Greece and Turkey Sailing Adventure Vacations
7-day Northern Route – Dodecanese islands, Greece
Embark 9 am in Kos Marina. After boat briefing, unpacking, and generally getting comfortable with the yacht, we’ll set sail for Kalimnos. Around noon we will stop in a quiet bay for a delicious on-board lunch and a swim, before we continue our sail to Vathi. A dramatic little spot and a perfect introduction to “traditional Greece”; a well-hidden and very narrow fjord-like entrance, opening up into a tiny fishing village at the head of the bay. It boasts one main street and a collection of houses scattered into the valley; an unexpected patch of lush vegetation on an otherwise very dry and arid-looking island. Vathi is the only place on the entire island that is lucky enough to have its own spring water supply, and they use it carefully to cultivate citrus fruits, figs, grapes and anything else that can be persuaded to grow.
Day Two
After a morning swim in Vathi’s ocean swimming pool next to the dock, we’ll set sail for Leros, the former home base of SeaScape Sailing and therefore an island we call home. We go for anchor in a remote, quiet bay to give you the best sailing experience: a night on anchor with a sky full of stars to fall asleep under. We’ll cook a dinner on board while you enjoy some quality time on the boat or go for a few rounds on the paddleboard. We might go to bed early or stay up late and enjoy some great music and a few drinks, it’s really all up to you! One thing is guaranteed: after this night, you have experienced the real deal of living off-the-beaten track on a sail boat.
Day Three
We look forward to visit Lipsi - island of the 42 blue-domed churches. It is a small, untouristy village, with an unruly array of whitewashed buildings scattered around the bay. The vivid streaks of traditional blue trim and the blazing bougainvillea pinks & purples make it a real photographers' dream! To cool off, there is a lovely little sandy beach, a few minutes’ walk over the hill from where we moor the boat, and a great hike out to the headland with spectacular views out to sea. If conditions are calm, we may be able to visit Macro Nisi for a swim stop en route. It's a secluded little anchorage with sheer-sided cliffs, which have been known to entice the braver (or more foolhardy!) amongst us to throw caution to the wind and leap off them! For those more inclined to be adventurous in the water, there's a very cool, semi-submerged tunnel through the cliffs through which one can snorkel, emerging in little cave on the other side of the island.
Day Four
Sail to Patmos - an early start to make the most of exploring the famous Monastery Island, where St John was inspired by visions to write the Book of Revelations. The 10th century monastery (built by Crusader Knights) reigns over the island, still an active and influential part of daily life here. The village that lies at the foot of the monastery is everyone's romantic image of a Greek village; narrow winding alleyways scarcely wide enough for a skinny donkey! - cats sunning themselves on whitewashed streets, old ladies in black collecting fresh bread from the bakery in the morning. It's well worth an early rise to get up there in the dawn hours; the old ladies will look at you in faint amazement that a foreigner should find their way up there at such a time; if you can remember enough of our Greek lessons to say "kalimera!" (good morning), they'll give you a huge smile and a "kalimera-sas" back (good morning to you too) ! (Note: that's "kali-MER-a", not "calamari" :> )
We set sail towards what we call “Pirate Bay” on Kalymnos, where we anchor the boat close to shore and take the dingy to go on land. This little tranquil oasis is a little Pirates in the Greek islands getaway you won’t find when you follow the main tourist tracks. It’s like a tiny safe heaven popped up in the middle of nowhere, with its own little bar and restaurant.
Day Six
Sail to our lunch-n-swim stop at one of the little, uncrowded bays around Kalimnos. Time to go hike around the hills and maybe pick some beautifully scented sage to make a fine, healthy brew of sage-and-local-honey tea! After lunch, it will be time to sail back to Kos and our marina base. The luxury of land showers and a laundry, and perhaps a cold one at a bar. Our final dinner is usually at a gorgeous beachfront restaurant.
Day Seven
Disembarkation is at 9am. For those wishing to stay longer in Kos, we can recommend some great little places to stay around the island. For onward travel, there are several daily flights to many European cities. You will definitely be heading home with a nice tan!
