Diary of the Ionian Flotilla Lead Crew by Bella, Flotilla Skipper

The life of a flotilla lead crew! Oh where to start?!

This year will be my second season working as flotilla skipper on the Ionian flotilla and I am enjoying it more and more as time goes on. I have been sailing since I was 6 years old, am a yachtmaster offshore and recently completed my cruising instructor training. Sailing is a huge part of my life and I feel very fortunate that I get to work and share my passion for sailing with others each week on flotilla.

I have gotten to know the Ionian very well and love seeking out the best spots and restaurants to share with clients throughout the season. There is never a dull moment on flotilla and each week brings new experiences. Here is a brief glimpse into what weekly life looks like for a flotilla lead crew in Greece...

Day 1 - Sunday

Turnaround day!

On Sundays we turn the boats around that have been out on the water the week before. This involves making sure that everything is back in the correct place, the lockers are tidy and the new crew have everything they need for their sailing week.

In the afternoon the guests start to arrive and check in at the office. They get comfortable onboard their yachts and go through the inventory to make sure they know where everything is and that nothing is missing. Maria and I then go onboard the boat to do a whole boat briefing, talking about how the sails work, how to operate the toilet and the main safety of the vessel. Each vessel is different so this is tailored to exactly what they have on their boat.

Once the check-in and briefings are all done then the guests are free to have dinner and enjoy the rest of their day in Paleros. 

Day 2 - Monday

The first day of sailing! It is always exciting starting a fresh week of sailing with a new group on flotilla. Everyone is eager to get going and explore all the area has to offer.

At 9am we have the flotilla briefing with all of the clients in one of the local cafes close to the base. We do a flotilla briefing every morning throughout the week but the first morning briefing always takes a little bit longer as it involves talking about how the week will run, what clients can expect and also safety measures to be aware of.

We then we go into our normal morning brief and talk about where we will be going for the day, what weather to expect and how we will be mooring. We also recommend a bay to stop in for lunch and a swim stop. After the briefing there is time for the clients to do any shopping they might need to do before returning to the boat, ready to depart. We are on hand to answer any last minute questions that clients might have before they set off. 

With all clients happily on their way, Maria and I can now set off on lead boat Eros, making our way straight to Sivota. Once in Sivota we await the radio call from clients announcing their imminent arrival! Reminding them how to set up for their stern to lazy line mooring, we bring them all in one by one with help from our friend Costas who works at Stavros Taverna. The yachts can then connect to shore power and fill up with water. We have call in at 4pm on Monday so it gives people enough time to shower etc before our punch party on the quay.

Maria and I make the bookings in Stavros Taverna at the preferred time for the clients and then the punch party gets underway! This is a lovely start to the week and gives clients the opportunity to get to know each other as well as giving us the opportunity to get to know the new group as a whole. Everyone makes their way to their separate dinner reservations, giving Maria and I time to shower and eat before heading to our cabins after a busy first day. 

Day 3 - Tuesday

Today we head to Fiskardo, a very popular spot in the Ionian so we are sure to make our way straight there after leaving Sivota. Guests are reminded the night before to fill up with water before the morning briefing at Vibes cafe at 9am so that we can make a swift departure once the briefing is complete. 

The sail to Fiskardo is around 3 hours so after seeing everyone off, we head straight there and longline the boat in a space where we can build a raft big enough to fit the flotilla. This particular week we have a smaller group which made it easier to get a spot.

Once our group starts arriving, we ask them to have fenders on both sides and a bow and stern line on the side they would be coming onto the raft. We head out to meet them in the RIB to collect their long lines and tie these to the rocks. After we have built the raft, which usually takes around 20/30 minutes per boat, we share some information about Fiskardo with the guests and also inform them about the trip to the caves for anyone who wants to join. We head to the caves with dinghys and outboards. The caves are incredible as you drive up onto a little beach inside and then you can get out and walk around the whole cave.

Once back in Fiskardo we have cocktails and quiz at Theodora’s. This week it was pirate themed so we added a pirate round to the quiz and the guests got involved by dressing up as pirates! Everyone is free to choose their own spot for dinner and Maria and I normally head to the Thai restaurant for something a little different!

Before turning in for the night, we check the raft to make sure everything is how it should be. I also tend to get up through the night to double check as well - a skipper's habit! 

Day 4 - Wednesday

Today we are heading to Port Leone in Kalamos to build another raft. We went onto each boat around 9am to make sure the guests were happy with the route for the day and the bay stop. Once the last guest on the raft is ready to go, we can start deconstructing it. The anchors are less likely to cross if we take them off in the reverse order that we laid them in.

Today we enjoyed a great sailing day as it is 18nm from Fiskardo to Port Leone and the wind was blowing up to 25knots. Once in Port Leone we long lined the clients individually so that they could have some privacy and a nice quiet night.

During the day we had prepared some some food for this evening's potluck on the beach. Everyone brought something to share and we had a lovely relaxing evening eating and chatting whilst watching the the bioluminescence in the water. 

Day 5 - Thursday

Waking up after a very peaceful night's sleep, we headed to everyone's boats again to give them a personal briefing about our plans for the day and then dismantled the raft. We took off the long lines and picked up the anchors and got all the guests on their way to Spartochori. Maria and I enjoyed a quick swim before heading off ourselves.

We arrived into Spartachori around 1pm and said hello to the Taverna owner before having lunch onboard. Today guests were advised that they didn't need to be in until 5pm so we spent some time in the afternoon putting together a quiz to do later that evening.

We share some details about Spartochori with the guests, the facilities and what time we will be having our group meal this evening. Everyone really enjoyed the quiz which we did on the stern of the boats and then we all went for our group meal. It was a really fun evening and then everyone headed back to the yachts for what ended up being a bit of blowy night!

Day 6 - Friday

On Fridays we go to Little Vathi and a small bay called Karnagio. We have booked this for the entire season so we just have to tell them at the start of the week how many boats and people we will be bringing. It’s only 10 minutes around the corner from Spartochori and is a beautiful bay with a lovely beach just a short walk away from the main town.

The restaurant owner often helps us moor the boats, especially if it is particularly windy, as he knows the area so well. We have our final group meal here before thanking everyone for an amazing week. After dinner some of us headed into the main town to watch the football whilst others called it a night.

Day 7 - Saturday

The final day of the flotilla - time to head back to base!

We do our final morning briefing with some breakfast in the Taverna before seeing all the guests off to enjoy their final day's sail. We then head straight back to the base to sort out some final things before changeover the next day.

Guests come in around 4pm so that the fuel can be filled up and the diver can check the boats.  We let the guests know about their departure times in the morning and ask them to fill the boats with water and get the yachts cleared for the end of their charter. Guests head to one of the local restaurants for dinner and we continue to prepare for changeover the following morning. The final day is always one of mixed emotions for guests - happy and uplifted from their week out on the water but also usually quite sad that it has come to an end (for this trip at least!).