Begin a new adventure..... in Greece!

San Juan Sailing, in partnership with Vernicos Yachts of Greece, is proud to present you with a unique opportunity!  In addition to fine tuning your sailing skills we will teach you the ins and outs of the customary Med mooring procedures you will encounter when chartering in the Med.  You will sail on a spacious 4-cabin Beneteau 44, accompanied by a San Juan Sailing instructor and guided by Stan and Glenda Baker who have been exploring the Greek Isles for years.

(If you still need to complete ASA 104 "Bareboat Charter Certification", you can accomplish this too...at no extra charge!)

Prerequisite:  ASA 103 "Basic Coastal Cruising" OR equivalent experience.

Rate:  $1795 per person based on double occupancy (OR $3195 for single occupancy).  Includes exclusive occupancy of a stateroom, equipped with linens and towels, as well as the flotilla leader fee, all instruction, fuel, and breakfast and lunch daily.

Other expenses to plan for: Guests will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Kalamaki Marina in Athens.  Breakfast and lunch are provided but plan for dinners to be eaten ashore at the local tavernas.  Any alcoholic beverages may be purchased separately.  There will be time to shop and explore, so guests will want to plan accordingly.  Mooring fees will be split up by the stateroom.

Dates:  September 8-15, 2007*

You also have the option of joining the flotilla on your own chartered yacht.  Please contact San Juan Sailing (info@sanjuansailing.com or 1-800-677-7245) for details.

*You may also join as a flotilla boat (flotilla fee $500/week) for this week,
as a bareboat skipper and crew.  Please call San Juan Sailing for information.

Sample Itinerary
Note:  Each week will feature different ports of call.

We recommend coming in a day or two earlier to see the sights of ancient Athens. We will assist in arranging hotels and tours. Depending on how many want this option and our schedule we might be able to guide them.

Day 1 - Board yacht at Kalamaki Marina, Athens, Greece. Provision for sailing adventure at local Greek marketplace. Depending on when everyone is ready to cast off, we may sail that afternoon the 20 NM past Salimas Island (Site of one of the greatest ancient sea battles if all) and med-moor our first night at Aegina Marina on lovely Nisos (Island) Aegina. Aegina is the original source of Pistachios (they taste great!) and where the first modern Greek government was formed. Whether at Kalamaki or Aegina, this first evening we will dine ashore and enjoy wonderful Greek cuisine at a local Taverna!

Day 2 - Cast off for a day of adventure and learning in the sparkling turquoise-blue waters of the Saronic Gulf. Anchor in a secluded bay for lunch and a swim and then a fast beam to close reach into the harbor of Poros where we will decide either to anchor out and dinghy to shore or med-moor on the ancient quay of Poros Town. One of the most picturesque villages in all of Hellas (ancient name for the land of Greece), taking your camera through the white cobblestone streets and stairways up to the unique Venitian clock tower overlooking the bay towards the Pelloponise Peninsula at sunset is an absolute must! After a leisurely dinner at an out of the way family-owned Greek Taverna we return to our yachts for a good night's rest.

Day 3 - A great day to perfect our all-important coastal navigation skills as we sail the 25 NM past where the Greek historian Herodotus tells us the first sailboat races ever were held at Ermioni. Tonight we will be "Med-mooring on stilts" (tying two long lines ashore) in the lovely harbor of Nisos Spetsai. Home of the greatest and most famous woman Admiral of all time, Boubalina, we will take a walk past her home and dine outside under the stars on a wooden wharf jutting out into the harbor.

Day 4 - Today we sail from Nisos Spetsai across the Argolic Gulf (home to King Agamemnon as told by Homer in his poem "The Iliad") tacking and watching our points of sail through the sometimes shifting winds. Tonight we either anchor out or med-moor to rocks ashore at Nisos Dokos, one of the oldest known Hellenic harbors and used by sailors since 600 BC or even earlier. Tonight's the night for Captain Stan's "almost-but-never-quite famous" barbequed chicken, Greek salad and wine dinner ashore!

Day 5 - A leisurely morning and then time to practice skills and drills as we sail to where we med-moor in the small and active harbor of Hydra for the night. Hydra was home to some the greatest and most skilled sea captains of Greece that ever sailed the "Wine-dark seas" of the Aegean. The shopping here is truly excellent, and the home-made Greek ice cream not to be missed! A laid-back early evening at a local Taverna so we are well prepared for tomorrow!

Day 6 - We cast off early for the longest sail of our Greek Island Cruise! Setting our course almost due east, some 50+ NM on a beam reach later we will make landfall at the Roman provisioning island of Kea (ancient Tzia which means "Garden Island"). After med-mooring along the mole at Voukari Limani we will step ashore and board a small bus taking us to the hill top village of Iulios for an evening stroll to the 500 BC mysterious Lion of Kea. After saying "Yamas" ("Cheers" in Greek) to Georgos the donkey we return to Voukari for an evening of fun and food at Niko's Taverna with some of the best and freshest fish you will ever taste! If you want a tour of the kitchen, Glenda will be happy to give you the "Cook's Tour" so you can meet Tina, a very good home-town cook..

Day 7 - Sailing northwards we anchor for lunch and a swim at Cape Sounion in the shadow of the 5th Century Temple of Poseidon. This is where Alexander the Great built and launched his many ships that ruled the mighty Aegean. After lunch we sail on northward and return as skilled Mediterranean skippers to Kalamaki Marina!