Tag: sailing trip

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sailing

Lessons Learned From Our Fist Big Sail

We bought our boat in Bower’s Harbor, on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City Michigan but we live near Grand Rapids Michigan. So once the purchase was complete we needed to get the boat closer to home. Our timing wasn’t perfect since we officially owned the boat at the end of September. But we decided to sail down the first weekend of October. We went from Bower’s Harbor marina to Muskegon which is approx 176 nautical miles. 


For more details on how our first big sail went check out our post here: Sailing Bower’s Harbor to Muskegon 


This is the post where we tell you all the lessons we learned so you can learn from our experience and our mistakes:) We do not claim to be experts right now but here is what we learned: 

1. Communication is critical 

You need to make sure everyone is on the same page, especially when you are learning or have a crew on board. You may want to start planning a tack or jibe several minutes before you need to. Make sure everyone knows the goal of the maneuver, their specific job, and what needs to happen before we can start it. It is better to over-communicate to minimize confusion.

 
2. Make time to talk about what went well, what didn’t, and what we could try to do differently in the future. 

This is a new boat for us, so everything is a bit foreign. Every time after docking, I want to know what the crew’s perception was of the approach, speed, fender location, etc. so we can improve it in the future. It helps to approach it constructively, not critically: “how can we improve X” instead of “we messed that maneuver up” 

3. Using a preventer line is super helpful when on a run 

We would have had several accidental jibes while on a run on day 2 without that on


4. Take your time

As new sailors, tasks aren’t second nature yet, if you try to rush and get anxious you won’t be thinking as clearly. For example, I tried to pull the halyard as you do when raising the mainsail as I was trying to lower it. I was exhausted from the day and I could not at that moment figure out that I just needed to ease the line out to lower the sail.  


5. Having an extra set of hands can be helpful but be mindful of who you invite.

We would recommend someone you know and are comfortable with (especially if you are going on a longer trip). If you are new to sailing it can be stressful and frustrating at times so having someone you know can handle that and not take things personally is helpful. Someone who has any on the water experience or sailing experience is also great. You want someone who will be willing to take on jobs, learn new skills and be helpful to you. 


6. Explaining sailing to your guests

Some people will want to learn more than others. Even if your guests aren’t interested in learning to sail they still need to know a few things. Telling them in general what the lines that are in the cockpit do is helpful so they know at the very least to stay out of the way of those lines and not to pull on them or adjust them. 


7. It is exhausting at first

We had a great time on this trip but we will not deny that it is very tiring to sail for 12+ hours at a time.  As you gain more experience it likely gets easier but at first, as we have said, things aren’t second nature so you are thinking through every move. We knew this was a huge undertaking for one of our first sails but we had to get the boat back to where we live. 


8. Autopilot is a necessity!

We have an old ray marine steering wheel-mounted autopilot that we have named “Old Ray”.  Old Ray worked okay when we were motoring on day one with no wind or waves. With wind and waves, our autopilot couldn’t keep up so we had to hand steer. Hand steering is very tiring in the wind and waves, it takes more effort than you might think to keep the boat going straight. We are planning to upgrade our autopilot in the next year before setting off on our next big sailing trip. 


9. Boating/on the water experience is beneficial 

We were power boaters before we bought our sailboat. We had experience in waves and changing conditions in lake Michigan. We also had two sailing lessons with friends on their boat in Lake Michigan. It is crazy how much you can learn and pick up on in a few lessons if you are really motivated to learn. On top of our lessons with friends, we did buy the ASA 101, 103, and 104 books. The additional reading helped everything sink in. Our point here is even if your on the water experience isn’t specifically sailing experience it will still help you. Your overall comfort on the water and understanding of water, waves, and weather is something. 


10. Don’t psych yourself out

Sailing, specifically taking a long journey on a boat for the first time is daunting. It can be really scary and make you anxious. It is easy to psych yourself out! But stay calm, plan your trip ahead of time, review the steps and any necessary obstacles that you know about. When you are on your trip, take it one step at a time, think about what you are doing at each given moment instead of the big picture. Once you are out there and the only things that matter are the boat and the water and where you are going it is honestly really nice! The rest of the problems and stressors you have in your life on land all fade away. 


