Cruise to the Cyclades Islands with the sailing yacht ''Velos''

In the middle of the Aegean Sea, these islands are very picturesque (and extremely photogenic!) with their amazing architecture and rocky landscape. You probably know the island group already from photos; cute little whitewashed houses with blue doors and windows, windmills, tiny churches with blue domes, these are the typical images that never leave the memory of those who visited the Cyclades!

• These gems of the Aegean became world-known and they are definitely worth a visit, but they are so many that a three-week cruise wouldn’t be enough to visit them all. There are two types of islands; the bigger and famous ones like Santorini and Mykonos and the smaller ones that are out of the beaten track.
• If you don’t have enough time to see them all, you should definitely visit first the ones that are untouched by the thousands of cruise ship visitors and these are the smaller ones.
• For a one week cruise starting and ending in Athens, we have created a very nice itinerary that will take us around the beautiful Western Cyclades, visiting the islands of Kea, Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, Kimolos, and Milos.
• The port we are using is Lavrio which is situated 50 kilometers east of Athens or Athens airport and is very close to the Cyclades. Also, it’s only 10 kilometers away from one of the most famous ancient temples of Greece, the Temple of Poseidon, which you could visit just before or after your cruise.
• One particularity of this area is the Meltemi gales blowing every summer from the middle of June until the end of August making a yachting holiday very unpleasant in that part of the summer unless of course, you are a hardcore sailor.

SUGGESTED ITINERARIES

When you arrive onboard the first evening and after a welcome drink, everybody will sit around the chart and we will inform you about the area and all the possible places to visit. After discussing everybody's preferences a general itinerary will be drawn.
However, our experience has shown that during your cruise it may alter slightly, as you will get new ideas along the way! After all, a yachting holiday is all about freedom and exploration!

A. 1 week

• Sun       embarkation in Lavrio (Athens) at 5 p.m. and departure for Kea
• Mon      Serifos
• Tues     Kimolos
• Wed      Milos
• Thur      Sifnos
• Fri          Kythnos
• Sat         Lavrio
• Sun        disembarkation at 9 a.m. after breakfast

B. 2 weeks

• Sun       embarkation in Lavrio (Athens) at 5 p.m. and departure for Kea
• Mon      Sifnos
• Tues     Kimolos
• Wed      Milos
• Thur      Folegandros
• Fri          Ios
• Sat         Ios (take the ferry to Santorini for the day, as Santorini doesn't have a yacht harbor)
• Sun        Paros
• Mon       Mikonos (if you want to visit ancient Dilos, plan to stay a second day)
• Tues      Tinos
• Wed       Syros
• Thur       Serifos
• Fri           Kythnos
• Sat          Lavrio
• Sun         disembarkation at 9 a.m. after breakfast

C. 3 weeks

• Sun       embarkation in Lavrio (Athens) at 5 p.m. and departure for Kea
• Mon     Sifnos
• Tues     Sifnos (morning sail to a bay, after lunch moor and explore the villages with scooter or car)
• Wed      Kimolos
• Thur      Milos
• Fri         Milos (rent a scooter/car and explore the villages and beaches or go SCUBA diving)
• Sat        Folegandros
• Sun       Ios
• Mon      Ios (take the ferry to Santorini for the day, as Santorini doesn't have a yacht harbor)
• Tues     Amorgos
• Wed      Naxos
• Thur      Paros - port of Naousa
• Fri          Paros - port of Parikia
• Sat         Mikonos
• Sun        Mikonos (take a day-tripper boat to ancient Dilos as yachts are not allowed)
• Mon       Tinos
• Tues      Tinos (morning sail to a bay, after lunch moor and explore the villages with scooter or car)
• Wed       Syros
• Thur       Serifos
• Fri           Kythnos
• Sat          Lavrio
• Sun        disembarkation at 9 a.m. after breakfast

56' Yacht Velos for a crewed yacht charter in Greece

Accommodates 8 guests in 4 double/twin en-suite cabins - fully air-conditioned

• What attracted us to sailing yacht 'Velos' was not only its beautiful lines and dark blue hull but also it's really spacious cabins, double saloon, and air-conditioning.
  For our Greek Island cruises we know that the most important thing about the charter yacht is to be spacious and comfortable, both on deck and below, and Velos is exactly that!
  She is a wonderful yacht, designed and built-in 2007 by a well known Greek boatyard (Ocean Yachts) for the purpose of the charter in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean Sea, as well as for long ocean passages.
• The model is the 'Ocean Star 56.1' and it can be found in a 5 or 6 cabin version, but as space and comfort are a lot more important in our opinion than a bigger number of guests, we decided to have the 5 cabin version (4 guest cabins plus 1 crew cabin).
• She is a sloop with two large sails, a furling genoa and a furling mainsail, which makes it very easy to handle even by one person alone.
  With a total of 150 square meters of sail, Velos can offer some fast and exciting sailing and its 25 tonnes of displacement make it very stable in any sea state!
• But she is not only a very seaworthy boat, she is a luxurious one as well. Being a 56 footer, she has a large teak deck with plenty of room for sunbathing or just lying down with a book on the one hand and a drink in the other!
  A strong guard rail all around makes it a safe environment for kids who always like to wander around and participate in the sailing of the yacht, during our family cruises.
• Of course, the cockpit is the heart of a boat and so it is designed to accommodate everyone (for a meal or a drink) and still remain practical to do the 'sailing stuff '. The table in the center of the cockpit serves also as a fridge for drinks, so you don't have to make the trip below every time you want a drink.

