other again. The first destination is a large bay, surrounded by high green hills. With some beautiful white sandy beaches, this immediately gives you a holiday feeling. In the evening we eat on the beach in a taverna with delicious fresh fish.
Ormos Makroloulo โ Panagia (Evia) 25 Nm
The first island of the tour. And what kind. Evia is the largest island in Greece after Crete and is connected to mainland Greece by a bridge. We will pass this bridge later in the week. Evia is a hilly and wooded island with the highest point at no less than 1743m. In winter you can enjoy skiing here. Fortunately not now, today we plunged straight from our boat into the almost 30 degree warm sea water.
The route continues under the booking module…
Find your ideal flotilla here and request a no-obligation quote online immediately. Enter your preferences in 3 steps and we will get back to you within 24 hours with a tailor-made offer for a wonderful sailing holiday. A rental week always runs from Saturday to Saturday.
Panagia – Eretria 20 Nm From Panagia we now set course for Eretria.
We are now sailing into a kind of inland sea, between the island of Evia and mainland Greece.
Almost like an elongated lake.
Wonderfully calm waters, with hardly any waves, but good wind.
Eretria is one of the more touristy places on the island of Evia, with a rich stock of bars, stores, cafes and restaurants.
The latter all bulging with fresh fish delivered every day by the many fishermen here. Eretria – Chalkida 13 Nm + at 00.00 through the bridge) There it is: the bridge that had already passed earlier in our story.
First we sail under a bridge so high that it doesn’t even have to be opened for us.
But a little later there is another bridge that does have to be opened to let us through.
It opens once a day at 00.00 and is quite a happening.
Many residents come to watch and actually the whole village comes to a temporary standstill when the bridge opens.
There can also be a strong current of 2-4 knots, making it quite a challenge to sail neatly through it.
So no beers for dinner just yet….
Once on the other side, we moored in the capital of Evia: Chalkida. Chalkida – Loutra Adipsou 35 Nm Today a nice bit of sailing on the next “inland sea”.
A bit similar in size to our IJsselmeer.
This is because we are still below the island of Evia and above the mainland of Greece.
Once in Loutra Adipsou, we are finally almost at the tip of Evia, where we can round the bend.
In some places around this town, warm water flows from the rocks into the sea on the coast.
This comes from natural hot springs and is considered by many people to have healing properties.
Loutra – Orei 26 Nm Orei is a charming little port where the tavernas are literally on the quay.
In fact, everything you need is within one minute walking distance from your yacht.
Both the bakery, a supermarket and a beautiful sandy beach are right next to the quay.
Still feel like walking a little further?
Then fortunately there is another nice village with a beautiful, long sandy beach about a 15-minute walk away. Orei – Platania 15 Nm After a number of small ports, it is now time to spend the night at anchor in a bay.
Platania is on the other side of Orei, the last tip of the mainland we visit before crossing to the Sporades.
With the dinghy we sail to the shore in the evening for a bite to eat and again the tavernas are already waiting for us on the quay with open arms.
It doesn’t get much more hospitable than in Greece…. Platania – Skiathos 12 Nm After exactly one week we arrive in Skiathos, the first island of the Sporades.
There is a small marina here, which is full of yachts.
The quay is crowded, but not for nothing.
You can eat delicious food there and that is exactly what we are going to do.
Once satisfied, we walk back to our yacht and decide to have a nightcap on the aft deck with a neighboring boat.
After all, it is vacation…
Skiathos – Skopelos 15 Nm Today we sail via a world famous spot.
Namely the little church from the movie Mama Mia.
In calm weather, you can anchor here and climb up to the little church.
Skopelos is a large town with nice, bustling promenade and numerous restaurants and stores.
Good change for the small fishing villages and deserted bays. Skopelos – Kyra Panagia 23 Nm After a night in the port of Skopelos, it is decided to spend the next night in a bay.
On the island of Kyria Panagia, we go to the bay Panormitis.
This is, in a word, beautiful.
This bay is so remote that there is not even phone coverage.
Talk about peace… With the idea of being alone in the world, we fall asleep on the deck under the stars. Kyra Panagia – Alonissos 19 Nm Alonissos is an island with endless beautiful bays with small beaches.
Here we make grateful use of them.
