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A place you can find yourself

Greece is, without doubt, one of those places on the planet that for some will help connect all parts of their DNA. Most of us can travel and enjoy the culture and beauty while indulging in varying types of holiday lifestyles. Greece has it all going on. If you are one of the lucky people who can explore this place by Yacht Charter then you will see another side of Greece that is truly superb. Seasoned travellers will quickly realise you need a long time to explore the subtle differences in cultural behaviour as one travels from island to island.

Endangered species

Eighty per cent of Greece is mountainous. However, few places are far from the sea. The highest peak is Mount Olympus, at 2,918 metres. Other mountains regions include the Pindus Range, found inland from Corfu. Its steep-faced mountains dissected by canyons recognise the range. The spectacular Vikos Gorge is part of the Vikos-Aoos National Park in the Pindus mountains. Notably, the Guinness Book of World Records lists Vikos as the deepest gorge in the world. Another magnificent elevation is the Meteora. These extraordinary rock pillars have a medieval Greek Orthodox monastery right at the top.

Closest to Kavala in the northeast of Greece features a further mountain chain, the Rhodope range. Vast ancient forests cover the Rhodope highlands. This dense woodland provides a home to the endangered brown bear. Additionally, this Mediterranean region is home to several rare and endangered marine species. For example, the pinniped (flipper-footed) seal and the loggerhead sea turtle only exist in Greek waters.

Athens

Athens close to Alimos along with Laviron was the host city to the very first modern Olympic Games that took place in 1896. Flights into Athens to pick up a Yacht for Charter connect to an international audience. The government chose Athens because of its landscape and connection to the sea. The city presents a view of the entire Attica Basin from the top of the highest hill.

There are regular car ferries from Athens to Kefalonia, Ithaca and Meganissi, a popular Yacht Charter destination. Therefore, it is easy to move between islands. Alternatively, you can charter a yacht from Athen’s to sail yourself.

The birthplace of Democracy

The birthplace of Western Mediterranean civilisation and Democracy is considered to be Greece. At the end of the Dark Ages, there were various kingdoms and city-states across the peninsula. Henceforth, the division of power spread across the seas to southern Italy and Asia Minor. Subsequently, the nations and their colonies became very prosperous, leading to a cultural boom. Notably, the richness of classical Greece appears in philosophy, architecture, drama, science and mathematics. The Greek Cleisthenes created the world’s first democratic system of government in Athens in 508 BC.

Ancient Greece

The Roman Empire absorbed Greece in the second century BC. Fast forward to the 14th-century, when the fall of Constantinople led to the Ottoman conquest of mainland Greece. Greeks who lived in the Ionian Islands and Constantinople became prosperous. However, much of the population of the rest of Greece suffered the consequences. Heavy taxes, plus a policy of creating hereditary estates, turned Greek farmers effectively into serfs.

Turkish domination continued despite efforts by the Greeks. However, during the 18th century, a wealthy Greek merchant class arose. By establishing trade throughout the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and Western Europe. Rigas Feraios was the first revolutionary to envision an independent Greek state. He wrote a national anthem and the first detailed map of Greece. Ottoman agents murdered him in 1798 in Vienna.

Greek rebellion

The makeshift Greek navy finally began to achieve success against the Ottomans. Turks and Egyptians ravaged the Greek islands committing massacres in 1822 and 1824. This galvanised public opinion in western Europe in favour of the Greek rebels.

Different Greek factions developed tensions leading to two civil wars. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Sultan negotiated with Egypt. The Egyptian, Ibrahim Pasha, arrived in Greece with his army to suppress the revolution.

After years of negotiation, three Great Powers, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, intervened. The allied fleet intercepted and destroyed the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet at Navarino. The London Protocol Agreement showed recognition of The Greek State in 1830.

The Greco-Italian War 1941

Fascist Italy demanded the surrender of Greece in October 1940. The Greek administration refused. Greece managed to repel the Italian forces pushing them into Albania. This gave the Allies their first victory over Axis forces on land. The Allies praised the Greeks. Winston Churchill stated: “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but we will say that heroes fight like Greeks.”

World War II

However, the country fell to German forces during the Battle of Greece, despite fierce Greek resistance. Adolf Hitler recognised the bravery and courage of the Greek army. He addressed the Reichstag on 11 December 1941, saying: “Historical justice obliges me to state that of enemies who took up positions against us, the Greek soldier especially fought with the highest courage.”

