The Charter Connection Blog

The Marmaris Show is one of the most enjoyable Crewed Yacht Charter Shows. The rows of Turkish gulets confirm that this country is different, but one is also immediately aware of so much genuine goodwill. Boat owners and crews in Turkey really do want to encourage overseas visitors and take a genuine interest in everyone. Yes, of course shop keepers are keen to sell their wares, from carpets to ice creams, but they have learned that this can be done with kindness. Taking a cup of tea with a shop owner is often an expected part of the process, whether buying or not. This is not just a sales ploy - it is a mark of respect and friendship, and often occurs even when nothing is to be gained. Another lesson for the western world is how Turkish families look after each other, including less fortunate family members. We never saw any homeless people on the streets and no one asked us for money. American clients in particular are often initially concerned about traveling to Turkey for their vacation, but not only is this popular cruising ground one of the best values in The Mediterranean, it is also one of the friendliest.

The Charter Yacht Show started with a party in Marmaris Castle, overlooking the harbor. The setting couldn’t have been more romantic, particularly when the Turkish trio (piano, accordion and violin) started playing Carlos Gardel’s Tango, used in the film ‘The Scent of a Woman’, just as the sun set!

It takes many people to make a show successful, but Chem Boz and his New Zealand wife, Vicky, deserve special mention. They are based right in Marmaris and could not have been more helpful.
There were 55 yachts in the show. Most were locally built gulets - traditional wooden craft suited to this area. Standards, build quality, and prices vary enormously. Some of the more recent yachts have become very luxurious with little emphasis on the sailing, but we also enjoyed seeing some of the older, more original designs, such as ‘Timer’. There were also some excellent motorsailers, which are not traditional gulets but have somewhat similar lines. The 12 berth ‘Blue Capricorn’ was a particularly nice example and at around 8,400 Euros ($13,500) per week (May, September and October), plus expenses, offered excellent value for a yacht of this caliber and standard of service.

At the top end, the 12 berth ‘Mare Nostrum’ was exquisite and at around 40,000 Euros ($64,000) per week plus expenses, was priced 20,000 Euros less than some boats that were not as nice. The reason for this ‘lower’ price? The owner wanted to keep her affordable for the clients on his previous, less expensive yacht. Expect prices to rise.

For those interested in more conventional sailing yachts, there were also some nice monohulls in the 50 to 60 foot range.

Call (800 621 7855), email or request literature from the Ed Hamilton & Co website if you would like information on these yachts, or any of the many other crewed private yacht charters or bareboat charters we offer.

The show ended with a party at the upscale Maris Resort. The yacht ‘Trinity I’ provided stylish transportation to the waterfront restaurant. Incidentally this was another yacht that left an impression - a good, economical choice for those considering luxury motor yacht charters.

Following so closely after Poros, which incidentally was another fabulous show, it was very noticeable how much less expensive crewed sailing charters are in Turkey. Some comparable boats cost more than twice the price in the Greek Islands. The coast of Turkey offers wonderful cruising and some of the best archaeological sites in the Mediterranean (Ephesus, Dalyan etc.), but for those that want to visit Greek Islands, it is not difficult to cruise the Dodecanese while still starting and finishing in Turkey, and taking advantage of the lower prices. The best time to visit the area is from mid May to the end of June and from September to mid October. It’s best to avoid July and particularly August, when The Aegean can become too hot, too crowded and too windy.

Contact us - we would be happy to help you plan an Aegean vacation for this Fall!

The Greek Islands Show in Poros finished with a spectacular dinner and awards ceremony. A fewer number of brokers are continuing on to the next Crewed Yacht Charter Show in Marmaris, Turkey. We left the island by the first hydrofoil, as we had an 11 o’clock flight from Athens, but learned that Olympic Airlines was to be on strike between 12:00 and 3:00 that day and they had canceled the flight. We scrambled with a hundred or so other people and were lucky to get two seats on the next flight at 10:30 that night. The new Athens airport was built for The Olympic Games and is impressive, but almost 13 hours in any airport is not so enjoyable. Strikes are very common in Greece (like many other Mediterranean countries ) and Olympic Airlines is subsidized by the Government so is affected by most of them. We had to use Olympic to make a connection, which we missed anyway, but using a local airline like Aegean, that can fly during some strikes is often safer.

We were supposed to meet a yacht in Rhodes, to sail across to Turkey that day, but with the delay, we arrived after midnight and the yacht kindly let us sleep aboard for the night. Brokers accumulate enormous amounts of brochures during these trips and there were four of us, so the taxi driver had quite a load of luggage to transport. Luckily the marina is not far from the airport.

The ancient walled harbor of ‘Rhodos’ is of course famous. The figure of Colossus, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, once stood astride the harbor entrance.

After a comfortable night in the palatial master cabin of ‘Sea Beauty’, a 93′ motor sailor available for private yacht charters, we motored the 24km across to Marmaris. It was a beautiful day, with a 20 knot wind on the beam, but even in these ideal conditions, skippers of these boats are reluctant to sail. Of course they would if asked, but as non paying guests, we were hardly in a position to do so!

Most of the coast of Turkey is unbelievably dramatic, with rocky mountains climbing straight out of the sea, too steep for any road and not a house in sight. Marmaris is completely enclosed in a wonderful natural harbor. As we motored through the relatively narrow entrance, the waterfront of this huge city opened up all around us. The gulets anchored out in the bay looked like a fleet of galleons, adding to the illusion of moving back in time.

