Sailing In The Aegean

I shared some pictures of Seven Greek Islands that we visited when we rented a 55′ Atlantic motor-sailboat named Annamaria and sailed out of Athens to the Cyclades Islands of the Aegean.  I thought you might like to know a little more about life on the boat. We had eight passengers and a captain (you can see a picture of Nikos here). Nikos welcomed us to pitch in with sailing chores if we wanted, but it was not required on this trip.

Ken hoisting the anchor, (Paros harbor)

The eight people were comprised of three couples plus a pair of sisters. Each brought a different guidebook, and we shared information as we sailed between islands.

Allyn and Hugh on board studying Guide Book

Some of our group knew each other fairly well, but others had just met and the sail gave time to get acquainted as we relaxed on deck overlooking the  ”wine dark” sapphire of the Aegean.

Ken and Manny relaxing on deck

Everyone  took a turn at the wheel, which turned out to be harder than it looks, even in calm weather.

Everyone gets to steer

Although the voyage was only ten days long, we could only bring minimal luggage to stow away in our tiny cabins, so had to do some laundry along the way. Some of the sailors were appalled at the thought of hanging underwear out in public on the dock, but when we saw other sailboats doing the same, we thought, “Why not?”

Laundry on Deck , Karissa, Kea Island

The miniature door hints at the miniature size of the cabin. Later when winds kicked up quite seriously, we had to observe the three-point rule–three points touching the floor or hanging on (two feet, one hand; two hands, one foot). And cabinet doors that we thought were securely latched flew open and spilled dishes on the floor.

Emerging from the cabin into the kitchen

The “salon”–also dining table and kitchen work table–provided a nice space to stretch out, read, work crossword puzzles, etc.

Sandy and Manny relax at the dining table below deck

Sandy adopted the chore of putting these “bumpers” out and hauling them in as we sidled up to dock and left the next day.

Sandy helps with bumpers

Somewhere in between a bareboat and a luxury cruise experience, we found the rented boat with hired captain to be perfect for independent travelers.  This has been my somewhat late entry to the Travel Photo Thursday event sponsored by Budget Travelers’ Sandbox. If you click over there you can enjoy photos from many different parts of the world.

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Tags: Aegean Sea, Athens, BlogSherpa, Cyclades Islands, Greece, guidebooks, independent travel, sailboat, sailing