Dear friend

Sailing in Greece is a unique way to discover the splendors of Greece and its marvelous islands, while exploring hidden coves, remote islands, pristine beaches and turquoise blue waters. You can drop anchor to a secluded bay, sunbathe or lay on untouched – by tourism – beaches that can only be reached by sea.

Sailing in Greece gives you the chance to actually experience what you have been picturing; diving off your sailing yacht into the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea, unwinding on deck enjoying a cold drink, hearing the waves splashing against the yacht's keel.

Sailing holidays in Greece give you the best chance to see many islands within a few days…

The geography, beautiful landscapes, large number of anchorages and mild climate, make Greece an ideal destination for sailing holidays. Whether you are a novice and just wish to join a skippered sailing holiday… or are an experienced sailor who wish to rent his own yacht, you will be happy with the many possibilities.

* Immense coastline & variety of islands:

Greece boasts more than 1,400 islands and the largest coastline in Europe. The best part about Greece is that most of the islands are set in complexes with small distances among them. This is a dream coming true for those who wish to visit Greece and get to know as many islands as possible by island hoping.

You can island hop around the Cyclades, Ionian & Dodecanese islands, secluded coves and beaches with crystal-clear blue waters inaccessible by land.

* Sailor's paradise:

Greece is a sailor’s paradise, with immense coastline, consistent trade winds to fill your sails, clear blue water, year-round sunshine, plenty of safe anchorages and islands close enough to navigate by sight.

A typical day may involve 3-4 hours sailing, stop on the way at a remote bay for a swim and lunch, short sail to the fishing port or bay where you'll spend the night. In the evening, you'll discover the island you visited and more importantly the main village "hora" where you can have supper at the local tavern and sample the local delicacies.

* Beautiful scenery & unique wildlife

You'll enjoy dramatic coastal scenery, stunning mountain views, astonishing landscapes with abandoned terraces, ruined windmills, caves, bridges, steep rocky cliffs, springs and small gorges… enjoy ravishing wild herbs and flowers… encounter endemic wildlife… reach remote solitary beaches and coves with crystal clear waters.
 
Herds of dolphins such as the Bottle-nosed dolphin, the Common dolphin and the Striped dolphin will be your companions while sailing from one island to the other. Endangered animals like the Mediterranean Seal and the Loggerhead sea turtle and endemic species like the Skyros' Wall Lizard, Milos Viper are the natural, unique wealth of Aegean & Ionian seas. On your way sea birds such as like gulls and cormorants will keep you company.

* Warm temperatures & clear skies:

Greece is characterized by a warm climate and endless blue skies. The air is usually hot during the day and pleasantly warm at night. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Greece, specifically May, June, September and October, if you enjoy mild weather and you wish to avoid the heat of the summer.

* Fascinating local culture & historic ancient sites:

Unique landscapes with tens of quaint villages, Venetian castles, ancient temples, protected coves, cosmopolitan towns and endless sandy beaches where you can swim and eat at the family-run local tavernas. By sailing around the islands you'll have the chance to experience the warm friendliness and hospitality of the islanders and discover an untouched traditional culture and welcome.

* Delicious food & wine:

Food always tastes better when it’s grown on the doorstep and sailing to remote, smaller islands is a unique way to discover truly off-the-beaten-track local producers. Whether tasting freshly-picked home-cooked food at a family-run tavern, buying fresh fish from the fisherman, sampling olive oil from a small olive grove or tasting locally produced cheese, it will be a fascinating experience.

* Sailing is eco-friendly:

This is the holiday that takes you closer to nature… at Mystic Blue, for example, we use the power of sail and wind and only use the motor when entering in and out of ports. Our charters have an eco-friendly character as we wish our guests to discover and appreciate the natural attractions, wildlife and culture of the Aegean. On these excursions not only we make sure no garbage is left behind but we also gather garbage left behind by others. You can read more about our responsible travel policy here…
 
Having our sailing yacht as a base we have formed a series of activity holidays that will introduce you to these unique areas, culture, flora and fauna of the Aegean. These involve sailing, walking, diving and wildlife observations.

