Free journey on a yacht in Greece – share experience

I will tell you how to travel on a sailing yacht for the Greek Islands. I will share my impressions about the islands themselves. You will learn how to repeat such a journey on the yacht: find captain on the Internet and agree with him.

My name is Olga. I am 33, I’m from Murmansk.

Journey on the yacht was my long-standing dream. In 2011, my friend told about the courses of the yacht captains and offered them together in the Mediterranean Sea. Then it did not work out, but I remained the dream under the sail.

How I got on the yacht

A couple of years ago I came across the site Findacrew. It allows the owners of yachts to find crews or travelers, and travelers yacht. Such a kind of sealabarcar.

I registered and safely forgot about it for the time being, until time. In March 2019. I lived in Nuremberg and thought where to go next time. I remembered about Findacrew and thoroughly filled out the questionnaire in a personal profile.

First a little about how everything is arranged on the site, then I will tell you about my trip.

We go to the site and click on top to the left item Find A Boat.

Or you can enter the location of interest in the search bar and click Findaboat with the magnifying glass icon. If you are the owner of the yacht and you need the crew, then click Findacrew.

Get here here:

It’s just all proposals in a row

On the left in the menu we enter the settings you need:

• Availability – availability (when you can get on the yacht)
• Locations – a diving area or a place where the yacht is located
• Vessel – Characteristics of the vessel, the number of places in which language they say.
• Crew Wanted – Who is looking for the captain (m / w, age, one or company)
• Position – What a ship role is needed on a yacht and under what conditions (read the conditions below)
• Advanced – Other settings

I was looking for a boat using the second item (locations). There you can search for a boat at a specific point and specify a possible search radius from this point.

There are 26 boats with a brief description on this request

The more information about you, the greater the chance to get into the team.

Consider on one example

It says that the captain is the name of Paul. He’s 40 years old. Sailing yacht with a length of 15.5 m, attributed to New Zealand. Place of landing – Panama. Approximate date of sail – after July 1, 2020.

The identity of the captain is confirmed by the service. It has a premium account, which allows him to correspond with the crew.

I recommend you, too, confirm your personality it cost me at € 10, but confidence in such accounts is much more.

Contribute Positions – It means that he takes travelers with the condition of dividing spending on all participants of the trip (fuel, electricity and water in ports, expenditures for food). In principle, even this is a good option for those who want to try themselves in a sailing journey.

Unpaid Positions – Nobody pays anyone.

PAID POSITIONS – The crew gets salary. It is more suitable for those who have at least some kind of marine experience. Or a chef’s crust, for example.

I filled out a questionnaire, I pointed out possible positions, and literally after 2 hours I received a letter from the guy from the UK, which was going to three year old arrow. He was looking for travelers for different segments of travel. Start was assumed from Brazil. I was interested in the offer, but tickets to South America were expensive, and the minimum segment of the swimming was about a month.

The second letter came in a couple of days.

I was invited to sailing catamaran, in a two-week route in the Greek Islands. Power was turned on. Start – from Corfu Island on April 28.

"Of course yes!"I exclaimed, and confirmed my desire to participate in this journey.

We exchanged phone numbers and talked to Vatsaup.

I said the captain that I’m not sure about security: it is not clear to fly where, suddenly the boat does not expect me at all. In response, he sent a photo of his passport and readiness, if necessary, pay flight to Greece. Then she shared the contacts of the crew since last year. It instilled some optimism.

Departure from Nuremberg to Athens was scheduled for April 27, from Athens at Corfu on April 28. I was sent a list of necessary things (replaceable shoes with white soles for yachts, sunglasses, headdress, sun cream, good windbreaker).

My plane on Corfu began to decline.

I sat by the window and watched. How the sea under the plane is getting closer, and the landing strip is not visible. Probably, we will be driven – I thought, and here our plane touched the earth. At this moment, the rest of the team waited for me at a cafe near the airport and photographed the landing of my aircraft.

Landing on Corfu / Photo by author

We met the captain, his friend, co-owner of the yacht from the United States and a woman from Poland, who years 20 engaged in windsurfing, traveling 4 times with this team.

