SAILING IN GREECE Matt's Trip Fellow Travellers The Boat The Islands The Cost TRAVEL GUIDES HYDRA POROS AEGINA

Sailing in Greece: The Islands Because we only had 5 days (four really because we left late on Sunday) we chose to visit the Argo-Saronic islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra. We were going to go to Spetses but instead sailed to the Peloponessos. I think if I had more time I would do the Cyclades, but these islands were nice and even though I had been to them a dozen times before it was a little different doing it by boat. It was a whole new perspective. Sailing through the straits of Poros is always fun because it is as if you are sailing down a river with the island on your left and the Peloponessos on your right. The island is green and full of pine trees and there is a very nice breeze that runs through the channel. As soon as we docked we all jumped off the boat and ran to get espressos in the nearest cafes. Captain Adonis took us to his favorite restaurant called The Platanos where we stuffed ourselves with grilled meat and drank kilos of wine and not only made it back to the boat but woke up the next morning ready to go (after a few more espressos at the nearest cafe. We got to Hydra very early because we knew there would be lots of boats there and we wanted to get a good spot, meaning we didn't want to have to walk across two other boats to get to shore. Instead two other boats had to walk over us but that was OK because we made friends. In Hydra you swim off the rocks just outside the port so we raced over there as soon as we docked and then came back to the boat for sandwiches. As a special treat to Amarandi we went to the Bratsera Hotel and swam in their pool and drank Freddos (iced lattes) in the shade. That night we went to a taverna on a square in the back streets where Captain Adonis knew everyone and even got up with the singer and performed a Spanish song each wearing a giant sombrero. Ana was horrified but all the tourists at the other tables loved it and I could see that this routine might be popular with clients. Hydra is a very popular island, a sort of Mykonos of the Saronic so we were not really looking for authentic-traditional Greek. A 300 pound sea-captain dancing around in a black sombrero was fine with us. The Peloponessos was really something special and in retrospect I would have loved to begin my trip there in Leonideon and work my way down to Monemvasia and all the way around and back through the Corinth canal, or maybe to the island of Kythera and on to Western Crete. The water was so exceptionally clear and clean and the landscape was simply beautiful. There were beaches half a kilometer long that were totally empty and in the small village restaurants the food was inexpensive, simple and delicious. You have to be careful when you sail, not just in the Peloponessos but anywhere, because you might dock up on the outskirts of town only to discover that the little hut on the hill next to you is a disco that plays music until the a.m. We were fortunate. BJ convinced the owners to turn off the music since there were no customers and they were keeping some of us awake. (Not me. I didn't even notice it after the first couple beats). But generally unless you pick some way off the beaten track village, the skippers will know where the discos are and if you want to anchor in a quiet bay for the night you can be sure that it will be quiet. A trip down and around the Peloponessos would be just as enjoyable as going through the Greek islands. There are areas that are completely unspoiled and the difference in landscape can be dramatic. The last night we spent in the town of Perdika on the island of Aegina, the closest island to Athens because the boat had to be back that afternoon for another charter. I didn't really want to go there because I figured it would be an unattractive close-to-Athens fishing port and I was right, at least compared to Poros and Hydra. But there were some great restaurants and a cool breeze and a row of cafes and even a nice place to swim off the rocks. We had been sailing all day from the Peloponessos so we jumped off the boat and ran for ouzo and octopus and talked about our trip like we were a family that had not seen each other for months. It was really a great experience and Perdika, despite being so close to Athens, had all the charm of a small village on a distant island. The last day we stopped for a swim and then sailed through the shipping lanes between Aegina and the mainland which was pretty exciting to me. Did you know that a sailboat has right-of-way over one of these things? Want to find out more about chartering a yacht in the Mediterranean?