Experiencing Greece just like Ulysses did...only with 96 bottles of beer

By Dan Davies

Messing about in boats has been a major activity at the Greek end of the Med since long before the time of Ulysses. He was the legendary warrior who managed to get lost on his return journey from the Trojan War and ended up on an odyssey that lasted for ten years. Our plucky party of six mariners – four men and two women – had decided to voyage in the wake of Ulysses on a 'bare boat' charter: hiring a yacht to sail around the Ionian Sea.
We had one properly accredited sailor – Tom – and five willing helpers (Me, Phil, Shweta, Mark and Stephanie) whose patchy knowledge of sailing was largely derived from a casual study of Captain Pugwash. Our exciting week began in Preveza in north-west Greece. At the Vounaki Marina we were introduced to Snow Leopard, the catamaran that would be our home for the week. After acquainting ourselves with the 'cat', we made our way to the marina bar for the Sunday night barbecue, which offered us an early introduction to that most famous of the Hellenic beers, Mythos.

Top cat: The sleek Snow Leopard was home to the intrepid crew of one sailor and five beginners for a week

We started our expedition bright and early on Monday with a boat briefing to give us the information required to have 'a fun, yet safe, trip'. Provisioning is key on any journey and we used the local supermarket to stock up on food, 96 bottles of Mythos and, most importantly (according to our briefing), toilet paper. Setting off from the marina was the first time half the crew had experienced the intricacies of casting off – the anchor coming up, the lines ashore being brought aboard, the skipper roaring orders while carefully navigating us past other boats.
Being captain is a bit of an ego trip, which was probably what Mr Christian said to The Bounty's Captain Bligh just before the mutiny... The rest of the morning and early afternoon were spent journeying towards Akopli Bay where we aimed to have lunch. There was little wind, so the diesel motor, aka 'the donkey', was used for the majority of the distance.

The wind started to pick up in the afternoon, so we started to learn a bit more about sailing from captain Tom. Terms such as jib and furlers started to be bandied about as we opened up the sails and caught a good bit of wind, reaching a speed of six knots at points. We arrived in Syvota for the evening at about 4.30pm and set about docking against the pontoon. Nearby was a lovely small beach – it was a joy cool-ing down after a long hot day at sea.
We then proceeded to recharge the Snow Leopard's batteries via a cable ashore and also gave ourselves a jolt via a round of gin and tonics. One legacy of previous users of the Snow Leopard was a small fishing rod which had been left in the tender. Unfortunately, only a hook and no weight was attached to the line. Luckily, we were able to buy a weight and a new hook for the rod when we were ashore and fishing proved to be an enjoyable aside at various times during the holiday, especially for Phil. Once we spotted a dolphin, which appeared off our starboard side, and we were lucky enough to spot a three more swimming nearby.

Sailor's fuel: The crew kept going on their adventure with local beer

Going ashore on Wednesday evening the heavens opened as we arrived at the restaurant. Throughout the meal, the rain continued to pour down, with thunder and lightning nearby adding to the drama. The next day, with the early morning sun beating down, we set off at a reasonable time with the aim of stopping at Zakynthos's Blue Caves.
Apart from the natural arches that have been carved out by erosion, these caves are famous for the colour of the water in their deepest hollows, a deep azure most striking in the morning when the light is at its brightest. In the afternoon, we headed towards Shipwreck Bay, where there was a boat that had been wrecked on the small beach in the bay. Apparently, the boat hit rocks 20 years ago as it tried to flee the Greek navy (it had contraband cigarettes on board).
On our final day afloat we aimed for Skorpios for lunch, a private island owned by the Onassis family. Anchoring just offshore from a bay, we again enjoyed our standard lunch of meats, feta cheese, bread and salad, washed down with a round of Mythos beers. We stretched out in the sun and raised our glasses to toast the exploits of brave sailors – we had lived the Myth.

Travel facts

Bareboat Catamaran charter in the Ionian from Sunsail's marina at Vounaki costs from £559pp. Based on six people sharing a Sunsail 384 for seven nights, it includes return flights from Gatwick and transfers, departing on October 21. Call Sunsail (0845 508 6197, sunsail.co.uk).

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