Responsibilities on Yacht

In general, I was taken by a cook, but dinner on the yacht we just a couple of times when they were anchored in the bays.

In the questionnaire, I pointed out that I can cook, but there is no special education. If there were crusts, I could get into a similar cruise, just with a salary.

If we moored in cities, then dinged in restaurants.

Thus, I only served breakfast, made coffee and sandwiches for lunch and prepared dinner several times. Helped with mooring, and, in general, with control. Supported order. Learned knit knots.

The first thing I was explained by the security technique: showed where there are rescue vests, fire extinguishers, a first-aid kit, how to throw spasred to a person overboard. Explained the life support of the yacht, about the logbook, radio and navigation system. The rest was addressed in the course of the case. I had free time.

Travel and life on the yacht

When the next day the sky slightly touched the dawn, we raised sails and went out into the sea. It was so delight.

My dream came true.

Easy breeze accelerated heavy catamaran to speed in 5 knots. Sailboats, it turns out, not so fast transport, but believe me, the main thing is the process. Fresh wind, soft yacht run – I was incredibly happy.

My favorite place has become a mesh on the nose of catamaran

It could be lying on her like a hammock, watching the blue sea under it. On the waves so cool shakes that you can rapidly.

Bad weather and night watch

Somehow there was a strong wind and two-meter waves. We are terribly swung around a day.

Pitching was like an endless rodeo.

The water fell on the deck, the yacht fell down with huge waves, and we hurried to the island of the kitir. There in the bay we could wait the impending storm with which in the open sea would not have done.

Captain ordered everyone to wear savings and fasten into insurance.

In the photo above, I still can not imagine what difficult days will be.

I drank pills from the seaside disease, but from them clone in sleep. We divided the night for 3 watchs for 4 hours. My walked from midnight to 4 am. The yacht was on the autopilot, but for the radar you need to follow and visually – do our routes with other courts do not intersect.

The last hour of my duty was unbearable, I wanted to glue the eyelids with scotch, so that the eyes did not close – so much I cut me from endless pitching and darkness.

Finally they changed me, and I fell asleep, barely touching the pillow. This pitch was the only unpleasant moment in the whole trip.

And in calm water, the flocks of dolphins swam.

Islands, Marina, Customs

Almost every day we moored in Marina of some town.

Marina is a port, a kind of parking for ships, and like all parking – paid. The captain in each port fills Crew List – the list of crew, with passport data and ship role.

Originals of documents are also needed, they check visas.

Captain pays the vessel parking, if necessary, buys electricity and water. On the pier there are such speakers to which the electrical cable and water hose can be connected.

Life on the yacht immediately becomes joyful – energy from solar panels and batteries only enough for lighting of the cabin, cabin and support for navigation devices. When in Marina Yacht is connected to electricity, you can use the electric oven, washing machine, vacuum cleaner and hot shower (outside the marin shower was a very refreshing temperature).

Sometimes they give a password from Wi-Fi Marina.

But without him on board, as a rule, a few available networks from restaurants on the embankment. The password is written on the menu, you can also ask the waiter.

View of the berth and the closest to the yacht restaurant from the salon / Photo by the author

As you can see in the photo above, the nearest restaurant is just a few meters from the boat. So, at night you can sit at the table on the yacht, drink wine and listen to live music.

Nutrition

Food in the cafes was at the expense of the captain. A couple of times I bought myself ice cream when the island was walking.

In Greece, inexpensive products in stores, but prices in marina above are 20-30%. Approximate prices in restaurants:

• The main dish is about € 20
• Tuna salad – € 8-10
• Greek Salad – € 6
• Beer – € 2-4

• Juices and coffee – from € 2

Almost always in taverns bring a compliment in the form of a dessert and local vodka UZO.

Usually I was placed on the seafood grill. In Chania, he remembered awesome cake with lamb.

A couple of times we found farmers markets that work once a week.

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There you can buy Greek yogurt, delicious cheeses, olives in different types of marinade, dried tomatoes, local vegetables, strawberries, homemade wine and oil. Kilogram vacuum package dried olives cost € 8.

Attractions on the way

Azure Islands Bays and small coastal towns themselves are beautiful, but I will describe several remembered moments.

