Yacht Squad Summary

Finally, after 16 intense blog posts, there is one remaining: the grand Yacht Squad summary!!

Regarding planning...

Here are a few things I would do differently...

• The first thing I would do (again) is contact Diederik at sailingissues.com. His advice, patience in answering questions, and contacts in the sailing community are invaluable. I believe we even saved about 10% off the price.
• In the beginning, a one way rental appeared to be too much hassle. It would mean flying or ferrying to Paros or Mykonos then sailing back to Athens. In hindsight, I wish we considered this as it would have enabled us to spend more time in the Cyclades!
• As the planner, I would recommend everyone pay separately for the fixed costs. This would be the fixed costs after the initial deposit such as final boat payment, cleaning, captain’s salary, and gas. It just made it easier than collecting portions! This also includes booking a boat for the amount of people willing to put down a deposit months in advance.
• On the boat, I would charge rooms and space based on single or double occupancy. Sharing a tiny room on the boat deserves some credit!
• For the Cyclades, I would HIGHLY recommend sailing for two weeks. It simply isn’t possible to see everything. For one week, I think you could see the islands surrounding Athens.
• When we spoke to Eugene, we asked when we have to book the boat. He said the earlier, the better! If you want a preferred boat, book by December!

Helpful Tips and Tricks....

During the trip, we found a few things we would slightly change...

• During planning, I figured we could "boat camp” (without a marina) since they offered a hostess and a packing list. If we had a choice, I believe we would choose to alternate between boat camping and marina stays. Granted, we loved our “city” visits, but something about the pure tranquility and the sea makes it worth it! Just pack the food

• As the trip continued, our Captain eventually learned we love to swim rather than sail straight to our destination. I would recommend talking with the skipper to tell him these things and ask where we could go see the hidden side.

• While we had a pretty good expense system, I would try and organize the group expenses better. Either one person pays for it and enters it into Splitwise or there is a petty cash fund. It did lead to some friction so I would have a set system next time.
• Bring. Tons. Of. Sunscreen. And Aloe. You will get tan so immediately go for SPF 50. Mary France recommends bringing non-oily as you won’t feel as gross!

Regarding the Islands....

I have a few recommendations on how to “pick” which islands to visit on the trip.

• Without Sarah’s lonely planet book, we certainly would have never heard of these islands! Granted, several were on our initial itinerary, but it was extremely helpful having the book onboard to guide us to restaurants, places to see, and where exactly we were in the Cyclades!
• Be willing to be completely spontaneous! Thankfully, we all were very flexible and willing to see whatever island! We eventually had to choose between Santorini and Milos and I think we all were happy with that decision in the end.
• With the islands, stick with the smaller ones. For example, Paros was unbelievable and half the price of Mykonos! We felt like we saw more Greek culture in Paros as well!

Regarding packing…

• Less is always more!! Pack in a duffel bag as there isn’t room to store hard suitcases.
• Don’t bother bringing tennis shoes or trainers. They are pointless on a boat! I would bring sperries or boat shoes, chacos or another sandal form, and then flip flops. That is it! Unless you’re going to a fancy restaurant or club, everyone usually wears boat shoes at a minimum.
• 5-7 nice outfits. I had 5 nice shirts with three shorts and was perfectly fine! I only wore them for 2-3 hours at night anyways!
• As a guy, I only brought 3 bathing suits. They dry pretty quickly on the boat!
• I brought about 5-6 bathing suit shirts. Again, if we were mainly on the boat, I rewore the shirt multiple times. If we were walking around town or to the beach, I wore something fresh!
• Unless you want to go to the shop near the Athens marina, bring all your floats in advance and possibly an air pump!
• My GoPro was essential for great underwear and water pictures!
• To repeat my above point, I would bring SPF 50 for both face and body and SPF 30 for when you adjust to the sun!

Expenses

Although we spent a lot, I have to remember we had a private 55 foot sail boat, with a skipper, for two weeks in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I’ve tried to make the expenses complete and accurate, but it is missing some of my personal cash spending.

Description	Cost per person ($)
Boat	1,730
Skipper + Tip	460 + 150
Cleaning and Gas	31 + 88
Food	331
Other	22 + 150

• Boat - This is the total per person cost of the boat, including the nasty foreign transaction fees.
• Skipper - I combined the initial skipper salary which is paid upfront and the tip we provided. For the tip, it is recommended you tip $100 per week plus all meals. Meals costs about $20 per day. I recommended to the group a tip of $150 per person.
• Cleaning is an automatic expense paid upfront while you pay for gas after the trip. For two weeks, we were pleasantly surprised how much we used and it wasn’t as bad as we expected!
• Food - we tried to keep our costs down here. It is really easy outside of Mykonos as a big meal with drinks costs about $15. Beware of bread as that is $1 per person and can add up! They also do not serve tap water.
• Other - This includes any marina fees, which were generally $10 an island, and miscellaneous costs we incurred as a group.

Winners and “Losers"!

Winner: Favorite Meal

My favorite meal was the Paros gyros! Not only was it dirt cheap, they were very good! That being said, we ate very well on the trip… at least at night since we didn’t eat much for lunch!

Winner: Favorite Island

I wish I could say all! In the end, I think I have to say Milos as I would return there in a heartbeat! Not only does the island have awesome beaches, Milos has plenty of adventurous activities!

Winner: Favorite Day

Our day heading to Milos was my favorite. We had loads of time to swim and explore the caves! To top off our amazing day, I had a great meal and outstanding views on top of Milos!

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.theunchartered.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GOPR2749.mp4"][/video]

Winner: Favorite Dessert

This category is incredibly difficult. I have to stay local and say the Paros desserts with loads of baklava was my favorite! I went into a candy store and left ten pounds heavier!

“Loser”: Least Favorite Island

Perhaps if our Yacht Squad was a party boat, we would enjoy Mykonos. The scenic views and beaches are worth a visit, but the prices and crowds are not. I wish we spent a day here, but I am glad we went to say we have been!

“Loser”: Least Favorite Meal

Anytime we didn’t eat lunch. Which was more frequently than I would have liked!

“Loser”: Least Favorite Day

This is easy. When I stupidly relied on spray sunscreen and my back looked like a tomato while my front was a red spotted cow. Thankfully, I got out of the sun relatively quickly, but I had to miss out on two days in the sun!

In Summary...

For two weeks, we sailed the Cyclades islands in Greece and loved every moment! There were high and lows, but each day was a new adventure with a new island! Yacht Squad will return - but will it be in Greece??