This is an example of a typical itinerary on our 2wk Greek trips. However, no two trips are ever exactly the same; one of the greatest things about being on a sailboat is the flexibility to change our minds and our route to suit personal preferences, prevailing wind conditions, etc. The start and finish points are fixed, of course - but all else is changeable according to the whims of the wind gods and those on board !

Day 1 Your yacht will be awaiting you at 11am in Keci Buku. A little village/harbour just 30mins drive from the main town of Marmaris, it's a wonderful contrast to the buzzing metropolis! Keci Buku is described as a "gem" in the Turkish Waters Pilot - and it truly is. A wide, sweeping bay surrounded by pine forests, with a fascinating old fortress perched on the top of an island guarding the entrance. An unusual sandspit extends far out into the bay, creating the illusion of people "walking on water" as they stroll out into the middle of the bay!

After having everyone's settled in, we'll set off for our first destination of Dirsek - a very pretty little bay with just one taverna nestled in a corner. Tranquil though it is, we've had quite a few lively nights in this little spot ! Wonderful swimming, a short hike up to a stunning look-out point and just generally a great chill-out spot. This first day is a fairly short sail to get everyone's sea legs in shape!

Day 2 Enough of the quiet, relaxing evenings to recover from jetlag - tonight, we are heading for a night of belly-dancing in Bozburun - a small, very traditional Turkish village. It's full of gulets (wooden motor sailors), but not many yachts - and certainly not many tourists! We dock at a tiny wooden jetty just outside the village, at a little family-run pension/restaurant right on the waterfront. It is a shady, tranquil spot; we get to use their sunbeds, borrow their fun kayaks, and generally make ourselves very much at home here! Quiet though it may be usually, our groups often signal "party night" to the locals - the guys here love to dance - the most amazing belly-dancing moves which they delight in trying to teach us stiff-hipped types!

Day 3 Sail to Datca - a lively little town. The waterfront is lined with bars and tavernas; one street behind are several interesting craft & jewellery shops. Walking towards the beach, there is a tiny lake, with a surprisingly powerful "mini-waterfall" as it runs into the ocean; a great and very cooling massage experience !!

For more of the "real thing" - the local haman (Turkish baths) is a not-to-be-missed experience. Lounge around on heated marble slabs, have those layers of old, dirty skin loofah'd off, complete the process with a smoothing oil massage, piles of soft white towels and general pampered decadence!

There's several other cultural/historic trips from Datca for those interested; a visit to a stately old-home-turned-olive-farm (complete with instructions on gourmet oil-tasting!); "Old Town" Datca, abandoned by the Greeks after WW2, when the Greeks & Turks did their "population swap".

If carpet-buying is on your agenda - Datca is a great place to do it ! There is not the over-abundance and confusion of Istanbul (nor the elevated prices!), yet still plenty of variety to choose from.

Day 4 Sail to Ova Buku - a total contrast to the busy, modern ambiance of Datca, this is traditional Turkey as it has been for many years. It's also our home-from-home in Turkey, the family here always look after our sailors like visiting relatives ! Ogun - our young Turkish friend who created this fantastic little hideout - has seemingly boundless energy and warmth; he also has a collection of silly and fun after-dinner games which often catch out the unwary ! (Hey, you're on vacation - you're allowed to regress :>) Semra, his sister, creates a huge variety of home-cooked Turkish food - not the usual tourist fare.

We dock on a tiny wooden jetty, with a lovely sandy beach which curves around the bay. It's shallowness and sandy bottom make it especially warm and one of our favourite swimming spots. For those looking for a little more privacy, a short distance away is a lovely long and isolated pebbly beach; a perfect afternoon retreat and/or hike.

Day 5 Sail to Knidos - once upon a time, this was a key city/harbour in the ancient world, home to many thousands of people. Now it is just a tranquil and well-sheltered bay - but extensive remains of these former civilizations still lie scattered around the hills, surrounding the bay on all three sides. There are amphitheatres, stone pillars and carvings, statue and temple remains - all incredibly intact. It is really a time warp experience to wander around these hills and imagine the way of life all those thousands of years ago.

