Experienced Skippers

All of our trips include a friendly, experienced, English-speaking, Greek skipper who will navigate the boat, and more importantly serve as a knowledgeable guide to the ins-and-outs of each island.

Local Experts

If you’d like, they can suggest unique stores, beaches, historical sites, restaurants, and bars that are usually known only to locals and frequent visitors.

Skilled Hostesses

If your trip includes a Hostess, they’ll handle all of the grocery shopping and prepare daily breakfast and lunch.

Trips with hostesses will be stocked with a variety of beverages (including water, wine and beer), fresh fruit, coffee, bread, and snacks when you arrive. We’ll work with you before your trip to discuss any specific food/drink preferences or allergies.

Captains & Hostesses

It is possible to add a hostess to any of our charters as long as there is an extra cabin available for the hostess to sleep in. Here are there details for each yacht:


Lagoon 380: 2 cabins for passengers, 2 cabins for crew. Max 4 passengers with hostess

Saona 47: 4 cabins for passengers, 2 cabins for crew. Max 8 passengers with hostess

Lagoon 450: 2 cabins for passengers, 2 cabins for crew. Max 6 passengers with hostess


Both the skipper and hostess will certainly speak English. They will be happy to answer all your questions in regards to Greek food, culture, history, etc. They will also assist your party in choosing restaurants and ordering local specialties if you would like them to accompany you to dinner in the evenings.

Your skilled hostess/chef will assist the captain with sailing and anchoring in port as well as prepare breakfast and lunches throughout your journey. As far as meals and provisions the following is included:
Daily breakfast and lunch: Breakfast will generally be an assortment of pastries, cereal, yogurt, fruit, cheese, bread, etc. The featured meal will be a delicious multi-course lunch consisting of authentic greek/ mediterranean dishes prepared with fresh ingredients from the islands.
An assortment of snacks and beverages: This includes water, fruit, coffee, and snacks as well as a selection of items tailored to your preference which may include juices, soda, house wine and beer.

**We’ll reach out to you prior to charter about any specific food/drink preferences or allergies. While on charter, if you have any specific food/drink requests just let the hostess know and as long as the item is available she will pick them up at the markets on the islands (there may be an extra cost for expensive items such as premium wines and hard liquor). Dinners are not included because we recommend dining out at one of the incredible local restaurants on the islands (the captain/hostess will be happy to recommend places).

Note: The hostess is not permitted to enter or clean guest cabins.

Our crew members are dedicated to making your sailing experience in Greece memorable and enjoyable. Tipping them at the end of the charter is a great way to give recognition and appreciation for their efforts. Tipping is a common practice in the charter vacation culture of Greece, where it reflects your satisfaction with the quality of work. The crew knows each guest is unique so the exact amount is not as important as the gesture itself. 

The suggested top amount can depend on the size of your group, crew size, trip length, etc.  However, we know it helps to know the standards for charter sailing in Greece.  *It’s important to note that the total trip amount referred to below is based on the total boat and crew cost. You are not expected to tip on the extras Greek Seas includes in your charter price, such as provisions, fuel, cleaning, and marina fees. 

*These fees generally make up about 10% of the total charter price if provisions are included and 5% if they aren’t included.  You can subtract this amount from the trip total.

**Keep in mind that the below amounts are simply the standard suggested amount in Greece

  • Charters with both a captain and a hostess: ~20% of the charter price. This is the total amount that will be divided evenly between the captain and the hostess. 
  • Charters with only a captain: ~15% of the charter price. *If you booked a captain-only charter without a hostess, you may also want to offer some snacks and/or lunch to the captain during the trip. They often sail all day and have little time to prepare their own food.

When/How to Tip: The best way to tip the crew is to hand the captain cash at the end of the charter.  However, we know that you may not want or be able to carry that much cash. So we do accept tipping electronically.  You’re welcome to send us a tip via Zelle (austin@greekseas.com) or Venmo (@austinmartin [-1705 confirm]). You can also email us for more options. 

