Spectre Charters


Bare Boat and Skippered Yacht Charter in Kalamata, Greece

The Area

The yacht is based in Kalamata, which is in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

Like the rest of Greece, the Peloponnese is steeped in Greek legend. "Peloponnese" means "island of Pelops", whose father, Tantalos, fed him to the gods. Pelops was then resurrected and went onto sire the Atreid line of kings, which have been proven to exist in some form as remains have been discovered at Mycenae. Even though the meaning of its name refers to it as an island, the Peloponnese is actually connected to mainland Greece by the Corinth isthmus, which has a width of four miles.

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The Town of Kalamata

Kalamata is the capital town and main port of Messinia, which is located south west of the Peloponnese. The town is famous for the Kalamatinos dance, the silk kerchief, black olives, honeyed figs and the sesame covered sweet called pastelli. Kalamata has an excellent modern infrastructure and local facilities, such as the library which holds over sixty thousand volumes of work. In the summer, the amphitheatre of the 13th century castle built by Geoffrey de Villehardouin plays host to concerts and plays put on by the Kalamata theatre. The summer evenings bring a new lease of life, especially long the waterfront, where the tavernas, seafood restaurants and rotisseries, can be found to be serving local dishes and drinks, fresh fish, chicken, roast suckling pig, cheese, ralki, sausages, retsina and olives.

The castle dominates the town as it is built above Kalamata. When visitors to the castle look at the scenery, they are offered the choice of the sea and local sandy and pebbly beaches or the deep green plains. On the north side of the citadel, is the small Byzantine church which is dedicated to the Virgin of Kalomata (of the good eye), from which it is believed the town got its name. In the town, is the famous Byzantine Church of the Virgin Ypapanti, where the nuns weave the famous Kalamata silk. As well as the Byzantine church, there are several other churches to visit, the oldest being the historic church of Agii Apostoli (13th century), which is where the Greek Revolution against the Turks was formally declared on 23rd March 1821. If fine arts and archaeology are more of an interest to you, Kalamata has an archaeological and folklore museum and a fine arts museum to visit.

The Weather in the Peloponnese

Greece and especially the Peloponnese has the perfect weather during its high season - June to September, for sailing and swimming off the yacht, as it is at its hottest. For those of you who do not like the extreme heat and enjoy what the countryside has to offer, you will enjoy the Greek spring (late April to May). It is still warm and the brightly coloured wild flowers and the vibrant greenery make it a wonderful sight.

For an up to date weather report, please view the BBC weather for Kalamata.

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