Taking the yacht yourself
A bareboat charter means the yacht is yours for the week and you are the skipper. No crew, no fixed route. You choose where to go, when to leave and where to spend the night. For an experienced crew it is the most rewarding way to sail the Ionian, and Corfu is one of the best places in Greece to do it.
We run our own fleet from Gouvia Marina and maintain every boat ourselves, so the yacht you take out is one we know inside and out. Here is what you need to charter bareboat with us, how to choose the right boat for your crew, and how the week works from check-in to check-out.
Why the Ionian suits bareboat sailing
Short distances
Paxos is a morning away from Gouvia, and most hops between the islands and the mainland harbours take two to four hours.
A predictable summer wind
Calm mornings, a northwest breeze filling in from early afternoon and fading towards sunset. Easy to plan a day around.
Sheltered water
The channel between Corfu and the mainland is protected, so there is a quiet bay to be found on almost any day.
Somewhere to stop
Ports, marinas and anchorages everywhere, and a taverna within reach of nearly all of them.
What you need to charter bareboat
Greek rules require the skipper of a bareboat yacht to hold a recognised sailing licence, and the crew list is checked before departure. In practice, this is what we ask for.
A skipper’s licence
From a recognised school — RYA Day Skipper or above, ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising or above, or a national offshore sailing school — together with an ICC where it applies.
Experience
We recommend two to five years of sailing experience for the skipper, and one to two years for a co-skipper.
A co-skipper
A second crew member with sailing experience, who can take over if the skipper cannot.
A VHF radio licence
Optional, but recommended.
A short sailing CV
For the skipper. Where you have sailed and on what — not an official logbook, just enough for us to understand your experience.
No qualification at all
The rest of your crew need nothing. Only the skipper and co-skipper are assessed.
Not sure your licence is enough?
Send us a photo of it before you book and we will tell you straight away. If you are close but not quite there, we can help. Our miles building and crew training trips let you build experience and confidence with one of our skippers, and we work with affiliated sailing schools if you want a formal certificate.
Choosing the right yacht for your crew
The right boat is less about length and more about how your group sleeps. Couples want double cabins. Children and solo adults are often happier in a bunk cabin with two singles. And on a full boat, the number of heads matters more than people expect.
| Yacht | Model | Cabins | Heads | Beds | Bow thruster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amfitriti | Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 479 | 4 | 4 | Four doubles, each cabin with its own head | Yes |
| Ariadne | Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 449 | 4 | 2 | Three doubles, one bunk cabin with two singles | Yes |
| Alfa | Beneteau Oceanis 45 | 4 | 2 | Four doubles | Yes |
| Asjemenou | Beneteau Oceanis 41 | 3 | 2 | Three doubles | No |
All four yachts were refitted in 2024 or 2025.
Amfitriti — Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 479
Our largest yacht and the most comfortable. Four large double cabins, each with its own head, and a big saloon. The galley is separated from the saloon (galley to starboard, saloon to port), which leaves real space in between and lets the cook work without being in everyone’s way.
Equipment Large bathing platform, two sets of solar panels, 1500 W inverter, 12 V filter coffee machine, Bluetooth music system, Raymarine 10-inch touchscreen plotter with Navionics at the helm, bow thruster, chain counter, fixed stainless-steel gangway, holding tank, cockpit cushions, USB sockets throughout.
See Amfitriti’s full details →
Ariadne — Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 449
Four cabins: three doubles (two aft, one forward) and a bunk cabin to port with two single beds, which makes her a good choice for families. A well-designed cockpit with clever stowage near the wheels, and a manually operated bathing platform.
Equipment Two sets of solar panels, electric toilet, Raymarine 10-inch touchscreen plotter with Navionics at the helm, bow thruster, fixed aluminium gangway, holding tank, cockpit cushions, USB sockets throughout.
See Ariadne’s full details →
Alfa — Beneteau Oceanis 45
An award-winning design with four double cabins. The wide cockpit gives the two aft cabins very generous beds. The forward cabins follow the shape of the bow and narrow towards the front. Gennaker fittings for those who like to sail.
Equipment Electric bathing platform at the push of a button, B&G 10-inch touchscreen plotter with Navionics at the helm, bow thruster, holding tank, cockpit cushions, USB sockets throughout.
See Alfa’s full details →
Asjemenou — Beneteau Oceanis 41
Faithful to the Oceanis spirit: comfortable on board, with real sailing performance. Three double cabins, an electric winch for the mainsail, and air conditioning when connected to shore power.
Equipment Electric mainsail winch, air conditioning on 220 V shore power, two solar panels, four 90 Ah AGM gel batteries, cockpit cushions.
Asjemenou has no bow thruster. If you are less practised at stern-to mooring, one of the other three will make the week easier.