The captain’s first priority is safety, so it’s important to understand that weather-based route decisions will follow this principle. Their second priority is to help you have the best possible vacation. We find that clients who interact with their skipper while on charters have the best overall experience. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you would like to learn more about sailing, history, or activities on the islands you visit. If you’d like to get to know them a bit better, feel free to invite them to dinner on one of your first few evenings. They’ll likely know the best off the beaten path restaurants and local menu items on each island. That being said, the captain doesn’t expect this at all and understands that every client has their own unique preference and personality.

Generally the skipper will sleep in one of the available cabins. On smaller catamarans this would be one of the standard rooms, while some larger yachts have specific skipper cabins. If you have any questions about this, just let us know.

We only work with a small number of Greek skippers and hostesses who meet our strict standards on sailing ability, local knowledge and friendliness.  We understand that having a fantastic skipper/hostess who know the islands, food and culture is a crucial part of your overall charter sailing experience.

We schedule the skipper/hostess a few months prior to your trip when we know the full booking slate for that week.  If you have a preferred skipper/hostess we’ll do our best to accommodate your request but there are certain weeks they may be unavailable or pre-booked on another trip.

Meet Our Hostesses

Mary

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“And Mary put her love of food and cooking into every meal. Each lunch was 5-star with – we all agreed – some of the best meals we had ever had. Mary shops each morning for the freshest foods, the local specialties and manages to put the most delicious and gorgeous dishes on the table.”
– Laurie W

Mary was born in Athens, studied English in London, and has been working with Greek Seas for over 10 years. Our guests rave about her amazing meals and drinks, as well has her cultural knowledge of the islands. She speaks English, Greek, Italian and German.

Anna

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“Anna provided great food worked tirelessly to please adults and kids. Anna and Kiriakos were really a big part of the trip, and it was really special to spend time with these wonderful people”
– Taoist13

Meet Our Skippers

Kostas

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“The Skipper and his wife/hostess (Kosta and Mary) were simply the best. Kostas’ knowledge of sailing and the various islands was incredible”
– TommyTony11

Kostas began sailing at the young age of 14, but it was his dream since he was 9yrs old. At the age of 18 he attained his offshore sailing skippers license. A year later Kostas joined the Greek Merchant Navy Academy as a deck cadet, where he was trained in navigation, meteorology, safety issues and more.

Since 1999, Kostas has worked as a full time skipper, sailing thousands of miles a year in charter and deliveries in Greece, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.  When you sail with him you’ll notice that he seemingly knows tons of people on every island and is able to make all kinds of arrangements for activities, dinners, excursions, etc.   He is known for his kind demeanor and his willingness to share with you the secrets and pleasure of yachting and the unmatched beauty of Greece. His favorite place to sail is Cyclades.

Kiriakos

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“It was truly one of the most brilliant weeks of our lives. Captain “K” was awesome.”
– jkjolly1

Kiriakos was born in the island of Ikaria. Because the island of Ikaria is surrounded by rough and high seas, many citizens were raised to be sailors. His father was a captain on cargo ships who often took Kiriakos on big trips around the world when he was a child..

He took to sailing at a very young age, soon started to captain sailing boats in races and charter trips. He has owned a boat for many years which has been one of his prize possessions.

His favorite island is the island from which he was born, Ikaria, but he loves the entire the Aegean. When the season is over, if he is not sailing in international waters, you will probably find him racing his own boat in a local regatta.

Yiannis A.

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“Each island was amazing not in small part due to the advice, direction, and often the company of our captain (Yiannis!!!!!)”
– smhopps31

Yiannis was born on the beautiful island of Paros in the Cyclades.  He’s been sailing the Greek isles since he as far back as he can remember.  His impressive sailing ability is complemented by a laid back demeanor and friendly face, making him a perfect captain for charters.  He also prides himself on knowing the best restaurants, bars and beaches on many of the smaller Greek Islands.

Yiannis P.

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“We spent a delightful week with Yiannis. The sailing was exquisite and the Captain spent time teaching each of us to man the helm.”
– Lanahtravel

Yiannis P. is half-Athenian & half-Cretan and, as everyone is in Greece, is very proud of where he’s from.

He’s been sailing since he completed his military service – first with friends, in sailing races, and transferring yachts around Greece, and then as a charter sailing captain. While most refer to passengers as ‘customers’, he likes to think of them as ‘co-sailors’.

When he’s not sailing he enjoys playing music – he says both help keep your spirit free.