Wind Star, ex Athens to Istanbul

7 Night Cruise sailing from Athens to Istanbul aboard Wind Star.

The Wind Star is a sleek, four-masted sailing yacht accommodating 148 guests. With four decks and a gross tonnage of 5,350, the Wind Star feels like your own private yacht.

Wind Star features wide open, teak decks-quite unusualfor small ships. With over 10,000 square feet of open deck space, guests will find hidden nooks for private moments giving them a feeling of being on their own private verandah.

All staterooms have ocean views, queen beds, flat-screen TV with DVD player and Bose SoundDock speakers for Apple iPods. The Owner's Suite includes a sitting area.

Wind Star offers two primary dining venues. The Restaurant offers gourmet, course-by-course cuisine in the evenings and the Veranda restaurant offers casual buffet and full-service dining for breakfast and lunch. All dining is open seating. And, for dining under the stars, make a reservation for Candles which features steaks and skewers.

Highlights of this cruise:

Athens
Above the city, looking out towards the blue Aegean, stands the Acropolis. Here lie the ruins of a culture 2,500 years old: the Propylaea; the Temple of Athena Nike; the Erechtheum temple, and, most famous of all, the Parthenon.

Meanwhile, modern Athens buzzes busily below, a city of chic restaurants, lively bazaars, sophisticated banking, historical museums, and the sights and smells of the Plaka district.

Santorini
Santorini is a spectacular sight, especially when approached by sea. Steep cliffs rise dramatically from deep azure waters. The capital of Fira is located 1,000 feet above our anchorage, accessible by donkey, cable car, or foot. The views from on top are unforgettable: stark white-washed buildings are scattered along the clifftop village; the sea stretches outward from black volcanic sands. Santorini has an explosive history of volcanic activity, and some say that here in the ruins at Akrotiri lie the remnants of the lost civilization of Atlantis.

Rhodes
Rhodes, called the island of roses, is mountainous, with beautiful beaches. On the plains, figs, wheat, and citrus fruits grow. When the three ancient Doric cities of Ialissos, Lindos, and Kameros banded together in 408 B.C. to create a new capital, Rhodes flourished. Great temples were erected, a modern code of law was instituted, and the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built to symbolize Rhodian strength and wealth. In 1291, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem took refuge on Rhodes and reigned for over two centuries. The Street of the Knights, from the 15th- and 16th-centuries, leads to the Palace of the Grand Masters.

Istanbul
Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul. The city has worn many names over the centuries, and its rich mix of cultures and history is present everywhere. Aya Sofya, built in 537A.D. and one of the world's greatest churches, is here; along with the Blue Mosque, the splendid mausoleums of Suleyman the Magnificent, the palace of the Ottoman sultans, and museums filled with Byzantine frescoes and mosaics.

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