Aegina is the Saronic Gulf island closest to Athens — under an hour by ferry from Piraeus — and that proximity defines its charter character. It is not a true bareboat base. There is no week-charter fleet stationed on the island; the bareboats you see advertised "in Aegina" are actually delivered fr...
Aegina is the Saronic Gulf island closest to Athens — under an hour by ferry from Piraeus — and that proximity defines its charter character. It is not a true bareboat base. There is no week-charter fleet stationed on the island; the bareboats you see advertised "in Aegina" are actually delivered from the Athens bases at Alimos (Kalamaki) Marina and Lavrion, roughly 16.5 nautical miles away, with Aegina sailed to as the first or last stop of a Saronic week. What Aegina genuinely is, is one of the gulf's best day-charter and rent-a-boat hubs: skippered day cruises and small motorboats run out of Aegina Town by local operators (Aegina Cruises, GM Marine and others) carrying anything from six to thirty guests. Aegina Town harbour is a charming town quay with stern-to med-mooring in three to six metres, but in season it fills with permanent local moorings and turns charter yachts away — treat it as a port-of-call. The roomier options are the expanded long quay at Agia Marina on the northeast coast, and tiny Perdika harbour to the southwest, famous for its seafood tavernas and equally famous for crossed anchors in August.
The cruising grounds are the gentle heart of the Saronic. A classic local day loop runs Aegina Town to the Moni islet, on to Aponisos and Agistri (Angistri), then into Perdika for a long lunch before turning home — all short, sheltered hops. For a full week, the well-trodden Saronic itinerary covers roughly 95 nautical miles at an easy-to-medium pace: Alimos to Aegina, Angistri, Poros, Hydra, Dokos, Spetses and Ermioni or the Methana peninsula before returning to Athens. Swim and lunch anchorages are everywhere — Moni, Aponisos bay, sandy Metopi islet, Marathonas and Souvala — and ashore there is the Temple of Aphaia, the Aegina Town waterfront and the island's celebrated pistachio groves.
The wind here is light and forgiving. The Saronic sits sheltered from the Meltemi, so summer breezes typically run a manageable Force 3 to 5 rather than the hard northerlies of the Cyclades, predominantly southeast through the Hydra and Argolic gulfs and usually dying away at night. This is genuinely easy-to-medium sailing, ideal for first-timers and families. The local catches are worth knowing: the Hydra strait can turn lumpy in strong north or south winds, and although Aegina and Agistri are well protected from northerlies, they are exposed to sudden strong westerlies — and both Aegina Town and Perdika become uncomfortable in south-southwest winds, when Agia Marina on the northeast coast is the better refuge.
The season runs April to October. July and August are the warmest, busiest and lightest-wind months; the shoulders of May-June and September-October are excellent — warm, quieter and stable. Sea temperatures climb from around 16-17°C in April to 20-21°C in late spring, reach a swimmable 22-27°C in midsummer, and stay a comfortable 20-24°C through September and into October.
Provisioning is effortless — as the closest island to Athens, Aegina makes for easy supply runs and crew swaps. Sailing here is entirely within Greek domestic waters, so there are no international borders or cross-border fees, just the standard Greek cruising tax (TEPAI), marina berthing and harbour dues. A bareboat requires a recognised licence (ICC or RYA Day Skipper) plus a competent crew member; if you would rather not sail, skippered and fully crewed day cruises are the island's signature product. Picture a short morning passage to Moni, the anchor down off Perdika, a plate of grilled fish and a bag of Aegina pistachios on the foredeck — that is the real measure of this island.
