After several years of planning and preparation, our six-year voyage aboard Pérdika is finally underway.

Leaving our home port, Lakki Marina, Leros

We’ve now sailed just over 400 nautical miles and are gradually settling into life at sea — adapting to its pace, its unpredictability, and our ever changing landscape. So far we're happy to report, Pérdika is proving herself both capable and comfortable.

The five weeks spent in the boatyard before launching was intense but productive. Long days of labour paid off with essential upgrades and the completion of our new dinghy, Poulàki. With Pérdika back in the water and ready to go, we began our journey through the Aegean and into the heart of the Peloponnese.

Since casting off, we’ve welcomed three sets of friends aboard and taken a short detour to Mallorca for the wedding of close friends. It’s been a dynamic start — marked by shifting weather, changing scenery, and the steady rhythm of life under sail.

Our first leg included:

– A lively, wind-filled week sailing with Clare through the Dodecanese and Cyclades. Well done Clare, those were some bumpy passages we took you on!

– Two calm and restorative weeks with Anna and Simon exploring the Eastern Peloponnese.

Litter picking, Valanidia beach

– A beautifully hosted wedding in Mallorca, offering a brief and glamorous contrast to our briny life afloat.

Finca Son Mir, Palma, Mallorca

Lastly, a few stunning days with Ella and Elliot, tracing the rugged coastline of the Mani Peninsula, enjoying dolphins surfing our bow wave and swimming with loggerhead turtles in Limeni bay.

As we sailed past the imposing Taygetos mountains of the Mani Peninsula, I was rereading 'Mani' by Patrick Leigh Fermor. His vivid stories of the fiercely independent Maniots—their feuds, traditions, and fierce pride—brought the dramatic coastline to life. Two years ago, we toured this area by car, tracing Fermor’s footsteps on land, and fell in love with the Mani—the landscape, its bays, and its people. Reading his words now, from the sea, made the experience even more vivid. 

Spot Pouláki in amongst her Greek friends

We are preparing for our final week in Greece, sailing west from Kalamata to Pylos with our friends Phil and Naomi aboard. From there, we’ll provision and plan our first significant crossing — a 2–3 day passage across the Ionian Sea to Taormina, Sicily.

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