Greece 2025 - a summer sail from Herzliya, Israel to the Halkidiki Peninsula, Greece... and back!
- Mark Abrahamson
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
In the past few years it's become a regular ritual for me during the long summer school vacation, to sail to the neighboring paradises of Turkey and Greece with my 2 kids and one, or more, of my partners on our Bavaria 44'.
Up until 3 years ago our regular playground was Turkey, with its amazing coastline, friendly locals and relatively cheap prices.
Our last visit was in 2022 and we decided that the time had come to look for alternate destinations as the prices were becoming increasingly high and there was a feeling that visiting sailors were getting taken advantage of. In addition, the political tension between Israel and Turkey took a turn for the worse, and so the decision was made the next year to sail to Greece.
Last summer we explored the Dodecanese Islands, with an impressive list of 15 islands under our keel over a one and a half month period. Initially we were supposed to be sailing for about 14 days, after which we would be replaced by my other partners in the boat, with each of them getting a week to 10 days or so of sailing with their families and friends, and then switching again (there are 7 of us!), As luck would have it, we had a little "problem" with one of our neighbors in the area, who decided to send over some missiles in retaliation for a little visit our air force conducted, so all flights in and out of the Israel were suspended, which meant that nobody was coming to relieve us and we were not going anywhere either. I have to be honest and say that this was the best thing that could have happened to me personally - I had my kids safely with me and we got to explore the islands at a leisurely pace with none of the usual pressures associated with a short vacation.
This summer, 2025, we decided to explore the Halkidiki peninsula which is way up north, about 800nm (1,500km) from Israel, with Saloniki being the closest major city.
I will let ChatGPT give you a short description of the area:
"The Khalkidhiki (Halkidiki) Peninsula in northern Greece is a three-pronged landform that extends into the Aegean Sea, southeast of Thessaloniki. Known for its pine-covered mountains, sandy beaches, and turquoise waters, it consists of three smaller peninsulas: Kassandra (lively and tourist-oriented), Sithonia (more tranquil and natural), and Mount Athos (a monastic community and UNESCO World Heritage Site with restricted access). It’s a popular destination combining rich history, traditional villages, and vibrant summer resorts".
We began our trip on August 10th 2025, Gil my friend and partner, myself and Eli, my 11 year first mate, departing Herzliya marina, our home port, and heading for the Greek island of Kastellorizo, a 54 odd hour sail, mostly with engine due to unfavorable winds. This island is the furthest island from the Greek mainland, and about 4nm from the Turkish town of Kas. Kastellorizo is also the entry point for most boats departing Israel and on the way to Greece and the islands. It's a beautiful little island with only a few hundred permanent residents and is wholly reliable on visiting yachts and daily excursions from the Turkish mainland. Lovely, colorful, Neoclassical townhouses dominate the sea front, with restaurants and trinket shops on the ground floors.
After filling our diesel tanks and spare jerrycans, enjoying dinner at our regular taverna Alexsandra, whose owner, Michaelis, also provides us with free water and electricity, we made an early start the next morning heading for Rhodes. This was another motor sail of about 12 hours - the winds were not kind to us and were on our nose the entire trip north. We usually skip Rhodes as it is one of the larger and touristy islands and we prefer the smaller ones. But we had to stop here to pick up my eldest, Gal, 15 who flew in as he was not feeling well for the sail over. As luck would have it, the infamous Meltemi wind from the north started to play with us and we ended up stuck in Rhodes for 3 nights. Although we had a car and travelled around the island and had a great time, we were still itching to move on.
From Rhodes we revisited the island of Nisyros, another gem. The island is most famous for its active volcano, and you take a walk down to the very base of it, seeing the sulphur gases escaping from the ground. There are 2 municipal marinas on this beautiful island and the owners of the two local car rental agencies, run by two feuding families, are both always very helpful and willing to help with berthing. You can even WhatsApp them in advance to book a spot.
