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Has it ever occurred to you that we tend to take the Mediterranean for granted? We all know it’s there, we all love its waters, coastlines, islands, hidden coves and beautiful beaches. We wine and dine in its harbour-side cafes, tavernas and lokantas. By turns, as we cruise it in our luxury mega yachts, we find it seductive and sophisticated or wild and beautiful. But how well do we really know it?

So a few basic facts to start with. The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin word mediterraneus, meaning ‘inland’ or ‘in the middle of the land’ – from medius for middle and terra for land. It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965,000 sq mi). It has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.

Where it connects to the Atlantic at what Homer knew as ‘The Pillars of Hercules’, but which we now call the Straits of Gibraltar, it is a mere 14kms wide. It is significantly more salty than the Atlantic and other oceans and gets saltier still as you go eastwards and the climate gets hotter. It has virtually no tides.

Those who delight in cruising these beautiful waters should never forget they are following in an ancient seafaring tradition. The Med has been a major highway since time immemorial. Certainly there are records of the Egyptians trading during 3,000 years before the birth of Christ although the Phoenicians were arguably the first great navigators sailing its length and breadth. By the time the legendary ‘Helen’ causes 1,000 ships to be launched in aid of her rescue, people had been cruising Homer’s ‘wine dark sea’ for well over 2,000 years.

The Roman’s, in true possessive fashion called the sea ‘Mare Nostrum’ or ‘Our Sea’. Whether or not Roman General Mark Anthony started the great romantic tradition of cruising when he took to the sea to tryst with Cleopatra it would at least seem quite appropriate. Some claim their meetings took place just off Paleocastritsa in Corfu – where the translucent waters remain drop dead romantic to this very day.

For us the amazing thing is that the appeal of the Med not only endures it keeps on growing. The diversity from West to East is quite remarkable and it would be almost impossible in one holiday lifetime to claim you’d ‘been there, done that, got the t-shirt’ – although if you could you’d need a very large shed for your t-shirt collection.

So never take the Med for granted. We don’t and especially over the coming months which to our minds are the perfect time for cruising as the beach-hungry crowds start to thin out, the waters are at their warmest, and the welcome is warmer than ever. There is still chance to book for 2015 – give us a call.

The wind blows softly through the verdant green palm trees that crop the edge of Cape Verde’s capital Praia, carrying a strong scent of salt and the sea over the beautiful town. Passing the whitewashed walls of the lighthouse, it softly whistles through the rigging of the fishing vessels and yachts bobbing up and down in the picturesque harbour. The sound of fishermen calling out to one another can be heard. A bustling place indeed to commence your explorations of the Cape Verde islands, a stunning archipelago that will give you a real sense of discovery and exploration off the beaten track.

Cruising on the 25-cabin Harmony V, you’ll be able to discover it all – gorgeous natural scenery, fascinating timeless coastal communities, a unique culture and unending sunshine. Here are our reasons as to why the Cape Verde islands are a worthy choice for your small ship cruise.

You can gain a true sense of Cape Verde by cruising from island to island

From Praia, you will sail to the stunning island of San Tiago, widely considered the most African of Cape Verde’s islands. Next, you will experience in turn the delights of Sao Filipe with its 3,000-metre volcano, Tarrafal, noted for its coffee plantations, Porto Novo on San Antao, the greenest of the islands, then on to Mideloo on the island of Sao Vincente, a lively and well-preserved colonial city known as the cultural heart of this island group. Each of these offers a unique character and distinctive culture for visitors to experience.

With Seafarer, it’s all about the destination. While our mega yachts are more than comfortable enough for sunbathing, dining and socialising, you won’t want to spend much time on board as our knowledgeable and experienced cruise director and local guides direct you to the highlights that each island has to offer. For example, you will have the opportunity to embark on an excursion exploring Fogo, the island of fire, which earns its name from the enormous volcano that dominates the landscape here. Lunch is taken at the crater’s village – something that would be impossible with a large scale cruise. It’s experiences like this that allow you to get close to the island’s culture without disturbing it.

