boat hire in Laurium · Dufour — 390 Grand Large (2019)

Ship's: Good boat, modern and comfortable but poorly maintained - it is known that it has had intense use in just two years. At check in they spent 4 hours fixing the windex and one of the bow lockers, the VHF, etc; and on the last day the anchor windlass broke. The best: the comfort of having 3 cabins and 3 bathrooms, and the aft platform and the bathtub, including bbq, etc. The worst: the interior floors, redone in non-nautical woods, constantly crackle super loudly; the little broken or non-functional items (only a bbq stove works, for example); and especially the auxiliary: too small (only 2/3 people fit), even for the engine (a 2.5 hp 4-stroke that weighs too much for the little boat!). The cleanliness was reasonable, except in the refrigerators: they did not stop smelling like rotten fish. From the COMPANY / CHECK IN - CHECK OUT: Good and smiling people, everything is easy, although they are not always very efficient (very much in line with the services in Greece, you have to relax and acclimatize). The CHECK IN process was hell: an absurd rush on their part, zero support in the process (we did not have a real onboarding, with an explanation of the "tricks" of the boat), and a lot of pressure to "check" a list of inventory that even they themselves did not know what it meant. The process was unnecessarily stressful and tense -with some unpleasant moments-, and long: 5 hours, even having paid for "early check in". A disaster. The CHECK OUT process was much smoother (this time the "pressure" was on us) and quick, though also tense. In the 15 days of navigation we did not have any problems (other than the one mentioned with the grinder, and a small touch on the dock on a day of hard meltemi), but the managers insist on "discovering" things that are broken or that do not work, that either were already there or are simply due to wear and tear. In reality, the process ends well, because in the offices Tim ends up taking care of you, and with him there is no problem that the final treatment is perfectly reasonable and friendly. In relation to these processes, a piece of advice: the problem is the uncertainty of the process (what is going to happen), misunderstandings due to language and the bravado of some sailors. I recommend calm, take a deep breath and not finish the process until the last issue is clear (don't get carried away by the pressure they put on the process). For the rest, the subject of the tiny auxiliary is serious and intolerable. Not being able to practically use the dinghy is dangerous and makes things too complicated, especially in the Cyclades: on a boat with capacity for 8 people, a dinghy that does not fit more than 3 is NOT acceptable.