The Chania catamaran cruise is a sailing trip from the Old Harbour of Chania on Crete, where the boat leaves the Venetian waterfront and follows the coast to a swim stop. Visitors planning other sea days on Crete can find them through the tours in Greece hub.
Below are the boat, the route, the times, the order of the cruise, the guests it suits and the answers to the questions that come up.
What is the Chania catamaran cruise?
The Chania catamaran cruise takes guests to sea under sail aboard a boat with two hulls. It leaves the Old Harbour of Chania in north-western Crete. Operators run it as a morning, day or sunset trip, in a private or shared group.
Wikipedia describes a catamaran as a boat on two equal hulls set side by side. A catamaran stays upright because its two hulls sit apart, so it resists rolling and overturning without any ballast. Against a single hull, the wide stance can cut heeling and the motion waves cause. English took the word from Tamil, where kattumaram means logs bound together.
The operators’ pages describe the Chania catamaran cruise in different ways. One operator offers a private half-day sailing cruise from the Old Harbour and names Thodorou Island as the stop. Another operator lists a day cruise and a shorter sunset sail, both to Agioi Theodoroi Island. A boat-trip page lists a four-hour catamaran trip.
Chania is a city in north-western Crete, and the regional unit around it carries its name. Wikipedia puts Rethymno about 70 km to the east and Heraklion about 145 km. Wikivoyage describes a port town whose old centre sits around the harbour. Its atmosphere reflects a Venetian and Turkish past.
According to Wikipedia, the old town stands by the old harbour, and the whole urban area grew out from it. Of the old Venetian walls, just the eastern and western stretches remain. The quays of Akti Tompazi and Akti Kountouriotou hold historical buildings, and Akti Enoseos holds the marina. The Chania catamaran cruise starts at this harbour.
One operator tells guests in Chania town to pick the Old Port, since they can walk to the boat. Wikivoyage calls the town highly walkable. A listing for the Chania catamaran cruise carries the name “Chania Old Port: All-inclusive Catamaran Trip Agioi Theodori”. The name gives the start and the island.
What does the Chania catamaran cruise include?
What the Chania catamaran cruise includes depends on the operator. Pages list a skipper or crew, snacks or a meal, drinks, and swimming and snorkelling gear. Boat, group size and food change with the operator.
On one operator’s page, the Chania catamaran cruise is private and lasts half a day. The boat is a 38-foot catamaran, and a professional English-speaking skipper sails it. The page gives the start as the historic Old Harbour of Chania. It says the group can be as small as two guests and as large as twelve.
The same page lists fruit, light snacks, wine or beer, soft drinks and water. It adds traditional Cretan cookies and a glass of either white wine or beer. It lists the transfer to and from the hotel as not included. The page also mentions swimming in the island’s waters.
Another operator runs private and shared cruises on its own catamarans. The Old Port pages for its Chania catamaran cruise list up to 20 guests. That holds for the day trip and the sunset sail. The sunset page names a professional crew, and the operator’s port page adds drinks and bites or dinner on deck.
The day cruise page lists a full lunch made with Cretan ingredients. The sunset page lists light bites with Cretan ingredients. Both pages promise unlimited water and soft drinks as well as wine and beer. Both also list snorkelling gear, stand-up paddleboards, life jackets, sunbeds, a shaded lounge area and Wi-Fi on board.
A boat-trip page describes a four-hour catamaran trip. It lists a swimming mask, a toilet and shower, and a talk on Chania’s history during the sail. One page names a 38-foot boat and another a group of up to 20. So the Chania catamaran cruise of one operator differs from the next.
Where does the Chania catamaran cruise go?
The Chania catamaran cruise leaves from the Old Harbour of Chania, which operators also call the Old Port. Operators list a sail along the coast to the island of Agioi Theodoroi, also called Thodorou, off western Crete.
One operator names the historic Old Harbour of Chania, and another names Chania Old Port, also called the Venetian Harbour. Wikipedia says the city grew around the old town, which lies beside the harbour. Its seafront has historical buildings. Wikivoyage lists a stroll around the old town and the old Venetian harbour under its sights.
Three landmarks sit at the harbour where the Chania catamaran cruise begins. Wikipedia says the Chania Lighthouse stands at the port entrance. It adds that the Firkas Fortress was built to guard the harbour. It says the Ottomans built the Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque, or Yali Mosque, on the harbour. Wikivoyage also calls it the Janissaries Mosque.
