Dufour 382 Grand Large

What do we all hate about chartering a boat?
- The waiting time between skipper check-in and access to the boat (often 5+ hours with big operations)
- Boats in poor condition / not full functional
- Cut-throat penalties when things break under wear-and-tear (hiding behind 'policy/contracts'

Paralos (second time this year for me) have yet again demonstrated that it IS possible to have a charter experience without any of those problems.

Check-in:
- arrived at 10:30, documentation all completed by 11:00. Boat available from 14:30
- additional rental of gennaker / SUP. All present and correct.
- received FREE shuttle to local supermarket for provisioning - along with FREE delivery of all provisions: TO THE BOAT.
- boat available at 14:30 as informed.
- inventory check / departure approval 15:30.

Mid-Charter:
- Hoisted Gennaker in 4 knots of wind. The moment it filled with wind - it completely blew out from the frame (roach/head stitch line and the entire length of the leech).
- Having recovered the sail, ensured the boat and all crew were safe etc, I instantly messaged the Fleet Operations Manager, giving him photo of position / wind state etc, explained what happened. Indicated that in my experience this is absolutely not normal.
- Instant response the Fleet Operations Manager. Happy we were all safe, completely agreed that it is not normal. suggested I continued sailing and enjoying the holiday.

Check-Out:
- Land crew were ready waiting to take stern lines and assist in the mooring
- It took some time for the diver to come (in fairness we did arrive at midday before the 5-6pm rush, so it was unexpected)
- Full return of deposit; with no penalty for the sail - as it was clearly a sail fault, not a user fault)

In summary - a superb experience.

I have chartered boats for many years. The charter company is a superb outfit. They are incredibly friendly and accommodating. They have a smaller number of yachts than the larger charter companies - and because of this, they WIN - hands down.

Giorgos and Nikos (dockside support) were superb. They were so friendly and helpful - while being diligent and professional.

The boat was ready at the moment I checked in (12:00). Provisioning was REALLY simple; Paralos organised a driver (free) to take us to a really good supermarket. The supermarket brought the bags directly to the boat. Zero effort/stress.

The boat was in great condition; with only minor wear-and-tear items you would be expect. Dinghy was in good condition (and the right size for the boat! may times you get a tiny dinghy for a massive boat). The mooring position in the marina is probably THE BEST; there is plenty of space to get in and out; and

The only criticism for the boat would be that the genoa is perhaps a little small for the boat - however this is normal for charter fleets. We took the gennaker as an additional sail; well worth it if you are likely to have light winds.

I am so impressed with the boat and team that I have already booked the same boat in late August.
A message for the team: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN AUGUST.

I was looking for a fairly new yacht for a week of sailing with our friends (5 PAX).
I got help in choosing the right boat for sailing from my Account manager, which I'm very grateful of.
The yacht was very sensitive to the rudder and we also hired the gennaker, which was perfect since the yacht did have a job and not a genoa.

The Alimos marina is big and it was a very hot day in June when we checked in. I don't like this marina very much because the piers are very crowded when all the boats are being cleaned and everyone is cheking in at the same time.
But the staff at the check in desk was very friendly and helpful.

We did check the yacht with the base manager and also he was very friendly. We got his number so we could ask for help via WhatsApp in case we got any problems during the week.
We actually needed some help since the control for the windlass stopped working, but the base manager arranged so we got that fixed in the next harbour.

Since we managed to get the boat in time on Saturday, we sailed to Aegina before sunset. Aegina harbour was crowded, but with some help form other sailors, we managed to get in.
Next day we sailed via Poros, which is one of our favorite places. In Poros you can choose a quite bay to anchor or you can have the nightlife by the town quay.
The third day we went to Hydra, another favorite. It's always exiting entering the crowed harbour and you have to be patient to find a place for mooring. And then there is usually a crossed-anchors-show.
Next day we sailed back to Poros to get the remote-control fixed. From there we went to Methana which was a disappointment. Plenty of room, some swell and not much to see there. From there we went back to Poros and Russian bay (where you can order food delivered to your boat).
Next stop was Vathi. We came in early and where one of the first to moore in the small harbour. In Vathi we took a taxi up to the volcano and from there we walked all the way back (4.8 km!). Make sure you have plenty of water with you!
Next stop was Epidavros, via Sunken City. From Epidavros we took a taxi up to the big amphiteather. For 40(?) euros the taxi will take you there, wait and take you back.
Last leg was back to Alimos, with a short stop for snorkeling east of Angistri.

Over all we are very satisfied with the boat and the service and we can highly recommend this yacht and the charterer.

Barca in ottime condizioni e prezzo super competitivo. Inoltre da Atene è possibile raggiungere con gran facilità tutta una serie di isolette fantastiche!

Très bon séjour à bord du Dufour 382.
Bateau en bon état et très très bien équipé.

Une croisière de rêve:
Nous étions 2 familles soit 4 adultes et 5 enfants (de 6 mois à 6 ans) et tout le monde a bien profité de la croisière
Le port de départ de situe à seulement 30 min de taxi depuis l’aéroport d’Athènes,
Le bateau était confortable et récent, bien entretenu, bien équipé. En 2 heures de navigation on s'extrait d’Athènes pour découvrir une multitude de mouillages tous plus charmants les une que les autres.
2 zones de navigation possibles: les Cyclades à l'est (attention au Meltem qui peut etre violent en Aout) et le golfe Saronique au sud (vent plus maniable voir un peu trop faible par moment). Nous avons réussi à naviguer un peu dans ces 2 zones pour varier les plaisirs.
Les îles que nous avons découvert : Egina, Kea, Kithnos, Idra, Dokos, Spetses, Poros, Agistri

Todo perfecto. Muy amables y el barco perfecto. Practicamente nuevo