Own your own yacht in Greece without the day-to-day responsibilities normally associated with keeping and managing a yacht overseas. The Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership combines personal yacht ownership, charter income and professional yacht management from our base in Lefkas.
Our standard partnership runs for five seasons. You enjoy up to six weeks of personal sailing each year, while during the remainder of the season we market and operate your yacht as part of the Sail Ionian charter fleet.
Yacht charter management means your yacht is professionally marketed, booked, prepared, maintained and supported while it earns income from guest charters. From our Lefkas base, Sail Ionian manages the complete charter operation: marketing and bookings, guest handovers and support, insurance coordination, mooring, routine maintenance, engineering, cleaning and winterisation.
Unlike a simple yacht-management service, our Yacht Partnership is planned from purchase around successful charter operation. You retain agreed weeks for your own use and receive a fixed payment for each completed charter week, while our team handles the day-to-day work. It is particularly suited to overseas owners buying a Bavaria yacht or Fountaine Pajot catamaran for managed ownership in Greece.
Secure ownership in your own company: we arrange for a Greek company to be established in the owner’s name. That company purchases and owns the yacht, so the yacht is held through the owner’s own company rather than by Sail Ionian.
Sail Ionian manages the practical aspects of ownership, including charter bookings, insurance, mooring, routine maintenance, engineering, professional cleaning, guest support and winterisation. During the first five seasons, the owner pays no additional yacht-maintenance charges: the maintenance covered by the partnership agreement is included within the scheme. This gives owners the benefit of their own yacht in the Ionian without having to organise its operation and maintenance remotely.
When you arrive for your own sailing holiday, your yacht is prepared and ready for you. When you leave, our team takes responsibility for looking after it.
Throughout the partnership, our Lefkas-based team maintains and manages the yacht with the objective of keeping it in excellent condition and protecting its long-term value. At the end of the partnership, you can keep the yacht, discuss continuing with Sail Ionian, or sell it.
During the weeks your yacht is available to Sail Ionian, we market it through our established charter operation. The owner’s company receives an agreed fixed payment for each week the yacht completes a charter, alongside the owner’s agreed personal usage.
We base our financial illustrations on realistic expected charter utilisation rather than assuming every available week will be sold. The payment for each completed charter week is fixed; annual income therefore depends principally on the number of weeks chartered and the owner’s chosen usage, not on changes to the retail charter price.
This combination of personal use, fixed weekly charter payments and professionally managed running costs provides a practical way to own and enjoy a yacht in Greece.
Current published 2027 figures: this example shows the purchase structure, estimated cash surplus and value of owner use. It is an illustration, not a guarantee of how many charter weeks will be completed.
Suggested commercial yacht price€268,840
Coding, licences and Greek-company setup€11,740
Calculated initial yacht and setup cost€280,580
Estimated fixed-week charter payments to the owner’s company€21,500
Estimated company overheads — accounts, insurance, ships tax and miscellaneous costs€10,500
Estimated annual owner-company cash surplus€11,000
Illustrative value of up to six weeks’ owner use€27,000
Illustrative combined annual benefit€38,000
Your company owns the yacht. Sail Ionian arranges for a Greek company to be established in the owner’s name. The company then purchases and legally owns the yacht, providing a clear and secure ownership structure independent of Sail Ionian.
Fixed income for each charter week. The owner’s company receives the agreed fixed payment each time the yacht completes a charter week. Annual income changes with the number of completed charter weeks, not with the retail price paid by individual charter guests.
No additional maintenance charges during the first five seasons. Yacht maintenance covered by the partnership agreement is included within the scheme, so unexpected maintenance events do not create an additional charge for the owner during this period.
Greek shipping-company tax treatment. The owner’s company operates as a Greek shipping company and, under the current structure, pays ships tax instead of ordinary Greek corporation tax. The ships tax at current rates is included in the figures above.