One operator says the boat sails past the lighthouse and along the open coastline to Agioi Theodoroi. Wikipedia places the islets off western Crete, in the Platanias municipality. Another operator lists views of Chania’s mountain tops and beaches on the sail to the island. Wikipedia says the White Mountains, or Lefka Ori, occupy much of the Chania regional unit.
Operators name Agioi Theodoroi as the island stop of the Chania catamaran cruise. Wikipedia calls it two uninhabited islets. One is Agios Theodoros, also called Thodorou. One operator mentions an old Venetian fortress and an open cave on the way to Thodorou Island. Wikipedia adds that two small Venetian fortresses were built on Agios Theodoros.
Wikipedia says kri-kri, the Cretan wild goat, inhabit Agios Theodoros. On one operator’s four-hour Chania catamaran cruise, guests are asked to try to spot the protected animal. Another operator lists Kolymvari, west of the town, as a start. It also lists Souda as the start for a trip to Marathi Bay on the Akrotiri peninsula.
When can visitors join the Chania catamaran cruise?
One operator lists the Chania catamaran cruise as running from April until October. Operators list morning departures at half past nine or at ten. One lists a sunset sailing at half past four in the afternoon.
One operator departs from the Old Harbour at ten in the morning. Its page lists a four-hour half day, back at about two in the afternoon. Another operator’s morning cruise leaves at half past nine and is back by four in the afternoon. That cruise lasts six and a half hours, and guests are asked to arrive thirty minutes early.
A sunset Chania catamaran cruise is the shorter format, says one operator. That operator lists a sailing from half past four to eight in the evening. The page times it for golden hour and has the boat back as the harbour lights come on. The sunset page asks guests to bring ID for the port check-in.
The formats differ in length. Across its ports, that operator lists sunset cruises that last between three and a half and four hours. Its day cruises last five to seven hours, and the page says they give more water time.
The operator with the sunset sailing lets a private Chania catamaran cruise be cancelled up to seventy-two hours before departure. A shared cruise can be cancelled up to forty-eight hours before. Rescheduling needs at least seventy-two hours’ notice, subject to availability. Its page adds that the route can adjust to the weather, since safety is always the captain’s priority.
Wikivoyage describes April to October as hot and dry under clear skies. Wikipedia describes the Meltemi as a strong, dry northerly wind that sweeps the Aegean. It blows in periods from late spring into mid-September. It calls the winds dangerous for sailors, as they rise without notice in clear weather. Leisure sailors favour the steady wind they frequently bring.
How does the Chania catamaran cruise work?
The Chania catamaran cruise runs in a clear order. Guests check in at the Old Harbour, board and sail along the coast. They swim and snorkel near Agioi Theodoroi Island, eat on deck and return.
The day begins at the Old Harbour of Chania. One operator asks guests to check in with the crew. Another page advises arriving about fifteen minutes early. Two operators ask for an ID at check-in. A different operator lists a safety briefing and welcome refreshments of about fifteen minutes before the first sail.
Then the Chania catamaran cruise leaves the harbour. Wikipedia defines sailing as wind acting on sails to drive a boat forward. It adds that low forward resistance lets a sailing catamaran’s sails draw power from attached flow.
One operator’s four-hour trip lists three swimming stops. The first is a small protected bay with a sandy floor. The second is the wreck of a German aircraft from the Second World War, five metres down. The third is Lazaretta Island. Another operator’s private half-day Chania catamaran cruise swims at Thodorou Island, then snorkels at Lazaretta Island.
At the island, one operator lets guests swim, snorkel or paddleboard, then serves lunch. On the private half-day trip, the captain prepares a light snack. A boat-trips operator says a diver brings octopus and starfish on board. Small children can steer the boat with the captain, the same operator says. Then the boat sails back to the Old Harbour.
What to bring on the Chania catamaran cruise depends on the page. One operator’s list covers a hat, sunscreen, a towel, swimwear and clothes that can get wet. Its sunset page adds a light layer, because evening breezes can be cool. A private-cruise operator lists two or more swimsuits, flip-flops or light summer shoes, a cap and sunglasses.
Who is the Chania catamaran cruise for?
