Samboat charter agents? Avdiros Sailing in Thrace/Thraki N Aegean

Dellquay13

Dellquay13

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Has anyone any personal experience of them?
They are only a broker, matching punters to boats, but few brokers cover the very specific bit of the NE Aegean I want to visit.
Trust pilot is generally good, with their 1* reviews relating mostly to skippers on mobo day trips, and they always post replies.
Anything else to add?
I’m a boat owner, so rarely look at chartering, just for this milestone birthday treat. Hope it’s a milestone, not a millstone
 
I can tell you that I booked a charter through SamBoat in 2022 in the Netherlands which had no major issues. There was some poor comms over arrival times etc but I never worked out if that was a SamBoat or local charter company issue: the boat was available when we were originally promised though, but not before a phone call from me to confirm we were actually going to be early got a “we don’t have a booking for you/we aren’t expecting you at all” response. So I would suggest it’s probably worth a call with the local charter agent once you get their details to firm up arrangements! But I would use them again.
 
When I was chartering, they were known as Late Sail but I prefer to deal direct with the local charter company or UK based old school agent (like Nautilus who were fantastic around covid cancellations) so a Google image search of the boat you're interested in usually reveals the owner/source and possibly other brokers.

If there's a boat name visible, so much the better but there's usually only one set of boat images being circulated so pretty easy to track down.
 
wonkywinch said:
When I was chartering, they were known as Late Sail but I prefer to deal direct with the local charter company or UK based old school agent (like Nautilus who were fantastic around covid cancellations) so a Google image search of the boat you're interested in usually reveals the owner/source and possibly other brokers.

If there's a boat name visible, so much the better but there's usually only one set of boat images being circulated so pretty easy to track down.
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I have found the local company, and started a thread about any forumite experiences of them.

Samboat have a UK contact number, so seem to have a UK branch (of a French company)

It’s swings and roundabouts, do I deal with an agent prima facie in the UK that has limited control over the boat owner, or direct with a Greek company who may operate in an arcane system.

This is my first time chartering, as a long term boat owner, and since it is a family gift for my 60th I need it to go smoothly.
 
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Dellquay13 said:
I have found the local company, and started a thread about any forumite experiences of them.

Samboat have a UK contact number, so seem to have a UK branch (of a French company)

It’s swings and roundabouts, do I deal with an agent prima facie in the UK that has limited control over the boat owner, or direct with a Greek company who may operate in an arcane system.

This is my first time chartering, as a long term boat owner, and since it is a family gift for my 60th I need it to go smoothly.
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Only after this post "I have found the local company, and started a thread about any forumite experiences of them" did I then go and search and find a separate thread. It would have surely been helpful to post that firm here to elicit responses rather than a separate thread?


Anyhow, like buying anything, it's important to do what makes you happy. If you need the comfort of a UK rep then no reason not to use SamBoat. My comment is just based on them marketing themselves as the "AirBnB" of boating and parsonal experience of AirBnB (and their ilk) prioritising profit over customer service.

When spending money, I prefer to give it to the person who needs it to feed their family, that way more of my ££ ends up directly in their hands but I fully understand a first timer might need the shiny "Made In The UK" packaging.
 
The local charter company is Avdiros Sailing, a tiny outfit with just 5 boats listed. The trust pilot reviews are pretty good for their skippered day trips, but there’s nothing for their bareboat service. I’m not surprised about that, they’re in an area largely only visited by Greek and latterly Bulgarian families, not NW Europeans. (A UK equivalent could be Wick or Robin Hoods Bay)

Has anyone ever been that far off the beaten track to have any first hand knowledge of them?
 
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In case you don't find anyone here, I can see they are listed on several sites, inc their own, SamBoat, BoatAround etc.

If you compare prices, SamBoat can actually offer it cheaper than going direct. If you check the Trip Advisor reviews for this operator, you'll see many of them written by people who have only ever left 1 or 2 reviews. Really? Are you going to register on Trip Advisor and only ever leave one review. It is a big complaint of mine about that site (I have left nearly 300 reviews in last 20 years but mostly only review on Google nowadays).

If your money is protected (credit card section 75) and you have deposit insurance, I wouldn't be too bothered, you're only renting a boat for a week or two, not marrying them.
 
wonkywinch said:
In case you don't find anyone here, I can see they are listed on several sites, inc their own, SamBoat, BoatAround etc.

If you compare prices, SamBoat can actually offer it cheaper than going direct. If you check the Trip Advisor reviews for this operator, you'll see many of them written by people who have only ever left 1 or 2 reviews. Really? Are you going to register on Trip Advisor and only ever leave one review. It is a big complaint of mine about that site (I have left nearly 300 reviews in last 20 years but mostly only review on Google nowadays).

If your money is protected (credit card section 75) and you have deposit insurance, I wouldn't be too bothered, you're only renting a boat for a week or two, not marrying them.
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Aahh Credit card section 75…
In my dotage and relative financial comfort I decided to get rid of my credit card. Now it would come in handy
 
I manipulate mine very nicely, got a handful, all paid off in full each month but as well as purchase protection, got cashback, zero loaded foreign purchases, ATM use, Avios points, free companion ticket on BA etc etc.

Same with bank account, included RAC cover, travel insurance, airport lounges, free Disney TV channels.
 
wonkywinch said:
I manipulate mine very nicely, got a handful, all paid off in full each month but as well as purchase protection, got cashback, zero loaded foreign purchases, ATM use, Avios points, free companion ticket on BA etc etc.

Same with bank account, included RAC cover, travel insurance, airport lounges, free Disney TV channels.
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I wilt a little at the thought of all those logins and PINs…
 
down...2 greens said:
I've used Samboat once (just after their rebranding from Late Sail) and had no issues whatsoever. A lot is going to come down to the local operator/owner though.
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Exactly that.

We've had very mixed experiences chartering boats in Croatia and it's worth keeping in mind that Latesail/Samcharter or any other the company you place the booking with are simply acting as brokers. Our experience is any complaints about the condition of the boat you end up with to the broker get stonewalled and deflected straight to the marina management who may or may not have a robust take it or leave it attitude to any problems you experience.

If chartering read every single review you can get your hands on, insist on seeing the actual contract you'll sign and scrutinise it before you part with a penny.

It's frequently very crowded in anchorages and marinas and standards of seamanship and boat handling in Croatia are sometimes, err... not what you'd hope for. Insurance excesses run into thousands so take out an uninsured loss policy with an independent company.

Go over the boat with a fine tooth comb when you first arrive and insist on assurance that a diver has been down and insected the hull and found it undamaged after it was returned from the last charter. Make sure the fuel tank really is full and the inventory really is complete.

Lessons have been learned through experience. You can thank me later.
 
Top tip re insurance. It's worth having deposit insurance, especially as it will alleviate any arguments with your crew mates if there was any damage during your holiday.

For many years, I used EIS but they no longer sell to UK residents. Last year I went with Schomacker who were happy to offer cover. I see they do a full range of boat related insurance.

YACHT-INSURANCE SCHOMACKER

Dellquay13 said:
Aahh Credit card section 75…
In my dotage and relative financial comfort I decided to get rid of my credit card. Now it would come in handy
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It's really worth having one for the protection (basically free financial insurance) car hire, charter boat deposit/excess etc. There are plenty of cards that offer zero loading on foreign transactions so you can use it in Greek restaurants etc.

I have a friend who's financial predicament means he can't (rather than won't) hold any credit cards. His life is encumbered by it every time he tries to buy a train ticket, hire a car etc.

Tips for a suitable card - https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/
 
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