Battle horns blared in a narrow bay on the east coast of Salamis Island, on the Saronic Gulf less than ten miles from Athens, in late September 480 B.C. Drums beat below the decks of more than 200 Greek triremes. Each warship was about 130 feet in length with only an 18-foot beam, and powered by 150 men manning three banks of oars. Rams were mounted at the bow just below the waterline, deadly to the Persian triremes at the mouth of the bay.

The ALEXANDER ACHILLES, a traditional Greek motorsailer, makes history come alive. She is available for charter in Athens.

Today, Salamis Island and the bays and coves of the Saronic Gulf are a major cruising ground for crewed and bareboat charter yachts. The nearby Cyclades and the Dodecanese islands spread across the Aegean Sea like jewels, and boaters from around the world come to experience the pleasures of yachting in these waters. The quaint fishing villages, historic sites, and the beautiful beaches are all part of the experience of yachting in Greece, where history is everywhere, making it easy to imagine that September so long ago when the fate of the Athenian state hung in the balance.

As the Greek fleet advanced, the ships were outnumbered almost five to one. The army and navy of Persia, under the command of King Xerxes, had recently sacked Athens, burning much of the city to the ground. Despite the poor odds the Greeks were willing to fight for their homeland, surging forward at a ramming speed of 10 knots, anxious to face the sea-hardened Phoenicians who served as crews aboard many of the Persian triremes.

“At once ship smote on ship with brazen beak; A vessel of the Greeks began the attack, Crushing the stem of a Phoenician ship,” wrote the famous Greek poet and dramatist Aeschylus in a poem entitled The Battle of Salamis.

The sound of splintering hulls and screaming men carried away on the rising wind. In the confines of the bay, the Greek battle line ran nearly from shore to shore, preventing a flanking maneuver from the Persians. Themistocles, one of the Greek co-commanders, had counted on this advantage. Now it was paying off.

“The Grecian vessels were not unskillfully smiting round about; the hulls of ships Were overset; the sea was hid from sight, Covered with wreckage and the death of men; the reefs and headlands were corpse filled.”

The Persians retreated and the still outnumbered Greeks pursued. The breeze freshened, kicking up a chop that hindered the lighter-built Persian triremes. The Greek vessels were heavier and more lethal, giving the crews the upper hand. The battle raged as the Persians rowed to their strongholds at Piraeus and Phaleron bays.

This Sun Odyssey 50 is also available for charter out of Athens.

Nearly half of the Persian fleet of 1,200 ships had been sunk or captured. Losses were also heavy on the Greek side. The Persian army of more than 100,000 men relied on the navy to transport supplies, and with much of the navy destroyed, Xerxes knew the war was lost. He withdrew.

Many historians say that the Battle of Salamis was one of the most important in Western history. The Greek victory laid the foundation for the prosperous Athenian Empire, or Delian League, which later contributed so much to Western civilization in philosophy, mathematics, science, medicine, and democratic ideals. Had the Greeks lost the Battle of Salamis, would those contributions have been made? No one knows.

At the start of the fighting, Aeschylus wrote of a “mighty shout” that came from the Athenians: “Come, O ye sons of Greeks, Make free your country, make free your children, Your wives, and fanes of your ancestral gods, And your sires’ tombs! For all we now contend!”

As it turned out, they may have contended for much, much more.

Editor’s Note: David W. Shaw is the author of seven nonfiction books, including a historical account of Flying Cloud, America’s most famous clipper ship.  For charter info in this area, view the Greek listings.