Life on the ocean wave

Hello sailor! Cruising the right way with Tussock "This could all turn a bit Big Brother," laughed someone as we stepped aboard one of Tussock's larger yachts moored in a tiny fishing village somewhere off a quite picturesque coast we can only just pick out of the darkness. There are 10 of us, all strangers to each other (apart from our partners) and it all of a sudden seems a little daunting. Especially when eviction is not an option.

We needn't have worried. Within minutes, our bags are in rinky-dinky little wooden cabins, which actually seem quite spacious and have their own bathrooms, and we are well into our fourth glass of champagne as we tuck into the sort of simple/delicious Turkish meals the crew seem to efforlessly throw together between hauling in sails and grabbing us drinks from the fridge. It's definitely a good start.

"The unpopulated countryside slips past as the sails fill and we settle down to some serious sunbathing"

The next day, having been half-aware through our sleep of some movement of the boat, we wake up in a deserted cove surrounded by forest. A quick dive from the side of the boat and we're freshened up enough to tuck into breakfast before getting our regular captain's briefing and setting off for somewhere else.

The unpopulated countryside slips past as the sails fill and we settle down to some serious sunbathing (the sun is scorching but the sea breeze keeps everything refreshingly - if dangerously - cool) before a lunch and more wine. By afternoon we have reached the site of a Roman amphitheatre, Roman ruins (in surprisingly good nick!) the stock in trade of this part of the world. We pootle to the shore in the ship's dinghy, have a sniff around then get back to the boat for some twilight snorkelling and gin and tonics on deck. By this time we are firm friends with pretty much all our shipmates. You get on with some more than others, obviously, but everyone seems jolly nice. There's even a hint of (gay) romance in the air!

And so goes our week, with all our fears allayed one by one: seasickness (only one person on the one rough day); boredom (with visits to monuments and little towns for dinner and cocktails, no one day is the same as the next); argy-bargy with shipmates (within days we are re-enacting Duran Duran videos and getting positively squiffy by 4pm); claustrophobia (as I say, cabins are great but there's no shortage of space on this ship - we even have a choice of where to have our dinner!).

By the last evening, we are all glowing with tans (OK, and wine) and the boat party that has zipped through crystal clear waters all week comes to a close with an impromptu 70s disco throwdown after our last supper and then some catwalk modelling. We are now firm friends with this complete strangers (we've seen them since and everything!) and are ready to get back to civilisation more relaxed than we could have imagined. It's not that dullness-of-brain you get with a beach holiday, but a zest. And if we'd not put away quite so many cocktails every night, we might have felt fresher still.

With Tussock boats coming in all sizes and sailing whichever routes and making whatever stops you decide, it's a cruise you can hand-craft. Whether you fill the boat with your mates, or go and meet new people (Tussock put a lot of time and effort into balancing the boat with characters likely to get on, so it's perfect if you're holidaying alone) it can certainly turn into one of those "holiday of a lifetime" situations. It was for us. And with all those new friends, there's certainly been no shortage of opportunities for rehashing it all over a few glasses of fizz.