Aegean adventure sailing cruises in the Greek islands
This 'Aegean Adventure Sailing Cruise', is the premier sailing
vacation in Greece. It captures all the history, beauty and flavours
of Greece and is aimed at anyone who wants to experience the best
of the Greek islands aboard a sailing yacht, to join in with the
life aboard ship, to taste the cultural and historical flavours
of the country and to visit the most sought after archaeological
sites.
Please click here to download the detailed pdf programme with dates and rates.
The programme has developed a great reputation for four unique
reasons:
1) The variety of islands is diverse. The two week programme is
the boldest itinerary in the industry. It follows fascinating historic
trade routes and a gastronomic circuit for all tastes.
2) The professional service is the highest level available in Greece.
Our international staff are certified, knowledgeable on Greek waters
and history as well as trained in the service industry.
3) The quality of the boats used and equipment sets a standard unparalleled
in Greece.
4) The ‘hands on’ character of the tour, where ‘guests
are the crew’, allows experienced sailors to feel right at
home and offers novice sailors a great experience to learn and practice.
Guests can participate as much or as little as they would like as
the yachts are crewed.
CABIN OR FLOTILLA BOAT OPTIONS:
Guests have two cruising options to choose from: They can reserve
a ‘cabin’ with 2 light meals and beverages per day aboard
a skippered flotilla ‘lead’ vessel. Or guests can book
their own ‘flotilla yacht’ and sail themselves with a
group of boats. Flotillas allow trouble free sailing as they are
guided by our knowledgeable staff. Flotilla yachts range from 36ft
to 60ft. Please contact our office to find out more about both options.
Itinerary
The two-week 'Odyssey Cruise' covers the most complete itinerary
in the Greek sailing industry! It is roughly 360 miles round trip
and is a challenging sailing adventure taking in the most important
archaeological, mythological and historical islands in the Saronic
Gulf and central Aegean sea.
 Itinerary
Day 1 Athens: welcome dinner and briefing. Sleep aboard in marina.
Day 2 Athens to Aegina: visit the Temple of Aphaia, then onto Poros.
Day 3 Poros to Spathi bay: swim at Spathi, then famous Hydra for lunch and afternoon
Day 4 Hydra: explore town, hike to monastery orbeach. Possible Pirate night.
Day 5
Hydra to Kleftiko bay Milos: longest sail, swim the caves, on anchor overnight
Day 6 Kleftiko to Adamas Milos: visit geological wonders and Venus site by rental car.
Day 7 Milos to Ios: long day sailing followed by a 5 star spa, great dining and night-life.
Day 8 Ios to Santorini: briefing then ferry to Santorini accommodations. Oia Sunset
Day 9 Santorini: see Atlantis at Acrotiri, black sand beach Perissa and try wine tasting.
Day 10 Ios to Paros: ferry to Ios, then sail to Paros. See town sites. Best dining experience of trip.
Day 11 Paros: see 45 million year old cave at And Paros, explore Paros by rental car.
Day 12 Paros to Delos: see huge historic site of Delos, swim then on to vibrant Mykonos.
Day 13 Mykonos to Kea: most challenging leg of tour. Swim and meal in quaint harbor.
Day 14 Kea to Athens: lunch, swim at Temple of Poseidon. Athens last night aboard.
Click
here to read a detailed daily program.
7-night tour guests disembark or embark at Ios on Ios on morning
8 or 15 respectively. 10-night tour guest disembark at Paros on
morning 11. 7-night and 10-night tours may vary from the above itinerary,
as they may be round trip Athens-Athens
Yachts
Yachts used on these cruises are the best maintained in Greece.
Most Archaeological Adventure Cruises & Flotillas are led aboard
the luxury Atlantic 65 foot sloops ‘Margarita’ and ‘Dream’
, for groups of 8–9 guests. The Atlantic 65’s are 61 feet
on deck but offer almost 70 feet overall with the bow sprit and
afterdeck platform extensions. These are the biggest charter boats
ever made in Greece. The amount of cabin, berth and head (washroom)
space is impressive.
This superb Atlantic 65 Sloop has been chosen to serve
on its Archaeological Adventure Cruise.
The yachts feature four identical double bed staterooms, one ‘singles’
forward bunk berth cabin all with private washroom facilities and
an aft skipper cabin. Headroom in the cabins is 6’4”.
Washrooms feature marble/granite countertops and stainless steel
fixtures with 30–PSI water pressure. A 16.5–foot wide
beam allows for a fully equipped galley including 2 refrigerators,
a microwave and double sink. The saloons have a large dining area
including a table with surround couch, storage cabinets, oil paintings
and 6’9” headroom. To one side of the open saloon / galley
layout is a well–equipped navigation station complete with
a full range of navigational equipment and a large chart table with
electrical outlets. The spacious topside cockpits have external
refrigerators and weather resistant sound systems. The yachts are
equipped with a generator with 220–volt output, Bimini (shade
awning) and spray hood. These 32–ton sloops have a cutter rig
with two forward furling sails and battened mainsails with ‘lazy–jack’
system – a total of 200 square meters of sail!