Nazi occupation brought terrible hardship to the Greek civilian population. More than 100,000 civilians died of starvation during the winter of 1941. Tens of thousands more suffered or died in Nazi reprisals. Nazi soldiers in concentration camps murdered thousands of Greek Jews. Consequently, the Greek Resistance fought vehemently against the Nazis. They were one of the most effective resistance movements of the war.

Eventually, Athens celebrated liberation from the Axis powers in 1944. Continuing issues led the country into a bloody civil war between communist forces and the anti-communist Greek government. The conflict resulted in further economic devastation for Greece.

Modern Greece

King Constantine II ruled until a coup d’état in 1967 by the Regime of the Colonels. A counter-coup established Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannidis as the country’s leader. In July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus in response to a Greek-backed Cypriot coup. The political crisis caused by this later led to the regime’s collapse. Traditionally strained relations with neighbouring Turkey only improved when successive earthquakes hit both nations in 1999. Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

The country adopted the euro in 2001. However, Greece suffered dramatically from the late-2000s recession. Consequently, the Mediterranean economy is still unstable, causing concern for the European Monetary Commission.

Please also visit our Tukey page, the South of France and Barcelona

Going Down Under For Yacht Charter.

Australia is a long way from Europe, and we say down under because it’s the other side of the world if you are based in Europe. Knowing something about Australia and its history will add to the experience of any long-distance travel.  We added a little Australian info below with some links that we hope will encourage research.

Aboriginal Australians

Before the first British settlement in the late 18th-century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians. However, archaeologists believe that the first inhabitants arrived about 60,000 years ago. Native Australian rock art is the oldest and most vibrant globally, spread across hundreds of thousands of different locations. Aboriginal Australians are still very much part of the population. Aboriginal tribes are still dominant in some remote areas of the country. Their customs and tribal laws are practised in many areas. Nonetheless, despite modern governments’ change of viewpoint and efforts, it is still taking time for the Aborigines to gain equality among Australia’s communities.

Dutch explorers

Dutch explorers discovered the continent in 1606. Subsequently, Great Britain claimed Australia’s eastern half in 1770. The settlers arrived on New South Wales’s shores to form a penal colony on 26 January 1788.

A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s. Subsequently, a boost to both the population and the economy occurred. Nevertheless, the population density of only 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre remains among the lowest worldwide due to the continent’s vast size.

Modern Australia

Modern Australia maintains a stable liberal democratic political system. The federal constitutional monarchy comprises six states and several territories. HRH Queen Elizabeth II of England is the reigning monarch, but the government leader is the Prime Minister. Australia has the world’s ninth-largest immigrant population. Immigrants account for nearly 30% of the population.

Geography and climate

It is the driest and flattest inhabited continent in the world. Australia has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres. Within this vast area are a wide variety of landscapes and climates. The centre is a desert. There are tropical rainforests in the northeast. Mountain ranges grace the southeast, including the famous Blue Mountains.

Sailing in Australia

With its many harbours and superb coastline, Australia is hard to beat for sailing choice. The Whitsunday Islands close to the Barrier Reef are a well-trod path for holiday sailors and local Australians. You are as likely to see sharks as much as dolphins, and the reef itself is breathtaking. Yachts and sports boats fill every waterway in New South Wales. Likewise, Perth, on the other side of the country, is a top sailing destination. Superyachts grace most major city harbours. Australian’s take their sailing very seriously, especially since Australia won the America’s cup in 1983. Thus, the longest-reigning champions, the Americans, lost their title.

Links, Asia, Asia Pacific, Pacific Ocean,

The Capital of Catalonia

Rent a boat for a day week month or even get into Yacht Charter Management.  Barcelona and the surrounding districts have got it all going on. Castelldefels on the outskirts sits next to Port Ginesta. The port attracts thousands of people from the city each day in the summer to have fun on miles of sandy beaches. Port Ginesta is a great marina and just a short distance from the bustle of city life?

The number one city to visit in Spain is Barcelona.

Barcelona is the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonian region. You can find great art and architecture, among other tourist delights. Notably, the fantastic Sagrada Família church and other landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí, adorn the city. Additional museums such as the Museu Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró feature modern art by their namesake artists.

Barcelona is the provincial capital of Catalonia, though not of Spain itself. However, few cities can claim to be more appealing than Barcelona, even though it isn’t the biggest city globally and isn’t particularly well organised!

So, what is the secret of Barcelona’s popularity?

It’s the multi-cultural buzz of people that keeps the city alive they create an intoxicating mixture of excellence, noise and laughter.

Barcelona is a “City of Dreams”. Consequently, there are some super-rich people here who live like kings. Conversely, though, many people struggle to stay above the breadline.