Before we moor in Alonissos harbor, we dropped anchor in three bays and took a swim.
One more beautiful than the other….
Alonissos – Skyros 36 Nm Today a nice stretch of sailing, so we leave on time, right after the briefing.
Fortunately, the wind is good, so we can sail the whole stretch in just under 6 hours.
Skyros is an island much like a Cyclades island: white houses, a Chora (center) at the highest point and a very well organized harbor. Skyros – Kimi (Evia) 23 Nm Kimi is a historic town.
The inhabitants of kimi were the first Greeks to establish colonies outside Greece.
Among other things, they founded Italian Napoli (Nea Poli = new city).
Still, the little port is relatively small and quiet.
In fact, the real city is 250 meters higher up on what is often called “the balcony of the Aegean Sea.
Definitely worth taking a moment to enjoy the view there. Kimi – Batsi (Andros) 57 Nm Time for a big crossing!
We did the briefing the night before so we can leave nice and early today.
As soon as the sun rises, we cast off.
Wonderful to already be in the middle of the water while most people are still sleeping.
With the prevailing northerly wind in this area, it’s a perfect wide course downwind.
Surfing the waves, we break one speed record after another.
This is real sea sailing!
Batsi – Tinos 28 Nm From Batsi we sail on to Tinos.
This is all the way upwind sailing with ample wind.
Delightful.
Plenty of speed, while you hardly feel you are sailing.
Once in the port of Tinos, the wind always seems to be very strong.
It will not be the first time that the wind in the harbor is 15 knots stronger than at sea.
Fortunately, the harbor here is very spacious and all the boats lie with their lines in the wind.
Highly recommended is to take a walk along the shore here while the sun is setting. Tinos – Mykonos 8 Nm A short sail today so we can be in Mykonos on time.
Mykonos is also called the Ibiza of Greece and for good reason.
All the celebrities have been here at one time or another, and that is what this island is all about.
Beautifully kept streets, stylish stores, culinary restaurants and unprecedented parties.
And one even more photogenic than the other… No better place to recover from all that sailing the past few days. Mykonos – Ermoupolis (Syros) 18 Nm From the small, white alleys of Mykonos, we now head to the large marble squares of Ermoupolis.
The town hall of this town would not look out of place as a royal palace.
The harbor consists of a long quay beyond which the town spreads out over the mountain.
The town has a slightly Italian feel to it, due to the many marble and large squares everywhere.
Not comparable to the rest of the Cyclades.
The food here is also of exceptional quality.
This evening’s dinner will go in the books as the best yet.
Syros – Loutra (Kythnos) 30 Nm After two towns it is now time for some small scale sailing again.
A nice stretch of half wind sailing and arriving at a small, typical Cyclades village.
Loutra is known for its hot spring.
On the little beach next to the harbor, a stream of water emerges from the ground a little further on.
The villagers have built a kind of natural hot tub on the beach with large stones, and there is no better place to have an anchor beer after a nice sailing trip.
Or two.
A little later, with our feet in the sand and overlooking our yachts, we eat delicious fresh fish. Kythnos – Kea 21 Nm Kea is the first inhabited island you encounter when sailing from the mainland to the Cyclades, and thus the last island we visit before docking back in Lavrion.
The spot where we dock (Vourkari) has another beautiful sunset in store.
From the foredeck of our yacht, we sit in silence and enjoy all the adventures of the past three weeks.
What a beautiful trip.
Fortunately, it is not over yet and we have one more day tomorrow. Kea – Lavrion 11 Nm The last day we take it easy.
We only have to sail a short distance, so we can enjoy ourselves a little longer.
After the briefing we start with a nice walk and at the end of the morning we leave to drop our anchor in a beautiful bay around the corner.
Nothing like having lunch in your own floating house in a beautiful blue bay.
After a last dive we decide to set course for Lavrion.
The very last miles of this wonderful trip are a fact….
Please note, in this area and during this time of year, the chance of a Meltemi must be taken into account.
This is a strong (8bft is no exception) wind, which can sometimes blow continuously for several days.
Therefore, it may be necessary to stay “windswept” for a day, making the distances of other days longer.
This is also why we chose to make this a three-week itinerary, so there is more room for slack.
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