We had a very good vacation.
We were just 2 on board and this size of boat is great for us.
The boat is well taken care of and very comfortable and has airconditioning.
We got very good assistance from the Base Manager, he is a really nice guy.
The boat has an automatic jib so the sail is smaller.
We had some days with sunshine and also days with rain and strong winds around 20 knots and also thunder in the night, but we managed to sail to the islands.
According to my opinion, the autopilot is not adjusted properly and has difficulties with the waves from the back and the strong wind.
Because of the strong winds, all the boats reserved place in the marinas for the night and most of them were already full. The ACI marinas are very expensive, but we managed to find cheaper places who were also good for the night. One night we spend on anchor in a nice bay.
The boat has a big water supply which is comfortable also.
This is the first time we booked through Marenauta and we had a good experience.
The Check In worked really good. The receptionist was welcoming and could provide us with the needed information concerning the boat, arrival times, Port reservation numbers and assist us generally with all concerns relating to the trip.
The boat was equipped with all necessary gear and supplies that one would need to have an optimal time while sailing.
And on top of everything the weather worked as if it was ordered for a week of sailing.
Staff at ionian catamaran charters were excellent. friendly, helpful, and pleasant to deal with.
The boat itself has problems with the electrical system. The charter listing indicated it would be fitted with solar panels but they were not fitted. I don't think they ever had been. The days we used it were normal for very light air required using engine a lot with extended engine running time of always 3 to 5 hours a day. Every night the low voltage alarm would go off at around 0300 due to lack of battery charge. Aside for the nuisance of alarms, this was frustrating as it meant the refrig in cabin and cockpit were not working part of the night. We are experience yacht owners and know how to operate a 12v boat. The two service batteries just did not charge up properly from alternator.
On return the staff said that the alternator had recently been replaced and the batteries also. But there is something else that needs rectification. Luckily engine battery is separate so no problem to crank engine but you can't do that to charge batteries when med-moored in a quiet greek harbor after sundown. Typically moored and no shore power avail.
The level gauge system for water tank and diesel fuel were useless. Both tanks were full when we started and after 3 days levels still showed 100% for fuel and the water tank never changed from 63%. On a boat I own I can stick the tank, estimate consumptions etc but a charter is black hole so we had no idea levels and fuel and water available. Few desirable harbors had fresh water and even fewer offer diesel. I think a charter boat fitted with gauging due to no stick access must have working level gauging. on last day the fuel dropped on gauge from 100% to 50% in a matter of minutes. Not fair for a charterer to be guessing on the fuel and water available. These things have to be calibrated properly and maintained.
The boat had minor cabinetry damages that Ionian acknowledged during pre-inspection but we felt they should be getting repaired between charters.
I would not likely charter a Hansa yacht next time.
Tom Sofyanos
We had a wonderful time in Göteborg, the area was mindblowing and lots of good facilities. The boat was perfect, the only comment we had was that the cushions on the beds were really flat and hard.
