Chartering in Chalkidiki: keeping clear of Mount Athos, the meltemi and long passages

Chalkidiki lies in the northern Aegean, east of Thessaloniki, and ends in three fingers: Kassandra to the west, Sithonia in the middle and Mount Athos to the east. Charter bases sit mainly on Kassandra and Sithonia, and flights into Thessaloniki keep the transfer short. The coast is green, with pine forest down to the water, long beaches and fewer harbours than British sailors used to the Ionian might expect. Porto Koufo, an almost landlocked natural harbour at the southern tip of Sithonia, is the classic refuge. Chartering in Chalkidiki means long passages along the coast and across the gulfs rather than short island hops.

Mount Athos is a self governing monastic republic under Greek sovereignty. Women may not set foot on the peninsula at all, and men need a special permit. For yachts that means no landing, no anchoring and no going ashore, and with women aboard a minimum distance from the coast that the coastguard enforces. The base gives you the current distance at the briefing. The tip of Athos is also known for gusts and confused seas. The meltemi blows from the north to north east in July and August, usually lighter here than in the Cyclades but clearly felt on the open stretches between the fingers.

Before booking, ask whether the charter agreement allows a passage round Athos or across to the Northern Sporades, and plan long legs for the morning before the afternoon wind builds. Keep a sheltered harbour or bay in mind as a bolt hole for every day. If you damage someone else's boat or property with the charter yacht you are personally liable, so your own skipper liability insurance belongs in the preparations in northern Greece too.

Worth remembering

Mount Athos is best seen from the water, from a distance.