MIXit Sailing Holidays in Greece

Hello Philip, We spent one week on this Sun Odyssey 37, a very well equipped and clean yacht. All the family enjoy sailing from Volos to the Sporades with nice mooring recommendations from Kostas. Taking a reef in the mainsail is easy from the rear side and a “patented” management system for the anchor chain make the life easier. Everything works well and we had no trouble at all. Rental contract and follow up run smoothly with Philip. I can only recommend this yacht and company! Kind regards, Gerald

Title: volos and sporadic Comment: all the doubts about the chartering of a 17-year-old boat were dissolved at the meeting with the shipowner Phil .... the boat was in excellent condition both for the part of equipment and for the internal comfort. Phil good connoisseur of the area, he did a nice briefing advising us charming anchorages thank you - Boat: Condition of the inventory: 5, Cleaning: 5 - Model: Comfort: 5, Easy to maneuver: 3, Navigation: 4, Instrumentation: 5, Would you recommend the boat model? yes - Charter Company: Competence: 5, Hospitality: 5, Check-in/out procedure: 4, Would you recommend the charter? yes

After many years of sailing and with a few thousand sea miles under our belts, we felt we needed to ‘cut the umbilica’ and to experience sailing as a couple without any accompanying friends. Up until now, the vast majority of our sailing has been with friends in the tidal waters of Scotland. Choosing the charter company took us some time but MixIt proved to be an excellent choice. Booking was relatively straightforward with everything done on-line and via e-mail with Phil Elliott at MixIt. We hadn’t had a proper break for ages so we were really looking forward to the trip, but also with some trepidation as it was to be our first time ‘alone’. We shouldn’t have worried at all. Our yacht was the Sun Odyssey 37 and her owners Kostas and Nellie were wonderfully welcoming, generous with their help and provided a full and practical briefing on their boat. We set off on a bright, sunny, mid-September afternoon; we motored out of Volos and, on a freshening breeze, set full sail across the Pagasitic gulf. We aren’t used to sailing 21st century yachts. In Scotland, getting the main up and reefing involve going forward, being bounced around by wind and waves and doing everything from the mast. The rig on the Sun Odyssey 37 was well-designed, controlled from the cock-pit and so easy to use! Main and Genoa were out and set for course within a couple of minutes and the yacht handled really well and got in the groove quickly. The wind increased steadily knot by knot and, at 21kts of wind, we decided a reef would be sensible as the white horses galloped by while we were on a beat to windward. Reefing was a ‘breeze’, all managed from the cock-pit and with outhaul and reefing lines linked as one. Our sailing in Scotland almost always involves going alongside or occasionally anchoring. Med sailing is much more about anchoring, often with long-lines ashore, and going stern-to on the town quays. We quickly worked out effective procedures to enable the two of us to manoeuvre the yacht for mooring. Working as a pair, we were always grateful to others for helping take stern lines for us, but with such a well-appointed yacht we felt in control all the time. We had some fantastic sails during our week’s holiday and the usual stresses we’ve experienced such as having limited power for fridges and lights didn’t surface. The boat’s excellent appointment is evidence that Kostas has thought carefully about all the practicalities of being at sea and the comfort of the crew. There was a wealth of batteries and a highly effective solar panel which meant the fridge was on all the time plus there were lots of other simple but practical modifications which made the whole experience just wonderful. Over the years we’ve sailed with friends in the Sporades and out of Preveza in the Ionian and, although we’ve had some fantastic times with great friends, this Sun Odyssey 37 has proved to be our favourite yacht. So our thanks go to Phil and MixIt but more especially to Kostas and Nellie for allowing us to experience sailing this yacht!

Firstly I would like to thank Phil for all his help in arranging the perfect yacht for our holiday with 2 young children. We had asked for various out of the box arrangements to be made and these were all taken care of. We arrived at our meeting point The Fresh Cafe in Skiathos and were greeted by the base manager Lambros , for which nothing was to much trouble even giving us enough sheets and towels for a month at sea. The yacht was perfectly equipped and had so many extras that we were taken aback. it even had a microwave. We had a wonderful time sailing around the Sporades and took the advice from Lambros as to where to go . Many memorable moments but waking up surrounded by Giant fishing vessels did make for an interesting exit. Thanks again to Phil and Lambros and once again I would like to thank Lambros for the extra hours given on board whilst waiting for our flight.