11. Don’t be afraid to try new things

Sailing on our own was new to us on this trip. On day two we were on a run all day, going as close to directly downwind as we could. The wind was too high for the asymmetrical spinnaker so we tried to sail wing on wing. We tried twice throughout the day and both times we just couldn’t get it to work. So we retrimmed our sails and just kept going. Yes, it didn’t work, and we still aren’t 100% sure what we should have done differently to make it work. But you never know until you try and you can learn a lot from mistakes and things that didn’t go well. As long as you know you can keep yourself, your crew, and the boat safe it’s okay to try!


12. Pack food that is easy to eat

When the water is flat and there is no wind it is easy to eat whatever type of meal you want. When the water is wavey, the wind is stronger and the boat is heeling over it makes relaxing for a snack or a meal a challenge. It might be going along okay and you may think you have some time. But you might have an accidental jibe or you may need to tack or jibe or do something to adjust the sails at any point. Bring food that can be prepared quickly and that you can easily set down and pick back up as needed. 


One of the best things a long trip like this can give you is confidence in yourself and in your boat. After three days of living on  SV Resande, we feel way more comfortable! After all, the best way to learn is to get out there and do it! You will never know everything and there will always be something to fix on your boat. At some point, you just have to go!


Any tips/tricks you have learned from your sailing experience? Questions? comments, leave them all below!

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Travel

Sailing the Greek Islands with Bearing True South: Part Two

This is the second part of our sailing trip with Bearing true south. In part one we were sailing the Cyclades, here is the link to that post- Sailing with Bearing True South Part one 

After Kythnos and Serifos we crossed the Aegean and went on to the Saronic Gulf Islands. This was not our original plan but with high winds and a storm heading towards the Cyclades, we changed course to stay in calmer seas as we sailed. The crossing took about 7-8 hours of sailing. After that, we spent time on Ydra (Hydra is the English spelling and pronunciation), Ermioni peninsula, Poros, and a few small uninhabited islands on the way back to Athens.

Ydra Island:

The port town on Ydra was more crowded than the other islands we visited but don’t let that deter you. It has a lot to offer and was one of our favorite spots. The street-facing the water is lined with tourist shops and restaurants but if you walk further back into town you can find some really amazing and authentic food. There are no cars on the island so the streets are lined with donkeys to carry supplies. This island is also the one with by far the most cats we saw on this trip!

Ydra is one of the wealthiest islands in Greece and has a long pirate history. There is a pirate mansion in the town (Lazaros Koundouriotis Historical Mansion) that is open for tours and offers great views of the water. There is a small entrance fee to tour the house. The house is beautifully restored and decorated. You can take pictures of everything you see inside. It takes about 45 minutes to walk through. We would highly recommend seeing this place!

There is also a small museum in town, The Historical Archive. The museum focuses on Ydra’s cultural history, it took us about an hour to wander through. It is full of paintings and different artifacts relating to the island. There is a small entrance fee. Next to the museum is the old fort which you can walk up to and take photos of the water and the port town itself.

After exploring the pirate mansion and the museum we headed to lunch at Xeri Elia. This is a small family-run restaurant a few blocks back away from the water and the tourists. We have traditional stuffed tomatoes and soutzoukakia or traditional Greek meatballs in a tomato sauce with greens locally grown on the island.

After we toured the museum and the mansion and stopped for some lunch we were ready for a swim! We walked along the road near the water until we came to Spilia. This is a small café with tables offering water views and steps down to the water so you can swim, snorkel or just lay in the sun and relax. It was a bit wavy the day we were there but that didn’t stop us from snorkeling and enjoying the water. This was actually one of our favorite snorkeling spots on this trip. We saw the most variety of colorful fish in the spot. You can get to the water from the cafe, but there is also a public beach just past it. The cafe had changing rooms you can use and great coffee!

Ermioni

The marina at the port of Ydra was actually full when we went by so we ended up staying on Ermioni and taking the Ferry to Ydra for a day. We stayed on the south side of the Ermioni peninsula. The ferry leaves from the marina on the north side. It is just a short 5-10 minute walk through town from one side to the other. The ferry ride is only about 15-20 minutes and we were able to leave in the morning and take the last ferry back in the evening so we still enjoyed a full day of Ydra.

Ermioni itself is a really nice area. There is a small park on the far end of the peninsula. The landscape here is more forested, it reminded us of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with its pine trees along the coast. There is a path that goes along the park in the forested area which only takes about 30-40 minutes to walk through. Along the way, there are a few areas with steps down to the water if you wanted to swim.

