Best Greek Islands to visit by charter yacht
With 6000 islands and islets scattered across Greece’s seas, give Santorini a wide berth and set a course for more charming locales.
Our boutique-sized (five-member), Sydney-based book club enjoys travel as much as reading, good food, cocktails, wine and (all except me) shopping. Having progressed over the years from meeting at our homes, pubs and restaurants to weekend gatherings – Book Club in the Vines (Mudgee) and Book Club Afloat (a houseboat on the Hawkesbury) – an overseas adventure beckons.
Inspired by the successful sailing trip one member organised in Greece last year, four of us decide to make a Book Club Odyssey in 2023. This same member, one of three powerhouse lawyers in our club, books the same boat and skipper, and in June we make our separate ways to Santorini for the start of another “literary” jaunt.
The volcanic island is as photogenic as I recall from a brief stay a few years ago, but even busier – an astonishing two million tourists visited pre-pandemic and, even with a small downturn in numbers thus far in 2023, the narrow streets and view-framing bars and restaurants are crammed. Our skipper, Panos Zervas, arranges for local water taxi driver Manolis to whisk us from Santorini’s busy Amoudi Bay to meet the boat at nearby Therasia. Within minutes of boarding the gleaming, ultra-spacious 12m catamaran (rather prosaically named George A), the anchor is up and we’re sailing.
“My ladies, we are doing the briefing while we’re under way,” Panos says. “Your safety and the boat’s safety are number one priority. Second is having a great time. Third, I beg you, do not put paper down the toilet. And thank you for choosing my beautiful country for your holiday.”
Like many other ardent Hellenophiles, I fell in love with the country, its people, and cultures ancient and modern on my first visit many years ago. That eye-opening experience also introduced me to sailing, another big love, so it’s wonderful to return in the company of three clever, funny, close friends.
There are some 6000 islands and islets in six main groups scattered across Greece’s seas, and although our initial plan is to sail through less-visited islands in the Cyclades for a week en route to Athens, the weather gods are not favouring that option. Panos suggests we head north to the Saronic Gulf, where conditions will be calmer.
Our first port of call, after battling into hefty northerly winds for more than six hours, is on the southern tip of Sifnos. Harbour master Maria waves us in and we learn very quickly to obey our skipper’s short, sharp commands. We must lower the anchor from the bow at exactly the right moment while he reverses to the dock wall, where helpful passers-by emerge to grab mooring ropes. Bareboat sailors who don’t know the manoeuvres often come a cropper; anchor chains tangle in busy harbours and there can be a lot of shouting between boats. It pays to be in expert hands.
After a couple of drinks at a waterfront bar where men are hanging out playing backgammon, laughing, smoking and talking animatedly in time-honoured Greek style, we wander around the idyllic bay and discover a fabulous restaurant for dinner. NUS serves sophisticated Aegean dishes created from produce grown at its own farm and proves to be just one of many memorable meals savoured over the course of our private mini-cruise.
A shorter hop takes us to Kythnos, where we stay overnight in Merichas – another picturesque, laid-back port where we are bowled over by the friendliness of the local shopkeepers and restaurant owners. We stock up on groceries and drinks as we go, for onboard breakfasts, occasional lunches and post-swimming cocktails, but exploring ashore is the way to go when your boat docks in the heart of every port.
A late night in a Merichas bar is followed by a very early start for the 54 nautical mile journey to Ermioni, a pretty town set against a backdrop of pine forests on the hilly Peloponnese peninsula. We walk through Bisti archaeological park to deserted, rocky beaches where we swim in the clearest, cleanest imaginable water, then follow the path to a clifftop cafe where the only other customers are a Greek family lunching with two Orthodox priests. Although Ermioni is popular with Athenian holiday-home owners, there’s no sense of over-tourism here. It’s also close to the Saronic Gulf islands of Hydra, Dokos, Poros and Aegina; we take the ferry to Hydra, a 25-minute trip, and spend a memorable morning browsing chic clothes, homewares and jewellery shops.
Away from the harbour, Hydra’s hidden mansions, flower-filled alleyways and tranquil squares are largely unchanged since the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was home to wealthy shipbuilders. It has long attracted poets, writers and artists; in the 1960s, Leonard Cohen, Charmian Clift and George Johnston were among the creative community that famously lived large and played hard here. A little detour reveals Cohen’s house, now owned by his musician son Adam.
We sail from Ermioni to Dokos for the night and while anchored off the island under a perfect full moon, Panos tells us the intriguing tale of a shepherdess who has lived alone here for many years, tending her goats and the little church by the shore. The story, which involves stoicism, tradition and a totally bizarre modern-day episode, ends in gales of laughter. Our skipper can add raconteur to his lengthy list of accom-plishments.
The next day, we stop for a swim in a beautiful bay on the south side of Poros, where the only building to be seen is an old monastery, now home to a group of nuns. The waterfront of Poros port is lined with impressive houses, tavernas and shops and, like Hydra, this charismatic island has played host to world-famous painters and writers, including Marc Chagall and novelist Henry Miller.
Our final stop before Athens is Aegina. Every place we’ve stayed has its own distinct character and beauty, but I’m totally smitten by Aegina’s unpretentious, old-world charm. We hire a car at Perdika port for the princely sum of €40 ($66) and drive inland to see the fifth-century Temple of Aphaia, a glorious hilltop edifice that is miraculously crowd-free.
We laze the afternoon away at Aeginitissa beach and make a list of the Greece-inspired books we will read back in Sydney – Charmian Clift’s Peel Me a Lotus, Polly Samson’s A Theatre of Dreamers, Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, Stephen Fry’s Mythos, and anything by “honorary Greek citizen” Victoria Hislop. They should keep us going while we bask in the memories of a magical week and plan our next Book Club outing.
In the know
Skippered charters of the 42ft lagoon catamaran George A and many other catamarans and monohulls are available through Athenian Yachts. George A has four double cabins with ensuites, plus two singles at the bow (one for the skipper), spacious saloon/dining area, fully equipped galley, generous cockpit space with a table and plenty of chill-out spots on deck. It can accommodate up to 12 guests. Weekly charter boat hire from €5000 ($8283) plus €1400 ($2308) skipper fees; fuel and port fees are extra.
