A Milos private tour means a trip arranged for one party only on Milos, an island of the Cyclades in Greece. It is one of the Greece tours on this site. The notes below look at the island through its trades, its stone and its statue: yacht charter, bentonite, kaolinite, perlite, the Venus de Milo and the sailing yacht, then four sailing terms. Each term is explained in plain words, and the facts come from reference articles.
What does a Milos private tour mean?
A Milos private tour means a trip arranged for one party only. Milos is an island of the Cyclades. Yacht chartering means hiring a sailing or motor yacht to reach coasts and islands. Three main charter types exist: bareboat, skippered and crewed.
A bareboat charter is yacht hire where the vessel comes without crew. The charterer navigates the boat and bears legal and safety responsibility for the voyage. On a Milos private tour, hire means a paid loan for a set time. Responsibility means the duty to take care of something.
A skippered charter pairs the boat with a professional skipper. Crewed charters are staffed by a captain and crew who can include chefs and deckhands. A skipper is the officer in command of a boat. A deckhand is a worker who helps on deck. A captain is the officer who commands a ship.
Bareboat yachts commonly range from 32 ft up to about 55 ft. In the eastern Mediterranean, gulets are a common choice for crewed charters. A gulet is a boat type. A foot is a unit of length. On a Milos private tour, a charter is a boat hired for a set time.
- Catamarans: Catamarans have grown popular because of their large capacity and fuel efficiency.
- Cruises: Gulets are widely used for multi-day cruises along the Aegean and Mediterranean shores.
- Race: The first recorded yacht race between two vessels took place in 1661.
A Milos private tour starts with a simple idea: a trip kept for one party. Yacht charter shows how that idea works at sea, from a bareboat hire to a crewed boat. The next section turns from the sea trade to the clay called bentonite.
On a Milos private tour, what does bentonite add?
A Milos private tour brings up bentonite, an absorbent swelling clay whose main component is montmorillonite. Bentonite forms from the weathering of volcanic ash in seawater. Weathering means rock slowly breaking down. Volcanic ash is fine dust thrown out by a volcano.
Hydrothermal circulation converts the volcanic glass in ash into clay minerals. Bentonite absorbs large quantities of water, increasing its volume by up to eightfold. Hydrothermal means involving hot water. Circulation means a steady flow of water through rock. Eightfold means eight times as much, and volume means the amount of space something fills.
Its swelling makes bentonite beds unsuitable for building and road construction. Microscopic platy grains, which are tiny flat plates, give bentonite a very large total surface area. Its plates stick together when wet, which makes bentonite useful as a binder. On a Milos private tour, a binder is a material that holds other things together.
Bentonite has been found in Greece, including a deposit on the Milos volcanic island in the Aegean Sea. A small amount of bentonite added to clay can increase its plasticity. Plasticity means how easily a clay can be shaped. Milos is the island that gives a Milos private tour its name.
- Glazes: Bentonite is added to ceramic glazes to slow or prevent their settling.
- Landfills: Sodium bentonite is used to line the base of landfills.
- Pets: Bentonite is used in pet care items such as cat litter to absorb pet waste.
Bentonite adds a mineral story to a Milos private tour, from volcanic ash to useful clay. It swells with water, binds other materials and lines the base of landfills. The next section turns from this swelling clay to a white one.
On a Milos private tour, what does kaolinite bring?
A Milos private tour brings up kaolinite, a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. Rocks rich in kaolinite and halloysite are known as kaolin or china clay. Kaolinite is produced by chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals like feldspar. Feldspar is a mineral.
Iron oxide colours kaolin pink-orange-red, giving it a distinct rust hue. Lower iron oxide levels give kaolin white, yellow or light orange colours. Iron oxide is a compound of iron and oxygen. A hue is a shade of colour. On a Milos private tour, a compound means a joined mix of elements.
Kaolinite clay is abundant in soils formed by weathering of rock in hot, moist climates. In paper coatings, kaolin enhances gloss, brilliance, smoothness and ink receptivity. Abundant means present in large amounts. Moist means slightly wet. A coating is a thin layer spread over a surface. Receptivity means how well a surface takes ink.
In whiteware ceramic bodies, kaolin can make up to 50% of the raw materials. Whiteware means white ceramic goods such as plates and cups. A ceramic is a hard object made by baking clay. For a Milos private tour, kaolin is simply one more clay in the story.
- Traces: Kaolinite can contain very small traces of uranium and thorium, which makes it an indicator in radiological dating.
- Output: Global kaolin production in 2021 was estimated at 45 million tonnes.
- Mines: Kaolin is mined in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria and China, among other countries.
Kaolinite adds a pale clay to a Milos private tour, from rust-tinted rock to paper and plates. The next section turns from clay to a volcanic glass that swells in heat. Each use follows from the way the mineral forms.
On a Milos private tour, what does perlite add?
A Milos private tour brings up perlite, a volcanic glass formed by the hydration of obsidian. Hydration means taking up water. Perlite softens at temperatures between 850 and 900 degrees Celsius. Trapped water vaporises and escapes, expanding perlite to 7–16 times its original volume.
