Lanier Sailing Academy

From a previous club member.

Dear Phil,

Our upcoming Greek charter is scheduled for April 23-May 3 leaving and returning from Alimos Marina in Athens, Greece and we are seeking an additional 2-3 crew. The exact itinerary has not yet been set but we will be sailing to a selection of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea which comprise some of the most beautiful islands in the world! We will dock in a different harbor each afternoon and then go ashore and explore (no mooring balls).

The Organizer/Skipper for the charter is Ed Thompson from Naples, Florida who has been sailing for decades and is experienced on sloop-rigged, auxiliary powered sailboats up to 55 ft. He has chartered in the BVI, Newport, RI, Long Island Sound and the Mediterranean. Ed is American Sailing Association 101, 103, 104 and 105 certified. I don’t know him personally but got connected to him through the ASA app GoSailing. I have spoken with Ed several times via Zoom about his experience and sailing resume. He seems to be a very nice (older) man, very well spoken, and a nice guy. I also received glowing recommendations from at least 1 (2 still pending) former crew member who has gone on charters with him before. I have also directly contacted the charter company and confirmed the charter reservation.

We will be sailing on a 49 foot Dufour 470 (see attached brochure) which is a really nice monohull. We did have 5 sailers (4 crew and Ed) but a couple had to cancel due to a death in the family so now we are seeking to replace them with an additional 2-3 crew. Any club member who is interested in attending, should at least have ASA 101 and be confident in their skill set with ideally some experience on the larger diesel boats. Of course, it would but preferably to have ASA 103 and maybe 104 but it is definitely not required. You won’t be a passenger —everyone will be sharing duties aboard as crew. Currently, there is Ed, myself (man), and a woman from Boston. If we get 3 new crew, 2 will have to share a cabin.

The cost goes down the more crew we add but, if there are 5 of us total, the cost is $1150 each plus we split the cost of provisions and fuel. Flights to Athens from Atlanta are roughly $8-1200 This is not a commercial trip and the captain pays the same as the rest of us. It is a very good deal if you are familiar with charter costs.

Please have interested club members get in touch with me directly via email or phone asap and I can give them additional details and, if they are still interested, I will put them in touch with the charter captain, Ed, who will answer any remaining questions and finalize the commitment with a deposit.

Thanks for your help Phil…miss you guys and the club enormously,