Captains Log – Cyclades, Greece

I have been trying to figure out a way to summarize my 12 day vacation to Greece, 8 of which were spent sailing a chartered sailboat with my 8 closest friends. And my answer, nay conclusion, is that, in the words of the Swiss, “it’s just not possible”….so consider this the abridged version, cliff notes if you will, to an amazing vacation.

We had been preparing, planning, looking forward to this trip since February so I was a bit skeptical of the actual results (see the Blog on the Boogg). But to my relief and excitement, the trip far surpassed all expectations: Athens was nice, but slightly dirty. Santorini was beautiful but overcrowded and slightly overrated (although I did love Parissa beach, a small kitschy beach town on the south end of the island that we “discovered” after our second wrong turn to the Red Beach, which was, surprisingly, overrated). Mykonos is the standard party island where college students and gay men rein supreme. Syros proved, once again, that it is more fun to ride a four-wheeler to a store 30 meters away for beer than it is to walk. And most importantly, I LOVE sailing!

In my 8 days on the boat, I learned that I am definitely cut out for the sailor’s life style, both the sailing and social aspects. I found it to be the perfect combination of solitary independence with an amazing connection to the ocean, and the social environment on shore with all the other skippers and local restaurant and shop owners to keep you from going “Ahab”. And surprisingly I have the sea legs of that well-loved, yet slightly crazy captain, as confirmed by surviving not only a hangover and rough seas one day, but also 9 ft swells another day which prompted the skipper to put on a full dry suit and tie down the chairs in the galley prior to departure (thankfully we turned around after 20 minutes and spent an additional night on Kythnos.)

Yes, we were at sea, and I long to be a God at sea. I can now see the honest possibility of retiring on a sailboat, sailing around the world and eventually dropping anchor in the Caribbean (and if all goes well, become such a fixture that Lonely Planet will have to include me in their travel guides….ah dare to dream). Now I just need to learn how to sail, become independently wealthy, retire and/or marry someone incredibly wealthy who possibly knows how to sail. Consider the job position open…inquire within.