How booking a charter works
Everything below applies to the 2027 season. No surprises at the quay: the payment schedule, what the price covers, what the extras cost, the deposit, and what happens if you have to cancel — all of it, on one page.
Saturday to Saturday
Embarkation from 17:00, disembarkation by 09:00. In the low-season months other start days can usually be arranged — just ask.
Gouvia Marina, Corfu
First and last night’s berthing at the home base is in the rate.
3 April – 31 December
31 December 2026 to 3 April 2027 is closed for charter.
Bank transfer
Deposit on signing, balance 30 days before you sail.
The yacht comes back the day before you leave
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 itself is done by arrangement — either the Friday or the Saturday, whichever suits us both. We will agree it with you during the week.
From first enquiry to stepping aboard
Tell us what you want
Yacht, week, crew size, and whether you are sailing bareboat or want a skipper. If you are not sure which boat fits, say how many of you there are and leave the choice to us.
We confirm and send the contract
We check the yacht is free for your week and send you the charter contract with the full cost set out — charter fee, charter pack, any extras you have asked for.
Sign and pay the deposit
Within 15 days of confirmation. The booking is held from the moment the deposit reaches us, not from the moment you ask.
Send your papers
Skipper’s licence and crew list, so we can prepare the port authority paperwork. Bareboat only — with a skipper aboard, nobody needs a qualification.
Pay the balance
No later than 30 days before embarkation. Book inside 30 days and the whole amount is payable on confirmation.
Check in from 17:00
Deposit blocked at the base, handover and briefing, inventory checked together. Then the week is yours.
Payment schedule
The split depends on when the booking is confirmed, not when you sail.
| Booking confirmed | On signing | Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 28 February 2027 | 40% | 60% |
| From 1 March 2027 | 50% | 50% |
The first instalment is due on signing the charter contract, within 15 days of booking confirmation. The balance is due no later than 30 days before embarkation.
If the first instalment is 40% then, the balance is due no later than 45 days before embarkation.
Bookings made less than 30 days before embarkation are payable in full on confirmation.
How to pay
All charter payments are made by bank transfer to the Sailors Breeze account. Bank charges are borne by the sender.
Rates include VAT at the rate in force.
What the charter price covers
Included
- VAT at the rate in force
- Yacht insurance
- Use of the yacht with her full equipment
- Dinghy
- Berthing at the home base for the first and last night
- Full fuel and water tanks at the start of the charter
Not included
- Charter pack — mandatory, see below
- Fuel and water consumption
- Berthing and canal fees away from the home base
- Provisioning and personal expenses
- Crew — skipper, hostess, cook
- Travel and trip-cancellation insurance
- Optional equipment and services
- Transfers and special arrangements
The charter pack, and everything optional
One compulsory item, then a list you can ignore entirely if you want to. All prices include VAT.
Charter pack — compulsory
One per charter. End cleaning, bed linen, towels, pillowcases and gas bottles. Payable at the base before embarkation, or in advance by bank transfer.
| Yacht | Model | Charter pack |
|---|---|---|
| Amfitriti | Sun Odyssey 479 | € 270 |
| Alfa | Oceanis 45 | € 240 |
| Ariadne | Sun Odyssey 449 | € 240 |
| Asjemenou | Oceanis 41 | € 240 |
Optional
Everything here must be pre-booked and is subject to availability.
| Service or equipment | Price | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skipper | € 190 | per night | Requires his own cabin. Meals and tips excluded. |
| Hostess | € 160 | per day | Meals and tips excluded. |
| Assisted training | € 150 | per day | 5 hours — anchoring, sailing, docking. |
| Assisted training | € 250 | per day & night | 10 hours — anchoring, sailing, docking. |
| Comfort pack | € 50 | per charter | Water, soft drinks, cleaning products, bin bags. |
| Online provisioning | € 50 | per booking | Ordered online, delivered to the yacht at the marina. |
| Early check-in, 14:00 | € 60 | per booking | Subject to availability. |
| Early check-in, 12:00 | € 80 | per booking | Subject to availability. |
| Wi-Fi | € 60 | per week | Unlimited data. |
| Outboard engine | € 80 | per week | 5 litres of petrol included. €135 / 2 weeks, €190 / 3, €250 / 4. |
| SUP paddleboard | € 80 | per week | Inflatable, with pump, paddle and fins. €135 for two weeks. |
| Portable BBQ | € 80 | per week | Corfu base. |
| Portable air conditioning | € 80 | per week | Water-cooled unit. |
| Safety net | € 80 | per booking | Installation included. |
| Convertible saloon | € 100 | per booking | Table legs and cushions. Must be pre-booked. |
| Automatic life vests | € 50 | per booking | Corfu base. |
The deposit, and how to reduce it
A refundable security deposit is mandatory on every charter. It is taken at check-in, preferably by card, and released in full when the yacht comes back as she left.
