Nisos Yacht Charter Blog
History of Nisos Yacht Charter

Nisos Yacht Charter was born in 2000, and taken over by the current owners in 2002, when the fleet consisted of 5 yachts. The business excelled in providing a very personal charter experience for clients and looking after the boats which were owned by private individuals and families.  The primary ethos of the business was to ensure that the boats were maintained and presented to the very highest of standards, which would in turn, lead to happy boat owners, happy charter clients and a high level of repeat business and word of mouth recommendations.

The idea was to build the fleet steadily to a size which made the business model viable, but ensuring that the original concept was not diluted or lost along the way.  Each year a few new boats have been added to the fleet, in line with market demand and more importantly in line with our ability to ensure that they are looked after properly.

The fleet now stands at 19 yachts - a nice size which we can look after properly and ensure that clients still get that personal charter experience.

As predicted, the extraordinary high level of repeat business (72% in 2008) and word of mouth recommendations forms the corner stone of the business.  You won't see us advertising a great deal (a few magazine adverts here and there and the one London Boat Show), as the boats are our best advertising -  cruising around the Ionian, and mooring up next to some other family not so fortunate to have picked Nisos for their sailing holiday!

 

 

 

 
 
Why no security deposit system?

We are often asked why we do not offer a security deposit system, like most other operators. (This is where you pay over a few thousand euros at the start of the holiday, which is usually enough to cover the insurance policy excess, and if you return the boat in one piece you get it back).

Instead we charge a compulsory "security deposit waiver fee" which is a set amount which we use to pay for any damage to the boat or lost equipment.

The reasons why are as follows:

  • Bad press: proving that damage to the boat was a result of negligence and not just wear and tear is very difficult to prove, and there has been a lot of comments, on internet forums especially, of clients not getting their security deposit back from certain operators and feeling cheated.
  • The last thing we want is having clients leaving our base at the end of a wonderful week, having just paid over several hundred or even thousands of euros for accidental damage - it kind of ruins the holiday a bit and brings on those post holiday blues before you have even hit the M25 on Monday morning!
  • As with charging for fuel in advance, we aim to make check in and check out as quick and painless as possible (we are the quickest!).  Negotiating over a charge for a tear in a cockpit cushion or an outboard full of sea water takes time - and I can think of many better things to be doing than that - such as enjoying your final few hours out at sea and not worrying about it!
  • There are no reasons for clients not to tell us if they have lost something over the side, touched the bottom on that shallow entry or indeed given the outboard a swimming lesson - as they have no financial exposure.  This is better for us, and better for the next charter clients - which could be you!  All we ask is that as soon as you have a problem, broken or lost something that you inform us, so we can sort it out asap!
Of course, some clients may feel as though they are the worlds most careful sailors and are highly unlikley to incur any damage and would therefore prefer to pay a security deposit.  I hope this is the case, but accidents do happen and boats are expensive things to fix!
 
One week or two?

"One week or two?" is a question we are often asked.  If you have crew not used to living on boats, then one week is usually a good start!  However, to truly see the Ionian at its best, then a two week holiday should seriously be considered. 

The beauty of a two week holiday is that you do not have to keep moving every day.  If you end up in a beautiful little village and you wonder what is over that hill and would like to take a walk, then you can stay an extra day and take that walk.  You can even hire cars or mopeds to go and explore the islands.

If you are just there for one week, you will probably want to set off and see the next place on your itinerary. 

You can also get further afield on a two week holiday and explore the islands in more detail - how about one week in the south Ionian and the second week exploring Paxos and Corfu in the North?

Another point to consider is how long it takes you to settle in to your new surroundings.  It takes me at least 3 days to fully unwind and appreciate that I am on holiday.  Taking charge of an unfamiliar yacht may mean that it will take you longer to get comfortable and fully relaxed, and in those instances, two weeks is far better than one!

Of course a two week holiday is more expensive than a one week holiday, but we do give discounts for a two week holiday and you are only paying for one flight, which makes it more cost effective.

 
Re-usable shopping bags

You will find that when you purchase your provisions from the various stores you encounter on your Ionian travels, that the locals love to give you plenty of plastic bags.  As in most countries, getting rid of these plastic bags is an environmental hurdle. 

For this reason, we put two re-usable shopping bags on each boat for you to use during your holiday.  Please do use them!  You are free to take them home with you at the end of the holiday if you wish.  They are really very handy, as they have an "integrated bottle holder" inside!  

 

 
 

Will my mobile phone work in the Ionian?

In short, YES.  There is good mobile phone coverage throughout the Ionian and due to the close proximity of the islands to each other, there are very few areas of No Signal!  Of course if you have a non Greek mobile phone it will be fairly expensive to make and receive calls.

If you are planning on being in the area for any length of time or need to make long calls, then it may be worth considering buying a Greek mobile sim card.  If you do go down this route, you will need to make sure your mobile is unlocked from your mobile provider at home.

Sim cards can be purchased in Lefkas.

Internet coverage is also good in the area, so if you need to keep in touch with the office or loved ones whilst on holiday, a mobile broadband connection will also work - again if this is a non Greek contract, it will be expensive to use.  3G is not yet widely available so connection speeds are fairly slow.  

There are numerous Internet Cafes on the islands and some tavernas now have free wi-fi hot spots, which you can log into for free. 

If you have any concerns, please do just ask us.
 
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