Thessaly

The prefecture and coastline of THESSALY, often overlooked, is home to the alien-like pinnacles of METEORA and the PELION PENINSULA, a lush paradise that creates the beautiful bay of PAGASITIKOS – a boating dream. The coastal city of VOLOS is a lively town with a large harbour, a good nightlife and, some say, the best seafood meze in Greece! Volos makes a great base for exploring Pagasitikos Bay, Evia and the Sporades Islands.

While the cliff-lined eastern coast of Pelion is exposed to the Aegean Sea and the full force of the ‘meltemi’ summer winds; the serene Pagasitikos bay offers protection and much to be explored by yacht. AFISSOS is a popular resort-like stopover. HORTO is a low key village with nearby bays, great for anchorage. MELINA is busy, touristy and perhaps the last stop for supplies before heading further south. OLD TRIKERI, way off the beaten track, is a small island with a beautiful monastery and some great fish taverns on the quay.  AGIA KYRIAKI is the last stop on the Pelion peninsula. It’s a small fishing village, quiet, except for the scuba divers, day trippers and independent travellers. Rounding the southernmost tip of Pelion and continuing along the coast is PLATANIAS, a popular resort with good beaches, water sports and a harbour. From here, the Sporades can be seen and reached within a day’s sailing.

Sailing conditions within Pagasitikos Bay are good and recommended for novice to competent sailors. Some strong gusts from the mountainous mainland and some topical winds that are not often picked up by the weather stations should be watched out for. There are plenty of safe anchorages. Rounding the peninsula at Agia Kiriaki you may face the ‘meltemi’ from a N-NW direction. Usually stronger during the afternoon, it doesn’t start blowing until midday and usually dies down at night. The Eastern coast of the peninsula is challenging it is not recommended to sail northwards while the summer winds are blowing.