See Asjemenou’s full details →Security deposit and damage waiver
Every bareboat charter carries a refundable security deposit of up to €3,000, depending on the yacht. It can be split between members of the crew. It is taken at check-in by credit or debit card pre-authorisation, in cash, or a combination of both, and returned in full when the yacht comes back in the condition it left.
For experienced skippers there is an alternative: a non-refundable damage waiver combined with a lower refundable deposit. It is available when the skipper can show at least five years of sailing experience and the deposit is covered by insurance. We work with Pantaenius, and with EIS as an alternative. Ask us and we will tell you what applies to your booking.
| Yacht | Refundable deposit | Reduced deposit | Damage waiver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amfitriti — Sun Odyssey 479 | € 3.000 | € 1.500 | € 550 |
| Ariadne — Sun Odyssey 449 | € 3.000 | € 1.500 | € 500 |
| Alfa — Oceanis 45 | € 2.500 | € 1.500 | € 500 |
| Asjemenou — Oceanis 41 | € 2.500 | € 1.250 | € 400 |
With the waiver option you pay the reduced refundable deposit plus the non-refundable damage waiver, instead of the full deposit.
Cancellation insurance
We also recommend charter cancellation insurance. It costs a small fraction of the charter and covers the things that actually happen: illness, a family emergency, a cancelled flight.
Check-in, briefing and check-out
The handover is where a good week starts, so do not rush it. Check-in is from 17:00 on the first day.
Before you cast off we go through the yacht with you: engine, electrics and batteries, water and holding tanks, toilets, sails and reefing, anchor and windlass, safety equipment, and where everything is stowed. We check the inventory together and take care of the paperwork for the port authority. Ask anything. No question is too basic on the pontoon, and every question answered there is one you will not have to solve alone in a bay.
You can also complete an online pre-check-in before you arrive, and see where the inventory is stowed on board before you reach the base.
We will also give you local notes for your week: which bays hold well in the afternoon breeze, where to find fuel and water, and anything particular to the season.
Coming back
Bring her into the marina the day before disembarkation, no later than 17:00, so there is time to refuel. You spend that last night on board and step off at 09:00 the following morning.
Check-out — the yacht and the inventory checked over together, and the deposit released — is done by arrangement, either the Friday or the Saturday. We will agree it with you during the week.
Planning your week
The most useful number on a charter is six knots, the speed of a charter yacht under engine. It turns miles into hours, and hours are what decide whether a week feels like a holiday. Keep most days under three hours under way, about 18 miles, and the week takes care of itself.
Our Skippered charters page has two real weeks out of Gouvia, with distances and times for every leg: an easy 78-mile week around Paxos and the mainland coast, and a fuller 169-mile week reaching Meganisi and Lefkas. They work just as well bareboat.
Things that matter more when there is no skipper
Plan around the afternoon breeze
Choose overnight stops sheltered from the northwest, and if you are heading into a port, aim to be secure before the wind is at its strongest.
Arrive early at the popular harbours
In high season the good berths are gone by early afternoon. If you need a port for water, fuel or provisions, be there by lunchtime.
Practise Med mooring on a quiet afternoon
Going stern-to with the anchor out is the manoeuvre that worries most bareboat skippers. Do it once in a quiet harbour before you need to do it in a busy one, and agree beforehand who drops the anchor and who handles the lines.
Check the forecast every morning
And have a plan B for the night. We will show you the forecasts we use at the briefing.
Call us if something stops working
We maintain these yachts ourselves and can talk you through most things by phone, WhatsApp or our online chat, between 10:00 and 16:00. If a technician is needed we arrange the visit the day before, so let us know as early as you can.
Under three hours a day
About 18 miles at six knots. Enough to change island, not enough to spend your holiday watching the chartplotter.
Where we can reach you
| Area | Technical stations |
|---|---|
| Corfu | Gouvia Marina, Benitses Marina, Petriti |
| Paxos & Antipaxos | Gaios (port), Lakka (bay, north), Mongonisi (south of Gaios), Antipaxos (not ideal) |
| Greek mainland | Plataria, Sivota (Mourtos), Preveza |
| Lefkas | Lefkas Town, Nydri–Vlicho (bay), Sivota |
Not quite ready to go alone?
If you are licensed but rusty, or it is your first time in Greek waters, there are good middle grounds.
An assisted start
One of our skippers sails with you for the first day or two, then leaves you to it once you are comfortable with the boat and the area.
Build miles with us first
A miles building or crew training trip with one of our skippers, before your own week.
Take a skipper this year
Go bareboat next. Plenty of our bareboat guests started exactly that way — see skippered charters.
A week of your own
Your own yacht, your own route, and the whole of the Ionian a few hours away. Tell us about your crew and your experience, and we will suggest the right boat and a first route to start from.