Advice for Charter in Greece

[Camp Director G]

Anyone have any general advice for chartering in Greece? My wife (just married!) and I are looking to sail Mid-September to Mid-October for a month on our honeymoon in the Greek Islands. Cyclades is preferred but will consider elsewhere. (As a side note, we're always willing to barter for tuition at our summer camp for kids, so any owners in the Med, please contact me.) Our sailing level - ASA Certified bareboaters with catamaran cert - low hours on cruising sailboats but a lifelong boater and sailor. Any advice on companies, the area, difficulty of Cyclades, the time of year, etc. would be welcome.

[Jeannius]

Greece may be a bit difficult this year. Elections coming up and if they go the wrong way they could be pulling out of the Euro, civil unrest is predicted etc. Don't want to scaremonger (I'd usually look on such events as an opportunity to get a good deal) but this is your honeymoon you are talking about!

My advice... Wait until after the June elections before booking.

[beneteau-500]

Jeannius you dont have a clue greece is not difficult camp director i will pm you

[Brogan007]

On a more sensible note....what happens when/if Greece devalues by 60%+ ...as it has to eventually.....would you like to get a charter on the cheap?
Whether or not folks who are on the ground see it or not, a train wreck is underway....why not wait & take advantage of it.

Originally Posted by beneteau-500

Jeannius you dont have a clue greece is not difficult camp director i will pm you

[noelex 77]

Greece is in a difficult position at the moment.
I feel sorry for the local people and they desperately need tourism. Nobody knows what is likely to happen in the near future, but you should be prepared for taxi, ferry and airline strikes at the very least. Hopefully the more dire predictions will be wrong- time will tell.
If I was going on my honeymoon I would be thinking of Turkey instead. When things settle down there may be some great bargains in Greece and it's wonderful place to sail.

[norwegianspacem]

Hi, I have been sailing the Greeck islands a number of times from various charter agents. Due to the current financial turmoil, I would have chartered from Turkey (Marmaris or Bodrum) and then sail the greek islands from there (it's a very short sail (5 -20 NM) over to Greece from there). Be carefull with the meltemi winds (falling winds from the North) that can come very quickly and forecefully (i.e. if unlucky you might have 40-50 knots of wind in 30 min). If you do longer passages be careful to listen the local weather forecast (on VHF or SSB) and watch for weather signs.
The Marmaris area has more charter companies and is located further away from the Cyclades (where the meltemi is more frequent), thus i would have opted for a charter from there. You can for example try one of the newer boats of www.akotour.com (only monohul). Hopefully this gives you a little better clue....

[noelex 77]

A strong Meltimi is not ideal for a honeymoon charter, but by mid September its starting to die down, both in strength and duration. If it does blow you can always stay put for a couple of days and something else to do.

[norwegianspacem]

... and the more south-east you go the less is the problem with the Meltimi (I think the worst area is around Mykonos).

[sigmasailor]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Greece may be a bit difficult this year. Elections coming up and if they go the wrong way they could be pulling out of the Euro, civil unrest is predicted etc. Don't want to scaremonger (I'd usually look on such events as an opportunity to get a good deal) but this is your honeymoon you are talking about!

My advice... Wait until after the June elections before booking.

Fully agree; the Greeks are on strike all the time. Reports from brutal attacks on foreigners have become too common. We stopped going there when they explained that in order to ensure certain turnover they simply raised their prices when less tourist where arriving.

We booked our first charter tom Croatia last week September and first week October.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by sigmasailor

Fully agree; the Greeks are on strike all the time. Reports from brutal attacks on foreigners have become too common. We stopped going there when they explained that in order to ensure certain turnover they simply raised their prices when less tourist where arriving.

We booked our first charter tom Croatia last week September and first week October.

The Grreks do appreciate tourism. They are generally very helpful an honest. There have been a few racial problems aginst ( mostly ilegal) migrant workers, particularly from Albania, perhaps not surprising given the high unemployment.
Tourists are very unlikely to encounter these problems. In the islands you will be welcomed with open arms.
Be carful around Athens like many big cities it has is share of pickpockets, and riots are not unusual and can be violent, but the islands are very safe.
Greece is a much cheaper country to sail than Croatia

[sigmasailor]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Greece is a much cheaper country to sail than Croatia

OK, so how much would it cost to charter a (less than 1 year old) 33ft yacht for two weeks including all fuel, waivers and flotilla surcharge on top? That's what we booked; but would be interesting to know.

Agree with people being friendly on the Islands (have been to Corfu and Lefkas area several times). Pity they do make such a mess (in general) of they nice country and seem to have no respect for animals.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by sigmasailor

OK, so how much would it cost to charter a (less than 1 year old) 33ft yacht for two weeks including all fuel, waivers and flotilla surcharge on top? That's what we booked; but would be interesting to know.

Agree with people being friendly on the Islands (have been to Corfu and Lefkas area several times). Pity they do make such a mess (in general) of they nice country and seem to have no respect for animals.

I have not chartered for 20 years, so I am not a great person to ask about charter costs
They should be easy enough to look up on line. My guess is they will be similar in both countries.
Croatia is much more expensive for food, restraunt meals, alcohol. Marina fees are dearer and there are very few cheap ( or free) quays like there are in Greece. There is even an anchoring fee in some bays in Croatia. Croatia is a great crusing ground, very pretty, with wonderful history. if you charter there you will have a great Holliday, but it's more expensive than Greece.

Be a bit careful in the resteraunts make sure you know the prices before ordering. A common scam is or the waiter to recommend a special dish that turns out at the end of the meal to be much dearer than it should have been. The cost of these sort of ripoffs is not much in the overall cost of the holiday, but these experiences can spoil the experience.

In Greece you don't worry about these things, there usually tends to be a few dishes thrown in unexpectedly for free.

[Capt Phil]

It was in the late 80's that we chartered for a month out of Pyraes but because of weather had to fly to Rhodes to pick up the boat, an Alba 55. Although I was a licensed Master, I was unfamiliar with the Med and we hired a skipper with the boat which turned out to be the best move we made. Got to see all kinds of neat spots, islands and restaurants we would have missed if bareboating. At the time, relations were problematic between Greece and Turkey and there were not many charters from either country visiting the other.
While Greece was a little unsettled at the time, the islands were pretty mellow with most of the unrest found in major cities like Athens. We were welcomed with open arms where ever we stopped.
I know it was a long time ago but Greeks measure time in centuries, not years or decades. Our 24/7 news cycle is not the norm in either the Cyclades or the Sporades Island chains.
Contrary to Noelex 77 experience, we found the islanders to be polite, honest and very friendly... Athenians, not so much. Capt Phil

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

Contrary to Noelex 77 experience, we found the islanders to be polite, honest and very friendly... Athenians, not so much. Capt Phil

That is my experience as well, which is why I said.

Originally Posted by noelex 77

They are generally very helpful an honest.

[takis]

try this:FEELING 39 FOR CHARTER as an alternative to cyclades.