Charter in the sun, 2011: advice please

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jetwake

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I am looking for a bareboat charter in Greece or Croatia next July.

There are any number of companies doing this, so it comes down to good sound friendly advice I guess...which is why I'm asking here.

Does anyone have any advice on either the destinations or companies known to give good boats / prices? There'll be six of us and I am Coastal Skipper.

David
 
Have been many times to both destinations, mainly used Nautilus who give excellent service at a good price.

Wouldn't go to Greece in July, too busy and generally not much wind. More wind in Croatia but marinas and town quays now getting VERY expensive. There's a recent thread about this on this site.
 
Charter in 2001

I've done a few charters in Croatia and have had absolutely great times there. Agree with the last post, there's 2 Croatia's - one staying in Marina's and the other overnighting at anchor. Depends what you're after really. We rarely stay in Marina's except when the kids insist they want a proper shower. If you go early July it will not be so busy. We've generally used Cosmos Yachting (Brokers) and they've been really good getting good boats at very competitive prices. They seem to get the boats cheaper than if you went direct to the charterer, I suppose they bulk buy capacity at a discount and pass some of that on.

I prefer the Northern part of the Adriatic as it is greener, but more prone to the Bora. Only time in fact we got hit by the Bora was up North, but you're never far from a sheltered haven.

I would recommend 'Adriatic Pilot' by Thompson and '777 Harbours and Anchorages' by K. Bestandig. They are very different and complement each other very well.

If you do decide on Croatia and wish to know in more detail about quieter places to stay let me know the area and I'll PM you a list. Being a bit OCD I've now compiled a list of good anchorages covering pretty much the whole Adriatic.

Cheers
 
jetwake said:
I am looking for a bareboat charter in Greece or Croatia next July.
Does anyone have any advice on either the destinations
David
Click to expand...
David,

On destinations, have a look at The Cruising Association (CA) web site. http://www.cruising.org.uk/cruising_information/cruising_guides/med/adriatic tells you about the Adriatic, and http://www.cruising.org.uk/cruising_information/cruising_guides/med/greece covers the many Greek areas. You'll also find these help a lot in describing the likely weather and winds in each area.

Absolute tosh that "Greece" has little wind in the summer. Mornings around Athens maybe, and in the sheltered waters of the Inland Ionian. The rest - hold tight.

You won't be able to see the more detailed pages (good restaurants, great views, must sees, local rip-offs!) since these are members' only.
 
croatia - greece

We've just come back from 10 days' sailing in Croatia and were so put off by the general comments in the thread about Croatia last month, that we became very worried about our trip (but the boat was booked, so it was too late to change). Don't let it put you off - although we can now say that we still prefer Greece, Croatia was very beautiful, the people pleasant, and the food reasonably priced (but by no means a bargain if that's what you are after). However, 2 cappuccinos and 2 alcoholic drinks on a terrace never came to more than £5 in total anywhere - very good value indeed. We used Latesail for our booking and through them chartered a 384 Elan Impression (2006) from Yachtcharter Grgić. The boat was based in Preko opposite Zadar, a pleasant quiet little marina (bear in mind we were already out of season mid September). A very clean, well looked after boat (with a very leaky dinghy), and no complaints about the service and can-do attitude. It was reasonably competitively priced, so I imagine you could get an even better deal if you went direct. Perhaps google the company first to find more opinions. We sailed as far north as Molat island and as far south as Vis, looking for quiet places and avoiding Marinas generally. We enjoyed sailing around the Kornati islands because it was so quiet and a bit eery with no vegetation. We were not asked to pay for our anchorage in either of the bays we stayed, and no one ever checked if we had an entrance ticket to the park (which we did) - I guess because it was out of season. We found Telascia bay expensive and not that great. North of Dugi Otok it was very quiet and very beautiful with many semi-deserted islands and lush green vegetation. Give the Skradin waterfalls a miss if you are going just a week - we found it packed with tourists and very expensive, and it takes a day or two out of your holiday to get there and back. We stopped off in Sibenik on the way out which was pleasant and quite pretty, plus a great market to stock up, but not worth a detour I'd say if you've got limited time. We absolutely loved Komiza on Vis and preferred it to Vis Town for charm and coziness. It reminded us of some parts of Greece. The area in front of Sibenik was loevely too, with lots of anchorages and crystal clear water. We anchored off Zlarin. North east of the island Murter we anchored in a bay at Zminjak island with a fabulous fish restaurant - great food, wonderful location, very good atmosphere. Last tip - if any of your crew speaks or understands German, it's worth getting the 808 Hafen und Buchten by Karl-Heinz Beständig - it was available on our boat and far preferable and easier to use than the Croatia Cruising Companion we found.
That said - we'll be off to Greece again next time. Greece just feels like a completely different world to us, and Croatia much more like familiar territory, like Italy, Spain... I'd say the scenery is just as stunning as in Croatia, depending on where you go of course, and I prefer the architecture, look and feel of Greece by far. It's probably more expensive in terms of food and drink, but not having to pay every time you moor off a quay, more than makes up for that. One more difference, we found quite a few chartered boats in Croatia played load music and had parties on board until late at night, both on quays, in marinas and even at anchorages - not our cup of tea and we have never experienced anything like this in Greece. Have fun picking your destination!
 
