Cyclades

Typical afternoon wind

5–7 Beaufort · Meltemi

Passage lengths

3–6 hours, exposed

Suits

Experienced skipper

Season

May–June, September

The Aegean at its most photogenic and most demanding: open crossings, few bolt-holes, and a wind that blows for days.

The Meltemi is the whole story here. It typically runs at force 5 to 7 with gusts well above that, and because the islands are high and bare it accelerates around headlands and through the straits. It can settle in for several days at a time in July and August. In June or September the same waters are superb sailing. This is not a first-charter ground, and most bases will say so.

A typical week

1. Day 1 Lavrion to Kea
2. Day 2 Kythnos, Kolona bay
3. Day 3 Serifos
4. Day 4 Sifnos
5. Day 5 Back north to Kythnos
6. Day 6 Kea
7. Day 7 Lavrion

Roughly 120 to 150 nautical miles over the week

Worth the detour

• Small Cyclades: Koufonisia and Schinoussa
• Milos and the Sarakiniko coast
• Sifnos anchorages and tavernas
• Delos at anchor

Watch out for

• July and August Meltemi regularly reaches force 6 to 7 for days at a time
• Many anchorages become untenable in a northerly, always plan an escape
• Plan the route so you run south with the wind and return in the lee

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