Apart from the excitement of sailing and relaxing on beautiful bays enjoying the Greek sun and deep blue of the Aegean, you will have the chance to:

* participate in activities such as bird and dolphin spotting,
* walk in natural paths and experience the unique nature and landscapes of the Aegean,
* dive and discover the unique wealth of the Mediterranean sea,
* visit areas where the Mediterranean Seal and the Loggerhead sea turtle live and breed,
* learn how to approach wildlife and capture amazing images,
* interact with locals and experience their customs, culture, cuisine and way of life…

to give you a few examples.

 
Against all odds… 5 people, a sailing journey, a garbage management experiment…

In mid-November our sailing yacht Tahita and her crew departed from our base, the island of Syros, for a crossing of the Mediterranean that would last 45 days. Mystic Blue organized this journey with FatCut, a collaborative network that creates and transforms seemingly useless objects (garbage) in order to give them greater sustainability and repurpose them into useful products and educational toys (upcycling).

The plan was to sail to several Mediterranean coastal destinations in order to run and participate in workshops, exchange ideas and know-how regarding upcycling with other networks. Our multilingual crew consisted of 5 craftsmen covering skills and techniques in various fields (welding, carpentry e.t.c). 

Having as a set this unique sailing adventure that requires many days at sea, we set a challenge to ourselves… The challenge; 

To reduce garbage waste to zero! To achieve the optimal management of garbage during our journey...

Please find below examples of how we dealt with the garbage issues we were faced. Also listed are a few proposals for extending the life of materials and the reduction of garbage that can be applied in your everyday lives:
 
Organic: All organic matter was thrown overboard while under way. Instead of throwing used cooking oil at sea we mixed it with paper pulp in order to enhance the fuel for our stove. If you have a garden at home you can of course make compost!

Plastics:

• Plastic bottles were collected and turned into threads that will be knitted so as to form chairs, lampshades e.t.c.
• We used the lids from the bottles to make toys such as a memory game (sticked pictures at their back side), robots, cars, kaleidoscopes, e.t.c.
• We ironed plastic bags and we turned them into a very strong, thick material which was used to make accessories such as purses, wallets e.t.c.
• We turned other plastic packaging into toys, tupperware e.t.c.
  

Glass: We used glass bottles of beer and other alcoholic drinks to make fine wine glasses, drinking glasses, shots, lamps, salt & pepper shakers, candlesticks. The process is very old and it involves glass cutting and sanding.

Paper:

• The use of toilet paper was 100% eliminated by just using water instead. Cleaner body, less cut trees and less paper thrown in dumps.
  
  
• Kitchen and other paper (without lamination or ink): we collected them and created a paper pulp. We placed them in hot water with a small amount of used cooking or engine oil, let them soak overnight, then we put all the materials in the blender and we ended up with a pulp ready for pressing. Using offcuts and scraps of wood we created a simple press in order to create briquettes that were used as fuel for our stove.
  
  
• Laminated paper: Paper and plastic cannot be recycled once mixed together so we need to reuse it as much as possible at the yacht or home. We made ''smart'' wallets, wedges for doors or tables, stuffing for pillows, toys. At home it can have many uses as simple as becoming a dry-erase board or as a wrapping material.
  
  
• Newspapers: We used it for cleaning glass and mirrors and as stuffing for toys. But it can be used at home for wrapping packages and gifts e.t.c. We have found out that it can be upcycled after being pulped into cardboard paper of various forms. If you also mix it with gluten you will end up with a material of much greater strength which can be used to make furniture among other things.
  
  

Metal: We used metal cans of coffee, tomato sauce e.t.c. to make kaleidoscopes, molds for pulp matrixes, pots, storage packs e.t.c. Bottle tops can also become magnets for the refrigerator and toys.

We are very proud of our "Rocket" stove which was constructed out of a discarded boiler, broken tiles, firebricks and iron scrap materials. It was tailored to the needs of our sailing yacht. It provides:
 
- 50% less consumption of wood,
- 80% lees emissions of CO,
- 55% less emissions of particulate matter than a standard stove.
 
We also created a bicycle and a trailer transport out of discarded bicycle frames and other scrap.

Fabric: Fabric offcuts can be turned into rags, bags, scarves, hats, stuffed dolls, bedspreads, cushions e.t.c.

Foil: It becomes a hard sponge ideal for pans.

Wood: Offcuts and scrap can be used to make toys, salt & peper sharks, presses e.t.c.

Corks: They can be turned into bath mats, bulletin boards e.t.c.

We would love to hear your experiences and suggestions. Contact us with your ideas and feedback at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.
 
Mystic Blue team