Great location and friendly service, but the boat maintenance needs attention
I recently chartered a 39ft Dufour Grand Large for a sailing trip in the Ionian Sea, starting from Sivota. Overall, we had a very enjoyable holiday, but our experience was a mix of highlights and some frustrating technical issues that were not properly addressed by the charter company.
The Positives:
Sivota is a fantastic place to start a charter. It is far less chaotic than the large marina in Lefkada, which is a massive relief, especially at the end of the trip. While charterers in Lefkada often face long, stressful queues at the fuel dock on the final day, in Sivota, the fuel truck comes directly to the boat—a huge advantage. The handover process was also very smooth and professional, and the team in Sivota were incredibly friendly and welcoming throughout.
The Issues:
Unfortunately, the technical condition of the boat was disappointing, and the support from the company was lacking:
Sail Batten: On the first day, I reported that a sail batten had slipped out of the car. Despite notifying them immediately, the only response I received was a generic WhatsApp message thanking me for the notice, with no further action taken. This made hoisting and lowering the sails difficult, and while it didn't impact performance once under sail, it was a nuisance that could easily have led to further damage.
Solar System: The solar panel system was not working at all. The charter company was unable to assist, so I had to diagnose the problem myself—it turned out to be a 50A fuse that I had to replace.
Water Quality: The hot water system had a persistent, unpleasant smell of rotten eggs, which made it very difficult to use.
Dinghy: The dinghy was defective and lost air constantly; we had to re-inflate it every six to eight hours. We were unable to get this fixed even when we stopped at the charter base.
Conclusion:
Because of the issues with the boat and the lack of responsiveness to maintenance requests, I would not charter this specific vessel again. However, I highly recommend Sivota as a location due to its convenience and the excellent service provided by the local team. With better boat maintenance and more proactive support, this would have been a perfect experience.
