Cristina, Greece, Turtles and Sailing - Oh My!

Cristina Taioli has a degree in Environmental Sciences and has been leading tours with ExperiencePlus! since 1999. In the off season Cristina has researched sharks and sea turtles, worked to save tigers in India, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, written two books, Hakuna Matata and Rio and recently received her boating license. She took a break from bicycling this summer to sail amongst the Greek Islands and sent us this report on conservation efforts and her adventure in the area.

Due to its position in the middle of Mediterranean Sea, Greece has a very diverse ecology. Its abundant life and variety of animals is influenced by Europe, Middle East and North Africa. There are three main types of Ecosystems on the islands of Greece: conifer forests, shrub lands and sandy shores, making them a perfect home for reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals and the Monk seal. Greece has a great variety of birds, compared to other countries in Europe, and the largest variety of diurnal and nocturnal raptors in Europe.

The Greek Islands are of great importance for conservationists, as the largest numbers of bird species are observed.  The Olive-tree Warbler, Long–legged Buzzard and Bonelli’s Eagle all breed here, while many others pass by during their migratory route in spring and fall.

Among the reptiles, the most important visitors of the Greek Islands are the sea turtles. Marine turtles are mainly pelagic animals, spending most of their life in the coastal water or in the open ocean, but they still depend on the land for egg laying. Sea turtles are a threatened species listed in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). There are three species of sea turtles in Greek waters: the Green Turtle, the Leatherback Turtle and the Loggerhead Turtle (most common). The coastal sand dunes of the Greek Islands are very important for the existence of the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the only species breeding in Greece.  Sections of beach in the Islands of Rhodes, Zakynthos, Crete and Peloponnesus, are where these turtles are located.

It takes 50 - 70 days for the turtle eggs to incubate; its amazing to watch these tiny turtles, crawling straight to the sea and disappear! Though it’s disheartening to think that only one female turtle out of one thousand, will reach sexual maturity and be able to reproduce.

CHELON (Marine Turtle Conservation and Research Program) and ARCHELON (Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece) have been working on research and conservation for many years. They are always seeking support for volunteers to aid them in the protection of sea turtles in Greece. A few years ago I had the opportunity to work with the turtles and help educate volunteers, during summer camps on the islands of Rhodes and Zakynthos and longed to go back... so when my old time English friend, David Mutlow, said he was sailing alone, in Greece, on his parents' “Discovery”, a 30ft long sailing boat, with two cabins and asked me if I’d like to come I jumped at the opportunity.

So there I was! Sailing among the Greek Islands in the Ionian Sea!

This was also a chance for me to test my new “boat license”, and to give my friend a hand during the maneuvres with the sails, or during the anchorage, how to make the knots with the ropes, how to tie the fenders etc….And I loved it all!! Even my friend was grateful to have me onboard!

We visited the islands of: Paxos and Anti-Paxos, with its caves, Corfu, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Meganisi, Ithaca, famous all over the world for one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer: “The Odyssey” with its hero Ulysses. The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths, and his long journey home following the fall of Troy. It takes Ulysses ten years to reach Ithaca, and in his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of rebellious suitors, the Proci, competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Every night, we would anchor the boat in a different port, and every day we would swim in crystal clear water, where the colors changes depending on the bottom of the sea: white sand, green algae or deep blue.

The islands are perfect to be seen from the sea! For me it was all so charming. The little villages where we went for a walk, the small harbors surrounded by olive trees, the sunsets reflecting on the water’s surface, the dolphins that I encountered one day……

I relaxed, tuned in with the slower pace of island life, while sipping a glass of “Retsina” the Greek white wine, or enjoying a tasty Greek dish, or taking a picture of a white house with blue windows…..

So, in the end, my skin got very brown, I had my boat practice, I explored a very beautiful area of the Mediterranean Basin, and I would love to have a chance to do it again! If you’d like to experience your own Greek odyssey join us on our Bicycling through Classical Greece: Athens to Olympia trip in May or October of 2010.