Nonetheless, whatever you’re looking for, you can find it in Barcelona. It takes a while to get used to living here, but once you do – like so many of us – you may never want to leave!

Las Ramblas

This is the famous tree-lined pavement area which connects the centre of the city to the sea. The Ramblas stretches for over a kilometre, from Plaça de Catalunya to the Columbus Monument down at Port Vell. The street also forms the city boundary between the Barri Gòtic to the east and El Raval. Built on a dry river bed at the turn of the 20th-century, La Rambla was carefully planned. Its purpose was to promenade newly wealthy industrialists to stroll through the city and enjoy the scenery. The Spanish verb “Ramblar” – meaning to walk leisurely or ramble – gave the street its name.

Port Vell

The Mediterranean Sea is a vibrant component of Barcelona city life. At the end of Las Ramblas, Christopher Columbus’s statue greets the sea from a high-level vantage point. You can climb to the top of his tower to enjoy a panoramic city and sea view at Port Vell.

Port Vell is the oldest operating port in Barcelona, having been in existence for four centuries. It was the principal port of the city since the Middle Ages. The original customs house is here, and trading ships used to bring in their silks and spices for sale throughout Europe. Drassanes maritime museum is just across the street from the port. Back in the 16th- century, this was a thriving shipyard. The principal production of galleons for the mighty Spanish Armada took place here.

Montjuic

What better way to get a view of sunny Barcelona than from the air? The cable car runs from the top of the mountain of Montjuic down to the original fishing town of Barceloneta and the beach. Taking a cycle tour around Barcelona is another very healthy, sociable way to explore this fantastic city. For those who want to take it easy, the Tourist Bus service will comfortably transport you all over town and up to Parc de Montjuic and the Olympic stadium –  it’s one of the must-see stops along the way.

Port Ginesta

Port Ginesta is the home of European Yacht Charters.  We are located in the area called Les Botigues de Sitges, just along the coast of Barcelona. This busy marina in the District of Sitges covers 30 hectares, divided between sea and land. Within the marina, there is a leisure area offering several excellent restaurants, bars and shops. Additionally, the port is fully equipped and set up for sea-farers offering captaincy, laundry, showers, changing rooms and dive shops.

Sitges

Sitges is a town in the Spanish Province of Barcelona in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Pronounced “Sid-jes”, this popular seaside resort is located on the Mediterranean coast just half an hour’s drive south of Barcelona. Its population in 2017 was 28,527 inhabitants. The district of Sitges is in the Garraf region and close to the Garraf National Park.

Barcelona Airport

El Prat international airport is a busy but easy airport to navigate once you get the hang of it. Like much of Spain, some of the logical planning got lost (probably over a leisurely lunch), so a few parts of the airport can be confusing to a newcomer. It only takes half an hour to get into the city centre or head down the coast to Port Ginesta and Castelldefels and Sitges’ resort towns.

Mediterranean Yacht Charters is our go-to destinations page for holidays in the med.

 

South of France

Part of France’s south coast is often known as the French Riviera. The golden beaches of the French Mediterranean stretch from Cassis’s town to the Italian border. The Riviera has always been associated with glamour, celebrity, sophistication and superyachts.

The French Mediterranean is also known as the Côte d’Azur. It is a must-visit place if you are into yachting or boating for pleasure. It even works as a sweetener if you are entertaining clients. We can think of no better place to do business than aboard a beautiful superyacht charter in this perfect Mediterranean Yacht Charter setting.

 

Did you see our post about local weather

Places of interest

The Mediterranean coastline includes towns with names that shout exclusivity. For example, visit the South of France; you will find Nice, Cannes, Monaco, and Saint Tropez ports for yacht charterers and can provide every luxury that money can buy.

Nightclubs, casinos, boutiques, five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants are everywhere. However, nothing looks out of place next to the fishing villages and local markets’ quaint appeal despite the riches on offer.

Nice International Airport is the place to fly into for easy access to the French Riviera. There are even convenient helicopter transfers to St. Tropez and Monaco for those wishing to avoid the traffic.

Monaco

The Principality of Monaco tucks in between France and Italy along the Côte d’Azur.  It is split up into districts, the most famous being Monte-Carlo.

Considered by many as the epicentre of luxury yachts, it hosts the Monaco Yacht Show each September – a show exclusively for large, lavish vessels. It is also the world-famous Formula 1 motor race and other internationally recognised sporting events.

Mediterranean Yacht Charter bookings are available, but such a popular destination gets very busy. So remember to book ahead, especially for charters in the peak summer season.

