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Single-Handed Sailing in Greece | A Real Passage from Athens to Haul-Out
25 January 2026 · 20 min · 12K views · Athens
Greek flag flies as sailboat nears Methana at golden hour
What this video covers
Alexandros Retsinas single-hands his sailboat on a roughly 30-nautical-mile passage from Athens to a boatyard haul-out, stopping at Methana on the Saronic Gulf. Pre-departure preparation includes checking engine oil level on a Yanmar diesel — he explains that overfilling forces oil into the cylinders, causing ring damage — and rigging lines to minimise solo departure tasks at dawn.▶ 2:20 Departing at first light, he weighs anchor from a hard-bottom anchorage with about 80 metres of chain out, using a technique of applying engine thrust against the anchor direction and using the rudder to break the anchor free rather than overloading the windlass.▶ 11:36 He describes Methana as one of his favourite stops: a volcanic peninsula with a well-protected marina, a small anchorage at Agios Georgios to the south, and access to a volcano hike by foot or taxi.▶ 13:22 The passage ends at a shipyard where he manoeuvres the boat onto the travel lift, emphasising correct sling placement away from the keel and propeller.▶ 15:02 He notes that his hull's unusual shape required him to override the yard worker's sling positioning based on his own knowledge of the boat.▶ 17:16
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