Neilson Flotilla Holiday

We had the best holiday recently on a Neilson Flotilla Holiday.
Having never sailed a day in our lives, I thought it would be good to show you what a fabulous experience it can be — even if you're completely new to sailing.

The Lowdown

The flotilla holiday sails around the South Ionian Islands, departing from the Neilson base at Vounaki Beach Club. We flew in on the Enter Air charter flight — I would highly recommend it. The service was great, and there was literally no queue at check-in (on the outbound journey). The inbound flight did have a queue, as we all arrived at the same time, but it was handled well and moved quickly.

The sailing portion of the holiday lasts for 7 days — Sunday to Sunday. On arrival, you're shown to your boat, which is where you'll sleep for the week. The following morning, you attend a briefing, and then around 10 or 11 a.m., the flotilla sets off.

Flotilla, Skippered, or Bareboat?

Having never sailed before, we chose the Skippered option.

If you hold an RYA qualification such as Yachtmaster, Day Skipper, or Coastal Skipper, you can sail your own boat. If you prefer not to be part of the flotilla, you can opt for a bareboat charter — but again, you'll need the appropriate qualifications.

Below is an example of the flotilla route:

Skippered

We were assigned the fabulous Ruari as our skipper for the week. It was myself, my husband, and our 12-year-old son, Jasper. I was a little apprehensive about how much Jasper would enjoy it — but he loved it.

If you're keen to take your Day Skipper course while on board, you can pre-book it. Do the theory in the UK, then complete the practical part during your holiday. We decided not to, as we weren’t sure how much we’d enjoy sailing — we just wanted to experience it first.

Sleeping & Eating

You sleep on the boat each night. We had a Dufour 375, which had plenty of space for the three of us. Technically, it sleeps six — but that would be a squeeze!

It had a lounge/kitchen area, two sleeping cabins, a shower, and a separate toilet. There’s a small supermarket at the Beach Club where you can stock up on provisions before departure. We bought tea, coffee, beer, wine, and some food for breakfasts and lunches.

That said, everywhere we docked at night had marina supermarkets and restaurants, so there were always options. The kitchen on board had a gas hob, a small oven, a fridge, and a sink — plenty for cooking basic meals. Making a cup of coffee while sailing was fun!

You do need to feed and provide water for your skipper, so just make sure you’ve got enough food and drink on board for them during your sails.

What We Loved

Like with cruising, one of the best parts is being on the water and waking up each day in a new port. We got to explore some beautiful islands, find quiet places to anchor, and snorkel or paddleboard. (We paid extra to have paddleboards on board — highly recommend!)

We loved learning new things and the excitement of sailing. The South Ionian is one of the best places for a first sailing holiday — the water is calm, the winds are light, and the route is well-sheltered between mainland Greece and the islands.

We did get a couple of days with strong winds, which meant we got to properly sail — and that was amazing. Jasper absolutely loved it.

When docked at Vounaki, you can use all the facilities, including dinghy sailing, waterskiing, paddleboarding, tennis, road/mountain biking, and much more.

You can even add a week at the Beach Club onto your holiday if you’d like to extend your stay.

What We Didn't Love So Much

I’m not sure there was anything we truly didn't like — but towards the end of the week, we did start to miss a few creature comforts.

There are no plug sockets on the boat, so no hair drying. The water was warm for showers, but really only lasted for two people. And the luxury of not having to pump the flush on the loo was definitely appreciated once we were back on terra firma.

That said, all of these things just added to the experience!

When to Go?

We sailed in late September/early October. We did have a couple of days of bad weather, which was unusual — it was colder than normal for the time of year. (Then again, you can’t guarantee the weather anywhere these days!)

Neilson flotillas run from May to October each year.

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