Chartered a Bavaria 42 from Athens last year with Cosmos. Plenty of wind - Meltemi can mean there is a little too much at times. Fantastic cruising ground - busy in popular spots (e.g. Agina, Hydra, Poros) so early mooring advisable but otherwise okay and we had a great time. Bav 42 was a comfortable boat for six of us and Cosmos were very helpful with a couple of problems we had. We got a slightly reduced rate for an older boat...wouldn't do it again as the silkaflex on the teak cockpit seats had turned oily in places and made a right mess of clothes until we got some cushions.
 
I'd recommend Ionian Yacht Charters in Lefkas, Greece. We chartered two of their three Oceanis 423s in June, lovely boats, well looked after and a really good price! Everything was included in the price (transfers, cleaning, cruising chute, OBM for dinghy, etc..) all you had to pay for was to fill the diesel tanks on return. I'll be chartering from them again next year! http://www.ionianyachtcharters.co.uk/

We took 7 people on each yacht and that was perfect. If you mention your RYA quals you should get a discount.

The Ionian Islands were stunning. After spending a week on a Bav 50' in Croatia last week I'd say I preferred Greece. If you need any more info send me a pm.

Dave
 
jetwake said:
Does anyone have any advice on either the destinations or companies known to give good boats / prices? There'll be six of us and I am Coastal Skipper.
Click to expand...

Sail Ionian have been good for us. Keen prices; New boats; competent staff.

http://www.sailionian.com

We've not chartered from any other firms in the area, but we've chartered from a large number of individuals and firms elsewhere and Sail Ionian have been by far the best.

This might (or might not) give you a few ideas for places in the Ionian/Corfu:
http://fattie.freehostia.com/Ionian2009/
http://fattie.freehostia.com/IonianImages2008/
http://fattie.freehostia.com/ionian/
http://s463.photobucket.com/albums/qq354/fattiefattie/Ionian 2009/?albumview=slideshow
 
chartering in Greece

When we need an additional yacht we use Athenian Yachting. They have bases in several areas of Greece and we've always found the yachts to be in good condition and with excellent handover.

The Saronic and Argolic are not too crowded in July and the wind is usually good. Can't speak for the other areas as I have not sailed there in the main summer months.
 
I have a Greek friend who charters out his own Beneteau 381 when he's not using her.

He offers a friendly service, and, as his own boat, she's well maintained and equipped.

Most of his charterers return year after year, and recently one (who is about to retire and so have more time for sailing) enquired about buying the boat.

He offers good rates for direct bookings which save him the agency fees.

If that is of any interest I can put you in touch
 
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