It had been on my bucket list for a long time: sailing in Greece. The many islands, the beautiful bays, dolphins and turtles, and then that Greek food…I could picture it all. Unfortunately I didn’t have anyone who was interested in sailing and I didn’t want to do it on my own. Until I discovered the co-sailing option of Portokali. Hop aboard the leadship, meet new people and sail in a flotilla? Let’s go!
I had sailed before, so a sailboat was not unfamiliar territory, but this kind of vacation was. With a lot of enthusiasm, but also some nerves, I arrived on Aegina – the island where our trip began.
Once in the harbor, a kind of tranquility descended that I cannot describe. The atmosphere was so cozy and relaxed that you immediately shot into vacation mode. The Portokali boaters were easy to spot in their orange shirts and it was immediately cozy.
Aboard the leadship – where I would be staying for the next week along with three other co-sailors and two skippers – I met the group. The Portokali team had clearly thought carefully about the composition: I am 25 years old, and the ages of the other three co-sailors – a couple and another solo traveler – were between 26 and 32. Also in the flotilla there were several couples in their late twenties and a few families with already older children. The perfect mix!
The first evening we all ate together in a cozy indoor garden of a restaurant. Finally I was able to enjoy the Greek cuisine I had been looking forward to for so long. We ordered all the traditional Greek dishes to share and toasted the upcoming trip with a Mythos beer. The atmosphere was right on. Afterwards, I retreated to my private cabin for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow the adventure would really begin.
The next morning we started with a cup of coffee and a briefing. The flotilla leaders told us about the weather, the wind and the next destination. In fact, we go to a different place each day. Poros is first on the schedule.
On board it was pleasant. There was a nice breeze, so we soon hoisted the sails. Some of us could already sail a little, but the skippers taught us all new things. In the afternoon we dropped anchor in a beautiful bay, where other boats from the flotilla joined us. Together we prepared lunch, took a swim and chilled on the deck. The group clicked well: everyone got along. Sometimes we were chatting or diving into the water, and at other times I retreated with a book on the foredeck. Everyone was doing their thing.
Once in Poros, we stepped right from the boat onto the terrace where we toasted with a cold anchor beer. Slowly the other boats trickled in. Nice to see how everyone moored and how smoothly the skippers helped. We strolled a bit along the promenade and joined the restaurant where the skippers had made reservations. The tables again filled with Greek food and the Greek wine tasted surprisingly good. We toasted with an Ouzo and for those who still felt like it, the evening continued at the Malibu bar. Never thought that on the second evening I would have such a good time with people I had only known for a day.
The days that followed brought as many surprises: we spent the night in a beautiful secluded bay, where we enjoyed the most beautiful sunset with a picnic and then slept under a starry sky like I’ve never seen before.
We moored in a small harbor with a few fishing boats and only one authentic Greek tavern where we ate the stars from the sky and lingered after dinner for a very long time.
We stayed in Hydra, where little donkeys greeted us and we bought nice souvenirs for home.
We sailed, swam, snorkeled, cooked together on board, relaxed, discovered new towns and idyllic harbors, drank another Ouzo, got ice creams and had lunch with pita gyros… One time we even came across a turtle!
It is almost unbelievable how much we experienced in one week. And all with people I didn’t know at all when I left.
What started as a leap of faith became one of the most beautiful trips I have ever taken. I can recommend it to everyone.
