A Day Aboard S/Cat Sameli — Inside Greece's Flagship Crewed Catamaran

There is one boat in our fleet that gets booked twelve months in advance every year and never has a quiet week in season: S/Cat Sameli, a 23-metre Balance 76 luxury sailing catamaran based out of Alimos Marina, Athens. Five ensuite cabins, ten guests, a crew of three, and a chef who placed third at the Mediterranean Yacht Show culinary competition. Here is what a real day on board looks like.

07:30 — Anchored off Polyaigos

We spent the night anchored in the lee of Polyaigos, the most untouched of the western Cyclades. The boat is silent — generator off, water lapping the hulls, the smell of fresh coffee drifting from the galley. Captain Kostas is already on the flybridge with the chart plotter, planning the day's route.

Breakfast appears: hand-rolled spanakopita, Greek yoghurt with honey from Naxos, fresh fruit from the morning resupply, espresso. The dining table on the main deck seats ten comfortably. Nobody is in a rush.

09:30 — Cast off, sails up

One of the things that surprises people about Sameli is how she sails. The Balance 76 design is performance-oriented for her size — under a 15-knot beam reach we're doing 9 knots over the ground without raising the engines. Stable, quiet, fast. Guests can be on the foredeck lounging on cushions while we make passage; nobody feels the boat heel.

11:30 — Sea anchor at Kleftiko, Milos

Kleftiko is the volcanic-arch beach you have seen in every Milos travel article. By road, you can't reach it. By boat, we drop the anchor in 8 metres of water clearer than glass. Guests are off the back step within five minutes — Seabob F5S out of the locker, paddleboards rigged on the foredeck, snorkel gear in a box on the swim platform.

Lunch comes mid-anchorage: grilled fresh fish that captain Kostas hauled in this morning, a tomato salad that tastes nothing like a tomato anywhere else in Europe, white wine from Santorini. Hostess Maria pours, clears, refills. Nobody lifts a plate.

14:00 — Folegandros

We sail south to Folegandros, two hours under genoa alone. The wind dies as we approach Karavostasis, the small ferry port; engines on, dock in the village. Guests want a few hours ashore. Captain Kostas radios up to the Chora — a taxi will be at the quay in fifteen minutes.

The Chora of Folegandros is one of the most photographed villages in Greece. Whitewashed alleys, blue doors, a single street wide enough for a donkey. Guests come back at sunset with bags of olive oil, jars of honey, and Maria has set the table on the aft deck.

19:30 — Dinner under the sails

Chef Yannis's menu tonight: tuna tartare with capers and red onion, slow-roasted lamb shoulder with lemon potatoes, a dessert that arrives flaming. Wine pairing is included — a Robola from Kefalonia, then a red from Nemea. The bimini is folded back; we eat under the rigging.

Guests linger over coffee until 23:00. Captain Kostas slips us back to a quiet anchorage two miles south. By midnight, only the navigation lights are on and the air conditioning is purring through every cabin.

What you get for €40,000 a week

• Five ensuite cabins for ten guests
• Captain (RYA Yachtmaster Offshore), hostess and chef
• All meals and premium beverages, including wines and spirits
• Water toys: Seabob, two paddleboards, snorkelling gear, fishing rods, kayak
• Air conditioning, full Wi-Fi, watermaker, generator running silently 18+ hours/day
• Tailored daily routing — your itinerary, captain's expertise on weather and anchorages

See the full spec, gallery and 24 photos on the Sameli charter page, or contact our charter team to lock dates. July, August and the first two weeks of September are typically gone by January.

What it's not

If you want to learn to sail or skipper a boat yourself, Sameli isn't the platform. She's a charter for people who want to be on a yacht — not to drive one. For active sailing, look at the Lagoon 50 or the Bali 4.8.

Next on the calendar

Sameli is in the Cyclades May–September and the Saronic Gulf October–November. We do shoulder-season private charters from Alimos for Athens-based guests who want a long weekend on board.