I was invited by Elysium Yachting to work as Lead Skipper for a few weeks in July 2022, based at Lefkada, in the Ionians. My working tour got off to a good start after being picked up at Preveza airport a few miles away, by the company’s Base Manager and Skipper, Stan. A charming person from UK, he was friendly and very helpful.
On arriving at the marina, he showed me to the yacht I would be using for the next few weeks, operating as Lead Yacht for Flotilla groups. As I dropped my bags on the yacht, which was a nice, almost new Oceanis yacht measuring approximately 40 feet, he explained that during July and into August, we have quite a few Flotilla groups and Skippered Charter groups to take care of between the two of us.
With Elysium, groups usually arrive on the Saturday, from lunch time onwards, take over and drop their bags in their designated yacht and join everyone else for a Safety and Introduction Briefing in a near-by bar in the marina. After the Briefing, everyone is free to do some last-minute shopping and familiarization with their yacht they’ll have for the week while we (Stan and I) would circulate amongst the yachts, explaining operating procedures and answering any queries people might have. On the first evening after arrival, the Flotilla parties can get together in one of the port restaurants for a welcome party before setting off the next morning (Sunday).
During the next few weeks, I had a wonderful time, even though I was working, it didn’t matter. Nestled south of Corfu, this exhilarating group of islands spreads its wings like a mythical Greek flying goddess. The Ionian Islands are fantastic with lots of small quaint village ports to visit and crystal-blue water bays to anchor for the evenings. The Ionians are quite an amazing group of islands, and we normally anchor a few nights in private secluded areas. Some with beach bars and others with our beach BBQs and private boat parties during the Flotilla weeks.
