Chesapeake Flotillas, LLC

This page has been updated due to the global coronavirus pandemic

The Sea, The Islands, and The Wind

The Cyclades Islands of Greece

with Capt. Rob

May 29 - June 5, 2021


COMPLETE TRIP INFORMATION

     
Dates Itinerary The Boat Cost
Reservations Payment Cancellations Payment Options
Flight Information (***UPDATED***) Pre-trip Meeting FAQs (***UPDATED***)  

Check back often for updates!

Sailing Dates:

Due to safety concerns and travel restrictions imposed by the European Union and with the agreement of trip participants, I have rescheduled this trip.  Please read the page carefully for updated information.   I will try to highlight all relevant changes in YELLOW.

The trip dates are May 29 - June 5, 2021.  We currently plan to board the boats Saturday afternoon. Given the current travel options of which I am currently aware, it is probably best to plan to arrive a day or so earlier and take a room nearby.  We will be aboard from the May 29 through June 5, returning to the marina on Mykonos on the June 4.  It may be challenging to get the boat cleared back in AND make it to the airport in time for a flight back to Athens.  In that case, you may wish to plan to stay in shore housing on Mykonos at least one night on the back end of the trip.  OR you may wish to consider taking a ferry back to Athens.  Please make sure you have a current passport that will be valid at least 6 months from the last day you will be in Greece.

Float Plan - Itinerary of where we will cruise

We will sail among the northern and eastern islands in Cyclades island chain.  The following is a potential itinerary that we might follow.  We will depart from and return to Mykonos.  It is likely that we will be at the quay almost every night.  I try to anchor out one night during the trip.[1].  I have not yet identified any candidate locations for a night on the hook.

  • New Port Marina, Mykonos
  • Naxos Town
  • Paroikia, Paros
  • Livadhi, Serifos
  • Finikas, Siros or Ermoupolis, Siros
  • Tinos Town
  • New Port Marina, Mykonos

We can return our boat and spend one last night on the western Aegean Sea before flying back home.  However, maybe you will want to stay longer and see more of ancient Greece.  The choice is yours.

Here is a map of the Cyclades and the sailing area.  Our potential sailing area fans out to the north from Paros.


The Dodecanese Islands
You can click here for more information on Greece.

Click here for Greece tourism information.

I will update this page as new information becomes available.  If you are on my mailing list, you will be notified of all updates on this trip as well as my domestic offerings.  If you would like to be on my mailing list, contact me.

The Boat:

I have reserved a 2014 56-foot Bavaria Cruiser monohull.  It is equipped with air conditioning and a generator.  We will also have a mobile WiFi hotspot onboard.  You will find some details and photos at the links below.

Click Bavaria 56 Cruiser to see photos and specifications.  NOTE: The images and information are similar to but are not for the boat we will have.

A video tour of a Bavaria 56.

Click here to see the layout that we will have on our boat.

Cost:

The cost of this trip is $2400 per person. The price assumes double occupancy in the cabins and includes the charter yacht, provisioning, an experienced licensed captain, damage waiver insurance, refueling, and marina fees.   It assumes no more than 9 guests plus Chef Theresa and Capt. Rob as captain for a total of 11 people on board.

The price does not include airfare, meals eaten ashore, personal alcoholic beverages, land-based lodging, individual travel insurance, or other incidentals.

Reservations:

Before March 1, 2019, a deposit of $900 will reserve your berth or a place on the wait-list.  Depending on where we are in the payment schedule, the required minimum first payment may be more than just the deposit.  Please read and understand the payment schedule details and the cancellation policy below.  If you are wait-listed, the cancellation policy does not apply while you are on the wait-list.  I need at least 8 committed people to make this trip viable.

Payment Schedule:

Given the trip price and including an initial deposit of $900, there will be a total of six (6) payments spaced approximately 3 months apart. Before sending your deposit, please read and understand the cancellation policy. It is understood that receipt of your deposit indicates that you understand and agree to the cancellation policy as posted.  If you have not yet made a reservation with me, please include with your payment your name, address, preferred telephone number, email address, and an indication of whether you will be traveling with someone else.  For information on payment options, click here.