The Chania catamaran cruise suits couples, families with children and small groups, as operator pages describe it. Guests who want a private boat or an evening on the water find a format that fits.
Another operator recommends the Chania catamaran cruise to the same kinds of guest. A travel page names couples, families and groups. One operator calls its day cruise suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Wikipedia notes that snorkelling needs little effort, so it suits all ages.
Two pages say children are welcome and mention toys and water gear for them. One operator describes shaded areas for younger children and life jackets in all sizes. It asks for the children’s ages in advance so the crew can prepare. The same operator points families with small children to Souda, for the calm shallows of Marathi Bay.
On the Chania catamaran cruise, one operator provides life jackets for all guests. Its crew supervise the water activities on the sunset sail. Another operator lists life jackets and floaties for less experienced swimmers. The boat-trips operator says the aircraft wreck is visible for beginner swimmers, or for guests who stay on the boat.
The sunset format suits a shorter stay. One operator calls it an evening on the water, not a full day. It adds that the format fits city-break itineraries. Its day cruise suits guests who want a long swim and a full day afloat. Guests who stay in Chania town can walk to the boat, says the same operator.
The Chania catamaran cruise comes private or shared. One operator sells its half-day cruise as a private trip. Another runs both: its private page offers the whole catamaran for one group, with its own route and timing. It calls its catamarans stable and family-friendly. Balos and Gramvousa trips leave Kissamos, a different port.
What else do visitors ask about the Chania catamaran cruise?
Which wild goat lives on Thodorou Island, the goal of the Chania catamaran cruise?
The kri-kri is a wild-living goat of Crete, also called the Cretan goat or Agrimi, according to Wikipedia. It has a light brownish coat, a darker band around the neck and two horns sweeping back from the head. Wikipedia says the animal is shy and rests during the day, and that hunting it is strictly prohibited.
Operators name Thodorou Island as the goal of the Chania catamaran cruise, and Wikipedia says kri-kri live there. In nineteen thirty-five, a male and two females from the Samaria Gorge were put on the island to breed.
What is Souda Bay, and how does the bay relate to the Chania catamaran cruise?
Wikipedia gives Souda Bay a length of about 15 km and a width of two to four km. The Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano frame this natural harbour, and Venetian-fortified islands sit near its mouth. Wikipedia adds that no formal public beaches exist on the bay, because a major naval base sits there.
After the revolt of eighteen sixty-six to sixty-nine, the Ottomans built Souda town as Chania’s new port. One operator groups a day cruise from Souda to Marathi Bay with its sailings from the Old Harbour of Chania.
What is Cretan food like for visitors on a day with the Chania catamaran cruise?
Wikipedia calls Cretan cuisine the traditional cuisine of the island, with food from plants at its core. People ate seasonal food from nearby, processed little or not at all, with olive oil as the chief fat.
The listed dishes include dakos, a salad, graviera cheese and kreatotourta, a meat pie from western Crete. Wikipedia lists tsikoudia, rakomelo and Cretan wine as drinks, and says red wine accompanied meals in moderation. Wikivoyage adds that Chania has plenty of tavernas and modern cafes, open into the night.
Who ruled the town where the Chania catamaran cruise starts before the Ottomans?
Wikipedia says the Cretan War ended Venetian rule over Crete, which Venice had held as the Kingdom of Candia. In twelve fifty-two, a wave of Venetian colonists founded Canea, today’s Chania, on the site of ancient Kydonia. For the whole island, Wikipedia names the Cretan School of painting, which ended in the works of El Greco.
Chania fell to an Ottoman army in the first months of the Cretan War, after a siege of two months. Wikivoyage describes the old town around the harbour as a maze of alleys with details from different epochs.
How did Ottoman rule and the union with Greece change the town of the Chania catamaran cruise?
Under the Ottoman name Hanya, Chania became the home of the pasha of Crete, Wikipedia says. Muslims lived mainly in the eastern quarters, and the Dominican church of Saint Nicholas became the Sovereign’s Mosque. In eighteen ninety-eight, Chania became the seat of government of the Cretan State, which issued its own stamps.
Wikipedia says Crete united with Greece on the first of December, nineteen thirteen, following the Balkan Wars. One operator starts its Chania catamaran cruise from the Old Harbour, the heart of the old town.