From the Deck of Your Own Yacht - The Start of Flotilla Sailing and What Happened Next in the Ionian Sea (Paperback)

Flotilla sailing enables thousands of people every year to charter a yacht and enjoy a holiday in a sunny foreign location: a group of boats sails together under the guidance of a lead crew. In 1974, the first holiday flotilla of eleven yachts set off from Aegina in the Saronic Gulf of Greece and no-one involved could have had any idea that they were at the beginning of something that would grow so big. It is now possible to go flotilla sailing in every continent of the world. The author traces how flotillas originated, how new cruising areas were opened up and new companies formed. He worked closely with the pioneers of this form of tourism who willingly contributed to the research into what they called 'the time of our lives': managers in one or other of the companies, skippers or engineers in charge of the boats, and clients. The second part of the book looks in detail at changes in some villages and harbours of the Ionian Sea, an area where much of the development has occurred through the influence of the boats rather than land-based tourism. It draws on conversations with taverna owners who remember when two visiting yachts was big business. Every page has coloured reproductions from the original brochures and cruising guides, and in the Ionian section modern photos are set alongside equivalent views before the yachts started coming in numbers. The book may be an introduction to flotillas, an insight into the background of the companies which now offer charters of this sort, or just a memento of a wonderful holiday.