I always recommend that participants consider purchasing their own travel insurance policy.  Please see the FAQ question on travel insurance for more information.

Due on or before March 1, 2019 $900
Due on or before June 1, 2019 $300
Due on or before September 1, 2019 $300
Due on or before December 1, 2019 $300
Due on or before March 1, 2020 $300
*** FINAL PAYMENT ***
Due on or before June 1, 2020
$300 or balance due

Please note that if your first payment falls after the due date for the deposit or any subsequent payment, your first payment must be at LEAST in the amount of the total of all payments due up to the date of your payment.  For example, if your first payment is made after September 1, 2019, your payment must be at least $1500.  This will be the case whether you are a confirmed participant or being placed on the wait list.  If you are wait-listed, your check will NOT be deposited until you are confirmed.  No further payments from wait-listed crew will be necessary until you are confirmed as a participant at which time the balance of the total amount due at that time will be required to confirm your berth.

Cancellation Policy:

Charter companies have very strict policies regarding cancellations.  There are significant financial penalties for canceling a charter boat.  The following cancellation policy is provided to help avoid that situation.  In the event you must cancel, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can try to find a replacement or confirm someone from the waiting list, if any.  If you are on the wait-list, the cancellation policy does not apply.  If I can find no replacement within 2 weeks for someone who must cancel their reservation, the following cancellation fees will be assessed.  I STRONGLY recommend that you purchase your own travel insurance to protect your investment in this trip.  Check the FAQ section for information on travel insurance underwriters.

Chesapeake Flotillas reserves the right to update this cancellation policy up until the time deposits are accepted.

Any cancellation for any reason will incur at least a $100 administrative fee regardless of the availability of a replacement.
Therefore, the cancellation fees are:
Before 03/01/2019 $100
03/01/2019 to 05/31/2019 inclusive $600
06/01/2019 to 08/31/2019 inclusive $750
09/01/2019 to 10/31/2019 inclusive $1200
Anytime after 11/1/2019 All monies paid to date
Payment Options:

You have three options for paying for your trip. Each option is described below.

Payment Options Information
Credit or Debit Card Online

This is your best option for getting your reservation or payment in most expeditiously.  You may use this link to pay online.  My online "store" gives you the options of paying the minimum deposit, paying for the entire trip, or paying for the deposit and some number of the recurring $300 payments.  If you wish to reserve after the initial offering, you may wish to call prior to making an online payment to determine if there a wait-list. If so, you may wish to make a payment by check instead so as not to commit funds until necessary.

The online store makes reference to shipping.   This is how I collect your contact information.  A trip memento will be delivered after the pre-trip meeting, which will be hosted online.  However, please note that when entering your address, the ZIP code field comes before the city and state.  If you enter your ZIP Code there, the system will automatically populate the city and state fields based on the ZIP code that you provide.   If you do not enter the ZIP code as described, you may experience some trouble completing the rest of the form.

My online store is operated by the company I use to process credit card payments.   I do NOT keep or in any way save your credit or debit card information.   I do keep your contact information for obvious reasons.  So please be sure to provide your complete information including email address and phone number.

If you pay for more than one person, use the Notes feature to supply that person's name and contact information, if it is different from your own.

Credit or Debit Card by phone

This is your second best option for getting your reservation or payment quickly.   If you call me, I can tell you if there are open berths or if there is a wait-list. If you choose to make a payment, I will enter your credit or debit card information into my terminal.  I can tell you immediately if it was approved and you will get a receipt via your choice of email or SMS.  I am available by phone generally from 8AM to 9PM. My phone number is 908.672.3609.

Additionally, using this method you can pay any amount you like as long as it is equal to or greater than the minimum amount due at the time of your call.  For example, if the minimum payment due is the $900 deposit, you may optionally elect to pay $1200 (or some other amount) when paying by phone.

