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For your holidays, do you love loafing around, getting sizzled on a beach, with the biggest excitement of the day deciding what you will have for lunch?

Well I do, sometimes.

Then some years I have preferred doing something that is not too strenuous but adds a little purpose and activity to the holiday, the perfect solution is a sailing holiday.

A yacht adventure is, by my opinion, the ideal way to experience what many consider the world’s most beautiful islands—the Greek Islands. To sail aboard a great yacht, with time for hiking, snorkeling and relaxing. We have explored ancient archaeological sites and taverna-lined harbors, we have dined on fresh seafood and of course we tried the Ouzo! For tree summers I have spent the main holiday with friends on a round trip that gives one the chance to explore some of the treasures of the Greek Islands.
It is impossible to sum up sailing in Greece in a one-week or two-weeks charter. Normally, it would take years of cruising before anyone could claim to have enough knowledge of the Greek islands. So it is important to prepare yourself to sail a part of the Greek islands only. Because of the big variety of  landscapes, islands, beaches, anchorages, architecture styles, historical sights, cultures, fertility, weather conditions and yachting facilities you can find in Greece one thing is for sure: the sailing holidays in Greece are…exceptional!

It is impossible to sum up sailing in Greece in a one-week or two-weeks charter. Normally, it would take years of cruising before anyone could claim to have enough knowledge of the Greek islands. So it is important to prepare yourself to sail a part of the Greek islands only. Because of the big variety of  landscapes, islands, beaches, anchorages, architecture styles, historical sights, cultures, fertility, weather conditions and yachting facilities you can find in Greece one thing is for sure: the sailing holidays in Greece are…exceptional!

The things that attracted us to it are:

We could visit lots of different places without having to hire cars or go on coach tours.

Our accommodation came with us and all our kit was ready at hand, although we have to be a tad more efficient with our packing.

We could still relax in the usual way at the beginning and end of the day. We even could have drinks and snackettes while we were travelling.

There are moments of frenetic activity in the middle. Well … alright that is not relaxing but it’s great fun and provides endless tales to tell back home.

The first year, we set out for a ten days trip in the Cyclades. The Cyclades (from the Greek word for ‘rings’ or ‘circles’) is the central group of islands in the Aegean, so named because of the way they seem to surround Delos, the ancient centre of trade and worship. The Cyclades are well-known for their stark elemental landscape, white washed houses contrasted against the deep blue and azure colours of sky and sea, traditional windmills, narrow paths full of flowers, and most recently the never ending nightlife.

Due to the strength of the wind in summer, this group of islands is recommended only for experienced sailors. In our group of ten friends, we had half and half of experienced sailors, so we brought both captain and crew ourselves.  The majority of charter yachts that go out in the Cyclades, unlike in other parts of Greece, are mainly skippered or crewed charters. The prevailing wind in the summer is the “Meltemi”, which blows from the North / North West. It begins in June, blows stronger in July and August at Force 5-6 and may occasionally reach Force 8-9. It may blow for 1-3 days or it may sometimes blow for 2 weeks at a time. During spring and autumn, you may also have to deal with strong winds from the South. Anyone chartering a yacht is advised to take extreme care and check the weather reports regularly. The average temperature in the Cyclades during summer is 25 to 26 °C ( 79F ) and very often 33 to 35 °C ( 95F ).

The Cyclades islands consist of 3 main areas:
Northern Cyclades – Kea, Kithnos, Syros, Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Delos and Rinia.
Middle Cyclades – Serifos, Sifnos, Antiparos, Paros, Naxos, Donoussa, Iraklia, Schinousa, Koufonissia, Amorgos and Levitha.
Southern Cyclades – Milos, Kimolos, Folegandros, Sikinos, Ios, Thira ( Santorini ) and Anafi.

For our ten day round trip, we stayed mainly in the Middle Cyclades, where we visited seven Islands. When we arrived at Naxos, we decided to stay there for a couple of days (and nights), because we wanted to explore the island a bit more, and the Greek nightlife.  Greece is world known for its active nightlife and the Greek Islands Cyclades have the most lively nightlife in Greece. There is a large choice of bars and night clubs and some areas have been turned exlusively in party islands. Naxos is one of the bigger islands, and while the nightlife didn’t disappoint any of our crowd, the island also provides different areas for us to explore. The highlight for me was the sunset…

The traditional architecture of the villages of the group of islands of Cyclades are world known and are composing a cliche of Greece: small white cubic houses with blue doors and windows and bougainvillea pedestrians alleys.

During the summer trip, I got to see so many beautiful places, I could write a story from each place. For now, I will just add some pictures, and a very strong recommendation: Make your next holiday a unique one, take your family and/or your friends sailing in Greek Islands.