Cannes

This is a busy French city located on the Mediterranean Riviera. It is a community located in the Alpes-Maritimes district. It has become famous as the host city for the annual Cannes Film Festival and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Saint-Tropez

The harbour town of Saint-Tropez is the main port of call for many visitors to this part of the Mediterranean. Innovation and top quality services have made the marina at Saint-Tropez one of the world’s most visited marinas for superyachts and yacht charters.

It is hard to walk around town for very long before spotting someone you have seen in a magazine. A-list celebrities pack the restaurants and nightclubs during the summer months. Famous players and spectators frequent the many sports events held here, such as International Polo tournaments.

General Weather

The Mediterranean is bounded by three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. This deep, watered ocean affects weather patterns in the enormous area.

Storm Gloria with massive swells hit Portocolom in Spain’s Balearic Islands, and Platja de la Mar Bella, in Barcelona. The deep-water buoys located off Valencia’s coast registered a record-breaking significant wave height of 8.44 meters (27.69 feet). Storm Gloria – Borrasca Gloria produced an estimated maximum wave height of 13.5 meters (44.29 feet). In Port Valencia, the tide gauge reached a top wave height of 3.28 meters (10.76 feet). In recent years, Spain has been troubled by intense meteorological phenomena. However, powerful swells and big waves are still rare in the Mediterranean region.

Winds in the med

The Scirocco – a dry stormy wind from the Sahara Desert picks up moisture as it blows across the Mediterranean to become a lesser damp wind by the time it reaches Europe.

The Mistral from Southern France is a strong North wind that can reach over 100 mph, bringing storms that can devastate the south coast. However, by the time it reaches Languedoc, it can feel like a west wind with half the velocity and accompanies clear warm sunny Mediterranean weather.

Experienced yachters will understand that the difference in temperature between sea and land can form a localised breeze. Often this is northerly in the morning, changeable at noon, and strong southerly by afternoon. However, nothing is ever for sure in the Mediterranean.

Where to start

All that aside about the weather, there are plenty of areas in the Mediterranean that are ideal for beginners.

Many of these are close to superb resorts with well-serviced marinas in glorious places in Europe. Thus, a summer spent sailing in the Mediterranean is never a wasted summer.

Would you please take a look at our map, research places you want to visit? Most pages have great historical details. There are so many to choose from in the Mediterranean; you’ve got the pick of the whole of Europe.

Croatia Yacht Charter Mediterranean

Split and Dubrovnik are globally famous yacht charter holiday destinations. Probably one of the most popular destinations in Croatia is Dubrovnic. It is hard to believe that much of the town was devastated by war in years gone by. Tourism is the primary industry. Although you will not find endless solitude in this place, you will be surrounded by a fascinating history that you can reflect on when you do find time to think about how it must have been like to endure life in this place during troubled times.

We were sailing in the Mediterranean for Six  Months.

You only have one problem if you plan a Mediterranean sailing holiday in that is where to go!  Without a doubt, the Mediterranean offers more world-beating locations than anywhere in the world.

East Greets West.

Turkey is where you can enjoy a Mediterranean sailing holiday to its full extent, fabulous sunshine, great beaches and no end of cultural pleasure. But, if you are on the way out, West Turkish delight awaits! Few countries on earth have such cultural diversity.

Fantastic photography great editing in this video about Turkey

For decades Turkey was the chosen place to sail. However, the 2008 crash and global economic difficulties diminished the numbers of Charter companies operating in Turkey. We are delighted to report that Yacht Charter holidays in Turkey are very much alive and well again, with great deals on offer all along the fantastic Turkish coast.

We Found Mediterranean Paradise

The Sail Majic Carpet team discovered historic ruins on a recent Mediterranean sailing holiday when they visited the Balearic Islands off Spain’s coast. Discovering ruins about 2,500 years old is described in some detail in the video below.

If you are taking a boating holiday, our advice is to spend lots of time ashore visiting historic and exciting locations that you might not discover on an ordinary holiday tour.

 

We love Barcelona

This fantastic location is a must-visit if you are sailing. Many Marina berths always get the best deals through our office based in Port Ginesta Barcelona Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona.

Mediterranean Destinations

Popular Mediterranean destinations are  Languedoc in the  South of France, mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and Greek islands, including dozens of bases in Croatia and less well known as Montenegro’s tax-free zone. Arguably the foundation of culture in the west is Italy. It’s a place that has some of the most exciting and historically preserved places on earth. They are just waiting to be discovered by adventurous sailing tourists. Suppose you have time to Cruise the Italian coastline. You will discover beautiful Tuscany and the Valencian area where Venise and boats form a relaxed way of life and have done for hundreds of years. Corsica and Sardina are situated close to the Italian coastline, whereas Malta is some distance away to the west of Italy.

