During April and Early May the Mediterranean is awash with boat shows and with only a small team at diYachting we decided to prioritise 2 charter yacht shows in Greece. Starting with the East Mediterranean Multihull & Yacht Charter Show (EMMYS)which took place from 25th-28th April 2024 on the tiny island of Poros (about 45 minute ferry from the port of Piraeus in Athens.
The show was packed full of just over 100 yachts, mainly catamarans ranging from 46ft to 80ft and a handful of motor and monohulls of a similar size. All the yachts are available to charter in Greece and were presented charter ready for brokers to look around for making recommendations to clients.
There was an abundance of Fountaine Pajot Algeria 67s on display and each was unique in their own way. Of the ones we visited the ones that stood out most were ChristAl Mio(power cat), Alexandra II (sail) and Elly (power cat). All 3 of the crews have worked a full summer season on board together (2023) and their team dynamics and camaraderie really came across during their tours of the boats.
ChristAl Mio has a really great crew, the steward George is full of enthusiasm and treats you like absolute royalty on board. He is a trained mixologist and will surprise guests with delightful concoctions. Each member of the crew is proud of their department and relished in showing off all their hard work when they each delivered their tours of their respective areas.
The crew on Elly were incredibly warm and kind with reminders throughout of their pledge to protect the environment, lovely attention to detail in every cabin and well presented very smart uniforms which are slightly different to the others you see.
Alexandra II was the first yacht I went on board and there was something about the way the crew interacted that I really liked, the captain is very passionate about the environmental improvements they have made to reduce plastic waste and his attitude to finding solutions when the weather interrupts plans is a real testament to his character.
In terms of being an all round stand out yacht it’s impossible not to mention Sunreef 80 S/Y Above and Beyond, the chief stewardess has a wonderful flair for table setting and general presentation, she is really into foraging herbs for making her own blends of herbal teas which if you have watched the Blue Zones documentary on Netflix you will know is one of the tenets for longevity on the Greek island of Ikaria which is famed for its record breaking population of centenarians.
Not only did we get a chance to visit the boats and meet the crews we were also invited to some lunches on board, I dined aboard S/Y Aphaea (FP Alegria 67) and Pearly Gates (Lagoon 630) whilst Lizzie got to enjoy the culinary delights aboard Kimata (FP Alegria 67) and Moonlight (Moon 60) with nothing but compliments for all of the chefs.
A yacht I loved because of its artwork and quite charming captain was S/Y Adel (Lagoon 55). All of the artwork weaves together seamlessly from cabin to cabin, the uniforms and bed linen are all congruous which makes for a very aesthetically harmonious environment.
Lizzie spent the first day of the show judging the CYBA water competition which you can find out more about in a future blog.
After 2 days of the EMMYS we made our way to the picturesque mainland town of Nafplion.
Nafplion is beautiful town thriving with joyous ambience in the evenings; restaurants and independent boutique shops line the narrow cobbled streets with pink flower canopies crossing the streets and injecting colour wherever you go. The trip was worth it for the picturesque setting alone but we were also there for the Mediterranean Yacht Show (MEDYS). This show boasted 102 yachts and the sizes ranged quite drastically from 58ft to 241ft!
We viewed all of the catamarans on offer as well as a few of the very spacious monohulls with some quality time exploring some of the larger motor yachts as well.
Our stand out boats and crews here were Azul, Daiquri and Sameli.
Azul is a Lagoon 55 sailing catamaran that stood out because of the captain’s respect for the ocean and initiative in instigating changes on board to promote better and effective eco-friendly practices. Quite rightfully she is proud of the solar energy they harness and the power of the batteries to run the air conditioning and watermaker with the need to run the generator reduced to 1-2 hours per day. This means the A/C can run all night long without the need to run the generator! Other eco practices include advanced water filtration meaning the water on board is safe to drink, reducing their plastic waste.
Daiquri is a Lagoon 65 sailing catamaran and she stayed in our minds because of the captain and crew’s professionalism, that which you expect to see on a much larger yacht with ear pieces and excellent communication they presented themselves incredibly well. A small but significant detail was how immaculate their uniforms were, definitely denotes the level of detail that you could expect on board this boat as a guest and I look forward to hearing reviews from their guests throughout this summer!
Now I’m not sure if Sameli stood out because she was not a Lagoon or Fountaine Pajot or if it was the French bulldog statues throughout but it was refreshing to see a different design of yacht. Not only that but the aft deck and saloon were so spacious and well designed it felt like you were in a luxury beach club rather than on a 75 foot catamaran. Sameli is a Two Oceans bespoke design with huge lounging areas and creative interior design. She was refitted in 2022/23 so the interior is looking sharp and new on this 2016 built boat. The crew were friendly and welcoming and we knew immediately we got on board that we wanted to recommend this yacht to our clients.
Our time in Nafplion was brief but Lizzie was also invited to a lunch on board D2 sistership to Daiquiri there was a similar professionalism on board Lizzie was very impressed with her lunch on board this Fountaine Pajot Algeria 67 Power cat. We know this model is popular in Greece, they can cover the miles and have the comfort and stability of a catamaran. A great option if you want to see a lot of Greece in style.
After a whistle stop tour of the MEDYS show we returned to Poros for the awards presentation ceremony of the designer water, chef’s and tablescaping competitions. More to come on that in a future blog!
After a hectic 4 days of boat shows we had a quiet evening before embarking on a Fam trip for 3 days around the Saronic Islands. I was on Nomad a Lagoon 52 sailing catamaran and Lizzie was on Genny a Sunreef 8o S/Cat. Check out our blog on the fam trip here.
