Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays Avis 

Seafarers flotilla holiday

1 week Leftkas flotilla Ithaca route

3/8/25

12 previous flotilla holidays with Sailing Holidays and Odysseus. (All these previous boats were well maintained and safe)

Don't use this company. (Seafarers)

2007 yacht Bavaria 33.

The accommodation and safety of this boat was not fit for paying guests.

Poor condition of the yacht :

Black mould around basin in the heads.

Loose hand rail in heads.

Loose bolts on the toilet making it very unstable and not Safe to use when underway.

Leaking hatch in saloon.

Cushions in the saloon could not stay in place as had no fixings.

Eyelet on the tender ripped and not safe to handle.

Rope to pull swim ladder up snapped no replacement.

Waste water cap on fresh water fill ,

Serious health and safety.

On arrival found a door handle on the navigation desk which came from the aft bedroom door, was told it would be fitted before departure, it wasn't.

Hand over was very brief, not unfurling the sails, not starting the outboard engine very different to when returning when the sails were out and checked and outboard started.

All the faults were listed and given at the point of return and they didn't seemed concerned that the wrong waste cap was on the fresh water fill!

Was asked if I had tried to tighten bolts on the toilet, replied that it was not my job and I was on holiday.

We gave this company every chance to reimburse us for the poor quality and maintenance of the yacht.

They offered us a discount for rebooking.

This will not be happening, we were told at the end of the holiday that we used the least diesel on the flotilla and the reward was £50 off the next booking, we said then that this would not be happening.

There were other problems with some of the other yachts on the flotilla, one of which was a non working VHF radio and they weren't given a handheld replacement until Thursday , serious safety issue.

The lead crew boat had engine problems all week and on the Thursday cut out when in reverse when trying to berth, they were told by base to just go forward everywhere!

Alan. ( Boat owner Solent UK)

You seem to find it difficult to accept that your yacht was not up to safety standards for paying guests, and list items of general upkeep and maintenance which have been carried out, the issue is the important ones you haven't carried out.

Generally we had a fantastic holiday and I highly recommend this area of the world for a sailing holiday. We were four boats that knew each other and had a great time. So why the 2 stars?
Generally the boats were badly maintained and next to no help during the week. All of the four boats had problems, including broken fridge, faulty main battery, faulty dingy motor and doors in cabins that did not close or were locked from the inside. The lead crew were lovely people but ill equipment to fix things and generally not bothered when it came to boat safety or maintenance. At the final dinner the boat with the broken fridge got the award for using the least fuel, which sounds like a bad joke. Asking the lead crew about how they run the flotilla it transpired they don't travell with engineers or someone who is equipped with the knowledge of fixing things or spear parts which is badly needed since the boats are badly maintained. Generally take the bad reviews seriously. There is a one star review since 2022 which could have been written in 2025

I cannot recommend Seafarer Sailing highly enough. Their customer service is perfect - I initially booked with them pre-COVID and that trip couldn't go ahead, but they honoured my credit note even 3 years later. I have since been on 2 Cabin Charters with them - one in the Ionian Isles and one in the Cyclades. I've also done cabin charters with other companies, and I can honestly say the this year's Cyclades cabin charter was the best I've ever experienced. I organised the trip for 3 friends, and Seafarer made the whole process incredibly easy. The trip itself was stunning - our skipper was the most experienced skipper I have ever had the pleasure of sailing with; his professionalism, knowledge of the islands and delicious cooking skills made our trip the next level.

My friends had never been on a sailing holiday and are now converted sailors!

Thank you, Seafarer - we will be back!!

I have been on Seafarer Nikiana Beach club holidays for the last 3 years. I’ve always felt valued as a customer, and very much cared about from reservation to being in resort. As a solo holiday maker, this has been especially important and I have felt safe and included. Well done, Seafarer .

Shoddy dangerous poorly equipped yacht
Loose screws and rigging
Could not have cared less when requested repair or assistance
Terrible attitudes of all staff

Sailed with Seafarer twice now, looking forward to the next voyage later this year. Great service and great support, the flotilla team and trainers were fantastic.