Expanded perlite looks brilliant white, due to the reflectivity of trapped bubbles. Expanded perlite has a bulk density of about 0.03 to 0.15 g/cm3. Bulk density means the weight of a material per unit of space. Reflectivity means how much light bounces off a surface. Brilliant means very bright.
In construction, perlite goes into ceiling tiles, insulation, mortar, concrete and lightweight plasters. Perlite is an excellent filtration aid, used as an alternative to diatomaceous earth. Plaster is a paste that sets hard on walls. On a Milos private tour, a filter is a layer that holds back solid bits.
World perlite production was led by China, Turkey, Greece, the USA, Armenia and Hungary. Reported perlite reserves in Greece are 120 million tonnes. On a Milos private tour, a tonne is a unit of weight of one thousand kilograms. Production means the amount made in a set time.
- Filtering: Perlite filters are fairly common for filtering beer before it is bottled.
- Gardens: In horticulture, perlite can be used alone as a medium for hydroponics.
- Soil: As a soil amendment, perlite has high permeability and low water retention.
Perlite adds a light white material to a Milos private tour, from construction to filters and gardens. It starts as volcanic glass and swells in heat. Hydroponics means growing plants in water without soil. The next section turns from minerals to a famous statue.
On a Milos private tour, what does the Venus de Milo bring?
A Milos private tour brings up the Venus de Milo, an ancient statue. It was discovered in 1820 on the island of Milos, Greece. A Greek farmer made the discovery on 8 April 1820. Parian marble was used for the statue, which is larger than life size.
Olivier Voutier, a French sailor interested in archaeology, witnessed the discovery. After stopping in Milos, D’Urville’s ship sailed on to Constantinople, where he reported the find. Archaeology means digging up and studying objects from the past. On a Milos private tour, Constantinople means the earlier name of Istanbul.
Restoration was minimal: only the nose tip, lower lip, right big toe and part of the drapery. On Quatremère de Quincy’s advice, the statue was shown in the state in which it was discovered. Restoration means repair that adds missing parts. Drapery means the folds of cloth on a statue.
In 1870 the statue was removed from the museum to protect it during the Paris Commune. A plaster cast was sent to the Berlin Academy in 1822, a year after the Louvre acquired it. For a Milos private tour, a plaster cast is a copy made by pouring plaster into a mould.
- Setting: In 2010 the statue was installed in a new setting, with its fragments shown in the same room.
- Magritte: René Magritte painted a plaster copy of the statue with a pink body and blue robe.
- Dating: In 1893 Adolf Furtwängler first argued that the statue was late Hellenistic.
The Venus de Milo adds a famous find to a Milos private tour. A plaster cast reached Berlin in 1822. Hellenistic means from the period after Alexander the Great. The next section turns from the statue to the sailing yacht.
On a Milos private tour, what does the sailing yacht bring?
A Milos private tour brings up the sailing yacht. A sailing yacht gets its main push from sails. A light displacement yacht can pair a fin keel with a spade rudder and a ballasted bulb. Here, push means the force that moves a boat forward.
Heavy displacement yachts carry a keel that is long and deep, with a protected propeller. Standing rigging supports the rig, while running rigging raises and adjusts the sails. Rigging is the set of ropes and wires that works a boat’s sails. A mast is the tall pole that holds the sails.
Cruising yachts are designed and built with comfort and amenities for overnight voyages. A cruising yacht can have a forward stateroom, a main salon and at least two cabins. A cabin is a small room on a boat. On a Milos private tour, a salon is the main living room of a yacht.
Racing yachts emphasize performance over comfort. Performance means how fast and well a boat sails. A rig is the arrangement of masts and sails. A class is a group of boats built to the same rules. On a Milos private tour, comfort means ease and a relaxed stay.
- Mast: A mast stepped on the keel inside the boat is better able to withstand a rigging failure.
- Classes: The body World Sailing recognizes eleven classes of racing yacht.
- Salon: On smaller yachts the salon can have convertible berths for crew or passengers.
The sailing yacht adds a working boat to a Milos private tour, from its keel to its sails. Light and heavy hulls, racing yachts and cruising yachts show how one idea takes different forms. The next section turns from the boat to four sailing terms.
Which questions come up before a Milos private tour starts?
A Milos private tour raises four plain sailing questions. The Beaufort scale rates wind strength, and the keel keeps a boat upright. The compass points north, and the rudder steers. Every reply draws on three facts from one reference article.
On a Milos private tour, which scale rates the strength of the wind?
The Beaufort scale links wind speed with the conditions seen at sea or on land. Francis Beaufort, a hydrographer in the British Royal Navy, devised the scale in 1805. The first scale held 13 classes, running from zero up to 12. A hydrographer is a person who maps seas.
Which part keeps a sailing boat upright behind a Milos private tour?
The keel is the lowest long structural part of a watercraft, and it matters for stability. Laying the keel is the first step in building a ship. The wreck of the Kyrenia ship shows that the keel dates back at least to 315 BC.
Which instrument points north behind a Milos private tour?
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. A compass can have a magnetized needle that pivots to align itself with magnetic north. The first recorded use of a compass in Western Europe came around 1190.
Which blade steers a boat behind a Milos private tour?
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat or submarine. On a simple boat, a tiller on top of the rudder lets the helmsman turn it. Ancient China produced the first stern-mounted rudder, in the 1st century AD.