Beach shipwreck

Early in the morning we approached the island of Zakynthos and saw an interesting bay with a sunken ship.

Decided to swim closer, and then mooring at all for the absence of the best – straight to the ship.

Spere breakfast with a view of a wonderful beach.

15 minutes around us were spinning with a dozen motor boats and sightseeing ships with tourists that we spoiled all the frames with our presence. The captain of one ship asked us to fall out of here, otherwise he will call the police. I had to accelerate.

It turned out that it was famous for Zakynthos Nawajo Beach (Navao) or shipwreck beach.

Around the cliffs, you can only get on the water. And the water in this Bay of amazing color even in cloudy weather, what we were convinced the next day, when we went to ride in the island on the rented car.

Kitir Island and the city of the same name

There we were practically the only tourists that day.

The winding streets of the city rise higher and higher until they lead to the foot of the fortress of the choir. Entrance to it is free, from the walls of the fortress is a very good view of the bay.

Antikitir

Little island, next to which we anchored and slept on the motor boat to the shore. Only two dozen people live on the island.

Found a memorable plate about the Russian White Guardian, who after the civil war worked here by the Lighthouse.

Local harsh fishermen indicated where the cafe. It resembled a Soviet dining room, in the menu only soluble coffee and bread. Nail of the program – rusty cell with a street diet on a rack.

We decided to hurry back to the yacht until the motor was unscrewed from the boat.

Chania, Crete Island

Marina, located in the center of the old town of Chania – the largest and most beautiful of all we saw in Greece.

Infinite embankment with a huge number of restaurants, lighthouses, stone arsenal, mosque, fortress. This is a mixture of Greek, Venetian and Ottoman cultures. And all this against the background of snow-white mountains.

There are streets on which all stores sell leather goods, shots with souvenirs, with flax goods, with handmade cosmetics from olive oil. There you can easily disappear for several hours.

We rode through the nearest mountainous villages, found an ancient olive tree, which is more than 3000 years.

On this journey on the yacht on the Islands of Greece ended.

I flew home. A couple of days before arriving in Khany, the captain offered to return to the yacht in July, but the trip did not work out. Well, in 2020, our yachting plans in Malta canceled Coronavirus.

RESULTS

To whom this way of travel is suitable

Everyone who loves the sea, adventure, communication is not afraid of possible difficulties and does not suffer from maritime disease.

What can advise

• Take a very carefully to information about the owner of the yacht, choose accounts with confirmed data, feel free to ask for scans or photos of documents before going to the destination. Leave the contact information to loved ones or friends, with the earliest opportunity to contact.
• Do not neglect security technician on board. Enough barefoot run on the wet deck in windy weather, how do you risk falling abroad.
• It is not bad to read the literature on yachting in advance, learn the main types of nodes to be a more useful member of the team from the very beginning.

I also note that there was no encroachment for honor and dignity.

Just people aged can afford a gorgeous yacht and not much much money to allocate that they helped them with her. In 72, you can’t break the ropes and hang fanders. Therefore, on mutually beneficial conditions hire the crew.

Did you like the trip

This trip is one of the most memorable.

Now I do not consider a journey on a yacht something unattainable. Maybe I will use yachting as part of the future army, for example, to cross the Atlantic.

I have acquired new friends with whom I still support communication and plans for future travel.

When the sea wind fills the sail, my heart is filled with happiness. Happiness to be here and now.

Useful tips and tricks in travel

To save on airline tickets:

Find a cheap flight using Aviasales. He is looking for tickets from airlines around the world.

Instructions how to buy tickets to the Internet Read here

How to save at the hotel:

Book a hotel, hostel or apartment on Booking.Com – This is the most convenient and popular tool. We have on our site selections of interesting housing.

And here – Instructions for airbnb

Do not forget insurance:

Travel insurance is needed in case of disease, injuries, and theft. Authors of the DOROGI-NE-DOROGI site.Ru never travel without insurance. To search for insurance companies, we use the service Cherehapa.Ru

Optical guide and an interesting excursion:

Use Tripter – They have the largest selection of unusual excursions worldwide.