Last Updated on October 19, 2026

The joys of island hopping with strangers

Greek island hopping is a talking point at the moment. Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey has inspired a new generation of classicists, and (probably) swelled the tourist traffic to Greece. But when my editor asked if I would like to join nine strangers on a yacht tour around the Ionian Sea, I thought it sounded more like a reality television pitch than a serious travel piece. Then I learned that More Sailing – the Swedish travel company behind the proposal – provide culture-driven boat tours of the Mediterranean and Caribbean, and had invited me to join one of their Greek trips. I could do nothing but pack my snorkel.

More Sailing is rare in offering individual tour spots for solo travellers. Yes, this can sometimes mean sharing a room with a stranger, but that intrigue is part of the adventure. More Sailing’s ethos is ‘sailing for everyone’, and that means everyone, from backpackers and couples to friend groups and families.

With over 60 sailboats across their fleet, More Sailing is a market leader in nautical tours for travellers with no seafaring experience. Add in an expert skipper and host, plus excellent cuisine prepared below deck, and the scene was set for a blissful week on the Ionian waves.

Our plan (as Erik the skipper explained) was to hop between the islands immediately south of Corfu. Antipaxos first, an island about 3 kilometres wide with 21 full-time residents; then Paxos immediately to the north; and finally, Parga, an ancient mainland city with a Venetian castle.

I arrived at Mytikas marina, just north of Preveza, with wide eyes and a bag full of seasickness tablets (which, thankfully, returned to the UK unopened). After meeting Viktor, our lovely host, who nodded enthusiastically to Nova, the fifty-foot yacht that would be our home, I stowed my luggage and headed to the beach bar. There I found a babble of other travellers waiting to board Nova. After timid hellos, we decided to loosen ourselves with some afternoon beers, and the first seeds of friendship were sown. The expedition had begun.

Sailing northwest towards the island of Antipaxos, we explored our new nautical residence. The Dufour 48 yacht (Nova’s model) has five bedrooms (four double beds and one bunk bed), with three bathrooms. The kitchen/ living space is equipped with a gas oven, a fridge freezer, and endless cabinets containing spices, vegetables and meats. The ceiling is studded with hatches that open to the sea breeze. On our trip, the cabin was always fresh with salty air. After picking our rooms and clinking prosecco glasses, we stepped out together onto Nova’s deck to watch the mountains recede in our wake.

It was clear from the start that the More Sailing staff were committed to moulding the trip around our desires, and that they themselves were invested in having fun. Apart from upping the general vibe on board, this attitude made all the difference in very tangible ways. When my snorkel was accidentally kicked overboard, Erik the skipper took great joy in diving gracefully into the water and swimming down twelve metres (!) to retrieve it. “That’s my depth record,” he told me through a grin. “I’ve never dived deeper without wearing fins.”

Equal care was taken over the food. Viktor – a twenty-year-old culinary whizz – prepared wonderful feasts. He made everything from salads and fruit platters to seasoned meats and even traditional Swedish chokladbollar. Every morning we awoke to steaming oatmeal and Greek yogurt. (Breakfast and lunch are included in the price of More Sailing trips.) We dined in picturesque restaurants each night – but I often found myself longing for Viktor’s boat-made dishes over these land-based offerings.

Another surprising upside to the tour was the unpredictable weather conditions. Despite the on-board luxuries, the environment was at times unforgiving. Boat life reminds you of nature’s power and your own vulnerability. Hunkering down in a quaint marina as an electrical storm roared overhead was one of the most exhilarating moments. And running out of gas in a dinghy and refuelling by the light of our phones came in a close second.

We always felt safe – the competence of the More Sailing crew was never in doubt. But the company does not mollycoddle its guests into a fake sense of indestructibility. The landscape was made more beautiful by our contact with its wildness. We saw dolphins on the second day, and at one point Nova reached 8 knots (the top speed Erik had achieved that season).

Another pillar of the trip was its commitment to local culture – something that More Sailing prioritises across its tours. After mornings spent swimming and drinking coffee, we were dropped on land to enjoy historical towns. On the third day we stopped in Parga, a mainland town with a complex history of Byzantine, Albanian, Venetian and Ottoman conquest. The eleventh-century castle has now largely collapsed. Its central pier offers panoramic views of surrounding mountains and the turquoise bay.

The next day we explored Gaios, the capital of Paxos. The Venetian fortress was built on a woody islet, so it’s separated from the town by a curious natural moat. There were nineteenth-century mansions to admire, with narrow pedestrian walkways cutting through the town like river tributaries. Locals zipped around on mopeds; cats meowed at our feet. As we left the harbour on our final day, the town’s tiled roofs gleamed brilliantly in the morning sun.

A More Sailing trip is a rare blend of comfort and exploration. At first, there’s something incongruous about combining chef-cooked meals and venturesome seafaring. But once I realised the professionalism of our boat crew, and stopped expecting to come under enemy cannon fire, the blend of sailing and fine living made perfect sense.

On my final day in Greece, after disembarking Nova and parting with my new friends, I saw an otter catching fish in Preveza harbour. The sighting was rare – otters only occasionally venture close to humans. It was a symbol, I decided, for my journey in Greece. Before More Sailing’s invitation to come aboard their Ionian tour, I would have kept my distance from a multi-day ocean voyage. But, like this otter, I had taken a risk and discovered something new about the beauty of the Greek coast and the hospitality of people. As I gathered my bags, I watched the otter slip silently beneath the bright water.

Trips with More Sailing start from approximately £1,355 per person and include accommodation on board, breakfast, lunch and selected drinks. Flights to Greece are available from multiple UK airports.
This trip was made possible thanks to the generosity of More Sailing.

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