Our Boat for the Flotilla

When we booked our flotilla trip, we had to select our boat.  We had selected the Beneteau 311 (smallest boat for that flotilla), but there were none available, so we were assigned a Beneteau 331.

The boat is 33 feet, 11 inches long.  Will sleep 6, but was quite comfortable for the two of us.  You could probably add another two and do fine, but it would be tight with 6.

Our boat was named Konitsa, which is a town in northern Greece, near the Albanian border. Here we are on Day 2, getting ready for our first on-water voyage.

Chris demonstrating the plank, used almost daily for the Mediterranean-style mooring (stern-to). (This photo was taken in Poros.)

 
Sailing Holidays has a nice introduction and description of the boat here. Wait.  Maybe I'm supposed to be referring to it as a "yacht".  I am not very good with all of my sailing terminology.

Here is a video of a Beneteau 331 that is offered for sale. It gives a good idea of the layout of the boat. 

And a diagram of the "floorplan".

 We had two fresh water tanks, and two showers (one in the head and the other on the back of the boat). We used these sometimes to bathe, but more often than not, we showered at tavernas and hotels on land.

You are warned against drinking ANY water in Greece, and bottled water is very inexpensive (1 liter for 50c Euro, for example).  So we kept a stock of bottled water to stay hydrated and to brush our teeth.

As with all boats with a "head", there was a holding tank.  We were instructed that nothing goes into the toilet that didn't go through our bodies.  This is also applicable on land throughout Greece (at least all of the places we visited, including Athens).  It took a little adjusting to, but we made it just fine!

We were supplied with two sets of linens, two beach towels, dish towels, and cleaning supplies.  Keep in mind that in Europe, they don't use what we Americans refer to as "wash cloths" (and the British refer to as "flannels"), so we had to improvise there, in order to maintain the comforts of home, if you know what I mean...

On the boat were also: 6 cockpit cushions, a set of binoculars, all the nautical navigation charts and tools we would need for the trip, a radio/CD player, a VHF radio, all the necessary safety equipment (harnesses, PFDs, fire extinguishers, a fire blanket, first aid kit, tool kit, etc.), extra containers of fuel and fresh water, and an inflatable dinghy.  For an extra 85 Euro, we rented an outboard for our dinghy for the two weeks, and it came in quite handy.

All in all, we felt like the boat was well-equipped, and it was VERY clean - felt almost like brand new!