We stayed in Ermioni for two nights. The night after we sailed across the Aegean and the night after we had spent the day on Ydra. The first night we ate dinner at a restaurant right on the water called Tzieris. This place offered authentic Greek food and awesome views with tables right on the water! We did not take as many pictures of all the food here but everything we had was great. Here we tried several appetizers including tzatziki, a fava bean dip, saganaki (Greek fried cheese), we also had grilled octopus and muscles in a tomato and feta sauce- which we did take a picture of.

The second night we had a lighter and more casual dinner on the boat. We happened to be anchored right across from a restaurant called Souvlaki Bar. They had some tables outside on the sidewalk but we just did take away and ate on the boat.

Another food recommendation on Ermioni is the Drougas Bakery. This is on the north side near where the ferry leaves. They have amazing coffee, bread, pastries, and desserts. They also sell wine, olive oils, and jams that you can buy to take back home.

Poros Island: From Ermioni we did a short sail to Poros.

The clock tower on Poros is an iconic landmark on the island and a must-do! The clock tower is located on the highest point of the island so it is a bit of a walk up to see it. From this area you will get amazing panoramic views of the water, the view cannot be beaten!

The Archaeological Museum of Poros is a museum located on Koryzis Square in Poros, Greece. The displays of the museum date from the Mycenaean era to Roman times. There was also a small modern art exhibit there the day we went through. The museum is very small and only took us about 30 minutes to go through. There is a small entrance fee to walk through. You can take photos but are not allowed to use a flash went photographing inside the museum.

After walking up to the clock town and through the museum we had some time to kill in the afternoon. We walked from the marina to Mikro Neorio Bay Beach Bar. This place is located on a small, quiet beach. They offer lounge chairs with umbrellas at no cost as long as you purchase something from the bar. We enjoyed relaxing, taking in the views, and doing some swimming.

We headed into town for dinner at Platanos Taverna. This may have been the best meal we had the entire trip! We ate really well the whole time so that is really saying something. We loved this place, we ate outside and had great views of the water and the boats at night. The restaurant is up high on a hill in the town just a short walk from the marina. We had zucchini ball appetizers which were awesome and highly recommended by our guide. He talked them up all week and they lived up to expectations. We had roasted lamb and veal in a tomato sauce with sweet onion for our main courses. Both dishes were excellent. If you are on Poros you have to eat at this place!

On our last day we left Poros and stopped at a few very small uninhabited islands for more swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing on the boat before heading back to Athens. We ended back in Athens in the evening after our day in the sun. We spent one last night on the boat in the Athens marina.  Once we got back to the marina our skipper left us for the night. Our guide went to dinner with us one last time in Athens before also leaving us for the night. The next morning our skipper came back to help get us all checked out and on our way. Again we would highly recommend Bearing True South, they were awesome! Here is the link to their website again- http://www.bearingtruesouth.com. They also offer hiking, biking, and other adventure travel in Northern Greece if sailing isn’t your thing.

 Tell us your favorite places in the Greek Islands, leave us a comment below!

