August 18, 2026
When our instructors aren’t teaching on the Bay, they’re out exploring the world's most challenging and beautiful waters. This summer, Modern Sailing instructor Scott Paul and his partner Koala embarked on a 4-week, 20-island passage through Greece aboard Artemis, a Dufour 390GL.
Navigating the famous northerly Meltemi winds, heavy crosswind Mediterranean moors, and fast open passages, Scott’s trip offers an incredible look at real-world blue water cruising, and proof of how seamlessly Bay Area sailing skills translate to international waters.
Below, Scott shares his full trip log, technical takeaways, and island highlights in his own words.
"The Aegean Sea of Greece is the ultimate sailing destination for experienced Bay Area sailors, offering the wind, seas and waves that make our days on the water more ‘interesting’. The Cyclades and Dodecanese are known for the northerly Meltemi wind, strong but predictable, and mostly during July and August. We were challenged with open passages of wind drawn waves, and steady gusts accelerating around and over the islands. This isn’t a casual cruise, it’s a true sailing adventure, that calls for awareness, good judgment, and a steady mindset. Koala and I found ourselves drawn to the Aegean, and completed 520Nm in 4 weeks cruising. Winds to 32kn and seas to 8’, but often lower.
We started out of Rhodes to avoid the Athens cruising fleet, as all of the charter boats start on a Saturday. We sailed west to Astypalaia and Santorini, and then back east to Ios, the Lesser Cyclades and Amorgos, always making our way north on brisk beam reaches. Lastly, we sledded back downwind from Samos to Patmos, Kalymnos and Symi, finishing in Rhodes. 20 islands in total.
For our Aegean dream, our trusty steed was ‘Artemis’, a Dufour 390GL with an autopilot - as an extra hand, a roll reefing main - for ease reefing underway, a bow thruster - for crosswind docking, 70m of chain, a bimini and a bbq - for happy hour. Koala and I completed the full four weeks, but we added two crew at the start to ensure that we had our reefing and med mooring down pat, and other friends for the downwind sledding at the end.
Although they were not as serious as I had imagined, we had some challenges. The winds are gusty and especially when approaching islands. One time we sailed 7.5kn in 32kn of wind, on 2m of storm jib only. We reefed when the winds sustained at 20-22kn or when Koala said “Can we reef?” the 3rd time. We reefed/unreefed often to protect the rigging and to make sure we could complete our voyage. When med mooring with the anchor, we found that our windlass could not let chain out fast enough to reliably steer when going astern, so we decided to drop a pile of chain and go.
If you go to the Aegean, go for the wind: 15-25 knots and more. Enjoy the fine sail trimming, powering up, powering down and managing through the acceleration zones around the islands. The Mediterranean moors will challenge in crosswinds, getting the anchor set in the right place and managing the wheel, the throttle, the bow thruster and perhaps the chain counter, all with two hands and while steaming in reverse.
You will certainly enjoy the food and the wine, and sharing an Ouzo over ice with the Greek captains. Make sure to enjoy the history and natural beauty along the way, and don’t forget to sail naked and dance in the cockpit. Greek people are so friendly and willing to help, so learn a few Greek words and off you go!"
- Written by Capt. Scott Paul
Follow his adventures @mosaictrips on Instagram and Facebook
