Sailing the Coast of Greece with Friends

(My good friend and Postcards columnist Arnie Greenberg has penned what I call a truly "joyous" article about a sailing trip he and his wife Dana took with friends in the waters of Greece. I know that you will enjoy it as much as I did. -- Editor)

By Arnie Greenberg
Write to Arnie at:
ultours@gmail.com

Sailing with friends is best. We are fortunate enough to have friends we travel with as a group. We've done it twice and are now talking about a third.

Our first choice was Greece, where we sailed in a refurbished Greek boat with meals on the deck, a crew of five and a bottle Gravol. Gratefully, I only had to use it once.

Read what follows, then get a group together. With the power of the web, you can find the right boat and the right locale. Happy sailing...

It was a dream come true.

We had the will and the ingredients. One day while a group of us talked about traveling together, we settled on Greece. The history teacher in me had wanted to go there for years.

Now it would be a reality. We were seven couples, together for a reunion since we lived in four different cities.

Once we settled on a place, we discussed mode of travel and decided to sail through the islands. After some thought, it was decided that I would search for a boat and we would all put $100 into a fund each month until the trip became a reality.

We began frequenting Greek restaurants and reading maps. My wife actually enrolled for a basic Greek course. She helped with the negotiations.

Three years later, with $3600 per couple in the bank and a collection of guidebooks, we settled on a boat, a route and a cost. We found just the right boat and the price seemed a bargain. It turned out our choices were all good.

Through a boat rental broker in the USA, we were put in touch with a man in Pireus, Greece, who had a boat big enough for 16, plus a crew of five.

The boat was built in 1989 and had an overall length of 85 feet. All the cabins were the same, but we drew straws for front and aft.

The contract called for three meals a day and all the beer and soft drinks, plus wine with our meals. It would cost about $200 per day per couple. (I'm sure it's considerably more today).

With 3,785 square feet of sail and two 210 HP Cummins engines, this totally air-conditioned Greek Caique (Kay-ee-kee) came equipped with radar, T.V., video, water ski equipment, private bathrooms in each of the eight cabins and a deep cooler always filled with drinks.

We actually worked out a route with Captain Stratis, a Greek-born and American-educated cruise ship navigator. With him was a small crew with a superb chef.

Now let me tell you about the meals. We set sail around 2 p.m. the first day. When dinner was served with a white linen tablecloth on the candlelit deck, we were shown the menu: salad, fresh Greek bread, wine and as a main course Chicken/Fish.

After a wonderful grilled chicken main course, smothered in gravy and garnished with mini potatoes and vegetables, the crew cleared the dishes and brought on the fishplates of Red Snapper.

Not one of us expected that Chicken/Fish meant two main courses. We discussed it with the captain, who was disappointed but agreed to cut down. How much can one person eat, especially with the selection of desserts that they offered?

We sailed from Pireus, across to Poros, then south to Sifnos, Serifos and Milos. The ship was called the Meltemi, which was apropos, since Meltemi are winds that come across the bow from east to west. We sailed right into them.

The first day in open waters was memorable but not because of the scenery, which I couldn't see from my position lying on the deck with my head over the side.

But by day two I was used to it, and Gravol became my constant companion.

By day we sailed or moored in a concealed cove and swam in pristine waters. We would dock around 4 p.m. and rent motorbikes to visit the hill villages and enjoy superb views. By the time we returned to the dock, the table was set, the candles lit, and locals gathered to see who the passengers were on this first-class charter.

Each day, one couple had to decide on the entertainment. One friend brought white painter's caps. We had two hours to decorate our hats, and after dinner the captain and crew served as the judges of a fashion show. It was the youngest among us in a bikini who won first prize -- a magnum of champagne, which all of us shared.

On our turn, my wife and I hosted a costume dinner, where people dressed in makeshift costumes to look like Poseidon or a Roman Emperor. On a calm day, we had Olympic events. After all, we were in Greece.

Some of my friends were great divers. I was not. So when it came time to dive from the upper deck, I did my own version of an Olympic dive. I took off my swimsuit and just jumped in nude. I was rated 8.9 for the 'dive', not for my 'form.'

I especially enjoyed the scavenger hunt, where we went off with a list of things to find, each with a partner other than his/her spouse. The problem was that stores were closed, as it was Sunday and the instructions were in Greek.

We found nothing but congenial people, tiny tavernas, ancient ruins and the best locations for photographs. We joked, we sang, we ate and drank more than we should and came home with more solid relationships than we imagined.

Stratis turned out to be the perfect host, and his crew was helpful, informative and professional.

I spent time in the wheelhouse, while Stratis explained the radar system and the latest methods of navigation.

I will never forget our return to Pireus on a starlit night, lounging on the deck as the Meltemi entered her berth at Pireus. A week had sped by, but the memories will stay with me forever.

Some of us went to Greece earlier or stayed longer, since the boat was hired for a week. My wife and I went to Turkey beforehand, where we enjoyed the surprise of a gentle but mysterious country inhabited by soft-spoken caring people.

After the boat tour, we took a four-night land tour from Athens to Naplion, Olympia, Petra and Delphi. It was magical.

You, too, can get a group together. It's better if you are friends. Just get on the web and look for boat charters in Greece. Our boat sailed under the name ISOLA Tours, Pireus.

You can also contact Starr Zuckerman at starr@odysseuscruising.com, or call (646) 623 5533. I recommend him highly.

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