Sail up close and personal in the Greek Islands

There is no phrase more guaranteed to induce jealousy in your loved ones than: “I’m sailing the Greek Islands”.

Even dear friends and trusted colleagues will frost over with envy, particularly when you insist on showing them pictures of your ship at every possible opportunity and saying things like: “That’ll be me next week. Isn’t it marvellous?”

And when your ship looks like the Galileo, a 40-metre triple-masted yacht, their envy is even more understandable.

Our route is an anti-clockwise loop of the Cyclades (pronounced Si-clads), a windswept archipelago in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

I’d seen shots of Santorini’s blue-domed roofs and marmalade sunsets on Mykonos, but the geology of the islands here takes me by surprise.

I guess in my idle daydreams I’d pictured something vaguely tropical, maybe with lush forests and white sandy beaches.

But Joseph, our leader and guide, teaches us that many of these islands are technically deserts.

They’re scoured by sun and salt, kept alive by underwater springs and aquifers that flow down all the way from Scandinavia.

Life on the boat is the stuff of cubical daydreams.

Mornings spent reading on the sundeck. Sitting on the back bar with a drink and watching the world flow by. Breakfast buffets of Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, eggs and bacon. Chatting with your fellow passengers over a game of Scrabble or Jenga.

Sail in style with Peregrine Adventures

Today we’re cruising to Poros, on the mainland, and I decide to wander up to the ship’s bridge.

I knock on the door and the captain welcomes me with a big smile. He spends a bit of time trying to teach me why the wind is measured in knots and soon we round Cape Sounion, and he turns to focus on the sea.

Eventually, like Odysseus emerging from a fogbank, we drop anchor in a small bay on some remote island.

The Cyclades are made up of about 220 islands forming a ring around the sacred isle of Delos, home to the god Apollo, but there are also thousands of “mini-islands” dotted throughout the Aegean.

Unlike the big cruise ships with their chlorinated pools and screaming toddlers, swimming on the Galileo takes place in the sea.

It’s the tail end of summer, peak season has long past, and the air is a little brisk, but Joseph assures us the water is balmy and warm.

A metal gangplank is lowered from the port deck, with steps leading down into the water, and the staff swarm around with fresh towels, sunscreen, inflatable noodles and kayaks.

I climb up onto the rail, take a deep breath and dive in.

Go where the big ships can’t on a small-ship cruise with Peregrine Adventures. With a maximum of 50 people per voyage, you can spend more time exploring the destinations you visit – just like a local. Enjoy personalised service from on-board chefs and wait staff and be comfortable in the knowledge our trips are sustainable and carbon offset.

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