We departed Nisyros for our next stop, Kalymnos, which we also visited the previous summer. We skipped the main marina and headed for the inlet of Vathy, a beautiful fishing village with some good tavernas and a nice atmosphere. During the day, many tourist-filled "pirate" ships visit, and although they cause a lot of overcrowding (and noise), they are a welcome source of revenue for the village. "Sponge Bob" is a colorful character who has taken it upon himself to assist the visiting yachts in berthing. He of course also takes a small fee of a few Euros for this but you also get water and electricity included (although it is in fact free..). He gets his nickname because of the huge natural sponge that he wears on his head and the sponges he sells.
After spending a night in Vathy, we headed for Samos. A beautiful (I am repeating myself..) island located about 1.5 km from the Turkish mainland and about 90% of the visiting boats are Turkish, both sail and motor. Apparently the Turks come over and stock up on alcohol as it is cheaper, and maybe more accessible here. I think they secretly like splashing their money around on the Greeks who need them to survive. As a result, the island is relatively expensive - an Americano cost 6.50 Eur, albeit at a touristy coffee shop, but then again we had a great Gyros for the same price so go figure (most probably the Turks dont eat street food). Apparently Turkish boats can enter neighbouring Greek islands for daily visits and do not need to go through passport control.
The main port in Samos is called Pythagoreio, named after Pythagoras, who was born on the island. In mythology, the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, was born here as well.
From Samos we set off in the late afternoon, motor sailing the whole night to save time and arriving about 10 hours later in Chios the next morning. We anchored in the bay as we were not staying long. Chios is famous for its Mastic - a natural resin used in food and medicine and there is even a museum, although we did not get to visit it. Also the birthplace of Homer (not Simpson...:-).
Next day we did a short sail to the small neighboring island of Psara, a really quaint, authentic island, dominated by 2 huge, impressive churches and an impressive monument. This island has a long naval history and is famous for its heroic stand during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820's against the Ottomans - thousands of the island's inhabitants were massacred as they refused to evacuate chanting the phrase Freedom or Death! - and of course we know where that led...
We departed Psara on another night sail northwards to the island of Limnos.
Limnos was the staging ground for ANZAC forces taking part in the Gallipoli campaign in WW1 and there is even an allied military cemetery there although we did not get to see it. Another island worth visiting again, and the first time in the whole trip that we saw a poster with something about Palestine on it! There is a very impressive castle with ramparts still in place overlooking the town. The harbor was full of yachts taking part in a race so we had to anchor in the bay until the next day.
We departed Limnos for the final leg of our trip, sailing at night towards the middle "leg" of Halkidiki. As was explained earlier, the peninsula is divided into 3 legs that extend out from the mainland, each one unique. Lots of shipping along the way leaving and entering the Bosporus. A very popular tourist destination with huge hotel complexes, holiday resorts and casinos.
This part of Greece borders Bulgaria and North Macedonia and at this time of the year most of the tourists and many yachts were from these two countries.
The western and central fingers are very touristy with postcard coves and bays and turquoise waters to match. The eastern leg is basically forbidden as it is the location of 20 monasteries and about 2,000 monks, and they don't like visitors. You cannot sail there but you can get a visa to visit, but it is forbidden for woman and children to enter. This leg is dominated by the 2000 meter Mount Athos, the "Holy Mountain".
We arrived at our final port of call, Porto Carras, located on the western side of the middle leg. Porto Carras is a marina and hotel complex including a casino, golf course and even a helicopter pad. Marmaras, the closest town, is located across the bay.
We stayed in the area for 3 nights visiting the nearby bays, swimming and just taking it easy.
From here me and the kids departed for the 1.5 hour drive to the airport in Saloniki and the flight home to Tel Aviv, leaving the boat with my other partners to enjoy.
In summing up this first leg, it was a great sailing holiday, and while I would have preferred to spend more time in each of the islands along the way, we certainly did get a full taste of the area. The Greeks are a wonderful, friendly people, and once you recognise and accept their pace, sigá sigá (slowly, slowly), you will begin to appreciate their take on life and not get frustrated when you need to adjust yourself to this. The kids were great and are true sailors, each with at least a couple of thousand nautical miles under his belt so far.
In part ll, I will be going back to Porto Carras with Gil and his wife, Hadar, for a week of sailing together, and then Hadar will be replaced by Yuval, Gil's brother, and we will begin the return leg back to Herzliya.
Stay tuned and Yasas!
Comments