Cruising


dotted with scores of yachts. This part of Greece is one of the world’s most popular centres for sailing holidays. Countless cruising sailors, including me, took their first charter steps on an Ionian flotilla, and many more keep their own yachts on Lefkas or the nearby mainland, spending summers cruising Kefalonia and Ithaca.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Former PBO editor Sarah Norbury is now a contributing editor and a freelance writer. She cruises extensively in Brittany on


a Starlight 39 as well as racing sportsboats at home on the Solent.


2


Venture to Vassiliki A


s the minibus snaked its way around the high mountains of the island of Lefkas, we caught tantalising glimpses of the turquoise Ionian Sea far below – and the sea was


This time, though, my partner Jon and


I were looking forward to the thrills and spills of dinghy sailing and other water sports at the Ocean Elements beach club at Vassiliki. Like others on the transfer bus I’d been to ‘Vass’ on a flotilla and seen dinghies and windsurfers dashing about in the famous afternoon wind. ‘That looks fun,’ I’d said at the time, which is why we’d decided to come back and experience a sailing holiday where you sleep in a hotel at night and get to try a range of activities including mountain-biking, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. We soon alighted at the wonderfully-


named Surf Hotel, just a few metres from the beach and the enticing waters of Vassiliki Bay. First things first, we got our luggage up to our room – most have balconies and sea views – then jumped into two Laser dinghies and caught the beginning of Eric, the wind that hurtles every afternoon at anything between Force 4-8 down the sheer mountainside that flanks the bay.


Dinghy sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and paddleboarding are among the attractions of an activity holiday in Vassiliki, as Sarah Norbury reports


Thanks to Eric, Vassiliki is a magnet for


windsurfers who revel in the strong wind and hot sun. Specialist resorts dotted along the beach boast the very latest boards and sails. Propelled by Eric, hundreds of windsurfers blast along in the afternoons, straight-lining and jumping. Eric is great for dinghy sailors who want to improve their strong-wind sailing, while in the mornings the breeze is light – ideal for learners.


Passionate yachtsman Ocean Elements is relatively new to the sailing scene, having expanded from its Alpine Elements ski holiday roots. Its founder, James Hardiman, is a passionate yachtsman, currently preparing for the single-handed Azores and Back race in June. At home in Devon he sails with his children, occasionally taking time out for some fast action on the latest RS planing dinghy such as the new Aero, assessing it for inclusion in the Ocean Elements fleets. His philosophy is to keep clubs


Practical Boat Owner 584 March 2015 • www.pbo.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6