After visiting the Loutra Thermal Baths, we sailed further north and arrived at the Sporades Islands. This is an island group in the northwestern part of the Aegean Sea and consists of 19 islands, of which 8 are inhabited. The largest island is Skyros, with an area of approximately 206 km².
The word “Sporades” means “scattered” or “spread out,” similar to the Dutch word sporadisch, which is derived from Greek.
Here you can see our sailing route along four of the Sporades islands: Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos, and Kira.
Guests on board
We welcomed two guests on board: Kees and Marc. We met them in 2022 at the Hiswa boat show in Lelystad, and they had kept our contact details ever since, hoping to sail on a catamaran one day. They are colleagues, work in The Hague, and wanted to learn how to sail a catamaran.
Kees and Marc stayed with us on board for a week. We sailed around the Sporades Islands together and had a great time! You can read about their experiences here.
We always start by doing groceries for the week: what everyone wants for breakfast and lunch, which favorite dish each person will cook on board once, and of course we go out for Greek food. With a shopping list in hand, we did our supermarket run and were able to take the shopping cart all the way onto the pier—which was very convenient, as we had a lot to carry. This also shows how unpredictable mooring can be: sometimes you dock in beautiful harbors, and sometimes at an old concrete pier like this one. Luckily, the two men were very relaxed and didn’t mind at all.
Skiathos
The first island we visited in the Sporades was Skiathos. It gained enormous popularity after much of the movie Mamma Mia was filmed here in 2007. As a result, you see references to the film everywhere (Mamma Mia Bakery, Mamma Mia Restaurant, Mamma Mia Boat Tour, etc.).
Skiathos is often called the beating heart of the Sporades, and I completely understand why. It is lively, with a vibrant capital called Chora on the south side of the island, featuring a charming old harbor with terraces right by the water. Behind the harbor, narrow streets invite you to explore typical white Greek houses and small shops.
The low-flying airport of Skiathos
You might wonder why I’m mentioning the airport. What makes it so special? Well, Skiathos is a relatively small island, yet it has an international airport—and that’s exactly what makes it spectacular. The runway is short and squeezed between the sea and buildings, which means aircraft have to approach extremely low.
From the water—especially when you’re moored in the harbor—you see the plane coming straight at you. It flies low over the harbor, sometimes so low that you think it might hit your mast, and then applies the brakes almost immediately after touching down.
The first time we experienced this, it really startled us. You hear the noise, look up… and suddenly there’s a plane right above you. You rarely see aircraft flying this low. First you gulp, then you laugh, and after that you find yourself watching every landing again 😉.
Skiathos has become world-famous among plane spotters. People gather along the road or on the beach to take photos and videos of the landings. We made a video as well:
Lalaria Beach
One of the most iconic spots on Skiathos is Lalaria Beach, on the north coast. This beach is only accessible by boat and is known for its white pebbles, towering cliffs, and a natural rock arch. In calm northern conditions, it’s a magical place to anchor or slowly sail past. The water here is intensely blue and crystal clear—an absolute highlight from the boat.
Skopelos
The second island in the Sporades is Skopelos. Our two guests certainly got their money’s worth here, as the wind picked up significantly and we reached a speed of 9.8 knots under sail!
The island feels quiet and traditional. The landscape is mountainous and lush, with countless bays perfect for anchoring. We ended up at Agios Dimitrios Beach, a crescent-shaped beach with turquoise water.
Alonissos
The third island to the east is Alonissos. When I started researching this island—“what is there to do?”—I suddenly came across the term National Park. It turned out that from this island and further into the Northern Sporades, a fee of approximately €35 is required for one day of access at sea and on the island, plus €5.50 per person per day. We decided to pay it, as you never know (even in the off-season) if there will be inspections.
Shipwreck of Peristera Island
The small island of Peristera, which is part of Alonissos, features a shipwreck that is partially above and partially below the water. We went there, jumped into the crystal-clear water with our snorkeling gear, and explored the wreck underwater using the GoPro. Lots of fish and rusted sections—it was a fascinating sight! With the drone, we got an even better view of the shipwreck:
Kira
On the island of Kira, everything became quieter and more focused on nature. We anchored in a beautiful bay and spotted a monk seal (Monachus monachus) near the beach. These animals live in this area and must be left undisturbed, which is why they retreat to smaller natural islands. The next morning, we saw a monk seal again as we departed.
As an extra treat, dolphins later appeared, swimming in front of the boat! A wonderful surprise for our guests as well.
Giving training sessions
Normally, I keep my schedule free of training sessions when we have guests on board for a week. This time, however, I received several training requests that were so appealing that I decided on a different approach. I scheduled three training sessions (a total of 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) on one day (Thursday) and coordinated with Gilles that I would work from a hotel room to deliver my trainings online (laptop and headset with me). Gilles then took the two guests sailing for the day, just as they wanted, and picked me up again at the end of the day. Everyone was happy with this arrangement.
So at the place where we ended up on Wednesday, I called a hotel and asked if I could work there from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Of course, this wasn’t a standard request (“So you’re not staying overnight and you won’t be using the shower”), but the owner thought it was a fun and perfectly fine idea. Very kindly, he charged me for just one day instead of two, since check-in normally isn’t until 3:00 p.m. The total cost was € 40.
I went ashore with my e-bike and backpack with laptop, arrived at the hotel at 8:15 a.m., and was able to start the training at 9:00 a.m. The hotel room had a kettle and a fridge, so my food and drinks were well taken care of. At 5:00 p.m., I checked out and was picked up again by our two guests, who saw this as a great opportunity to play with the dinghy and “beach” it to pick me up—with my e-bike—from the shore.
They had enjoyed a fantastic sailing day with strong winds, and I had a very productive workday—so everyone was satisfied.
Drone videos
Our guests work in IT as project managers, and Marc was eager to try out his drone while sailing. This resulted in stunning photos of the catamaran from high above, beautifully showcasing the rugged Sporades islands.
There was also a fun collaboration between Marc and Kees, who managed to pluck the drone out of the air above the moving boat 😉, allowing it to land safely.
We personally find flying a drone while sailing a bit nerve-racking, as the drone also has to land on a moving sailboat. But Marc and Kees weren’t afraid at all, and their next step was launching the drone while sailing and flying it around the boat with all sails up.
They created a stunning video featuring our mainsail and the Code Zero sail, which has a surface area of 80 m². It’s truly amazing to see—so thanks again, guys!