I must say I thought the lead crew generally did a good job on this flotilla (Saronic Explorer), making in my view correct decisions regarding the itinerary and trying to mitigate hardware issues with the boats.
So why 2 stars? Everything was good other than the maintenance of the boats which was shocking, bordering on dangerous in some aspects. Issues with my boat ranged from the outboard motor not starting, no anchor light and having to hold the auto-helm in gear with a shoe lace.
There feels a lack of concern by Seafarer. For example, being promised a new outboard from base but it never showed up, and no response from them when i listed all the issues.
~~~
update Feb 25:
Seafarer have now conscientiously responded to the points I raised about the boat maintenance and reasonably offered compensation. They also observe that I had a much better experience with Seafarer in Croatia the previous year which is true.

Appalling customer service.
Boat was not clean and stank of urine. Ants in the galley. Dingy not inflated had a puncture. No charger for dingy.
Complained to management and basically was told we were making it up despite sending photos .
If you want a dirty, unsafe boat and one that’s not maintained then I highly recommend you book Seafarer

Beware! Seafarer provides an excellent service pre-holiday but after-sales is deplorable. We booked a flotilla holiday sailing out of Kephalonia at the beginning of June this year. The yacht allocated to us was very poorly maintained. We had problems every day - the mainsail was extremely difficult to raise/lower; the Bimini collapsed on top of us; the anchor did not secure onto the bow; plus many more ‘niggles’ which negatively impacted on our experience. Most seriously, the jammer securing the topping lift suddenly failed resulting in the boom crashing down into the cockpit. THIS COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEBODY.
All faults were reported to the lead crew and the local base. On our return all of this was reported to the Seafarer office (10 June). Despite nudging them after 2 weeks and again after 7 weeks there has been NO RESPONSE.
They obviously do not care.

A fabulous weeks sailing in Croatia.
Led by Paul and Lucy who were a great team, extremely knowledgeable and nothing was ever too much trouble.

Six in our party ranging from 13 to 56 and we all thoroughly enjoyed the sailing and visiting different places as part of the flotilla.

Harbour fees are extremely expensive in Croatia so be prepared for this and some only accept cash.
Several fans in boat would have made things more bearable at night time as we experienced particularly hot weather!

Thoroughly recommend seafarer , from booking process to the first class service from Paul and Lucy all which contributed to a fabulous holiday

My Son and I completed the RYA Competent crew certification with Seafarers in Greece. It was a great holiday, the boat was excellent, good instruction, good harbours we stayed in every evening. In general, an excellent holiday and I'd recommend Seafarers if you are thinking of doing a sailing holiday.

Just returned from a flotilla in the Dodacanese.
The crew Angelo and Yvette were superb.
Angelo is a very experienced sailor with a great sense of humour and excellent professionalism.His wife Yvette knows everything you need to know about your location.We loved these islands.A great variety in conditions and ports.We would highly recommend this.

The experience was fabulous! Well organized, very professional lead crew! Betty and Sam are just fantastic, very supportive and tolerant to our mistakes in sailing and mooring. Betty is very knowledgeable about the places that we moored. All in all just great adventure!

Have just returned from Seafarer Ionian flotilla and had a fantastic time. Our team of Kostas, Aspa and George were brilliant. We had a couple tricky moments with a very aggressive and unhappy neighbour -Kostas moved our boat no question-Their priority was to make the experience good for us. Lovely team and a great company. Will definitely return. Boat was well cared for.

We have just returned from our first ever sailing holiday as a family, where we wanted to arrange sole use of a yacht to start our training journey. We decided to use Seafarer as their initial response was quick, personal, informative and accurate. I had sent our needs to a few companies and Seafarers personal approach was very reassuring. In the run up to the holiday we had a number of questions and alterations to make, all were dealt with quickly and efficiently by Suzie, which again was reassuring. We all had a fantastic successful training week with Keenan, a great instructor, who became part of the family for a week. We loved it so much that we wanted to return for another week this season to complete our Day Skipper training. Due to family commitments we had a single week available to us and once again Suzie has come through. As it is a busy time of year we have not been able to book out exactly the boat we wanted for sole use and training, but we are really confident that the team has done (and will continue to do) all they can to get us close to our goal as possible. We are all looking forward to our next adventure in 7 weeks time and at present wouldn't consider using any other company for our onward sailing journey.

Just back from another sailing holiday with Seafarer. This time we went to the Sporades, to get more wind for sailing. We've done a number of trips to the Ionian in the past and wanted a change.
Seafarer aren't a large company - so you do speak to the same people. This makes you feel as if they care about your holiday. They answer queries quickly and efficiently (and answer the phone with a real person - not an app and a chat bot!)
They do subcontract their boats from elsewhere, and in general - you get what you pay for. A newer boat will have fewer issues, and will cost more. The technical handovers are very comprehensive, and the flotilla crews will try their best to fix most technical issues that arise during your holiday. This time we paid for a new boat (2022) and it was great.

The flotillas are well organised, improve your sailing ability and give great recommendations.

Why do we keep booking with them? Their prices are keen and they give a personal touch.
We love the flotilla holidays for meeting new people with a similar interest, and the joy of having someone else save you space and grab your lines. All you need to do then is give the Skipper a gin and tonic and relax on the back of your boat in the most beautiful harbour and watch the sun go down. Thankyou Seafarer!

I went to the Nikiana Beach Club for a weeks holiday and sailing and had a blast. Staff were really friendly and helpful, a great atmosphere and it was easy to make new friends.....such a great place to spend a week. Boats were always available, fully rigged and ready to go and there were a few new laser dinghies on the fleet too. Food and accommodation was great, staff were very friendly and knowlegable. I enjoyed it so , much, I'm going back in September, and have booked a flotilla holiday too. Thankyou Nikiana team. Oh....and the admin team are great too!!

I have been on several holidays with Seafarer- and have loved all of them. The booking process is easy and personal. The phone is always answered by a human and the team are quick, knowledgeable and responsive.
Nikiana beach club is a small friendly resort. Dinghies, paddle boards, kayaks and windsurfing equipment is included in the price.
The accommodation is typically Greek , each room has a balcony, air conditioning is included. The sea view is absolutely beautiful and although most people don’t send much time in their rooms it’s worth the extra cost!
The Seafarer staff working at the resort are friendly and generally keen to help and give advice.
The bar and restaurant area is clean and the food and drink is basic Greek/ European and of excellent quality. The Greek staff are lovely .
This is a holiday for sporty, active people but you can also relax, sunbathe, shop and try out the lovely food in the various restaurants.
Kayaking across the bay for lunch, yoga on a paddle board, snorkelling and swimming in the sea watching the sun rise are some of my favourite experiences.
The resort is very safety conscious, there are 2 safety boats patrolling the sailing area and the team are keen to advise and assist if needed.

Just returned from a flotilla holiday along the Saronic coast. A great holiday despite the lack of wind. The lead skipper Marcus and Jess could not have been more helpful. Nothing was too much trouble and they were always available to help when help was needed! Lovely venues spied out for morning briefings and evening meals. Thank you!

Appalling.

The yacht is in dreadful condition. Anchor not working properly, deck littered with screws and bolts. Bow thrusters not working,ropes unfit for use. One cabin can not be used due to leaking diesel can and smell. Dinghy punctured and fenders flat. Bimini broken and unusable To top it all no water in tanks

Simply dreadful