Day 6 An early morning start for Turgutreis. A very lively, up-and-coming little town on the SW point of the Bodrum peninsula, and our official check-in point to/from Turkey. Happily, the place has not (yet!) grown into a mass-tourist centre like Bodrum; the little town still has a very low-key ambiance; lots of fun shopping in the winding bazaar streets, and some lovely little waterfront bars and tavernas overlooking the sandy beach. And the most spectacular sunsets to enjoy with our evening cocktails!

The marina there is a very new addition, only completed a couple of years ago. Like most present-day Turkey, it is a very well organized and attractive little spot, with excellent facilities and super-friendly staff. Their huge swimming pool is a wonderfully decadent hangout!

Day 7 This is the halfway point for those sailing with us for the first week; disembarkation is normally at 9am in Turgutreis. Depending on other charters/guests, we are sometimes able to offer the opportunity to stay on board and sail with us over to Kos (Greece).

A fairly early start from Turgutreis, as much customs paperwork to be dealt with today! This is the day we cross over to Greece - about a 2hr sail to Kos.. It takes about 2-3 hrs to clear bureaucracy - time to visit the castle/ruins for those who are culturally inclined, or sit and drink milkshakes and take in the passing harbourfront parade for others ! Kos is very much the "package tour destination" of the Dodecanese - interesting to observe the sardine-packed beaches, even better to wave them goodbye, as we sail out…

Our destination for the evening is the little harbour of Vathi, on the island of Kalymnos. It is a very dramatic little spot; a well-hidden and very narrow fjord-like entrance, opening up into a tiny fishing village at the head of the bay. It boasts one main street and a collection of houses scattered into the valley; an unexpected patch of lush vegetation on an otherwise very dry and arid-looking island. Vathi is the only place on the entire island that is lucky enough to have it's own spring water supply, and they use it carefully to cultivate citrus fruits, figs, grapes and anything else that can be persuaded to grow.

It's also the home of Poppy's- one of our "adopted families" around here, where momma makes the best homemade dolmades (stuffed grapeleaves) you'll ever taste in your life, and the swordfish steaks are out of this world !!

Day 8 Sail to Paleonissos - a little-known secret of Kalymnos. Another dramatic and mountainous bay, tucked well away in the north of the island; anchorages like this are what make landlubbers fall totally in love with the cruising lifestyle ! There is little here apart from herds of goats; at dusk and dawn, the sound of their bells echoes around the hillside. With no distracting light around, the night sky is a dramatic sight; many an hour has been spent sitting on deck / on the beach simply star-gazing. Our unlikely-seeming dinner spot is a hike-and-scramble 5mins inland, through bushes of sweet-smelling sage - to the backyard of our local buddy Nicolas. Nick is a very eccentric character who delights in telling stories of the old Kalymnian sponge fishers, and sometimes invites his music-loving companions from nearby villages to serenade us - bouzouki, guitar or even a goat-bladder (yes, really!)

Day 9 Sail to Pandeli Bay, on the east coast of Leros. This is one of the prettiest anchorages to sail into you can imagine; a horseshoe-shaped bay with traditional blue-and-white houses scattered down the hillside; 11th century fortress which towers over the bay. Our favourite little beach tavernas are just 2 mins swim from the boats! For those with plenty of night-owl energy, there is the infamous Savana Bar - a very idiosyncratic little local hangout, where we often end up dancing the night away…

Day 9 The next day is Lipsos - the island of 42 blue-domed churches! It's a quiet, very untouristy island; the harbour is a typical, whitewashed little Greek town; a photographers' dream in the village. To cool off, there is a lovely little sandy beach, just over the hill from where we moor the boats, and a great hike out to the point for those needing to burn off some of those calamari !

