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Yachting and sailing around Paxos, Greece

The Ionian Sea (where you will find Paxos) is renown for its mild winds. The area around Paxos is considered to be the perfect sea for smooth sailing trips. The water is clear and warm and the climate is sunny.

Here are some facts:
Between May and August the prevailing winds are northerly
In September, October and April there are southern winds and they continue blowing mainly between 14:00 - 19:00 in the afternoon.
During the night there is usually a complete calm.
The usual wind speed is 3 to 4
Beauforts. In the summer period the speed of the wind sometimes reaches 5 to 6 Beauforts.

Around Paxos, you will find all sorts of boats - yachts, motor cruisers and small dinghy.

Renting a boat
There several rental outlets in the region from which it is possible to charter a boat, either with or, for the more experienced yachtsman, without a skipper.

Recommended Reading

Greek Waters Pilot by Rod Heikell provides detailed guides and charts for the waters and harbours around Paxos as well as the Ionian and Aegean coastlines.

Mooring
Gaios, Lakka and Loggos (the three main villages of Paxos) all offer a safe place to moor your boat. Gaios and Lakka have facilities to enable you to get water. In addition, Gaios has electric and fuel facilities. Mongonisi also offers safe harbouring, though facilities here can be limited - there is no village - it's really just a hamlet on the coast.

Yacht Charter And Sailing Holidays - how the law affects you
Greek law states that to hire a yacht or motor cruiser without a skipper, there must be two experienced/qualified yachtsmen in the party. So obviously, you cannot hire a boat without previous experience. There are many places on Corfu and throughout the Ionian region where you can hire boats of all sizes, both skippered or where you skipper the boat yourself.

Flotilla holidays
If you are not very experienced, a good way to sample sailing in the Ionian Sea is to join a flotilla holiday. Here you sail around the islands with a group of boats (known as a flotilla). Each flotilla has an experiences skipper in place to help you if you run into difficulties.

Skippered boat
If you have no experience, a skippered boat is the answer. The boats usually have a cook on board (although the skipper sometimes doubles as a cook), so all you have to do is relax and enjoy the experience. It's a great way to learn how to sail too as the skipper is there to explain what you have to do.

Boating around Paxos
Whatever method you choose, boating around Paxos makes for an idyllic holiday. There are many waterside tavernas to visit and the water is near perfect. Most tavernas will permit you (without charge) to stay over night on their jetty. You would be expected to eat there though! Some will also offer water.

Gaios harbour and the approaching inlet is very safe for overnight mooring for all types of boats. Water and fuel vehicles patrol on a daily basis. Situated on the east coast of Paxos, Gaios has a wonderfully picturesque harbour that is a very popular place for yachts and motor cruisers to moor for the night.

Lakka is also popular. Anchor in the bay which offers good shelter from the wind and is a nice place for a swim. There is a small quay but it is used for the day-tripper boats. You can get water at the quay sometimes. There are provisions for boaters as well as several tavernas and bars.

Antipaxos Coastline

Antipaxos is very popular with day trippers and can get very busy in the summer, with many small boats to watch out for.

Navigating Antipaxos

There are many hazardous rocks, both above and below water, so it is best to stay well out.

Mooring on Antipaxos

There is a small harbour on Anti-Paxos, though this is unsuitable for most yachts and is usually congested with small local boats. Instead most visiting craft drop anchor off the coast near one of the beaches. This is only practical during the calmest of conditions, however, as soon as there is any wind or sea swell the conditions become too unpleasant to stay.

Paxos Average Sea Temperatures

The following table sets out the average sea temperatures for the Ionian Sea around Paxos.

Month	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Temperature	15°C	18°C	21°C	23°C	25°C	23°C	21°C