Sporades catamaran charter
itineraries.

The Sporades archipelago lies off the eastern flank of mainland Greece, between the Pelion peninsula and the Northern Aegean — a four-island catamaran cruising ground with the gentlest wind regime in the country outside the Ionian. Skiathos Marina is the main charter base (international airport on the island makes fly-in convenient); Volos on the mainland coast is the second option, with significantly cheaper base prices and a 90-NM repositioning leg from Athens for crews willing to give up two days at the start of the week.

The signature destination is the Alonissos Marine Park — Europe's largest protected marine area, founded in 1992 to protect the Mediterranean monk-seal population (around 200 individuals, the species' largest known group). Anchorages inside the park boundary are mooring-only and restricted in places; the catamaran-friendly options sit on the leeward south coasts of Alonissos and Peristera, with the Steni Vala fishing village quay as the standard overnight. The Aegean's northern winds reach the Sporades softer than the Cyclades — 4–5 Beaufort is the season norm, with rare meltemi outliers above 6.

Short distances and line-of-sight passages make the Sporades a strong first-bareboat cruising ground for catamaran crews — Skiathos to Skopelos is 12 NM, Skopelos to Alonissos another 8. The white-sand beaches on the windward sides (Skopelos's Milia, Alonissos's Megalos Mourtias) hold catamarans at 3–5 metres on clean sand where the bay narrows. Skopelos itself was the filming location for Mamma Mia! — the church at Kastani Beach features in the wedding scene — and the village quay on the south side is the photogenic evening overnight.