Photojournalist Keith Kellett takes a relaxing look at the Greek Islands from a sailing boat. 

If there’s a cruise liner in port at Southampton, you can get a good view of it from the M271 motorway. Usually, I’m too busy concentrating upon survival to notice them, but, on this occasion, rather than driving, I was riding in a National Express coach to Heathrow Airport. I wondered how long what I thought was a new office block had been there, and was taken completely aback when I put my glasses on, and saw it was, in fact, a ship!

I tried to think of something which might compare with this monster in size. The Leeds General Infirmary, maybe? The lady in the seat behind me said that she wouldn’t fancy it.

‘You just wouldn’t have the feeling you were on a ship!’ she said.

Twenty-four hours later, on the furthest fringes of Europe, I had a definite, unmistakable feeling I was afloat, as the 50-foot Vassilis made its way from the Dodecanese island of Leros to Lipsi.

Vassilis belongs to Seascape Sailing, a small, friendly and independent company, offering cruises around the Dodecanese Islands and the Turkish coast. They operate three boats out of Lakki, on the island of Leros. They call their operation Adventure Sailing, rather than ‘cruising’

They usually sail to the smaller, lesser-known islands of the Dodecanese, where cruise boats can’t go, and where ferry services rarely call. It’s a ‘taste of the real Greece’ in more ways than one, for at least one meal daily is usually taken ashore, and is almost always ‘traditional’.

Itineraries are infinitely flexible; any planned programme usually goes over the side almost before the boat has cast off from Lakki. Weather conditions and the wishes of the guests usually dictate the actual route. On our trip, with options limited because of an unfavourable wind, we missed out Agathonissi … and a meeting with that island’s notorious ‘ouzo king’! But, later, we made an unscheduled call at Emborio, on the island of Kalimnos, where even the crew hadn’t been before. And that, to my mind, is Freebooting!

‘We’re different because we offer such a wide range of options’ owner Diane Edwards told me. ‘We have a ‘Shareboat’ plan, where individuals and couples can join an existing programme. You can form a group, and we’ll provide the boat and the crew, who will take you where you wish, within reason. Or, if one of your group is a qualified skipper, you can simply charter the boat’.

Sailing experience isn’t necessary, either. Guests can choose whether to take an active part in everything, or just help with the domestic stuff, such as cooking or washing up, and let the crew deal with the sailing.

Skipper Matthew Hayes, of Anna Maria, to which I transferred halfway through the trip, told me there’s also an option where the crew do everything, but it’s not often taken up. I can understand why; it's called Adventure Sailing … and where's the adventure if you don’t contribute something?

So, a few notes about some of the places we visited:

Lipsi is famed for its 42 churches; that’s one church for every 16.6 (recurring) head of population, by my calculation. But, most of those churches were built, not from religious fervour, but as a ploy to obtain substantial discounts in land taxes. The churches are painted a dazzling white, picked out in pale blue, a theme repeated in most of the houses. If you can, hike up the hill to a ruined windmill, not only for the view, but, in Spring, for the incredible wind-blown perfume from wild flowers and herbs.

Arki is Lipsi in miniature, with not quite as many churches, but with an intimate little harbour, and a delightful little village square. The streets of the town, once more with white and blue dominant, cry out for exploration; a winding maze, designed for negotiation by donkey, rather than motor cars. But, again, it offers a good walk up to a church at the top of a ridge for some excellent views. You can also walk over the headland, to where the scenery is reminiscent of a Scottish sea-loch … I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a 'CalMac' ferry appear around the headland!

At Grykos, on Patmos, we shared the jetty with a fisherman patiently mending his nets. When he was out fishing, his friends … two cats and a seagull … would sit on the nets waiting for him, for he always had a fish for them, no matter how meagre his catch. It’s a sharp contrast to the main port of Skala, where the ferries and cruise-ships call, and where the tourists usually hang out.

Patmos’ third face attracts pilgrims as well as tourists, for here, St. John wrote the Book of Revelations. You can see the cave where the saint is said to have written this work and, high on top of the hill above, surrounded by the charming old white-painted town of Hora stands the Monastery of St. John. It’s marvellously photogenic, even if you aren’t interested in matters religious.

Pandeli is a fishing port on the eastern side of Leros, on the opposite coast from Lakki, from where we set out, and the contrast couldn’t be more marked. Lakki Bay has the feel of a Norwegian fiord; Pandeli is unmistakably Mediterranean, with its windmills and its hilltop castle. I was going to joke that it’s probably illegal to take bad pictures in Pandeli, but I changed my mind. Because, in actual fact, it’s impossible!

If you ever visit Pandeli, and check out the Savanna Bar (as you probably will) please say hello to Peter and Craig for me. And … trust me! … their ‘Flaming Lamborghini’ cocktail is better witnessed than experienced!

My prize for the best island of all? Well, I must be getting old, because it goes to Marathi. It’s just a loud shout across the water from Arki, and is home to about 30 souls, who share one church and 3 tavernas between them. Surrounding the church on the hilltop is a ruined, abandoned village and, when you’ve checked that out … well, that’s it! Between worshipping and taverna-crawling, there’s not much more to do apart from swim, soak up the sun and just veg out.

So, maybe Marathi is the place to hang out for a month or two if I ever get around to writing that novel?

To meet Diane and her team; to see the boats and visit some of the great places they go to, please check out www.seascape-sail.com.