If we're lucky and conditions are calm, we may be able to visit Macro Nisi (the "cave" island) for a swim stop en route. It's a secluded little anchorage with sheer-sided cliffs, which have been known to entice the braver (or more foolhardy !) amongst us to throw caution to the wind and leap off them ! For those more inclined to be adventurous in/under the water, there's also a swim-through hole to snorkel through to the cave the other side.

Day 10 Sail to Marathi; a truly tiny little island with a sandy, horseshoe-shaped beach, beautiful water to swim and snorkel in; a totally tranquil and peaceful spot. If you could paint a picture of the perfect, idyllic island retreat, Marathi would be it ! There are just three families living here; wonderfully friendly and hospitable people. Great food too!! This place is a magical balm for the stressed-out city-living soul….so much so that it's often been hard to persuade people that, really, we should leave, there are other islands to visit !

Day 11 Sail to Patmos - a short hop of only a couple of hours. This is the famous monastery island, where St John (as of Apostle fame) was inspired by visions to write the Book of Revelations. The 10th century monastery (built by Crusader Knights) reigns over the island, still an active training centre for novice monks The village that lies at the foot of the monastery is everyone's romantic image of a Greek village; incredibly narrow, winding alleyways, cats sunning themselves on whitewashed streets, old ladies in black collecting fresh bread from the bakery in the morning. Despite all the visitors they now get, these villagers have remained wonderfully friendly; particularly if you go up there in the early morning hours; the old ladies will look at you in faint amazement that a foreigner should find their way up there at such an hour; if you can remember enough of our Greek lessons to say "kalimera!" (good morning), they'll give you a huge smile and a "kalimera-sas" back (good morning to you too) !

Day 12 We'll spend most of the day in Patmos.... there's so much to do and see here, we could spend a week and still not be bored ! It's a great place to rent little 50cc scooters / hire a jeep and explore… lots of little villages, bays, and our favourite "Quiche Beach" with their terribly decadent milkshakes! To burn some of those calories off, for the more energetic amongst us, there's a 40min hike to a really cool, sandy "clothing-optional" beach. For those who love the nightlife, the more modern port of Skala offers plenty of choices; tavernas, bar and chance to dance the night away for those so inclined…

Sail late afternoon for Arki - a relatively short hop. Another tiny, traditional island, Arki boasts a permanent population of just 27 - not counting the goats! There is just one little port, a few houses scattered down the hillside - and most of all, Manoli's place ! Mr Cool Dude Manoli runs a wonderful little oasis of a taverna; cushions scattered around the shady patio, speakers hidden away in the trees, from which a constant, beautiful stream of music emanates. Manoli has the most incredible music collection you could ever imagine on such an isolated little island, and is quite the musical expert too. Get him in the right mood, and he's also a hot dancer… as are all his nieces and nephews !

Day 13 Sail to Leros, to our home base of Lakki on the western side. En route, we'll stop for lunch-and-swim at the little uninhabited island of Archangelos . Beautifully bright turquoise waters, last chance to get some of those "wow" shots to make the folks back home totally jealous!
Once back in Lakki, there is one last chance to soak up the sun on the little beach just around the corner from the yachts, or maybe just chill out with a beer / ice-cream frappe in the marina's taverna! Farewell dinner at Vromolithos - a beautiful beachfront taverna with amazing views over the bay - and, for a final night's grand finale - live Greek music !

Day 14 Disembark 9am in Lakki.

Ongoing connection info: One flight per day Leros- Athens, departs approx 10.30am. There are usually 2-3 hydrofoil connections to Samos and Kos per day; takes 2-2.5hrs. These slands have 4-5 flights per day back to Athens.

It is also possible to get the overnight ferry to Athens; departs late evening, usually between 10-12pm. Takes 8-10hrs. Cabins are comfortable and it is quite a fun, relaxing trip usually. The ferry dock is 5 mins walk from our marina base; the airport is 15mins taxi ride.

Connections to Turkey; 1-2 ferries per day from Samos-Kusadasi ; 2 ferries daily from Kos to either Bodrum or Turgutreis. The fast catamaran connects Leros to Rhodes twice a day; there are also ferries from Rhodes-Marmaris.