Crewed Yacht Charter in Greece

The first question is not who, it is what they own. A broker who owns or manages the yachts they show you has a boat to fill; a broker who owns none has only a week to get right. We own no hulls and hold no central agency mandates, so the yacht we put in front of you is the one that fits your group, your dates and your budget, and nothing else. The rest is checkable and you should check it: IYBA Charter Active Member, listed in their public directory. MYBA-standard contracts, with base fee, APA, the yacht's certified VAT rate and the gratuity range written down before you sign anything. George Yachts Brokerage House LLC, a Wyoming company operating out of Athens, both on public record. Quoted in Forbes in May 2026. We work Greek waters only, weekly and fully crewed, starting on whichever day suits you rather than the Saturday the market defaults to, and the same person answers you from first enquiry to the morning you disembark. What we are not is an old house: this one was founded in 2026. If decades of trading history is your first filter, several Athens brokerages have that and we do not.

A crewed yacht charter is a private yacht taken for a week or more with her professional crew already aboard, so nobody in your party navigates, cooks, or cleans. At minimum that means a captain; from roughly 20 metres up it means a captain, a chef and a hostess, and on larger yachts a full brigade of stewardesses, deckhands and an engineer. You are chartering the yacht and her people together, not renting a boat. The practical difference from a bareboat is that no licence is required of you, the itinerary is proposed each morning against the real wind, and the week is planned around what you want rather than what you can handle.

Per the George Yachts Greek Charter Index, which is built from the rate cards of the yachts we actually represent: a crewed sailing catamaran runs EUR 10,900 to 22,000 per week net base at 12 to 16m and EUR 56,000 to 90,000 at 23 to 24m; a crewed power catamaran EUR 14,000 to 90,000 across the same span; motor yachts EUR 17,500 to 33,000 at 18 to 24m, EUR 40,000 to 65,000 at 26 to 31m and EUR 60,000 to 120,000 at 35 to 40m; and the two yachts above 50m EUR 162,500 to 235,000. Add VAT at the yacht's certified rate, in practice 5.2% to 12% (statutory ceiling 13%, and 24% on short or bareboat charters), and an APA of 20 to 40% by yacht type for fuel, food and berthing.

The yacht and her full professional crew. Running costs of your week (fuel, provisioning, berthing fees) are paid from the APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance, 20 to 40% of the base rate depending on the yacht, settled transparently at the end of the charter. VAT is charged on top of the base rate.

The statutory rates are 13% for the standard commercial crewed charter longer than 48 hours (every weekly charter) and 24% for short, static or bareboat arrangements. In practice most yachts are invoiced below that ceiling: certification-based reductions produce the 5.2%, 6.5%, 7.8% and 12% figures you see on 2026 rate sheets, and the exact rate for each yacht is stated in your written quote.

Typical booking lead time for peak July to August weeks is 6 to 12 months, and premium 40m-plus yachts often commit a year or more ahead. If your dates are fixed to school-holiday August, treat any available premium yacht as a same-week decision.

It is the Greek market's turnover convention: most yachts change guests on a Saturday, so the default week runs Saturday afternoon to the following Saturday morning. It is the rhythm the fleet, the marinas and the crews are built around, which is why a Saturday week is the easiest one to place. It is not a rule we impose: we will start your week on any day that suits your flights, and the only thing that matters fiscally is the length, because a commercial crewed charter running beyond 48 hours qualifies for the reduced VAT treatment, statutory 13% instead of 24%, and in practice 5.2% to 12% on certified yachts.

A crewed yacht comes with a full professional crew: captain, chef and service, the floating-villa experience. A skippered yacht comes with a captain only, you live aboard more simply. Bareboat means you sail her yourself with your own license. George's Private Fleet is fully crewed; the Explorer Fleet is skippered.

Greek commercial regulations cap most charter yachts at 12 guests under way. Larger groups are handled legally with the right vessel class or a multi-yacht arrangement. George has written a complete guide on how groups of 14 and more do it.

Some yachts in our fleet welcome pets and some owners decline them; it is always the owner's policy, never a blanket rule. Tell me at the first conversation that a dog is coming and I shortlist only pet-friendly hulls, so the question never becomes a problem. Expect practical conditions such as a cleaning provision in the contract, and note that beaches and archaeological sites ashore have their own rules.

Yes, and it is the quiet advantage of working with an Athens-based broker rather than a call centre. I live where this fleet is based, I meet captains and crews across a season, and when I match a family to a yacht I am matching them to people I can call by first name. When something needs solving mid-charter, that phone call is answered.

Snorkelling, yes, everywhere: most yachts carry masks and fins and Greek water needs no persuasion. Scuba is arranged properly or not at all: certified guests dive through licensed local dive centres along the route, either rendezvous-style at anchor or ashore, and the itinerary is planned around the dive stops. Tell me certification levels at the brief and the crew builds the days accordingly.

On fully crewed yachts, yes: a dedicated chef cooks every meal aboard to your preference sheet, provisioning fresh in each port along the route. Dietary briefs are normal work, not special requests. On skippered yachts the crew is smaller; a cook can often be added, and I will tell you plainly which yachts carry a true chef and which do not, because the difference shows three times a day.

Casually, yes: many yachts carry light tackle and trolling a line between islands is a Greek summer tradition, always at the captain's discretion and within Greek recreational rules. Serious sport fishing is a different craft with different boats; if that is the heart of your trip, say so at the brief and I will tell you honestly whether a dedicated day on a local sport-fishing boat serves you better than the charter yacht itself.

Most of the crewed fleet is based around Athens, which is why the Saronic Gulf and the Ionian are the best-value starting waters: little or no repositioning cost. Embarkation from other islands is arranged with a repositioning fee that George quotes up front.

Yes, and the timing is on your side: the 2027 calendars are open, owners publish their 2027 rate cards through the autumn, and the best crewed yachts commit their July and August 2027 weeks by late winter. Reserving early buys first pick of yacht and week, and George holds your preferred week while the rate card settles. The 2027 season calendar keeps the current picture.