Commercial VAT treatment. Because the yacht is purchased for qualifying commercial operation, purchase VAT is either zero-rated where the transaction qualifies or reclaimed by the owner’s company. This treatment depends on the yacht continuing to meet the applicable commercial and VAT requirements.
The €11,000 surplus is an estimated cash figure after the company overheads shown above. The €27,000 owner-use value is not cash income; it represents the comparable retail charter value of up to six weeks. The €38,000 combined benefit should therefore not be read as a guaranteed investment return. The 14.1% figure shown on the Cruiser 37 page compares this combined benefit with the €268,840 yacht purchase price and excludes the separate coding, licensing and company-setup cost.
What can change: the annual cash result depends on the number of charter weeks completed and the timing of the owner’s use. The illustration excludes finance costs, depreciation or resale value, exchange-rate movements and buyer-specific tax consequences. Tax and VAT treatment depends on current legislation, the commercial structure and continuing compliance; buyers should take independent professional advice. We provide a personalised illustration before purchase.
VIEW THE CRUISER 37 SPECIFICATION AND FULL FIGURES REQUEST A PERSONALISED ILLUSTRATION
We offer a carefully selected range of new sailing yachts and catamarans suitable for the Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership, together with a limited number of pre-owned yachts retiring from our managed fleet.
Each new yacht is specified and prepared for successful operation in Greece, while still giving its owner a yacht they will enjoy using themselves.
Specifications, current prices and the yachts presently available can be found on our dedicated Yachts for Sale in Greece page.
View Yachts Currently Available
With over 25 years of experience in the Ionian, we’ve built a reputation for professionalism, reliability, and personal service.
Proven trust: Some of our partners have reinvested in a second yacht.
Local expertise: Family‑owned and operated from our Lefkas base, with hands‑on support year‑round.
Managed ownership: A combination of personal yacht use, charter income and professional yacht management from our Lefkas base.
Exceptional care: Each yacht maintained by our own engineers, never outsourced.
When you partner with Sail Ionian, you’re joining a community built on trust, quality, and shared passion for sailing in one of the world’s most beautiful cruising grounds.
Our base in beautiful Vliho Bay on Lefkada's east coast allows easy access to all the Ionian islands.
Our owners come from all over the world but share one thing in common — a love of effortless yacht ownership. "All have created long lasting unforgettable memories".
From first‑time buyers discovering a passion for sailing to seasoned adventurers upgrading to larger yachts, their stories reflect how rewarding — and worry‑free — ownership can be.
For a detailed, independent account, read Nick Brookes’ yacht charter management experience in Greece. Nick bought his Bavaria Cruiser 41 ‘Off Piste’ through the Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership and reflects on nearly ten years of owner use, charter operation, maintenance, wear and tear, value and life after the partnership.
Sail Ionian has earned a reputation built on trust, consistency, and exceptionally high yacht standards - qualities that matter when choosing a long-term ownership partner. We are Lefkada’s top-rated yacht charter company, ranked #1 on TripAdvisor for Boat Rentals and consistently recognized with the Travellers’ Choice Award every year for our modern, eco-friendly fleet and exceptional customer service.
Customers repeatedly highlight the quality of the fleet and the professionalism of the team, describing experiences like: “The boat was spotless, highly specified, and support was friendly yet professional” and calling Sail Ionian “An impressive charter company—flawless from start to finish.” This confidence carries through the entire experience, with guests also praising the service and local expertise.
If you are considering owning a yacht in Greece, talk to our team about how the Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership could work for you.
We can discuss your sailing requirements, the amount of personal use you would like, the yachts currently available and realistic expectations for charter income. We will then help you choose a yacht that works both for your own enjoyment and successful operation within our managed charter fleet.
For a new yacht, we guide you through the process from yacht selection and specification through to ordering, commissioning, registration and preparation for commercial operation in Greece.
With factory delivery times often several months, early planning gives you the greatest choice of yachts and specifications for the following season.
Tell us which yacht or ownership route interests you. Our ownership team will reply with the relevant specification, availability and a personalised financial illustration.