Smaller groups of 5–8 guests can be accommodated aboard similar
but smaller yachts (40 to 51 foot yachts) with only 1 crew. These
yachts are sporty, modern designed sloops built for comfort and
easy sailing. Whether you are confirmed on a larger or the smaller
Archaeological Adventure Cruise yacht we offer the same luxury equipment
on the boats: Bimini, spray hood, CD stereo and private washrooms
(larger yachts only). The only difference when reserved on a smaller
boat is that there are fewer passengers. The tour remains the same.
All yachts meet the safety standards required by Greek maritime
law. Emergency life rafts, life jackets, harnesses, first–aid
kits and the standard safety equipment for sailboats are part of
all yacht inventories. The cruise operators reserve the right to
change the yacht for a larger or smaller model than originally stated
without notice if the group bookings increase or decrease on certain
departures.
Crew
Captains make a huge difference on any charter. For that reason
carefully selected and trained Captains and Program Directors have
been selected for exactly what the Archaeological Adventure Cruises
& Flotillas Program requires.
On some of the two week cruises your guide is Steven Parry. Captain
Parry is a 40 year old Royal Yachting Association certified skipper
registered with the British Department of Transport who is also
a member of the Canadian Power Squadron and a graduate of the J-World
Sailing School. He is a certified PADI Divemaster and is trained
in first–aid. This will be his 15th year in the Greek islands
and the ‘Archaeological Adventure Cruises & Flotillas Program’
is based on his experience in the region. Steven trained in archaeology
with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology attending the University
of Texas A&M Masters level course in marine archaeology. He
also dived with the Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology on
the oldest shipwreck in the world at Dokos Island. Captain Parry
is convinced that exploring the enchanting Greek waters by private
yacht is one of the best vacation experiences possible.
Life on board
Two healthy meals are served aboard each day and consist of the following:
Breakfast: coffee, tea, orange juice, fresh bread, cereal, yogurt,
honey and fresh fruit. A hot breakfast may be prepared on some mornings.
Generally breakfasts are self-serve and light as a result of the heat
in Greece and are a great start to the day before heading out to sites
or onto the water. Lunch – consists of salads: green, vegetable,
tuna, chicken, egg, coleslaw, potato or pasta salads served with fresh
bread, an assortment of cheeses as well as our famous Captain Stavros
salad dressing. Also cold cuts, olives, capers, peppers, Greek dips
(tzatziki, fish roe & egg plant salad) and fruit are served! Lunches
are usually served in the shaded cockpit while anchored in secluded
bays. Stops are often made for lunch, a swim and a snorkel. Beverages
such as soft drinks, ice tea and bottled water are included and stowed
on board. In the afternoon we also offer coffee or tea and sweets
such as cookies to tide us over until dinner. The galley is always
well stocked in the event of unforeseen meals. Guests are expected
to help prepare, serve and clean up after meals. Guests are advised
to bring aboard their own specialty and snack foods, alcohol, mixer
drinks and ice. These items may be purchased at reasonable rates on
all inhabited islands. Excessive alcohol consumption is not tolerated.
 This
is not a cruise ship holiday, it is a ‘hands on’ adventure
where guests are invited to take part in all aspects of life aboard
ship; partaking in raising sail, navigation, taking watches, practicing
Med-Mooring, as well as helping prepare, serve and clean up the two
light meals aboard each day. Group dynamics are exceptionally good
but it is necessary to develop respect for fellow crewmates, Captains
and Programme Directors. Guests are expected to be mindful of other
guests, especially in early morning and night hours. The bars are
ashore! This is an adventure group holiday not a fully crewed charter
so voluntary participation is expected from the guests. Aboard the
yachts there are toilets and showers with hot water, however, showers
are also available on shore at some islands. Digital telephone service
to call North America, 24–hour bank cash machines and laundry
services are available on almost all islands.
It is important to note that the 'Aegean
Adventure Cruises and Flotillas' are not guided by an archaeologist
and there are no lectures given aboard. The itinerary is designed
to offer some of the most important archaeological, mythological and
historical islands but guests are advised to explore them with guide
book in hand. The captains are well trained sailors and have a good
knowledge of modern and ancient Greece but are not government trained
guides. It is also important to note that the 'Aegean Adventure Cruises'
are not privately booked tours. They are ‘individual, group 'by
the cabin' tours where groups who know each other cannot dictate the
size of yachts or the number of guests aboard. Generally the departures
are one yacht but often two and sometimes there are as many as four
yachts on a departure. Customised itineraries and bareboats with captain
can be arranged for groups wanting their own private yacht and itinerary.
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Odyssey
Sailing is officially registered and bonded with the Greek National
Tourist Organisation (GNTO - EOT). Licence Number : 00015 and is a
member of the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association (HYBA). |
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