Santorini Day 2: Sailing in Santorini

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We skipped breakfast so we would not have to get up quite so early for our sailing today with Ted Stathis of Santorini Sailing. We also had our bright little yellow Fiat Panda delivered from what turned out to be a much better experience that Thrifty. Although on the last it all turned out good and the guy told me there was no issue as they had just missed it on the review. I would have to believe though that if I had merely acquiesced to their pointing out the "new" scratches, I would most likely have been charged for it, so renters beware, be thorough and be a pest about it, it will save you a lot of trouble. We pointed out so many knicks and scratches to our guy in Santorini that he joked that even if we had added a new scratch it would be covered by all the other ones he had already noted. Your problem, not ours my friend.

So we drove with Meredith and Bill to Vlichada Port with Jennifer providing her expert navigation skills as she has done the whole trip (but only on the road, not on the boat). Our boat, the Blue Lagoon, is a 41' catamaran, French made, a real beauty. We arrived nice an early so we could have a Greek coffee with Hector, Ted's cousin who is the deckhand and cook - basically does everything that Ted doesn't want to deal with - it's what I would do. There were eight guests on the boat when all is said and done, a nice sum at 135 Euros a head. The two other couples were British, both from London, nearby neighborhoods in fact - they were Chris and Anna (very easy to remember) and Martin and Rachel. We had a great group and I am glad we did semi-private as it is more fun this way but still not too crowded.

Ted's little gig is the number 1 rated item for Santorini in TripAdvisor which is pretty good, I cannot render such a relative judgement as I have not tried everything else out, so I can't tell you this is the BEST thing to do on the island, but we will tell you, and our shipmates will as well that it was an awesome experience and worth every single penny. We only saw one other boat while we were out there and it was loaded to the gills with people, it looked like a bar in Cancun, in fact I don't even know how the ship was seaworthy with so many people on board, there could not have been enough life vests. You get what you pay for.

The Program

So you pay 135 Euros, but what do you get for it? First you get a very nice boat that is not the newest and fanciest with goldplating or anything but is definitely a fine piece of nautical engineering and very very well maintained. Second, you get Hector who is a bit of a curmudgeon when hungover but is a great young guy and the real deal. Third, you get Ted as the skipper who was born in New Jersey to Greek parents and definitely has the Jersey perspective and way, understands the American customer and is very personable, basically, he's American but he knows how things work in Greece. He also owns a sushi place called Ginger in Firostefani which is supposedly top notch. He has a Japanese Sushi chef, that is a big deal in and of itself.

The itinerary involves leaving Vlichada Port which is one of many ports on the island, but this one is on the southside which takes you by Red Beach first, then the famed White Beach which is only accessible by boat. We did not stop at either as it was quite cold at this early hour and the water is also cold. On top of that, White Beach is cool, but it's not white sand, its white cobbles and pebbles . . . We then sail past the Venetian Lighthouse and into the caldera. Seeing the island from this side is awesome, it really gives an impression of how high perched the towns are on the rim. We then sailed next to the current volcano dome for a swim in the warm springs. Anything below a six inches from the surface was pretty cold but as we got closer to the springs it got warmer but also very ferrous as the water was very red and full of rust. Ted indicated there is also a lot of sulfur there but that was not detectable in my mouthfuls. Be warned that the red will tinge your bathing suit red (although it will come out unless you swash around in the rocks which are coated with it). We got up on the rocks which was very nice and all returned with red feet. Iron is good for you right? He then sailed us off to a nearby cove where we were invited to swim some more but had all had enough and just wanted to drink more wine and beer which is pretty much all you can drink. He prepared a great meal of fresh calamari, pork and other Greek specialties. We are both pretty picky and particular about things, and I will keep my integrity and not say that this is the BEST thing on the island, but if I had to, I would say there is a very good chance this is the best experience you can have.

