Catamaranscup - 34 charter catamarans setting out from Athens!

End-of-season opportunity

So here I am, at Alimos Marina, Greece’s largest marina with 1,100 slips and 600 winter drydock berths. As for the setting 40 minutes from the airport, there’s nothing charming about the place, but all the services a yachtsman could ever need can be found there. This is the marina where Istion Yachting, which started out in 1992 on the island of Kos, moved its main base and offices in 2007. The reason I mention this company is that its founder and CEO, Ioannis Kourounis, came up with the Catamaranscup concept, launching it in 2010. The idea is brilliant: to offer a final burst of activity to all charter fleets operating in Greece before the end of the season. At the beginning of November, charter boats are mothballed until April. They may be stored ashore, wintered afloat, overhauled from keel to truck, as required, but in whichever any case they are no longer sailing. For all the seasonal staff, this week in November is also their last on the water... Ionis therefore proposed to transform this last week of activity into a real celebration. From the outset, the event has been reserved for catamarans, which are considered to be more convivial, but a forthcoming gathering in Croatia could well bring together monohulls and catamarans as early as this coming spring.

An affordable price

The formula is not intended to be exclusive. Quite the contrary in fact - it’s open to other charter companies, and it’s up to them to motivate their customers! For the 2023 edition, we didn’t come across any privately-owned catamarans. Ultimately, the Catamaranscup is offered to sailors as a hybrid week that’s a little bit different, as your stay comprises 5 “full inclusive” days and the rest in classic self-sufficient mode. This tempo is sure to appeal to crews ticking the bareboat box for the first time: for the duration of the regatta, they’ll have 100% assistance with routing and harbor maneuvers. Istion Yachting has recruited more than 10 people, including a mechanic, a diver - and an entire media team.
All that’s left for the crews to do is coast quietly from anchorage to anchorage back to their departure base. It is also possible to book a skippered catamaran.
Those who have chartered a catamaran during the high season, whether in the West Indies in winter or in the Mediterranean in summer, are well aware of the skyrocketing prices... The nice surprise of this Catamarans- cup, which takes place during the low season, is that it becomes very accessible. The asking price is based on the low-season rate and a surcharge ...