Categories
Travel

Sailing the Greek Islands with Bearing True South: Part One

We found Bearing True South through the Clymb (https://www.theclymb.com) in their travel section. We contacted the company to get more details and then proceeded to book our trip. We found two other couples to come with us. In total, we had a group of 6 plus our guide, Stav, and skipper, Andreas on the boat.
We sailed for a week, leaving from Athens on a Saturday afternoon and arriving back in Athens on Friday evening. Each couple had their own cabin on the sailboat and there was a separate cabin for our guide and skipper. You can be as involved in the sailing (or not involved) as you want. Our group was pretty eager to learn so both Stav and Andreas answered all our questions and explained to us what they were doing as we sailed all week long.
For the most part, we did also use the motor during our trip to help us get to all of our destinations in a week’s time. We intended to do the Western Cyclades trip as it is outlined on Bearing True South’s website. When sailing or doing any kind of boating plans sometimes have to change because of the weather! There happened to be a storm coming midweek during our trip so Stav and Andreas suggested that we hit a few islands in the Cyclades then cross over to another set of islands in the Saronic gulf which was more protected from the storm.
We went with this suggestion in order to make sure we got to see as many islands as we could and to ensure we were sailing through smoother water to avoid anyone in the group getting seasick. We were all very happy with this decision and ended up getting to see a lot more variety than our original trip would have offered us. We took this trip in early September, the water everywhere was very warm (low 80s) and the weather was perfect.
We would highly recommend Bearing True South! Our guide Stav and our skipper Andreas were both awesome! Stav emailed and skyped with us before we left so that he had a good idea of what we wanted to see and do during our trip. They both made sure everything went smoothly all week.  We felt safe and taken care of the entire trip.
Stav is a huge foodie that worked out great for us. We ate very well all week. We ate at small, family-run restaurants on the islands where Stav knew the owners each time. We were frequently shown the fresh seafood of the day before ordering so we knew what was freshly caught that morning and recommended by the chef. In one restaurant we were even taken to the back to see the kitchen, the entire fresh seafood selection, and wine selection before taken back to our table to place our order!
Here is the link to Bearing True South’s website. if you are considering a sailing trip through the Greek Islands definitely seek them out!
http://www.bearingtruesouth.com
Here is where we went and what we did. This post includes the first half of our trip (the time spent in the Cyclades).
Departing Athens
We arrived at the Alimos Marina in the early afternoon with all of our luggage and waited at the marina’s restaurant. It’s a massive marina and we were one of the hundreds of boats that needed to leave so we needed to get cleared by the dockmaster. Stav met us at the restaurant to get to know us as the skipper finished getting the boat ready for us – these guys turn the boat around in only a few hours between the previous guests leaving and us getting on. We got cleared for departure around 3:30 and were able to load up our gear and get going. We had a 6-7 hour sail the first day to get to Kythnos where we were going to sleep. We got to pass the temple of Poseidon and a great sunset.
Kythnos Island
Kolona Bay
We sailed right from Athens to the Kolona double bays on Kythnos, the took about 6  hours so it was after dark when we arrived. We anchored for the night in one of the bays The skies were clear and you could clearly see the Milky Way above. There is no town or city within view, only a coffee shop/cafe, and a couple of houses.
When we woke up in the morning we spent several hours in the morning swimming, snorkeling, and walking around the area. There is a small strip of sand in-between the bays, the coffee shop is on one side of this small beach. From the beach, there is a path that leads up to a small church on the top of a hill overlooking the bay. The church was locked the day we were there but we could see inside the front windows and the view of the bays from up there is a must-see! Early in the morning, there is a herd of mountain goats that frequently grazes up by the church so if you get up early you can probably see them as you walk around.
You can also find sea urchins stuck to rocks in the shallow waters along the edge of the bays. Our guide got several for us all to try. Nobody in our group had ever tried them before and we had always heard they were very good. They taste somewhat sweet and very fresh and salty like the ocean. They have a somewhat similar taste to shrimp.
Port Town on Kythnos – Loutra
From Kolona beach we sailed to the small port town of Loutra where we stayed the night in the marina. This is a very small town but it has a lot to offer. We ate lunch and dinner at a family-run restaurant across the street from the beach- ΕΣΤΙΑΤΟΡΙΟ, ΚΑΦΕ, ΜΠΑΡ “ΞΕΡΟΛΙΘΙΑ”, ΛΑΧΑΝΟΥ ΑΛΚΗΣΤΙΣ. There are several restaurants on the beach as well. We went to this place because our guide knew the owner and knew the food was good (order the baby squid and the roasted goat leg!). We ate seafood for lunch and meat dishes for dinner.
Everything was excellent and we would highly recommend this place. There are tables outside in the front of the restaurant and a small courtyard next to the restaurant with tables and string lights that hang from above. These are lit up at night giving the place a great atmosphere.
After dinner, we were each brought a shot of Chios Mastiha which is a liqueur that comes from the Greek island of Chios. The mastic tree does not grow anywhere else so this is something unique to Greece. The name Chios Mastiha has protected designation of origin status with the EU meaning to be labeled as Chios Mastiha it must be made in the traditional methods and must be produced on Chios. It does have a licorice taste similar to Ouzo but that flavor is much less strong and is sweeter with herbal notes.
From lunch, we headed to Ιαματικές Πηγές – Thermal Springs. Don’t expect a luxury spa experience. This place is very simply a small spa with several bathrooms, each with a marble tub that is filled with water from the thermal hot springs in the area. They fill it for you and then you sit/lay in the tub for approximately 20 minutes. They will come to get you when the time is up and drain the tub. The minerals in the water are supposed to be very good for you. We enjoyed this experience and it was something different that we hadn’t done before. If you are in the area it is worth a visit for the afternoon and it won’t take up too much of your day (I think it was around 15 Euro per person).
The other interesting thing to do in this area is on the beach where the water from the hot springs flows into the sea. Locals have build up a “wall” of large boulders keeping the warm water from the hot spring in this small natural “hot tub” area. As the waves roll in towards the beach water from the sea enters to tub. If you sit further from the sea you will be in warmer water where the hot spring flows in. If you get too hot you can move closer to the sea where the water will be cooler.