| Yacht | Refundable deposit | Reduced deposit | Damage waiver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amfitriti — Sun Odyssey 479 | € 3.000 | € 1.500 | € 550 |
| Alfa — Oceanis 45 | € 3.000 | € 1.500 | € 500 |
| Ariadne — Sun Odyssey 449 | € 3.000 | € 1.500 | € 500 |
| Asjemenou — Oceanis 41 | € 2.500 | € 1.250 | € 400 |
How the deposit works
Taken at check-in, preferably as a pre-authorisation on the charterer’s card — Visa, MasterCard or American Express, in the charterer’s own name. Cash is accepted, and it can be split between members of the crew.
It applies per insured event. If something covered by the deposit happens during the week, the deposit has to be restored to its original amount for the charter to continue.
The reduced option
A non-refundable damage waiver plus a refundable deposit cut by half, as in the table. Available if all three hold:
- The skipper holds a valid licence and can document more than five years of sailing on yachts of comparable size
- The reduced deposit is insured through our insurance partner
- It is requested and arranged in advance, at the time of booking
Insurance
Our yachts are insured under Greek law against third-party liability and against damage to hull, machinery and equipment above the deposit.
We can insure your deposit through Pantaenius, with EIS as an alternative. This does not replace the card — the deposit is still arranged normally, and the insurance is activated only if it has to be retained. Cover cannot be taken out on the day the charter starts, so arrange it well ahead.
Paying the waiver does not release you from returning the yacht in the same good condition she was handed over in, nor from liability arising by contract or by law, nor does it cap a claim above the sum covered — in particular where damage relates to illegal acts, fraud, or gross negligence.
Cancellation
Counted back from the Saturday of embarkation.
| Cancelled | Retained |
|---|---|
| 75 days or more before embarkation | 20% |
| 74 to 45 days before | 50% |
| 44 to 30 days before | 80% |
| Less than 30 days before | 100% |
Percentages are of the total charter fee.
If we re-let the week
If the yacht is booked again for the same period, the cancellation fee is refunded and only €100 in dossier expenses is charged.
We strongly recommend taking out travel and trip-cancellation insurance when you book. It costs a small fraction of the charter and covers what actually happens — illness, a family emergency, a cancelled flight.
Booking early, or booking longer
Combined reductions are capped at 15%.
Early booking −10%
On 2027 charters confirmed before the end of 2026.
−5%
Three weeks −10%. Four weeks −15%.
−5%
Repeat charterers. Tell us your previous booking when you enquire.
−15% maximum
Reductions can be stacked up to this ceiling.
Licence and crew list
With a skipper aboard none of this applies — nobody in your group needs a qualification.
The original certificate
Greek port authorities require the charterer to present the original sailing certificate or licence, in English or officially translated.
A crew list
We prepare it, but we need the names in advance. A second crew member must sign as co-skipper.
Send copies in advance
Copies of both documents must reach us before the charter so the crew list can be lodged in time.
Ready when you are
Tell us the week, the crew and the boat — or just the week, and we will tell you what is free. Full terms are in our terms and conditions.
Your Sailorsbreeze account
One login. Your whole charter, booking to deposit refund.
Booking, payments, crew list, check-in, check-out and security deposit in one place — from the day you book until the deposit is back on your card.
- Book, pay and prepare from homeLive availability, card or bank transfer, crew list and flight details — done on your sofa.
- Check in on your phone, in your languageAcceptance statement in EN, IT, DE, FR or PL. Minutes at the pontoon, not an hour.
- A check-out you can followItem by item, with photos. Signed PDF and deposit release land in your account.
Already booked? Log in to your charter portal