Greece family cruising

A good captain can transform a voyage. In Greece, it’s captains like Thanos who make your week on a traditional Greek caique so much more than a cruise. “He is an amazing character – he is so passionate about this part of Greece. We’ve worked with him for over 15 years,” Antony Barton, from our specialist holiday company Explore explains.

The part of Greece in question is Evia, where Thanos has sailed since he was a child. It’s strange how few people have heard of this island, despite being Greece’s second largest. Sadly, it made headlines in summer 2019 for wildfires so large that they suffused nearby Athens in smoke. Trips like this help to put the island back on the map for the right reasons: pretty Aegean Sea coastline, silvery valleys of olive trees and waterfront taverns, all which tempt Greeks out of their capital on the weekends.

There are only a handful of Greek caiques (pronounced ‘kai-ee-keys’) in operation in Greece today – most were destroyed in World War II and not replaced. They’re small, perky fishing vessels that look like they’ve sailed straight out of a postcard. They’re fitted with a motor, which runs a generator that provides electricity on board, and so don’t generally use sails any more. Thanos’s boat is family-owned, built in 1962 and since converted to carry small groups of three or so families together.

There’s no extra charge for solo occupancy, and if you’re a single parent, or parents of a single child, you’ll make plenty of friends. The minimum age for a trip like this is seven – and everyone will need to be able to swim. In general, the average age of children on board is 12 years old. There are a few snorkels on board, but bring your own if your kids are particularly keen.