Kythnos Main Town – Chora

After spending the afternoon in the port town we took a cab up to the main town of Chora. This small village is up on the top of a hill. It is full of small winding roads, white buildings with royal blue accents, it has all the beautiful things you always have seen in photos of the Cyclades but without all the tourists. As we wandered the streets exploring we didn’t see any other tourists.

People are very proud of their homes in this village so we saw many people out painting their houses or tending to their gardens. Many people were growing fresh herbs in their small gardens so you can smell basil and oregano in the air as you walk by.

We intended to eat dinner up here at another restaurant recommended by our guide but the restaurant was closed because the owner’s daughter had gotten married that weekend. Our guide also recommended we try some traditional greek desserts from the Chora Pastry Shop. Everything we tried here was wonderful- we would recommend the baklava and the cream-filled pastry but try whatever looks good to you, it was all delicious! The owners were very friendly and explained to us what everything was. They were also willing to pack stuff up and hold it for us until we had finished our walk through the village.

Serifos Island

From Kythnos we sailed to Serifos. We arrived there in the afternoon after roughly 3-4 hours of sailing. We sailed along the Eastern coast of Kythnos and passed Little Pepper Island, then continued down to the Southeastern corner of Serifos where the main town is. On our way in, we stopped at a bay for a swim and saw a ton of fish and urchins.

Serifos Port Town – Livadi

                                                                                                                  Livadi is the port town on Serifos where we stayed. After we arrived we spent the afternoon wandering around this small town for the afternoon before heading up to the main town in the evening. Livadi is full of small shops and restaurants along the beach and a few narrow streets with some houses. There is not a lot there but it is a nice place to relax.

After heading up the the main town to explore we came back to Livadi and had dinner on the beach at restaurant TAKIS. Our guide knew the owner of this restaurant as well so he graciously took us to the back of the restaurant to show us all of the fresh seafood available as well as the kitchen and the wine selection.

We took his recommendation for a white wine made locally on the island. Our table was right on the water and the beach happened to be full of cats and a few small kittens all walking the beach and trying to catch the minnows swimming in the shallow water along the beach. They didn’t catch any fish while we watched but it did add entertainment to our dinner!

After dinner, we walked down the beach to a small cafe for ice cream. We tried Mastiha flavored ice cream (the liqueur we had tried on Kythnos). You can find all kinds of products made from the Mastiha tree in Greece. Although it wasn’t our favorite ice cream flavor it was fun to try something new that you can’t find everywhere.

Serifos Main Town – Hora

                                                                                                                            We took the bus from the port up to the main town, Hora. The main town is up on the top of a hill so the bus ride up is on pretty windy, narrow roads but is only about a 5-10 minute ride. There is also a path to walk up if you are looking for a workout. There are two churches in the town that offer spectacular views of the water and the town. You do have to walk up a fairly steep hill to get to the first church which sets up above the town on the hill. From this church, there is another church up several steps to an even higher point on the hill. One warning, it is very windy up here. I wore a sundress and spent the entire time up by the churches holding it in place (wear shorts and a t-shirt).

After walking up to the churches we headed back into town. We sat outside at Tavern Louis for some homemade sour cherry juice and lemonade. From this Tavern, you get great views of yet another church built in the traditional Cycladic style architecture. The tavern is in a small square in the center of town,  there are a few other restaurants/cafes around and a few small shops.

We stopped into one of the shops nearby that were selling clothing and some souvenirs. The store owner was very nice and helpful but was not pushy like you find in some more heavily touristed areas where you feel pressured to buy something when you walk in. We purchased a small clay coin with a frog on it. The Serifos frog was printed on the first currency of the island.

You can read more about the second half of our trip here: Sailing with Bearing True South Part two 

Tell us your favorite places in the Greek Islands, leave us a comment below!