The inner harbor was packed with yachts of all sizes, as part of the Marmaris Boat Show. Captain Mehmet eased ‘Sea Beauty’ into an impossibly small space and our short break between shows was over!

Today is the fourth, and last day of the Poros Boat Show. This is a private show for charter brokers promoting crewed yacht charters primarily in The Greek Islands and The Mediterranean.

It has been quite a show. Of the 84 yachts, most were luxury power boats, the largest being the 160 foot Lurssen ‘El Chris’. We particularly liked ‘Happy Dolphin’, with its beautiful marble entry way and lovely decor.

The queen of sail was the 133 foot Perini, ‘Ellen V’. Incredibly beautiful and, at around $150,000 per week for 6 guests, incredibly expensive (particularly for a sailboat). The older, but lovely 118 foot Perini ‘Gitana’, with her new Ralph Lauren interior would be a slightly less expensive alternative (see photograph taken from her deck).
At the other end of the scale, there was a 50′ Lagoon 500 catamaran and some excellent Gulets (local wooden motor sailers, generally built in Greece or Turkey). The accent is more on the motoring than the sailing, as the engine generally stays on even when the sails are up. They can however be a wonderful way of cruising The Aegean Sea and can often accommodate larger parties.

We enjoy the European flavor of the Mediterranean Shows. As in the Greek restaurants, meals can be lengthy affairs, and of course the yachts’ chefs are keen to show their talents. Yesterday’s lunch on a yacht had SEVEN (small) courses and lasted three hours. We finished at 4:00 - thank goodness the show runs until 7 instead of the usual 5 o’clock!

It is considered impolite to refuse a drink when visiting a house in Greece and every yacht offered us at least one, which included everything from water to expresso (but luckily rarely wine, at least until later in the day). With over 80 boats to see and over 350 crew to meet, we had to be impolite sometimes!

With its short season and the currently dismal US dollar, Americans will find that chartering any sized yacht in the Mediterranean will be significantly more expensive than the equivalent in the Caribbean, but for many, exploring a new cruising ground and experiencing such different cultures is absolutely worth the money - and there are a few relative bargains to be had!

At Ed Hamilton & Co, we have all the local information, so call us (800 621 7855), email us, or use our request literature form to get started. We look forward to talking with you.

Remember Emily will be away at the British Virgin Islands Show, in Tortola, this weekend, and Ed and Barbara will be traveling to Turkey, so you might find us slightly short staffed until Tuesday!

While Emily is attending the Crewed Yacht Charter Show in the British Virgin Islands next week, Barbara and I (Ed) will be viewing crewed yachts at The 7th International Yachting Symposium, in The Greek Islands. The show is on the island of Poros, in The Saronic Gulf Islands.

To get there, we flew to Athens, where we were met by a driver who took us to the port of Piraeus. While it is possible to take public transport, we would recommend taking a private car, unless you are chartering from one of the bareboat companies that provides transportation to their base, such as Sunsail. The Friday afternoon Athens traffic was worse than usual and even in George’s fast Mercedes, the journey took over 45 minutes .

Although Piraeus has four marinas, it is primarily a busy commercial port and is not always the best place to start a private crewed charter. We boarded the huge, luxurious hydrofoil, Flying Cat 2, and literally flew to Porus at over 40 mph. The trip took just over an hour.

Yachts were already berthed all along the waterfront, ready for the show which starts tomorrow. With over 80 boats to see and all the crew to interview, the next few days will be extremely busy. Then it is off to the Marmaris Boat Show in Turkey.

We firmly believe that there is no substitute for seeing boats and crews first hand, and experiencing each cruising ground. This way we can give you honest advice and cover every detail, from picking the right boat to arranging a driver to pick you up at the airport!

You can call us (800 621 7855), email us, or use our request literature format to start planning your next Mediterranean charter.

The end of next week marks the annual Virgin Island Spring Charter Yacht Show, which is being held in Tortola, BVI for the second year. Ed Hamilton & Co has found this show to be invaluable, giving the brokers who attend a chance to see not only new yachts and crews who have since come into charter after the larger November show; but also to to get a much better gauge as to what a charter yacht (and crew) looks like at the end of a season, rather than their showings fresh from the yard in the fall.

Of the yachts participating in the show the are two catamarans new to the charter fleet, a 44′ Dean and a 45′ Catana. Several of the yachts have new crews aboard, and we will get to catch up with some of the crews we already know. We will keep you posted on the stars of the show and what next season will be bringing to the fleet!

If you’re looking for a getaway that’s not too far away and offers some spectacular scuba diving, why not consider Bermuda? Only 2 hours from most East Coast hubs, Bermuda features beautiful beaches and healthy reefs. The 96 foot luxury motor yacht Bermuda IV charters for less than many of the hotels on the island and is the perfect place to stay. Let native Captain Mike Davis show you the sites and take advantage of scuba dive instructor Christine East’s Underwater photography courses. This luxury yacht offers several different ways to charter, be it 5 day SCUBA charters, weekend getaways, honeymoon yacht charters, day cruises or week long private charters.

For more information and pricing, email or call us (800 621 7855), or use our request literature format (please mention ‘Bermuda IV’ when requesting literature).