“Greece would be nice“, he said. “Let’s go sailing“, he said. “You’ll enjoy it“, he said.
My husband loves to sail whereas I am a very much a reluctant one despite having completed various courses (including competent crew and helming a topper) many years ago. So we looked at what was available in Greece with some day sailing and decent accommodation. We knew of Phil and his luggers so gave him a call, he suggested we stay at Geni Gardens on Lefkada.
Geni Gardens turned out to be a real find, set on the sea shore in beautiful, kept grounds with a pool, and run by a lovely family that live on site. The husband is the local baker so we could order bread, cakes etc the night before and they’d be delivered for breakfast, or we took the boat and motored across the bay to sit and drink our coffee at the bakery. Our ground floor apartment was spotless, full size cooker and fridge, comfortable beds and views of the sea from our veranda area. Perfect and with the added bonus of much needed air conditioning. Our lugger for the week, Annie B, was moored on the pontoon at the end of the garden.
A short walk from the apartment was a fabulous waterside taverna called Gialos, the food was delicious, the beers cold and the welcome warm. We also used the boat to motor there and someone always came to help us tie up alongside the taverna’s jetty.
Before letting us loose on the high seas Phil showed us the ropes (literally), called sheets on boats, and how to get the best from our sailing. He also gave us great ideas about where to sail, have lunch and swim. The first time we went out of the bay he accompanied us in his rib, which I found most reassuring. The lugger was recognised at one taverna where we ran the boat up the beach to ‘moor’ just as Phil suggested we do. A fabulous way to arrive!
It was a brilliant holiday, Phil was great with lots of suggestions & ideas for the best sailing trips, as well as providing a superb service as local guide. The combination of a lugger with the lovely Geni Gardens was perfect.
Thanks Phil for a great holiday