A WILD SWIMMING ODYSSEY
Breaststroking in the Cyclades is a novel way to discover these glorious Greek islands
You don’t have to be an olympic swimmer — but you do need to be a water baby of some sort. I am swimming through the wine-dark seas of the odyssey; swimming through coastal caves; swimming between Greek islands. And swimming in my sleep on this holiday set in the heart of Homer’s myths.
It’s run by SwimTrek, whose very first tour was here in the Cyclades islands in 2003. Since then, the firm has gone off like a speedboat, now organising more than 40 swims worldwide, from the Galapagos to Crete and the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
I’ve plumped for the Cyclades because I am a sucker for the Greek myths. I also love the idea of hop-scotching between these tiny Greek islands.
I’ve been training for six months and have a good, solid breaststroke. But as I watch the rest of the team — seven men and one woman — I realise I am the slowest in the pack. our two guides, Ricky and Alessandra, aren’t remotely fazed. Ricky once had a SwimTrek client who couldn’t even swim.
We’re based on the little island of Schinoussa. It was a fair trek
— a flight to Athens, another to Naxos and then a two-hour ferry.
Just across the water is Irakleia, where odysseus began his great adventure. It was here odysseus blinded the cyclops Polyphemus.
You can still visit Polyphemus’s cave, though it’s quite a climb.
The Archipelagos Boutique Hotel is taken over by SwimTrek for the whole summer; it has terrific views, is five minutes from the sea and a 15-minute walk to town.
on the first day, we swim 400 metres. our stroke is videoed and we get an hour-long lesson. The water is a gorgeous 27c (80f).
After lunch and a snooze, we are split into two pods. The fast one, sleek as dolphins, comprises seven swimmers in pink caps who are monitored by Alessandra.
The slow pod consists of me and Clinton, a 69-year- old JP. I am just about able to keep up with his arthritic freestyle. Ricky bobs beside us in his kayak and points out the sights and the turtles.
Most days we swim around 3km in the morning and 2km after lunch. For lightweights like me, the most beautiful sight is our base ship, Dimitris. At swim’s end, we are welcomed by Stratis and Niki — tea and biscuits have never tasted so delicious.
My back is burned after day one. Factor 30 doesn’t cut it for swimming in the sun, you need 50.
one morning, we attempt our first island crossing. These are highly dependent on wind and tide. Clinton and I swim hard but the island never gets any closer.
After an hour, we are all sensibly hoicked back onto the Dimitris.
our main island swim is on the last day, two miles from Irakleia to Schinoussa. Somehow, after two hours, the B-team completes the crossing. I’ve never had as much fun in the water as this — and the sense of achievement makes me want to do it all again.