|
Going
to the Olympics? A yacht charter might be the best game in town.
If you’re thinking
of visiting Athens this summer for the Olympics, consider doing so by
charter yacht. The officials I met less than a year before the August
13 opening ceremonies promised that everything was on track and that there
would be plenty of lodging for visitors. But the local buzz and my own
impressions hinted that much of the construction was behind schedule and
most of the hotels were booked.
Should worse come to
worst, there will be no better perch than a private yacht for getting
to and from the Games.
The Greek government
granted permits for my press group to see only two venues, but luckily
they were two of the venues along the shoreline that will be easiest for
yacht guests to access: the Faliro Coastal Zone Complex (beach volleyball,
handball preliminaries, and tae kwon do) and the Agios Kosmas Sailing
Centre (sailing). Both venues were well underway in terms of construction,
but the trams and promenades were pretty much strips of cleared brush
surrounded by cautionary plastic orange fences. Those same fences were
the only things standing at many of the other sites we buzzed past, and
they also were all over the Metro system, which is supposed to have new
stops in place in time for the Games.
What intrigued me most
was a newly completed marina within the Faliro complex that the officials
said would not be open to private boats during the Games, but that a local
charter broker told me her company had been offered access to. It would
make a spectacular charter port; you might be able to see the beach volleyball
or sailing from your aft deck with a pair of binoculars. Ask your charter
broker about the possibility of docking here as the dates draw closer.
If the new marina is
closed to private yachts, consider basing your charter in the nearby Saronic
Gulf islands. The major port Piraeus (close to Athens) and the marinas
within it are usually good charter bases, but during the Games, 11 cruise
ships are expected to dock there as lodging for spectators. The crush
of people in this already bustling place will be immense, but the ferries
and high-speed hydrofoils should be able to continue their daily departure
schedules out to the nearby islands. It’s no more than about an hour
by water to each one, and those ports should remain relatively calm and
quiet no matter what’s happening back in Athens. They’re also
lovely spots for anyone in your party who wants to remain on the boat
instead of going to the Games.
For the latest information,
visit www.athens2004.com.
Next page >
Photo Gallery > Page 1,
2, 3, 4, 5
|