Loving the ocean life in Greece

The crews of the five large (51-58ft) yachts are chomping at the bit to get out there and hoist the sails. 

But Vince Donnelly, Director of Global Sailing of G Adventures, is being sensible.

“Wait for the gap in the wind,” he cautions. “It will come, just be ready to go.”

Departing a busy marina with neighbouring 70-100ft yachts in high winds takes some coordination and timing, but every boat has been ready to cast off for the last hour. 

The crews, mainly Irish, with a sprinkling of English and American, are all experienced sailors, though admittedly, of smaller boats. 

Handling these big yachts is different at first and no one is taking it lightly.

The 30 sailors on our flotilla are all guests of Vince, here to participate in a shakedown sail of the Greek islands of the Saronic Gulf. 

A week of sailing will uncover any faults or problems with the boats and give the company a chance to ensure all is ship shape and Bristol fashion when they welcome their first paying guests at the start of the season in two weeks’ time.

Vince, from Aghada in East Cork, had seen his hobby as a day sailor on Cork harbour become his job when he first applied to become a skipper in Greece during the recession in 2010. 

The following year he was promoted to lead skipper. In his third season with G Adventures, his project management skills in architecture and the building trade quickly elevated him to the task of developing and managing seven sailing destinations worldwide as part of a five-year plan: Croatia, Turkey, Italy, Montenegro, Cuba, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.

Two of the five boats are crewed by sailors from Cove Sailing Club, of which Vince is a member and Cruiser Class Captain. 

Another is packed with a great bunch of lads from the oil refinery at Whitegate. 

The fourth has a mix of English, Scottish and American sailors, and the last boat is made up of a group of Vince’s friends.

This week-long trip of the Saronic Gulf has been coordinated by Vince, along with his two G Adventures colleagues, Dave Hunter, also from Cork, and Grecian, Fiori Dobi Florind. 

We depart Alimos Marina without a hitch, busying ourselves with hoisting sails in the strong winds, not an easy task, with the passing high-speed ferries and cargo ships.

The camaraderie between everyone is fantastic. Each morning we raise our anchors in tiny harbours and set sail, enjoying three-to-four-hour voyages, arriving at each new island full of curiosity and anticipation.

The Greek food is delicious, Fiori drawing on his local knowledge to ensure we enjoy the best wherever we land. 

Cool tzatziki, Greek salad, stuffed peppers, and fried cheese are followed by local shrimp, calamari octopus, moussaka and souvlaki.

A pleasant first night is spent on Poros, 34 miles from Athens. The next morning we cross by ferry to the mainland for a 45-minute bus ride to see the ancient theatre of Epidaurus. 

Dating from 340 BC, the amphitheatre is remarkably intact with wonderful acoustics. Fellow sailor, Nick Day, an English actor who has starred in The Crown and Minder, delights us with an unforgettable oration of the speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears”.

Hydra is next, a car-less island of donkeys, and the inspiration for Leonard Cohen’s ‘Birds on the Wire’. 

Cohen lived here in the 60s, meeting Marianne Ihlen, to whom the song, ‘So long, Marianne’, is dedicated. A beautiful island, it is the prettiest of those we visit.

Mooring up to the quay wall, lined with donkeys waiting for their cargo and watching the world go by is a pleasant way to spend an evening. 

We sit in the cockpit watching the sun go down, listening to the dulcet tones of Cohen’s ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’, and trying to make out his house on the hill, which is still owned by his family today.

Spetses Island, made famous by John Fowles’ novel, The Magus, is the southernmost island of the Saronic Gulf. Dinner here is hosted by Fiori in a picturesque shoreside restaurant, complete with a resident DJ. 

The entire place is heaving by the end of the night, the locals inviting us up for a spot of Greek dancing in which we all eagerly, if not very gracefully, participate.

A dinghy race and fancy dress party are on the cards the next day at a beautiful anchorage off the mainland. 

Teams from each boat have to race in a dinghy around the yachts and try to avoid being mercilessly pelted by rotten fruit and vegetables or drenched with buckets of water thrown by the spectators. 

One overzealous onlooker even tries to lasso the crew on one of the dinghies with a rope from the bow.

The last island we visit is Aegina on the return leg to Athens. We stay for two nights, one in the pretty harbour of Perdika, and the second at Aegina port, where we enjoy our final farewell night.

G Adventures sailing season for Greece, Croatia, Montenegro and Italy starts at the end of April. Yachts range from 51 feet to 58 feet and sleep eight people comfortably with a professional skipper. 

No sailing experience is necessary, but the opportunity to learn and have fun is guaranteed!

• Cathy was a guest of G Adventures, specialists in small-group adventure travel. gadventures.com