For those seeking the bliss of sailing, without giving up on stability, comfort, speed and room, then renting a catamaran may be the right option. If the vision of your sailing holiday includes anchoring in shallow bays close to the beach, diving off the deck with the kids and sipping cocktails at sundown, then consider a catamaran. Catamarans offer an excellent balance between sailing, performance and comfort.
For families with little children, the elderly or novice sailors, sailing on a catamaran can go a long way to reducing stress. The smaller draft of a catamaran allows you to anchor in shallow bays or very close to the beach, which leads to more privacy and more options to drop anchor. You can easily enter places where most sailing boats cannot, closer to the beach and coast and away from the crowds.
More stability and minimum heeling can help to avoid seasickness and there is sufficiently more space on deck and inside which makes the catamaran a good choice for large groups. Catamarans are also generally faster than monohulls, when not overloaded and in good wind. More privacy is another factor, since the sleeping accommodations, heads and showers are separate, located in each hull and in opposite corners.
The twin engines of the catamaran make handling much easier and pivoting around the boat’s central axis is possible, whatever the size.
Finding room in harbours or marinas may be more complicated and sailing upwind or tacking can be difficult.
Renting a catamaran in Greece is very popular and they are often booked early. Our catamarans have large central lounges and spacious cockpits; the views from the elevated salons are exceptional. Catamarans can be rented as bareboat or crewed charters, with skippers and cooks also available for hire. Standard charters in Greece are usually on a week’s basis from Saturday to Saturday. For bareboat charters, it is necessary to file your skipper’s licence with the charter company. The International Certificate of Competence (ICC) is recognized everywhere in Greece and will make any paperwork easier. It is easy to convert your domestic licence before you leave. RYA official sailing certificates and other domestic licences are also widely recognized. In Greece it is obligatory for the co-skipper to sign a Co-Skipper declaration form.
Other considerations when renting a catamaran are the higher charter prices and related services and more expensive berths in marinas and harbours.
Yacht Rent has many catamarans available for charter in Greece, offering well-known manufacturers such as Lagoon, Bali, and Salina.