During your cruise, you will enjoy the beauty of the Greek Islands, but you will also taste some of the nicest homemade dishes of the Mediterranean cuisine.

 Here are some of the products we use:

• vegetables and fruit: most are grown at Thanos's father's garden who sends them to us every Saturday!
• extra virgin olive oil: Alicia's handpicks the olives from our trees every November and we make our olive oil with the method of 'cold press'
• olives: Alicia's handpicks them from our olive trees every year in November and cures them during the winter
• jams and preserves: they are all made by Alicia, using the fruits from our garden
• honey: we get it from a friend who has his own beehives, high on the mountains of the Peloponnese
• liqueurs: orange liqueur and limoncello made by Alicia from our own fruit and tentoura (a cinnamon liqueur made in our hometown)

Breakfast (all the items below are served every morning buffet style)

• freshly baked bread
• homemade jams and preserves (apricot, orange, fig, plum – all based on our own home-grown fruit)
• local honey
• Greek yogurt
• variety of cereal
• milk
• cheese
• butter
• variety of fresh fruit (depends on the season: oranges, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, apples, kiwi, figs, grapes, honey melon, etc.)
• coffee
• variety of teas and herbal infusions
• fruit juices (orange, peach) 

Lunch (a variety of appetizers, mains, and salads)

Starters/Appetizers

• Tzatziki – Yogurt dip with cucumber and garlic
• Olives (homemade)
• Feta grilled with tomato, oregano, and olive oil
• Saganaki - grilled halloumi cheese
• Melitzanosalata - aubergine (eggplant) dip
• Tirokafteri - spicy cheese dip
• Hummus – chickpea puree with tahini, lemon juice, coriander, garlic, and olive oil
• Yogurt and carrot dip with walnuts
• Octopus with herbs, olive oil, and vinegar
• Bruschetta topped with tomato and feta cheese sprinkled with basil and olive oil
• Bruschetta with figs, feta, and balsamic vinegar
• Spinach roll with cream cheese and smoked salmon
• Grilled courgette (zucchini) and bacon rolls stuffed with feta cheese
• Freshly caught tuna sashimi with lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil

Salads

• Greek salad
• Green lentil and parsley salad dressed in vinaigrette
• Caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil)
• Black-eyed bean salad with parsley, lemon juice and olive oil
• Green bean salad with feta and mint
• Tabouleh - parsley salad with tomatoes and cucumbers dressed in a lemon vinaigrette
• Mixed green salad with parmesan, raisins and walnuts

Main dishes

• Moussakas - layered dish similar to lasagna, with baked aubergines, mincemeat and tomatoes topped with béchamel sauce
• Moroccan chicken with vegetables and orzo
• Frittata with zucchini (courgette), cherry tomatoes and feta cheese
• Spanish tortilla with potatoes end red onions
• Grilled chicken with mushrooms and cream
• Chicken fillet marinated in honey, soy sauce and garlic with basmati rice
• Pork or chicken with prunes and almonds served with lemon rice

Fish and seafood

• Anchovies baked in tomato sauce with garlic and parsley
• Barracuda baked with tomatoes and herbs
• Octopus stifado - baked with tomato sauce and red onion
• Mussels saganaki - baked with tomatoes and feta cheese
• Shrimp saganaki- baked with tomatoes and feta cheese
• Seafood risotto
• Steamed mussels with white wine, garlic and parsley

Vegetarian

• Kolokithokeftedes - courgette (zucchini) fritters
• Grilled peppers stuffed with feta cheese
• Green beans with tomatoes
• Courgette (zucchini) soup veloute
• Courgette (zucchini) pie
• Ratatouille - a casserole of summer vegetables
• Spinach risotto

Pasta

• Pasticcio - penne and bolognaise sauce baked under a layer of béchamel/cheese sauce)
• Baked carbonara
• Tagliatelle with meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce
• Smoked salmon and pasta salad
• Pasta with walnut pesto

Desserts

• Fresh fruit - variety depends on the season: figs, grapes, honey melon, watermelon, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums etc.
• Yogurt with honey
• Yogurt with grated fresh lemon zest and lemon juice
• Panna cotta
• Brownies with ice-cream
• Plum/fig crumble pie
• 'Spoon sweets' - homemade candied fruit