Sailing through Greece

Seven days of sea, sun and fun :)

Since I was a kid, I’ve associated the sea with a very specific smell. Back then, when we would go on summer holidays, we would usually stop somewhere to buy basic groceries before heading to the apartment, things we’d need for the first few days. After a long drive, I would step out of the car (which didn’t have air conditioning) onto the hot asphalt of the parking lot, and with my first breath I’d smell it. The scent of salt, the scent of the sea. Even though I couldn’t see it yet, I knew it was there. Now that I live in a city by the sea, I’m used to that smell and notice it much less often, only under very specific weather conditions. But every time it appears, with the same magic it takes me back to childhood: to Tučepi, Makarska, Baška…

In September 2025, a group of six of us went sailing in Greece, to the Northern Sporades. We found a sailboat and a skipper through an agency and made a reservation. The experience itself turned out to be quite different from the expectations we had built by googling and watching other people’s sailing trips but in the best possible way. Sailing is a far more active kind of vacation than I had anticipated. After only a day and a half on the boat, as we were approaching Skiathos, I experienced something for the first time that felt similar to that childhood moment of smelling the sea, except it was actually the opposite. The smell of the land. The wind carried the scent of pine trees and resin straight into my face, and as we got closer to the marina, the land started to smell like grilled fish and tomato soup.

Those sailing trips where an entire fleet moves from one beach club to another, accompanied by loud music and all-day parties, are very popular, but we weren’t really interested in that kind of sailing. Even though most of us are in our late twenties, our trip resembled more the lifestyle of retirees who spend their pension years sailing, searching for peace, quiet, and beaches where there’s no one else around. The skipper quickly became part of our group, delighted by our wish to spend as little time as possible in marinas, and from the first day the guys made an effort to become a real crew: pulling ropes, tightening sails, dropping anchor, loosening sails… While sailing, especially under full sail, there wasn’t much room on our small boat for lying down or sunbathing. Everyone had their responsibilities, and sometimes those responsibilities were simply to sit still so the sail wouldn’t throw us into the sea.

Our decision to stay away from marinas as much as possible also meant we were quite limited with water. We learned to adapt, showering at the stern of the boat, not washing our hair every day, and occasionally forcing someone out of the shower if they exceeded the time limit. Altogether it gave the whole experience a fun, slightly Robinson Crusoe kind of atmosphere.

For me, the greatest privilege of this kind of trip is waking up at sea and literally jumping into the water straight from bed. Swimming before breakfast, before thoughts even have time to form in your head. I can’t imagine a better start to the day. On the sailboat, the schedule began to form itself: who gets up first, who brushes their teeth at the stern, who goes to the toilet first, and who gets to sleep a little longer... We quickly learned how everyone takes their coffee: sugar, milk, how much of each. Everyone had their role. Boiling water, arranging the cups, preparing oatmeal for breakfast, cutting fruit. The same process repeated for making lunch. A real little crew.

Before the trip started, there were few things we were all a bit worried about: bad weather, seasickness, and whether seven days in such a small, confined space might make us get tired of each other. The weather was perfect, no one got seasick, and as for the company, my whole life I’ve been proudly and gratefully saying that I’m truly blessed with wonderful friends, and this trip was just another confirmation of that. Not only did we not get tired of each other, but I’d also sign up for life on Mars with these people if needed. Conversation, music, board games easily filled the time, but the real recipe for harmony was empathy. I’m so happy to know people who care about others on such a level, who think about the needs and wishes of others and weave them together with their own. Compromise is often seen as something difficult, something that requires sacrificing a part of yourself for someone else. But in an environment like this, when you genuinely care about another person and want good things for them, compromise comes naturally, without the bitterness of “giving up” your own needs. Empathy is the most important member of the crew. Empathy is truly listening to another person, remembering the little things, standing up for them, sometimes choosing not to say certain things, and sometimes saying exactly what isn’t easy to say… Understanding, compassion, and no man ever left behind.
(A short ode to my friendships.)

In seven days, we visited three islands: Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonissos, beautiful beaches, numerous secluded coves, fish restaurants and gyros grills where we had dinner, all without the tourist crowds because it was already the very end of the season. Each island had its own charms and beauty, but the place that impressed me the most was the small village of Agia Kyriaki. It’s a tiny place on the Greek peninsula that you can also reach by car, and we visited it on our way back. There we ate the best fish and the most delicious portokalopita (orange cake) and drank ouzo. We also had a close encounter with a small octopus right in the shallows and watched the most beautiful sunset of the entire week. The evening ended with a song accompanied by a guitar, and in the morning, we had the chance to see what everyday life looks like for the locals: an old fisherman pulling fish from his net and cleaning them while cats watch and patiently wait for their share. Old ladies buying fruit. People sitting in their yards, admiring that same sea they’ve looked at their entire lives, and yet you can never get tired of that beauty.

On the way back to Volos, I felt as if the entire street was swaying under my feet and as if the shelves in the souvenir shop might collapse on my head. That feeling of dizziness lasted for a good week after returning from the sailing trip, though it faded a little each day.

So far, this trip has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, so much beautiful nature and so many beautiful moments, far from the noise of cities and other people, under the clear sky full of stars. The most fulfilling, yet also the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had. My eyes filled with tears so many times because of the beauty of what I was looking at that I stopped counting. I also felt incredibly healthy living in that rhythm: constant movement, swimming, being exposed to the sun for as many hours as possible each day, eating lightly but well, and being surrounded by wonderful people. It made me wish I could live like that every day.

Or at least repeat the experience again sometime.

For more pictures from this adventure visit: Greece by Sunchica.