Places and Islands                              

All islands lie in a big circle around the uninhabited island of Delos, an ancient religious center with the sanctuary of Apollo. Every island with its characteristic architecture, the harmony of the asymmetric, the small white churches everyone build by a sailor that came back to his home land alive from the anger of Neptune, Cyclades is the place where you will leave a piece of your heart.

The Dodecanese Islands are approximately 300 km from Athens. All Dodecanese islands have something different to offer, so visit as many as you can. Meet Ancient Civilizations, walk around the palaces and castles of Rhodes, stay with anchored off for a couple of days in the bay of Lindos (Rhodes) to forget all your problems and stress, sail to the island of Kos, the home town of Ippocrates, father of medicine, visit the island of Symi for something totally different. 

'It is less windy here than in the Aegean Sea. There are a lot more sailing boats. One morning we counted 20 sails; it looked like we were in a regatta. (8-98)'

On the northeast side of the big island Evia lie the islands of Sporades. These gorgeous islands are full of trees, forests and golden beaches with a lot of other very small deserted islands to explore consist a touch to heaven. The capital is on Skopelos which has been famous for the last couple of thousand years for the wine they make. Small traditional villages, beaches with white sand and trees hanging over them, castles and old churches that take you back in time, these islands were put there by the Greek Gods to enjoy the pleasures that summer brings. 

Between the two continents, Europe and Asia, lie the islands of Eastern Sporades. They actually set the eastern borders of Aegean Sea and they spread along the coasts of Turkey. All these islands, having common characteristics concerning both history and land they were first inhabited during ancient Greece by Iones.

 

In the Aegean, be very careful with the hydrofoils. Because of their high speed, they suddenly may come out of a strait, a point, or a narrow channel, and slow boats like ours might not have the necessary speed to manoeuvre and avoid them. Therefore be sure that when approaching and before getting in a restricted area that you are at a safe distance, so that you have a good visibility of the situation. (8-98)

Close to the capital of Athens, these islands, located in the Saronic Gulf, are your best choice if you have only a few days for sailing. The Saronic gulf is ideal because of the various directions the wind is blowing from, and the islands which are 20 to 40 nautical miles from Athens can offer you not only weekend solutions but also an alternative for Autumn or even Spring siling. You 'll never get bored on these islands all year round. Lots of natural beauty, clean sandy beaches and small deserted islands to be explored, great swimming, scuba diving or even fishing. Visit them on your way to the Aegean Sea to get an idea of possible stops on your way back.

The island is the second largest in Greece, after Crete. Long and narrow, it stretches over the Aegean Sea very close alongside the shores of Mainland Greece, separated from it by the Gulf of Euboea and the famous Evripos Straits. A main highway and ferry-boats from several terminals form the links with this island space which is a centre of attraction for those seeking natural beauty and scenic variety. There is something of interest to be seen at every turn in Euboea. Towns brisk with tourist traffic or peaceful villages, apparently forgotten by time.

Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. It has an area of 8,300 sq. km, a coastline of 1,040 km, and a population of 500,000. 3000 BC. The Egyptians where trading all their goods sailing along the Nile river. The main commerce activities at that time where taking place along the banks of the river. When they were coming close to the Delta of the Nile where the river was meeting the Mediterranean they were staring at the big sea and never attempted to sail through. They were calling it the "Big Blue". By that time the Cretans were sailing all over the Mediterranean Sea trading goods all over the place. They were also doing the commerce for the Egyptians who never tried to explore the "Big Blue". The "Big Blue" is all our hopes, all our dreams, all the things in life that we shouldn't miss. It might be hard to explore all the Med Sea but we are sure that visiting the island of Crete is a chance that you shouldn't ignore. Full of tropical beaches, traditional villages, everyone with a different history, a huge variety of gorgeous landscapes, remains from ancient civilizations, you've got people here writing history for the last five thousand years. N. Kazantzakis was inspired and wrote his famous book " Zorba the Greek" in Crete.