The Yacht

There are plenty of companies out there that Yacht yachts to hire. So set sail and explore the wonders of the Greek islands. The number of people in your party will determine the size of the boat you will need to hire. Sailing isn’t a solo activity, unless you really want to, of course. You normally see groups of 2 or more people in the yachts when you pull up into a harbour/ marina. The boat sizes are measured in feet and typically the smallest rentals are 25ft and the largest being around 60 feet. A 50ft or larger boat tend to be able to sleep 6-10 people on board.

Yacht, Greece / Photo by Oliver

Greece

What can be said about the Greek islands that hasn’t been said before! You have the beautiful islands and the amazing history. Well, have you ever sailed into the islands harbours? Seen the dolphins lapping up the boats waves, or smelt the sulphuric acid around some of the Greece’s active volcanoes from a few miles away (honestly it’s not pretty smell, imagine the smell of rotten eggs.) But it’s unique and a talking point for years to come, I first experienced it at the age of 8 and I can still remember it today. It is also a great way of finding some of the Greeks hidden beaches and bays that you wouldn’t see if you just stayed in the islands towns.

Yacht, Greece / Photo by Oliver

Nightlife

As you will be mooring your yacht in the marina or docks of the island you are fantastically located in the heart of the town. You are spitting distance from some of the most amazing restaurants with fresh fish caught in the neighbouring waters. Always a good choice in the restaurants is the catch of the day on the menu. Then after dinner you can retire back to your boat if you want or go to one of the local bars and have a couple of Ouzo’s. For family’s it is very easy to keep your children entertain, if they are like me when I was a child then they will be fascinated by all the fish in the marina. So get them a fishing rod/crab line/ or net and let them go crazy. Make sure they don’t go in the water as it is often very dirty in the docks. Also you can always prepare and cook your own meals on the boat to make it a cheaper holiday.

Greece / Photo by Oliver

Social Side

It is very easy to make friends with other people while sailing around the islands. Other sailors tend to be very friendly and more than willing to lend a helping hand if you need advice on what islands to visit next. Additionally you can always join up with a flotilla at the start of the holiday. A flotilla is a fleet of sailing yachts that sail from one island to another together, you can go by any route you want to get there by as long as you end up at the same port. Flotillas are great fun and you have a great time eating with the other members of the flotilla. Flotilla are great for children and adults, there tends to be children of all ages in a flotilla so it is easy for them to become friends, and for adults it’s a great way to lessen the burden of trying to keep the children occupied and enjoy some social life as well.

About Author: Oliver Smith lives in Beijing, China and is an active travel advisor writing for Cover-More, a Sydney, Australia headquartered travel insurance company operating in Australasia and the UK. Oliver is a keen sailor that has sailed extensively around the world.

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Stromboli, Sicily, Italy by Steven W. Dengler

Because of its continuous activity, the island of Stromboli is home to less than a thousand people. The most recent major eruption of the volcano was back in 2009. However, because there is a constant stream of minor eruptions that occur on a regular basis, the island has become known locally as the Mediterranean Lighthouse. There are three different craters in the peak of the volcano which currently rises 926 meters above the sea.

For more than 2,000 years, Stromboli has been erupting and has maintained a fairly recognizable pattern. Since lava does not tend to flow during the eruptions, there have been very few explosive occurrences. However, there have been a number of exceptions to this.

Today there are three villages located on the island. The villages of San Vincenzo and San Bartolo can be found along the north-eastern shorelines while the village of Ginostra can be found along the south-western shores.

Back in the early 1900s, the population of the island was quite large. It was home to several thousand people. However, by the 1950s as a result of multiple migrations, the population of the island dropped to only a few hundred. Coupled with the recent increase of volcanic activity over the past few decades, the population of Stromboli never reached more than a thousand inhabitants.

Most people who plan on visiting Stromboli chose to take the ferry to the island in order to spend the day marveling at the volcano before returning to Sicily by nightfall.

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