May – October
A week or two on Kairos with Captain Klymenko, just you and the people you bring. You pick the coast, Italian or Greek, and he teaches you to sail it.
You live aboard Kairos, sail a different stretch of coast each day, and learn by actually doing it. Evenings are for harbour towns and long dinners.
You'll be on the wheel and the lines from the first morning. The Captain explains as you go, and it sticks faster than you'd think.
No strangers and no class of twelve. It's the boat, the Captain and the people you came with.
Italy, Greece, or a bit of both. Tell us the places you've always wanted to see, and the Captain works out how to get there with the wind on our side.
Long lunches, swims off the boat, cliffs and old harbour towns. Swipe through.
There's one boat, and the Captain looks after her himself.
Kairos is a Dufour, a French cruising yacht that's comfortable to live on and forgiving to sail. That's exactly what you want when you're learning.
Captain Klymenko
There's no hired skipper and no rotating crew. Captain Klymenko plans the route around what you want to see, teaches at whatever pace suits you, and looks after everyone on board from the first briefing to the last line ashore.
Licensed captainAuthorised to train sailors and issue licences.
Background and years at seaTo be added in his own words.
Two example weeks, to give you an idea. Yours will follow the places you pick.
Tell us what you have in mind and we'll plan the trip around it. There's no fixed itinerary.
Browse experiencesWhere would you like to sail?
If you've never sailed, we start at the very beginning. If you have, we start wherever you are. Either way, it's the same ground a first sailing licence covers.
Exact requirements depend on the licence and the country that issues it: an Italian licence, or the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) many Americans need to charter in Europe. The Captain will tell you which one fits you, and what you'd still need to do, on your call.
Not sure which trip?
Answer these and we'll suggest a trip. Your answers go to the Captain, so you won't have to repeat yourself on the call.
Every trip is private: the whole boat and the Captain, for up to four people. Prices are for the boat, not per person.
Your first hours at the helm and your first night at anchor.
3 nights · up to 4 guests€3,400per voyage
From your first knot to sailing Kairos yourself. A good first step towards a licence.
7 nights · up to 4 guests€8,400per voyage
Med mooring, a night passage, and days where you're the one in charge.
7 nights · up to 4 guests€8,900per voyage
A proper open-water crossing between Italy and the Greek islands.
10–12 nights · up to 4 guestsfrom €14,500per voyage
Season: May to October.
The short answers. Anything else, ask the Captain on your call.
No. Most guests start from zero. Taste of the Sea and Confidence Week are made for complete beginners, and experienced sailors simply start wherever they are.
Southern Italy (Puglia: Bari, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca) and the Ionian islands of Greece (Corfu, Paxos, Antipaxos, Lefkada and Meganisi). You choose the places you'd like to see, and the Captain plans the route around them.
Prices are for the whole yacht and the Captain, for up to four guests, not per person: Taste of the Sea is €3,400 for 3 nights, Confidence Week €8,400 for 7 nights, Skipper's Confidence €8,900 for 7 nights, and the Signature Voyage starts at €14,500 for 10 to 12 nights. July and August are 15% more.
The private yacht and the Captain, every lesson, breakfast and lunch aboard, three dinners ashore, one local tasting, and fuel and harbour fees. Flights, transfers, other dinners, travel insurance and official certificate fees are not included.
A first sailing licence usually asks for a minimum age (often 18), a basic medical certificate, a theory exam and a practical exam on the water. The exact requirements depend on the licence: an Italian licence, or the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) that many Americans need to charter a boat in Europe. The Captain confirms which one fits you on your call.
May to October. May and June are green and quiet, July and August are peak summer, and September and October bring warm water, golden light and harvest food.
One private group of up to four guests. Kairos has three private cabins and two bathrooms, and you never share the boat with strangers.
For Puglia, fly into Bari (BRI); for the Ionian islands, fly into Corfu (CFU). Both are usually one connection away from US airports, through a European hub. The Captain confirms the meeting port when you plan your dates.
Kairos is a Dufour 390 Grand Large: an 11.94 m (39 ft) French cruising yacht with three private cabins and two bathrooms. It's comfortable to live on and forgiving to sail, which is ideal for learning.
Book a free 30-minute call with the Captain. You agree your dates and route, a 30% deposit holds your dates, and the balance is due 60 days before you sail.
Book a free call with the Captain. Tell him what you have in mind, and he'll tell you honestly what's possible.
The catalogue
The restaurants, beaches and moments we'd sail for. Tick the ones you'd like, and the Captain plans the route around them.
Tables worth sailing for
Polignano a Mare, Puglia
Grotta Palazzese is a restaurant set inside a limestone cave above the sea. The tables sit right over the water, and you can hear it moving underneath you while you eat.
Good to knowSummer only, and it books up weeks ahead, so tell us early.
Water you'll want to jump into
Antipaxos, Ionian islands
A white pebble beach with water so clear the anchored boats look like they're floating. There's hardly a road to it, so it's at its best when you arrive by sea.
Good to knowDay boats arrive around midday. Mornings are quiet.
Places that look made up
Roca Vecchia, Puglia
A natural pool cut into the rock, joined to the open sea by an underwater tunnel. Locals jump in from the edge; you can swim straight through to the sea.
Good to knowGo early or late in the day. It's busy in August.
Local life, at the right moment
Bari, Puglia
Every May, Bari carries the statue of its patron saint out to sea, and a crowd of fishing boats and yachts follows it. Most visitors watch from the shore. You'd be out on the water with them.
Good to knowEarly May, right at the start of the sailing season.
We're adding more all the time. Ask the Captain about a restaurant, beach or festival you've heard of, and he'll tell you straight whether it fits a route.
