We found and booked only a couple of days before and were delighted to find Sailmarine had a Bavaria 35 for bareboat charter and at a rate that was the same as a decent hotel for the week! They were fab on check in at the marina, no issues at all once the boss realised we had some good sailing experience between us and so he felt comfortable for us to self brief on board until needing any specific answers, so weren't inundated with too much on arrival. We pulled away from the mooring only 1.5 hours after arriving. My only small gripe is that you have to pay extra for the cleaning at the end in cash at the beginning and we left the boat very well cared for, so didn't feel the 200 EUR was necessary, otherwise were very happy and would come again for sure.
Amazing experience to sail in Ionian Islands.
The very busy Santorini marina boat traffic made our check in a bit hectic and delayed but once we boarded the boat everything was perfect. The ‘Aquaholic’ was amazing: spacious, comfortable, clean, well equipped, and exceptionally maintained by Christos and Sally. They were the best captain/guide/host/chef we could have asked for and we can’t thank them enough. We really hope to sail with them again next year and only wish we had booked two weeks instead of one. The route Christos chose was breathtaking and showed us the best of hidden beaches with great snorkeling and beautiful towns with great food and shopping. We know for the future — you must do two weeks in the Cyclades!
The boat rented, an Oceanis 38.1 (2018) through El Yachting was in excellent condition. El Yachting is a competent team with helpful and friandly staff, and last but not least, conducting a very dilligent boat check upon return, ensuring quality in the longrun. Marin from Globesailor was also very helpful in identifying a boat fitting our requirements at good rates. Luka Vesnaver, Slovenia
Very helpful, quick, flexible and caring
Super cool boat in very good condition with a lot of nice details rarely expected on a charter boat. Lifting keel allows you to explore non crowded tidal anchorages and ports or just have a better berth with a depth restrictions for conventional boats. The area is really great with a unique charm, historical and sailing heritage, with a widest choice of places of interest - from relaxing beaches to museums and historical landmarks. Note that charter company schedule boat checkin at Friday evening and do not allow you to stay after next Friday checkout until Saturday morning like most of the charter operators in the Med. So plan to arrive earlier and leave the boat at Friday!
The quality of the boat was top class. The staff were very attentive and switched on. Checking the boat in and out was a seamless experience at the marina base. Already planning our 2020 sailing holiday and will use this company again. Croatia is perfect for families. Trogir is an ideal location as the marina is walking distance from the town. The sailing routes from this marina are excellent - north, south or island hopping brac etc.
Considering the age of the boat, it was everything I hoped for; the things that matter, such as rigging, sails and mechanics were in good condition; small faults like a broken latch, frayed mooring lines or scuffed upholstery I consider of minor importance. Staff friendliness was great. After the sail the debriefing was professional, I wish that the introductory briefing could have been as good. (Having said that; my fellow sailors were inexperienced and it took them some time to figure out how to work a manual toilet.) We all had a great time!
We’ve boarded a catamaran with family and friends from Salerno and went through Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia and Procida for a week. What an amazing region! Discovering this coast and those islands from the sea left us with precious and beautiful memories! Our skipper made it so memorable too! He taught us a lot about some of the architecture pieces, the history of the place, gave us tips on what to do absolutely and taught us how to cook a few Italian dishes with fresh local produce. My only slight criticism was having to go back to port the night before the check out was due as we were hoping to stay one more night mooring somewhere for an early swim in these cristal bleu (and warm) waters before giving the boat back. We’ll come back and do two weeks instead next time to avoid the frustration.
Vlichada marina is a remote port in the Cycladic islands, and require that you dedicate one day at each end of the charter to transport you to and from Santorini (presumably you're not spending your entire charter sailing around Santorini itself). That being said, sailing through the caldera is spectacular, Kioni is a little old now but everything is still very functional. Under sail our speed was 5-9 knots (6-15 m/s). We had a few incidents that were partly self-inflicted, and through better design/communication could have been avoided: We inadvertently turned off the windlass main switch in the port side aft cabin which caused a momentary scare in Katapola harbor in Amargos, and we were not properly instructed on how to operate the dinghy engine ("general switch" was off) and had to row...We also had a power/controller failure in the harbor of Ios as we were trying to dock in 12 m/s sustained wind, resulting in us having reverse power only. This was fixed later the same day and it turned out the forward throttle cable had been dislodged inside the controller. We managed to dock with only reverse power but it could have ended badly. Next time I'd charter out of one of the islands further north to have better access to the other Cycladic islands. We logged about 160 nm and the itinerary included Ios, Folegandros, Koufonisia and Amargos, and had great fun! Perfect for 3 couples.
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