With two Bavaria Cruiser 37s leaving the fleet, we have space for new partnership yachts for the 2027 season. The Cruiser 37 is well suited to both owner sailing and charter operation, and has historically delivered one of the strongest owner-benefit profiles in our fleet.
The Bavaria Cruiser 46 is a proven, spacious yacht with flexible three- or four-cabin layouts that appeal to families and groups. It offers an attractive balance of owner comfort, charter demand and straightforward operation within the Sail Ionian fleet.
The new Bavaria C46 combines generous accommodation, modern sailing performance and flexible layouts. It is a compelling choice for owners seeking a larger contemporary yacht for personal use alongside professionally managed charter operation in Greece.
You purchase your chosen yacht and it joins the Sail Ionian professionally managed charter fleet in Greece. You retain agreed periods for your own use, while Sail Ionian manages the yacht's charter operation, maintenance and day-to-day care from our base in Lefkas.
Owner usage is normally based on up to six weeks each year. Typically, three weeks are taken during the lower season and three weeks at other times, although alternative usage arrangements can be discussed.
Yes. During the weeks your yacht is available for charter, Sail Ionian markets and operates it through our established charter business. Owners receive income based on the weeks their yacht is chartered.
Actual income varies depending on the yacht, charter demand and the amount and timing of personal owner use.
Sail Ionian manages the yacht throughout the year from our Lefkas base. Our team takes care of charter bookings, guest support, maintenance, engineering, cleaning, preparation and winter servicing.
This is particularly useful for owners who live outside Greece and do not want to organise contractors, marina arrangements or maintenance remotely.
During the standard partnership period, the normal costs associated with operating the yacht within the Sail Ionian fleet are covered by the charter operation. This includes routine maintenance, servicing, insurance, mooring, cleaning, marketing and charter preparation.
Owner-use periods are subject to the agreed turnaround charge and fuel.
The standard Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership runs for five seasons.
At the end of the partnership, owners can decide whether to retain the yacht, discuss continuing with Sail Ionian, or sell it.
Yes, where the yacht model allows individual specification.
We work with owners to select factory options and additional equipment that suit both their own sailing preferences and successful operation in Greece. Some models may also be offered with fixed or special specifications that already include a range of popular options.
We set up a Greek company in which you are the shareholder(s). Your Greek company owns the yacht and holds the relevant charter licences. We act as the legal administrator of the company, as required in Greece, and manage its day-to-day operation with support from a professional accountant.
You receive bi-annual statements covering the company and yacht's performance. Your ownership of the yacht is therefore clearly established through your shareholding in the yacht-owning company.
Yes. In addition to new yachts for the Partnership programme, we periodically offer a limited number of pre-owned yachts retiring from the Sail Ionian fleet.
These yachts have known operational histories and have been maintained through our established engineering and winter maintenance programmes.
Sail Ionian has considerable experience selling yachts as they leave the managed fleet, we normally suggest in the last year of partnership or extended partnership we advertise for sale with a view to the yacht leaving the fleet at the end of the season, our associate brokerage company will handle the sale. The normal initial term is 5 years but you may terminate the agreement at any time (Subject to reasonable notice).
With the Sail Ionian Yacht Partnership, the yacht is incorporated into our managed charter operation from the outset.
We are responsible not only for maintaining the yacht, but also for generating charter bookings, preparing the yacht for guests, providing technical support and managing the complete charter operation.
This combines personal yacht ownership, charter income and professional yacht management within one programme.
Current new and selected pre-owned yachts can be viewed on our Yachts for Sale in Greece page.
Each yacht page provides photographs, specifications, pricing and information relevant to that particular yacht.
Contact our Yacht Partnership team to discuss the type and size of yacht you are considering, your preferred personal-use requirements and your approximate budget.
We can then explain the expected charter performance, available yachts and the process from purchase and specification through to commissioning and operation in Greece.
