News
Yachts and Yachting says “Wildwind has it all... and turns it up to 11!”
Editor of Yachts and Yachting Mark Jardine’s opinion of Wildwind is a glowing endorsement for anyone keen to read an independent review of what it’s like to come on holiday with us. His standout points? He was blown away by the fleet waiting for him on the beach: ‘the range and quality of the boats at Wildwind is simply extraordinary… some of the best dinghies available’.
We’re happy with that from such an experienced sailing holiday attendee! Reinforcing our last newsletter about the ILCA fleet with the 23 new sails for this season Captain Jardine confirms they ‘have the proper battened sails and XD controls’.
Spinal Tap wind conditions
What puts Vassiliki on the sailing map is the thermal wind that blows in in the afternoon, after the light morning conditions: conveniently after your break for lunch and leaving a civilised time for digestion. The Yachts and Yachting article makes the distinction when comparing Garda’s ‘Ora’ and the French ‘Mistral’ with Vassiliki’s wind ‘Eric” (yes you read that right) that here you have the option of ‘volume control’ by choosing which part of the bay to sail in: to keep it at an ‘8 or 9’ or ‘fans of Spinal Tap’ can ‘turn the dial…up to 11’.
Kids sailing at Wildwind
If you are planning a family holiday and want to make sure the kids are well catered for the review may help. For both members of the Jardine Youth Team it was their ‘first week of trapezing, on both monohulls and cats’. Mark’s kids revelled in the experience as the thermal wind left them ‘exhilarated, energised, enthused, and exhausted’. As their sailor dad notes ‘it's the kind of experience that can make a young sailor go from pastime to obsession and help them begin their journey to understanding just how enjoyable sailing can be’.
Mark and his family didn’t just stay at our base in Vassiliki but got out and about on the rest of the island including its independently judged world class beaches.
Highly experienced staff
Wildwind has always been the sailing holiday designed and provided for and by sailors. The staff have a raft of racing experience under their belts and, as editor Mark reports, are ‘highly experienced’ and keep the boats ‘in superb condition’. He notes that, Olympian, America's Cup and SailGP star Chris Draper, sums up Wildwind when he says "I was lucky enough to have worked at Wildwind for a short period before I got seriously involved in my Olympic commitments. My best memories of Vassiliki are simply blasting around in a selection of high-performance dinghies and catamarans - with the flat water and good afternoon winds it really is a fantastic sailing destination."
Please read Mark’s article in Yachts and Yachting here.
IHCA and UKLA class sponsorships
We at Wildwind like to give back a bit to the sport that has given us all so much in life: that’s why we are proud to have been long term sponsors of the UKLA (UK Laser Association) Grand Prix circuit as well as the Masters and our recent partnership with the International Hobie Class Association (IHCA).
Key to our support is that it isn’t only a national champion who has the opportunity to win in the annual prize draw but rather enthusiasm and commitment so the more UKLA ILCA events you enter in the year - the more entries you have in the Wildwind holiday prize draw. We love sponsoring greater participation in the sport we are all so passionate about. Equally at the Masters Nationals draw anyone can win the Wildwind holiday - irrespective of your performance at the championship.
Likewise with our new sponsorship of the IHCA in providing instructional videos and newsletters the role is supporting individual sailors to raise their race game and offer better value for their membership fees.