The weekly rate shown next to a yacht is only the first line of a bareboat budget. Fuel, berthing, a refundable deposit and a handful of small charges sit on top of it, and they are the reason two crews on identical boats can end the same week with very different totals. This guide walks through each line so you can compare quotes on equal terms before you book.
What the charter fee itself covers
The charter fee is the cost of hiring the boat, and it moves with three things: the length of the charter, the size of the yacht and the season. According to the cost breakdown published by the charter broker PlainSailing, this base fee is the part of the bill that varies most, while most of the other lines stay within fairly narrow ranges.
On a bareboat charter you sail the yacht yourself, so there is no crew cost in that figure. Operators normally bundle the boat with its standard equipment and safety gear. Astra Yachting, a Piraeus-based charter company, states on its bareboat page that the yacht, standard equipment, safety gear and technical support are included, while fuel, marina fees, provisioning and optional extras are charged separately. That split is typical, and it is the right starting point when you read any quote.
The fixed extras: transit log and security deposit
Two items appear on almost every quote and are easy to overlook.
- Transit log. PlainSailing describes it as a single cost for any length of charter, usually between 150 and 300 euros, covering end cleaning, paperwork, bed linen, gas and sometimes towels, wifi or the outboard motor. Ask exactly what the operator puts inside it, because the contents differ from company to company.
- Security deposit. This is a pre-authorisation on a card, given by the same source as roughly 1,000 to 4,000 euros, released if the boat comes back undamaged. It is not a cost unless something goes wrong, but it does tie up credit for the week. Deposit insurance is offered as an optional extra, quoted at around 200 to 250 euros.
The variable costs: fuel, berths and food
These are the lines you control with your own decisions, which is why bareboat charter Greece prices are best read as a base figure plus a running budget rather than a single number.
- Fuel. You start with a full tank and refill at the end. PlainSailing puts a typical week at 100 to 200 euros for a monohull and 200 to 400 euros for a catamaran, which has two engines to feed.
- Mooring. Anchoring in a bay is free. Marinas in Greece are quoted at about 20 to more than 100 euros a night, depending on the port and the size of the boat.
- Provisioning. Food and drink are entirely self-catered, so this line depends on how often the crew eats ashore.
- Optional extras. An outboard motor, towels, safety netting, wifi, paddleboards or an early check-in are each priced separately when they are not in the transit log.
Hull type changes more than the fuel line. A twin-hull boat costs more to run and usually more to berth, but it spreads the total across more people. If you are weighing the two, the fleet and formats on a Greece catamaran charter page make a useful comparison with a monohull of similar length.
Taxes and paperwork worth knowing about
Greece applies a Recreational and Daily Tour Cruise Ships Fee, known as TEPAI. The Independent Authority for Public Revenue states that it is imposed on all private and professional leisure ships and professional tourist day ships of a total length of over 7 metres, regardless of flag, in Greek territorial waters. On a chartered yacht this is a matter for the vessel’s operator, but it is reasonable to ask whether it is already reflected in the price you were quoted.
The other piece of paperwork is your own. Astra Yachting notes that a valid sailing certificate is required for at least one member of the crew and that a second competent crew member is normally required as well. For skippers who qualified outside Greece, the Royal Yachting Association describes the International Certificate of Competence as evidence of competence when requested by officials in a country you are visiting, and recommends carrying it in other European countries, while adding that other certificates may also be acceptable. Send a copy of your certificate before you pay a deposit, not at the dock.
How season and sailing area move the total
Season is the biggest lever on the base fee, and it also affects what you spend once aboard. The meltemi, the northerly summer wind of the Aegean, blows mainly from June to September and is strongest in July and August. The pilot notes on SailingIssues describe it as often reaching 5 to 7 Beaufort during the day and sometimes lasting several days in a row, while the Ionian Sea is not affected by it.
That matters for the budget in two ways. A windy week in the Cyclades can mean extra nights in a marina rather than at anchor, and more motoring to keep to the return date. A quieter area keeps both lines down. Astra Yachting lists bases in Alimos and Lavrio for the Saronic Gulf and the Cyclades, in Lefkada, Preveza and Corfu for the Ionian, in Kos and Rhodes for the Dodecanese, and in Skiathos and Volos for the Sporades, so the choice of base is also a choice of conditions.
A checklist for comparing two quotes
- Is the transit log included in the headline price, and what does it contain?
- How large is the security deposit, and is deposit insurance offered?
- Are the outboard motor, bed linen and towels inside the price or listed as extras?
- What is the fuel policy at check-out?
- Which certificate does the operator accept, and is a second crew member required?
- Does the base suit the month you are sailing?
With those answers written down side by side, the cheaper weekly rate is not always the cheaper holiday. The figures above are indicative ranges from published sources, so treat them as a planning tool and ask each operator for a written quote for your own dates.
Sources
- PlainSailing, What’s included in the charter price. https://plainsailing.com/blog/whats-included-in-the-charter-price
- Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), eTEPAI: Recreational and Daily Tour Cruise Ships Fee. https://www.aade.gr/en/etepai
- Royal Yachting Association, International Certificate of Competence (ICC). https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc
- SailingIssues, Meltemi wind. https://sailingissues.com/meltemi.html
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