Good Turk is a Dead One

So Hector apparently just got out of the Greek military and all of the good indoctrination there. Turkey came up in the conversation because someone had asked about the flags on the boats and why certain flags were being flown. Ted got fired up and indicated that when he has had to go in Turkish waters in the past, he refuses to hoist the Turkish flag and he is always stopped and asked why he is not flying it and claims that the Turks begin yelling "Pirat! Pirat!" So he signs that he lost his flag and they hand him a new one which he summarily throws out. He said something to the effect that the Greeks ruled over Turkey for 3000 years and so basically they have the upper hand on the Turks. Okay. The last comment was from Hector saying that a good Turk is a dead one. Cool, I'm staying out of this.

Post Cruise

We dropped off Bill and Meredith in a hurry at the hotel and sadly we did not see Curious George after this, and he is still missing. The hotel has been unresponsive about helping us find him and we think he may have snuck away in the stack of towels we turned in. He is definitely a curious little monkey wandering off like that. Afterwards we went off to Oia, the northernmost town on the island. Here also the views are fantastic, the best ON the island. We also went to the beach below it, which was black sand and rocks, nice, but small. Oia is much less kitsch than Fira is, an has a more muted, authentic style. Not to the same extent as Megalochori, but a likeable place. We picked up a beautiful silk Greek rug here after quite a bit of negotiating and leaving the store.

We then returned to Fira for some running around, ate some delicious Gyro at Obelix's place. We had a great stay in Santorini, maybe one more day would have been nice but I think two full days takes care of what needs to be done here.

Our Official Guide to Santorini

I would say we have the itinerary you should do pretty well mapped out, the only thing we did not educate ourselves well on is the restaurant situation, I would recommend spending some time on this as the restaurants can be quite expensive but there are still some great values and experiences out there if you take the time to discover them. For example, on Fira's main rim street, check the places out that are not on the rim side but that are two stories and still have the amazing views but just not the astounding prices.

As far as hotels, we ended up really like the Vedema Resort and will like them better if they get Curious George back to us. But as Ted said, it is all about what your individual preferences are. Seeing the caldera and sunset everytime you step out of your room is great but I like being able to have a nice swimming pool area, a room with a private jacuzzi, access to an authentic Santorini village like Megalochori. Also, our neighbors were the local rooster and donkey, much better than the noisy tour buses and and teenagers running around in town. Otherwise, I would suggest looking at bed and breakfasts in the area, or villa rentals, there are some that are brand new and perched atop rocks in secluded areas that look amazing.

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Photos

Ted Stathis Pontificating on Something
Leaving Vlichada Port, Ted has opinions on everything.

On Blue Lagoon's Stern
Leaving Vlichada Port behind.

Red Beach
Accessible by road, we already saw one in Peloponnisos thank you very much.

White Beach
Only accessible by boat, in the summer we would have swam here, but too cold now! More cobbles and pebbles than a beach if you ask me.

Raising the Mainsail
I did most of the work, Ted just posed for the credit.

Volcanic Warm Springs
The red is all of the ferrous oxide, you are basically sucking on a penny the whole time you are in the water. The water is a little warm on the top six inches.

Moored for Lunch
We were done swimming, this is around the corner from the springs and the big "party boat" that had just sailed in.

Chow Time on Blue Lagoon
We're all there - Me, Jennifer, Bill, Meredith, Martin, Rachel, Anna, and Chris.

On the Bow
Returning to Vlichada Port.

The Blue Lagoon
A French 41 foot catamaran, great condition, pride of the Santorini Sailing Fleet (not really).

Our Little Fiat Panda
This car was AWESOME. The perfect car for driving windy and small roads.

Ammoudi Bay and Beach
Near Oia, a great "black beach".

On Ammoudi Bay
There was actual black sand here, like on the Vedema's private beach.

View of Fira from Oia
The best views of the caldera and sunset are really from here, not because it is the highest point but because you can see the highest point (Fira) and appreciate its verticality.