Charles Vane his origins are uncertain.

Another of the others, who toured the waters of the Caribbean, was Charles Vane. His origins are uncertain, but it is known that he served aboard one of the ships of the Scottish privateer Lord Archibald Hamilton. Later he made his own brig (a boat with a square or round sail and two masts, the main and the ratchet. At that time, he had up to 15 oars per side) called the Ranger. He became leader of the Republic of Pirates in Nassau, where he carried his reputation as a torturer, bloodthirsty and arbitrary forged from the sea. Even with his own men, he did not abide by the code of piracy. His navigation skills and military strategy enabled his formidable reign of terror.

Change your ways or face the consequences.

When King George I issued the Edict of Forgiveness, a pardon for all pirates who decided to return to an honest life, it is said that Charles repudiated the idea. The king then sent the frigate HMS Fénix to Nassau with the captain in an attempt to convince him to change his ways. The effort was in vain, so Charles set up a brulote (old boat loaded with explosives) as the answer. In a couple of weeks, he prepared himself with Calico Jack and Eduard England for the next  Pirate hit.

Calico Jack operated in the Bahamas during the War of the Spanish Succession. Later, in a ragged attack on a frigate that turned out to be a French Navy ship, Vane abandoned his men, leading to his deposition. With a small group of pirates, he seized five boats and went to the Bay of Honduras via the Windward Islands but a hurricane left him shipwrecked for several days until he was found by a British ship. Vane was discovered and taken to Jamaica in the Caribbean, where he was tried and hanged. Shortly after his death, the golden age of piracy came to an end. Today, Charles Vane is now a character in video games and movies. His legend continues.

Calico Jack

Charles Vane was followed by Jack Rackham, also known as “Calico” Jack, for the patterned cotton cloth (calico) he wore. He countered her little naval knowledge and physical fighting skills, cunningly employing backstabbing diplomacy. Calico Jack is associated as the first pirate to hoist and terrorize the Jolly Roger, the black skull flag with two cross-shaped tibiae, the insignia of piracy. However, it is claimed that each pirate had their own variation of the same flag.

 

 

The Greek Polycrates A Cruel, Ambitious Intelligent Pirate

We will start talking about the oldest, let’s say almost the father of piracy, and one of the most famous; The Greek Polycrates. Cruel, ambitious and intelligent. Ruler of Samos, one of the islands in the East Aegean Sea. There he erected a beautiful palace and had a great fleet of one hundred warships built, with which he raided other ships carrying gold and precious stones. He was counting on such good luck that he always came out of all the battles and looting that he organised up to one day.

Polycrates Complex

It is said that Polycrates, at the suggestion of his friend King Amasis of Egypt, and fearing that his good fortune would change, offered the Aegean Sea an emerald ring designed by Theodore of Samos himself, architect and artist of the well-known Hera sculpture koré type. Days later a cook found the jewel inside a fish, returning the ring to its owner. Nowadays, it is known as the “Polycrates Complex”, the psychic condition that makes some people feel unhappy or fearful the moment they achieve success.

This Pirate might have been the first in history, but the list of scoundrels is long and extensive. It includes everything from the most terrifying and savage to the most diplomatic and strategic. That yes, were all bloodthirsty alike.

Follow the link to discover hidden treasure

We have all heard of hackers. They are people who are dedicated to looting the web and who, violating the copyright of a work, be it filmographic, record or literary, are in charge of modifying and later distributing. This responds only to personal interests and is completely illegal.

As I got used to the idea, I couldn’t help but imagine these hackers in old-fashioned disguises, like Long John Silver. A cunning, greedy, disloyal, deceitful and cruel pirate. With his eye patch, the peg leg, the parakeet on his shoulder and the hook, as Robert Louis Stevenson used to identify them in his famous novel Treasure Island. Without avoiding it, I remembered the famous Captain Hook, the most feared pirate in Neverland, where Peter Pan is from. But as time does not pass in vain and the new generations also need modern pirates, Jack Sparrow, the most feared and loved in cinematic waters.

The hunt begins in the Caribbean

Thus began my curiosity for these untamed looters of the sea, who have as much reality as stories of horror, looting and wars to be told. Another term by which he was known at the time is that of buccaneers or filibusters. Although they used to refer to the same profession, they have their differences. On the other hand, there are the corsairs, with whom they should not be confused either, at least in theory. Finally, I discovered a piece of information, and because I found it interesting, I decided to save it for almost the end. Take a look for yourself and follow the links, we start in the Caribbean.