Your yacht is part of a group of yachts with a mix of people on board - from novices to experienced sailors - which makes for a lively social side to the holiday, especially when we all meet up in port in the evening.
Learning to sail in the Mediterranean is infinitely preferable to learning to sail off the British coastline, and having to contend with the vagaries of the UK weather and the tides - the Mediterranean is tideless, making sailing much easier and more pleasurable. Sunvil Sailing's teaching programme is designed to be relaxed and informal - we don't forget that you are on holiday - while ensuring that you follow the general syllabus laid down by the majority of the international yachting organisations. You can thus gain certification that will allow you to sail on other occasions and in other locations.
For example, Skipper Certificates (for those aged 16 and over) demonstrate that you can skipper a yacht in a safe and seamanlike manner in non-tidal waters in daylight hours. The Non-Tidal Crew Certificate will ensure that you will be a useful assistant in the preparation and running of a yacht when at sea and also when ready to enter and leave port; it can be gained by those aged 12 and above. Cadets (9 to 12 years old) can gain the Introduction to Yachting Certificate.
The time taken obtaining these certificates depends on individual ability and keenness on the part of the participants.
Learning how to sail involves all aspects of living on and managing a yacht - preparation of lunches, cleaning and tidying up are duties shared by all on board. Evening meals are normally taken at a taverna, although you have the full use of the on-board facilities should you wish to prepare your own meals
Learning how to sail involves all aspects of living on and managing a yacht - preparation of lunches, cleaning and tidying up are duties shared by all on board. Evening meals are normally taken at a taverna, although you have the full use of the on-board facilities should you wish to prepare your own meal/s. Space limitations on board mean that our prices are based on two people sharing a cabin. Single travellers can choose to share a (same sex) cabin or to pay a single cabin supplement if preferred.
On the live-aboard tuition yachts, we give the skipper an amount for the communal kitty to go towards the cost of continental style breakfasts, basic snacks, refreshments and a light lunch. You are, of course, free to upgrade catering on board in line with your personal tastes by paying extra funds into the kitty.
Relaxing into Sailing
On the first day's learn-to-sail course, there is a very comprehensive safety briefing before leaving port. The workings of the yacht, the engine, handling the boat under power, sail controls etc., will all be explained while the prior experience (if any) of the team on board is assessed. The yacht will make its way along the coast to the first lunch-time stop and swim of the week in a private cove - one of the main joys of sailing your own boat.
After lunch, the afternoon will probably be spent sailing, letting everyone get the feel for the yacht in its natural environment.
Arriving in port on the first day, around 1730/1800 hours, you will have gained a much better understanding of the mysteries of sailing and will be ready for a long, cool drink. Mornings tend to bring lighter winds - perfect for practising and teaching. After lunch, the brisker afternoon winds make for great sailing. Evenings are spent in port. During the course of the week, the complete beginner to sailing will be shown how to tie knots correctly as well as general rope handling, how to steer a boat under both sail and power, how to handle the sails, mooring and anchoring, basic navigation and all the other sailing functions which lead to gaining the Yacht Crew Certificate (non-tidal). Those with prior dinghy/yacht/boating experience will be taught how to develop their skills, with more advanced techniques, to gain (depending on the individual ability) the Yacht Skipper Certificate (non-tidal).
Daily distances on the lead flotilla yacht (also one of the training yachts) are relatively short, and we are usually moored up for the day by late afternoon, having anchored in a secluded bay for lunch and a swim although, occasionally, lunch may have to be taken on the move.
If you are taking a two-week sailing holiday and if at least one of your group has some previous boating experience, you may wish - after spending the first week on the tuition yacht - to take a yacht yourselves for the second week, sailing as part of the flotilla. It's an excellent way to learn - all the group benefits from the first week's training and those wishing to become skippers can take the lead during the second week, all the while under the watchful eye of the overall flotilla skipper and instructors on the other yachts. Such skippering experience makes it much easier to upgrade to a full tidal skipper's certificate at a later date. Another popular two-week combination is to spend the first week of your holiday on the learn-to-sail yacht and the second week ashore, either on Lefkas or at our resorts of Parga or Sivota on the mainland.
Skippered Charter
You may not wish to learn to sail, but like the idea of sailing around the Ionian islands, partaking in the social life of the flotilla, with friends or family who are learning to sail. If so, you are welcome to join our live-aboard flotilla with them. While you may be asked to lend a hand when necessary, the rest of the time you can relax, enjoy the scenery, read and daydream about the countless historical and mythological tales originating from these Greek waters.
