Steven Parry is our very own charter director, and is your captain/program director on some of the spring and fall departures. He is a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) certified skipper who has also trained with the Canadian Power Squadron and the J-World Sailing School. A certified PADI Divemaster and trained in first–aid, this will be Steven’s 16th year in the Greek islands. Steven studied archaeology with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and attended the University of Texas A&M Masters level course in marine archaeology.

Details about all our captains

Two healthy meals are provided aboard the lead yachts each day for cabin-charter guests. Breakfasts are generally light ‘continental’, self-serve and are a great start to the day before heading out to sites or onto the water. Breakfast may include fresh bread, cereals, yogurt and fresh fruit along with coffee, tea, and orange juice. Generally ‘American’ style hot breakfasts are not served aboard but guests may choose to eat ashore on some mornings. Lunches are usually served in the shaded cockpit while anchored in secluded bays. Lunch consists of salads: Greek, tuna, egg, coleslaw, potato or pasta and may be served with fresh bread, an assortment of cheeses and/or cold cuts, olives and/or capers, Greek dips dips (Tzatziki) and fruit may be served. Stops are often made for lunch, a swim and a snorkel. Beverages such as soft drinks, iced tea and bottled water are included and stowed on board. In the afternoon, we also offer coffee or tea and sweets such as cookies to tide us over until dinner. Guests are expected to help prepare, serve and clean up after meals. Guests are welcome to bring aboard their own specialty and snack foods, alcohol, mixer drinks and ice for ‘Happy Hour’ which is not included.

The ‘lead’ yachts are among the best maintained vessels in their category in Greece. Most Aegean Adventure Cruises are conducted aboard the luxury sloops Margarita, Anastasia, and Dream for groups of 8–9 guests and Gemini, the largest vessel which can accommodate a group of 10-11 guests with numerous bunk bed ‘singles’ cabins. These vessels are 61-63 feet on deck and 70 feet overall with the bow sprit and afterdeck platforms! These spacious yachts feature identical double-bed cabins and bunk bed cabins for singles, all with private washroom facilities. Washrooms feature marble/granite countertops and stainless steel fixtures. The 16 feet wide beams allow for a fully equipped galley including 2 refrigerators, a microwave and a double sink. The salons have a large dining area including a table with surround couch, storage cabinets and lots of headroom. The cockpits have an external dining table with boat cushions and weather resistant sound systems. The yachts are equipped with a generator (220V), Bimini (shade awning) and spray hood. These 36+ ton sloops have a cutter rig with two forward furling sails and mainsails with ‘lazy–jack’ or ‘roller’ system. Please note that these are not ‘racing’ yachts, they are ‘cruising’ yachts and will motor sail in light air. *Air-conditioning is not used due to limited shore power in Greek harbors and the use of generators is prohibited at night.

Groups of 5–7 guests can be accommodated aboard similar but smaller yachts with one captain/guide. All yachts meet the safety standards required by Greek maritime law: Emergency life rafts, life jackets, harnesses, first–aid kits and the standard safety equipment for sailboats are part of all yacht inventories. * Poseidon Charters reserves the right to use a smaller yacht than listed above based on the number of bookings. We cannot guarantee a particular vessel on ‘cabin charter’ as boats get booked and vary from year to year. When reserving the Aegean Adventure Cruise guests are booking a ‘cabin’ with 2 meals & non alcoholic beverages per day, they are not booking a particular ‘yacht’.

‘Flotilla boats’ can be chosen from our ‘Greece Yacht Charter’ web page. They must be hired by contract through our Greek partner offices and a flotilla fee is required to join the tour. Guests must also: insure, refuel, refill water, provision, pay occasional port fees and any extra services - such as a skipper or crew.

Flotillas are arranged based on the ‘Aegean Adventure Cruise’ departure schedule. The schedule begins in May and runs to the end of September with the exception of August. We do not advise travel to Greece in August as it is unbearably hot and filled with droves of European vacationers. Cruises and flotillas may also be scheduled in October which has pleasant weather conditions each year. Flotilla guests are offered:

1. assistance with provisioning, fuel and water throughout the tour
2. Daily chart briefings
3. VHF and visual contact
4. Docking assistance at each port
5. They are welcome to join on the archaeological itinerary including walking tours
6. Excursions in the evenings to sites and exceptional local tavernas and a beach BBQ may be planned.