I do NOT keep or in any way save your credit information.   I will keep your contact information for obvious reasons.  I particularly need your email address and phone number.

Check or Money Order

You may mail your payments as checks or money orders made payable to "Chesapeake Flotillas". Your reservation will be recorded when your check is received.  Address the envelope to

Chesapeake Flotillas
487 E Main St
Somerville, NJ 08876-3128

I might suggest using the online store interface to make your deposit and then you can pay the recurring payments by check if you prefer.  In this way, you can submit your reservation in the most timely way.   However, if you make your first payment by check or money order and the trip is full, I will hold your check but not deposit it unless and until you are a confirmed participant on the trip.

When mailing your deposit, please include your full contact information including address, preferred phone number, and an email address. If making payment for more than one person, please include full contact information for each person covered by the payment.

Please note that this will be the only method of payment that can be used to hold a place on the wait list.

For the sake of your own information security, DO NOT mail or email your credit or debit card information to me.  If you want to use a credit or debit card, refer to the two sections immediately above.

Flight Information:

You should consider making your airline reservations as early as practical.  Economic pressures will make airfares volatile.  Airfares have absolutely increased since I first made reservation in December 2019.  Many flights that were scheduled at that time are no longer scheduled.  The flight information below is for those coming out of Northern New Jersey.  For those of you coming out of different locations, check for flights connecting in Frankfort (FRA), Munich (MUC), or London (LHR or LGW).

The flight schedules below is for travel to and from Mykonos.  This is only a suggestion.  You will likely find it less expensive to book flights from Athens to Mykonos separately.   You can get to Mykonos on an island hopper flight on Aegean Air or by taking a ferry from Athens.  There are pros and cons with each mode.  The flights are slightly more expensive but run frequently.  Ferries run much less frequently and you may need a hotel room on one or both ends in order to sync up with the ferry schedule.

Considering everything and given the flight and ferry schedules, you will probably want to get a room for at least one night after the trip. Similarly, you may want to arrive a day or so early, in which case you will also need land accommodations on the front end.

>
Dates
Flight information
05/27/2021 (Thu)
UA 124 Departing EWR at 5:40 pm arriving ATH at 10:30 am (next day)
05/28/2021 (Fri)
OA 378 Departing ATH at 4:35 pm arriving JMK at 5:10 pm
06/05/2021 (Saturday)
Ferry from Mykonos to Rafina (Athens)
06/06/2021 (Sunday)
UA 125 Departing ATH at 12:15 pm arriving EWR at 4:20 pm

United roundtrip fare to Athens is about $1350 is based on an online query from July 18, 2020.  The one-way fare from Athens to Mykonos is about $83.  The one-way ferry fare is about $45.  These are subject to change mostly due to the exchange rate fluctuations. This information is provided ONLY as an example and for information.  Flight schedules and fares may change by the time of your booking.  Cost and schedule information is based on 2021 flight data.

If you wish to investigate reserving a hotel room or other accommodation during our trip, I recommend using Booking.com. Some of us have used that site to arrange for housing in the past. We have found some lovely accommodations at VERY reasonable rates.

Tourism Guides and Brochures:

Some of these documents are large. Be patient while they load.

Cyclades Islands

Greek Gastronomy Brochure

Nautical Greece Brochure


Pre-Trip Meeting

I will hold an online (i.e, GoToMeeting) pre-trip meeting approximately three months before the trip.  I will give you plenty of notice regarding the time, date, and access information for the meeting.

Contact:

Should you have any questions Rob can be reached via email or call him at:

Rob:  908.672.3609


I am excited about exploring the Cyclades Islands for the first time.  Come sail with us.  No one does yacht charters like Capt. Rob and Chef Theresa!

Click here for information about current sailing opportunities.


[1] Itinerary suggestions mentioned here are only an example of what is possible.  There are many potential cruising plans and the final choice will be made based on ambient conditions including crew interest and advice from the charter company.


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Last modified on: 4/17/2021 1:34:16 PM GMT -5