"Good fun despite many problems"

We had a wonderful time in Croatia despite the numerous problems we encountered with the boat. If it weren't for the fact that we were all great friends and the crew handled things professionally it could have been a disaster. You never expect things to go perfectly smooth and some things you just have to roll with. Below is a consolidated input from the 8 members in our party detailing our less than stellar experience:
- Steering problem. Not sure what the actual problem was but it was serious enough that our skipper booked us into their docks for a night to have a mechanic look at it. In the end I think it turned out to be the skipper's unfamiliarity with the boat.
- Generator/batteries - there was a problem with the inverter. The batteries weren't charging and it was found that the switch had been turned off. Once turned on it started burning, smoking and smelling bad. This is a serious safety issue and should have been tested before we got on board.
- Anchor chain. Although there was 100 feet of chain in the locker, it was in two pieces so only 50 feet of it was useable. This hampered our ability to anchor overnight and required us to be in port for all nights but one where we were able to find a shallow anchorage. Again, this could have been a serious safety issue if we had bad weather.
- Cooler plug. The plug was missing. We tried to improvise with no luck and as a result we went through much more ice than we should have.
- Outside refrigerator. It was in bad need of defrosting which we did but the seals weren't attached to the fridge and the latch was broken. We managed
- Bathroom odour. The starboard stern head had a valve issue making it unpleasant for the couple using that cabin
- Stand up paddle board. Hadn't been inflated properly for use. We managed
- Skipper only put the sails up for one day otherwise we were motoring. Skipper was worried we were going to jibe and was trying to keep to an agenda. With sailing it's not always about the destination
- port leak. The access hatch over the port stern bed leaked in the rain. It got repaired in port with an easy caulk job. We managed
- Back deck enclosure. The zip up walls/windows were missing making the back deck unusable in rain or cool weather
- First aid kit wasn't fully stocked. No bandages

On the plus side...
- the crew were very good and got along with everyone. Our skipper booked us into some great ports and restaurants. Our hostess prepared some wonderful meals.
- we ended up with wifi access that we hadn't booked. We were looking forward to be disconnected for a bit but we all appreciated it especially the night we were on anchor and had access to Spotify
- Croatia was gorgeous and highly recommended!

Would we go again? Definitely, but we know what to look for and check on before leaving port. You assume things are taken care of in advance of your arrival. Next time we will be more prepared.

Edited January 15 2018 by Brian M. after response from Yacht Getaways....
- Thank you for your response. I am disappointed that you shifted responsibility to another organization. Our booking was with Yacht Getaways and not with your maintenance company or any of your other subcontractors. The boat was sub par going out and that is your responsibility. There has been no offer of a discount for future bookings or any other compensation. We will not be making future bookings with Yacht Getaways and look forward to our adventures in Greece this September with another provider.

"Buyer Beware!"

Upon arrival the captain explained all the rules of the boat (which of course is necessary) but did not explain to use how the toilet and shower in our cabin worked. They also did not give us blankets until mid-way through the trip when we saw guests had them on a different boat.

Also, due to weather we spent most of our time in port and only unfurled the sail once. I realize and respect that weather is completely out of their control, but we were promised a snorkeling excursion one day since we didn't get to go to Mykonos and spent all our time in port, yet it never happened.

So, instead of being an adventure on a yacht, the yacht was more of an expensive ferry with cramped, dank lodging. In retrospect I would have rather just taken a ferry and stayed in a hotel. It would have been the same experience, just more comfortable.

After the trip we brought all this to their attention and they just paid us lip service.

"We had a fantastic time on our Greek …"

We had a fantastic time on our Greek Isle sailing trip