A 115-foot Motor Yacht Ekali
Enjoy the life of the rich and famous aboard a yacht.
It must have all started when Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Somewhere along the line, New Englanders began equating fabulous displays of wealth with two words: Greek yachts.
A week spent on a Greek yacht is among the most ostentatious and over-the-top vacations an American can take. Yet while it's pricey, intelligent consumers can swing the trip for not much more than they'd spend on a week in any landlocked European capital.
There are three categories of crewed vessel available for cruising the Greek isles: luxury motor yacht, traditional motor sailers and pure sailing yachts.
Motor yachts are the grandest and fastest ways to sail the Aegean. They're currently the preferred method of vacation transportation for American celebs such as Tim Allen and Chuck Norris. A group of 12 adults will need about $50,000 to rent a top-of-the-line ship for about a week. This figure doesn't include your bar tab. Naturally, sailboats and smaller ships can be had for less than half that amount.
The finest yachts are reserved through qualified veteran brokers who are familiar with the vessels and mechanics of Eastern Mediterranean charters.
Among the tourism world's most highly recommended charter agents is Pontos Shipping & Condoyannis Yachts, associated firms with offices in New York and Athens. The companies are operated by Perry Sava, his daughter, Karina, and colleague Niki Canellou.
The pride and passion of these two businesses is the Ekali, a 115-foot motor yacht with five luxury staterooms. Built in 1994, it's valued at around $4 million.
Amenities on board the Ekali are myriad. Light oak paneling and soft blue couches in the main living room help to create a friendly ambiance. A kick-butt Sanyo CD system and adjustable sunken lighting further enhance the mood, while a lush mahogany dining room table for 10 completes the picture.
The five cabins, with full and/or twin beds, offer all the luxuries you'd expect from a four-star hotel. All come equipped with TVs and satellite telephones. Water pressure in the showers is stronger than in many apartments in Boston.
The restaurant-quality galley is fully stocked, but don't worry about having to cook. Your rental pays for not only an experienced crew, but also a master chef.
Christos Drivas will prepare an elaborate meal for you of spanakopitakia (spinach pies), stuffed peppers with rice and seasonal fruits, while you sip a Nescafe frappe - for all intents and purposes the national drink of Greece.
You can dine indoors in air-conditioned comfort, or choose one of three outdoor seating areas for an alfresco experience. Menus await you at your seat just like at a restaurant.
With the lack of vibration and low noise level from the Ekali's 2,300 RPM Detroit Diesel engine, you may not even realize you're cruising at 20 knots as you eat.
The Ekali also houses two outboard-engine boats, a speedboat, a Jet Ski personal watercraft, and enough ski, wind-surfing and snorkeling equipment to keep you sun-drenched and waterlogged.
More importantly, for one week of your life you'll control a floating catharsis machine whose every move is at your command. America doesn't have raindrop-clear turquoise water like the Aegean, let alone placid, pollution-free Greek islands like Hydra or Poros in the Saronic Gulf.
Snap your fingers and in a few hours you're in the Cycladic Island chain, visiting the museums of Naxos or the famed monastery at Amargos. A few hours more and you're on the Ionian island of Corfu or over in Rhodes.
All these years they've been telling you dollars can't buy you happiness. That may be true, but drachmas sure can.
The Boston Herald
January 8, 1998
Kahn, Robert M.