DISCOVER THE ESSENCE OF GREECE BY SAILING AROUND FIVE ISLANDS

How much it would take to sail around Greek islands? Maybe forever. With more than 6000 islands, islets and rocks, this part of Greece is like a vast blue canvas of the old gods, spattered with some of the most beautiful pieces of land in the whole world. If you take your yacht or different kind of vessel and start to discover mainland coastline, not to mention islands, it would take a lifetime. People must choose the shorter way, and often that means staying in one place with sporadic visits to some particular places. If you are a sailor, if you live for that white line of sea foam that remains behind the boat, Greece offers you full experience, not just with natural wonders, crystal clear sea and historic sites, but with full marine service and best marinas in this part of Europe. If you have plenty of time on your vacation, but again, not the whole lifetime to sail around this spectacular maze of islands, how would you do it? This is where we come, to help you with the decision. We present you five islands that will capture the essence of what is Greece, so you won’t be sorry for not visiting every one of them. A small note, there is no sailing without the port, so on this journey you’ll occasionally have to stand foot on the ground.        

CORFU – Crowning jewel of historic sites

Let us start our journey on Corfu, or how Greeks call it, Kérkyra. It is the second largest of the Ionian islands (614.6 km² ) and it is, along other small islands, closest to Adriatic sea. History of this island is so rich, that it would be impossible to describe it on this pages, since it runs from the time of Mycenaean Greece till today, but if you just sailed your boat to Corfu town, there is you need to keep around for some time. Corfu contains in its walls, forts and palaces, all the great historical periods. Old town has buildings from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman time. Also there is magnificent fort Angelokastro with its spectacular view. When you’re done with sightseeing and you start to long for the sea views, you can resupply at Gouvia marina, oldest private Marina in Greece, with 24 hour service and 1200 berths. Then you can sail for Agios Georgios bay on northwestern part of the island, the most beautiful bay in this part of Ionian Sea.

CEPHALONIA – Island of natural wonders

After Corfu, you just need to sail southward and you’ll get to Cephalonia, the biggest Ionian island. It is needless to mention that all Greek islands are full of history and historic sites emerge out of every corner, but on Cephalonia you’ll be spellbound by different kind of beauty – one which nature shaped on the face of the island. Frist things first, you need to visit Melissani cave on the eastern part of the island. With its collapsed roof and surreal blue water it is one of the most spectacular natural wonder in whole Greece. They say that it was cave of the nymphs and it must be said that it look exactly like that. But, let us not forget our wind in sail and sun on the horizon. This place is best to reach by yacht or a different kind of a boat, since it is one of the longest and certainly more beautiful beach on the island. It is Myrtos beach on the northwest part of the island and it will leave you breathless. After that you can sail peacefully in the port of capital Argostoli, where they have small marina. You can take a rest from all the excitements, or you can go to the old town and enjoy one of the famous Cephalonia wines, especially the Robola.

DELOS – Entire Island as one big historic site

In the center of Cyclades archipelago there is one of the most important places of Greek mythology and history and certainly one of the richest historical places in the whole Greek world. It is tiny island of Delos which has only few kilometers in diameter, but every centimeter is copious in historic artifacts. Its rich history you can explore on numerous Internet sites, you can visit it from nearby island of Mykonos, or you can sail to it, moor in Sacred Harbour and visit every step of the island by foot. Best artifacts on Delos are from 5^th century BC, when Delos was center of Delian League. If we say that you can see and admire Sacred Lake, Temple of Delians dedicated to Apollo, magnificent Terrace of the Lions, Stoivadeion dedicated to Dionysius or Heraion, temple dedicated to Hera, we would be just scratching the surface. To get to know how was it like in ancient Greece, one must visit Delos, place where stone was transformed into one big masterpiece. As there are only fourteen inhabitants on the island, nearest place to visit for resupply and entertainment is Mykonos, where you can sail in small marina.

THERA (SANTORINI) – Sail into the heart of the biggest volcano in Greece

There are not so many places where you can reach the center of the volcano by boat. Island of Thera is one of these places. In 16^th century BC old island of Thera, big center of Minoan culture, was completely destroyed in massive volcanic eruption followed by earthquakes and tsunamis. Volcanic caldera collapsed and only the edges of the volcano remained, forming spectacular scene which is Santorini today. Volcano remains under the surface with only small piece of caldera above, and when sailing in Greece this is a spectacle that just cannot be missed. To know Greece is to get to know not only its natural wonders and beauty, but also nature that sometimes can be violent in most brutal way. This nature formed Greece in history and Santorini is living proof of it. Most beautiful thing is that you can sail around it, sail into it and experience it bodily. Santorini is famous for its nightlife, but if you want to moor your boat and take a rest after sailing, there is nice and cozy marina on the island.

CRETE – From sails to the sky

Biggest Greek island, Crete, is a story on its own. And it is a place where you’ll need tighter boots once you get off the boat. It is a place where Minoan culture reached its peak and met its destruction, where kings built cities – palaces and formed culture so strong and unparalleled in history before. If you want to visit grand city of Knossos, you’ll need to go just few miles behind Capital of Heraklion. There are also great archeological sites, like Agia Triada and Festos. If you’re into more adventure, you can go to the sky and try to climb colossus Mount Ida. Or maybe you’ll have enough luck to spot endemic feral goat of Crete, the Kri – Kri. What we recommend after such adventures on this unbelievable island is to go to your boat, open your sails and go to the southernmost point of Europe, island of Gavdos. If all of this is not just your cup of tea, you can sail around northern part of Crete and take a rest in Heraklion marina.

Well, these are our suggestions for unforgettable sailing vacation in Greece. Like we mentioned in the beginning, there are more than 6000 islands and only 227 are uninhabited. That means that there is always someone on almost every island. Sure, there are maybe more bigger places, with more turquoise sea, of better nightlife, for someone. All in all, wherever you choose any other place than the ones mentioned, you won’t make a mistake. This is only a little help on this adventure, think of it as a good advice to fellow sailor. And maybe we’ll meet on sailing adventure around Greece.

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