If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your family sailing but wondered where to start? Our Introduction to Sailing Holidays are designed with exactly that question in mind. Set in a beautiful Greek island location, from our yacht base in Lixouri, these family holidays gently bridge the gap between complete beginner and confident skipper – all while enjoying a relaxed, family friendly sailing adventure.
Sailing That Works for Families
Our Introduction To Sailing weeks are ideal for families, friends, couples and solo travellers who want to learn to sail together in a supportive, low pressure environment. Sailing with children can feel daunting, but our weeks are designed to get everyone involved, as much or as little as they like.
Each family has their own experienced skipper (who is also your instructor) onboard during the day, offering calm guidance and support every step of the way. Children are encouraged to get involved, whether that’s having a turn at the helm, helping with ropes, keeping an eye out for turtles or leaping into the clear turquoise water for a swim. Skills are picked up naturally through hands-on experience, making learning feel fun and relaxed, with a pace that works comfortably for both children and adults.
The sailing area offers calm waters, short distances between stops and of course great sunshine and warm waters – perfect conditions for building confidence and enjoying time together on the water.
Building Real Skills & Getting Flotilla Ready
This isn’t just a sailing holiday — it’s a genuine stepping stone to independent sailing.
Throughout the week, you’ll gain valuable hands on experience and start to build some sea miles, covering:
- Yacht handling and boat control
- Sail handling and trim
- Mooring, anchoring, and picking up buoys
- Coastal navigation basics
- Safety, communication, and seamanship
All skills are learned out on the water in real sailing conditions, turning every day into a hands on adventure! By the end of the week, what once felt unfamiliar becomes second nature – practical, confidence boosting skills you can genuinely use on your own sailing holidays.
Gain Your ICC & Sail Independently
One of the biggest advantages of our Introduction to Sailing Holiday is the opportunity to gain your International Certificate of Competence (ICC) This internationally recognised qualification allows you to join flotillas, charter yachts and sail independently in many countries all over the world – including Greece.
For your ICC you will need to do an online theory course before your trip, which can be done in 1-2 hour sessions, over as long as you like, with a multiple choice test at the end.
When you get to Greece we work on the practical skills, combining it all together so you are ready to head off sailing without supervision, and take the next step:
- Skipper a flotilla holiday, enjoying independence with the reassurance of lead crew support – perfect to add on to make a two week trip!
- Progress to bareboat charters, planning your own routes and adventures
- Build further experience towards advanced sailing qualifications
If you don’t fancy the full qualification or doing a theory course before you arrive, you can complete your International Crew certificate, and for the younger members of the family they can gain their Introduction To Yachting certificate too.
For many families, this holiday is a great way to kickstart a long term sailing lifestyle – one where future holidays are spent exploring new coastlines together from the deck of your own yacht. Everyone can do a different qualification on board, or none at all if you prefer – the week is tailored to you!
A Family Holiday Well Spent
What makes this holiday truly special is that it combines learning, adventure, and relaxation — without sacrificing family time. You return home not just with amazing memories, but with real skills, recognised qualifications, and the confidence to plan your next sailing holiday independently.
If your goal is to become flotilla ready and eventually enjoy the freedom of bareboat sailing, there’s no better place to begin.