All on shore excursions costs, if any, are additional and not included in the flotilla fee. There can be as few as one yacht in a flotilla or up to 12 yachts together. There must be two certified or experienced sailors on a flotilla yacht and it must be chartered as a bareboat through our office with the standard bareboat sailing license, contract and insurance requirements.

Flotilla yachts can be chosen from our list of 500 yachts including recent Bénéteau, Jeanneau, Catamarans and Greek designs. For a one-week Athens-Athens round trip flotilla, any size yacht may be chartered. On the 2-week, 330 miles ‘Aegean Adventure Cruise’ circuit, the minimum sized yacht is 37-feet. When the weather gets rough, the wind and waves can be too strong and uncomfortable for yachts less than 37 feet. However, it is not a problem for 37ft yachts to keep up to the larger 30+ton flotilla ‘lead’ yachts as they do very well in light air. When it is rough, smaller yachts are briefed to depart earlier on longer crossings. Please see the Greek Yacht Charter page or contact our office for a yacht catalogue and/or a quote on yacht availability and pricing. Please see the Flotilla page for additional details.

Dolphins sometimes swim at the bow while underway and sea turtles can be seen sunning themselves on the surface. Sardines, mackerel, swordfish and rays may also be seen. Tuna are sometimes caught while trolling. Scuba diving is available at Mykonos and divers and snorkelers can see octopus, crabs, scorpion fish and many other colorful fish but, Greece is not a scuba destination as it is not tropical. As a result of the high salt content (3.8% salt) the ecosystem has far fewer species than the tropics and the water is much more buoyant and offers incredibly clear visibility. There are no sharks so the only danger is stepping on a sea urchin! There is no large ‘coral’ formations, but sea sponges, coral encrustations and the caves can be colorful. Ancient ceramic fragments can be seen on many snorkels/dives, but must be left in place.

Charter sailing can be affected by the weather. The seas in the Saronic and Aegean are generally calm and offer exceptional sailing conditions. However, strong northerly winds ‘Meltemi’ and tricky southerly ‘Ostria’ winds can change the planned itinerary. Winds up to 30–40 mph may occur during July, August and September. A 1-meter short chop is the typical wave height however, 3-5 meter swells can develop. This is a challenge but not a problem for any of the yachts used for the ‘Aegean Adventure Cruises and Flotillas Program’. However, flotilla skippers and crews should consider their sailing abilities before booking. ‘Flotilla sailors’ should be intermediate to experienced level while ‘cabin charter’ guests do not require any experience as they are aboard crewed yachts. Ferries connect almost all of our island circuit, and some guests opt to ferry certain legs to avoid rough weather periods. Longer passages (62, 50 and 65 miles) are broken up by several day stops but guests must appreciate that this trip can be both relaxing and challenging if the wind and seas are rough. Captains and program Directors get weather forecasts and inform the guests of rougher conditions.

Life Aboard Ship & Group Dynamics

This is not a cruise ship holiday, It is a hands-on adventure where guests participate in all aspects of life aboard ship: partaking in raising sail, navigation, taking watches, practicing Med-Mooring, as well as helping prepare, serve and clean up the two light meals aboard each day. We ask that you consider your expectations, physical abilities, psychology in staying aboard a small vessel, dietary requirements (as there are limitations on what is available) and how well you enjoy the company of others - before you decide to join the tour. Other considerations are sea sickness, sun stroke, lack of sleep and allergies. Guests must appreciate that they are only one member of a crew and that they may affect others. For the enjoyment of all crew members, it is imperative that guests maintain a ‘positive group dynamic’ throughout the charter. Guests must respect all crewmates and in particular, follow the direction of the Captain and Program Director who are responding to the needs and safety of all guests on board. Excessive drinking and cattiness will not be tolerated. For safety and to maintain a good group dynamic: the Captain’s word is the law aboard!

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