There is plenty of natural beauty to discover

As the name suggests, there is a wealth of flora on Cape Verde – an abundance of natural beauty that you’ll get to experience first-hand. From the coffee plantations of Tarrafal in San Nikolau to the charismatic coastline of San Antao – cropped as it is with seemingly endless fields of sugarcane. There are plenty of photo opportunities here, and not just above the water. Get kitted out with some snorkelling equipment aboard the Harmony V yacht and go snorkelling to discover a fascinating and rich underwater world.

You’ll have an unforgettable – and above all, relaxing – time

Cape Verde’s incredible culture is likely to leave a lasting impression, but if there’s one thing you want to do while on holiday, it’s relax. This is precisely what you’ll be able to do as we offer a friendly, completely informal and casual experience on all our cruises. Cape Verde is no different – there is no need to dress up for dinner and you’ll have plenty of opportunity to kick back on the beach or on deck with a good book if you so desire. Opportunities to swim in beautiful picturesque coves allow for a spot of light exercise, which we all know is supposed to be very good for relaxing the muscles. And the atmosphere – whether on board or exploring one of the local communities – is always friendly and relaxed – all in all the perfect combination of discovery and relaxation that our yacht cruises are known for.

We’re aware that not everybody will be on an Aegean cruise this week. But fret not – follow the following simple instructions and you can creat your very own Aegean Cruising Experience.

First you need the right music. You may not have any Bouzouki CD’s – in fact many people have done away with the CD player all together. But Spotify is at hand. All you have to do is go to the Spotify website and you can create a Greek music playlist. If you want to be authentic best avoid Nana Mouskouri and Demis Roussos. A better starting point is a musician named Theodorakis.

Turn the music up to an acceptable volume and uncork a bottle of chilled Retsina. Most good super-markets stock Retsina these days. It is something of a ‘Marmite’ wine – you love it or you hate it. Bear in mind that if you’re trying it for the fist time the more chilled it is the more likely you are to love it.

Have decent swig of Retsina then take the shoulder of lamb you have been marinading in some olive oil, lemon juice and oregano out of the fridge, bone it, dice it into small cubes and put it on some bamboo skewers. This is called Souvlaki – best not to put anything else on or people might think you’ve got a carry-out from the local kebab shop. Top tip here is to soak the skewers first for an hour so they don’t catch fire.

Light the barbecue – personally we prefer a mixture of real wood and lump-wood charcoal. That will need to burn down until it is nicely glowing so whilst you’re waiting make the Greek salad.

Basic ingredients for the salad are tomatoes, cucumber and Feta cheese – again readily available at your supermarket, or at a push you can use ‘home-brand Greek style cheese’. The important thing is that it’s crumbly. Dice the tomatoes and cut the cucumber into 8cms sticks. The addition of a few black olives adds colour and sophistication. Dress the salad with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and a smattering of oregano, thyme and other Mediterranean style herbs.

You’ll also need to make some Tztasiki – for which you need to cut some more cucumber into fine cubes, or go ‘spaghetti’ style, and stir into a good Greek yoghurt along with some crushed garlic and lemon juice.

If you have guests round (shame if you don’t as this is really worth sharing) you will hopefully by now be on the second bottle of wine and, whilst the charcoal is still burning through, it’s time for the Greek dancing. If you’ve been on a Greek cruise, or for that matter any sort of Greek holiday, you’re bound to have been to a Greek evening and know what it’s all about. If not don’t worry – simply go to YouTube and type ‘Greek Dancing’ in the search box. You’ll be amazed – gobsmacked even – at what you find!

Dancing will almost certainly work up a thirst – so lucky you put that spare bottle of Retsina to chill. Your guests might also like an Ouzo and ice (no lemonade – that’s so awfully Essex!). Let them chat away because it’s time to get the Souvlaki on the barbie.

This is no time to loose attention. Give the Souvlaki 3 minutes then turn it a quarter turn then repeat until you have done the whole kebab. The outside should be slightly crisp, the inside still succulent and just pink. If you’ve gone for bigger meat cubes it might take longer.

Call your guests to the table and serve with the Tzatsiki with plenty of lemon to squeeze. For a true Aegean cruise experience try and find a few seagull sound effects. Perfect!