End-of-season opportunity
So here I am, at Alimos Marina, Greece’s largest marina with 1,100 slips and 600 winter drydock berths. As for the setting 40 minutes from the airport, there’s nothing charming about the place, but all the services a yachtsman could ever need can be found there. This is the marina where Istion Yachting, which started out in 1992 on the island of Kos, moved its main base and offices in 2007. The reason I mention this company is that its founder and CEO, Ioannis Kourounis, came up with the Catamaranscup concept, launching it in 2010. The idea is brilliant: to offer a final burst of activity to all charter fleets operating in Greece before the end of the season. At the beginning of November, charter boats are mothballed until April. They may be stored ashore, wintered afloat, overhauled from keel to truck, as required, but in whichever any case they are no longer sailing. For all the seasonal staff, this week in November is also their last on the water... Ionis therefore proposed to transform this last week of activity into a real celebration. From the outset, the event has been reserved for catamarans, which are considered to be more convivial, but a forthcoming gathering in Croatia could well bring together monohulls and catamarans as early as this coming spring.
An affordable price
The formula is not intended to be exclusive. Quite the contrary in fact - it’s open to other charter companies, and it’s up to them to motivate their customers! For the 2023 edition, we didn’t come across any privately-owned catamarans. Ultimately, the Catamaranscup is offered to sailors as a hybrid week that’s a little bit different, as your stay comprises 5 “full inclusive” days and the rest in classic self-sufficient mode. This tempo is sure to appeal to crews ticking the bareboat box for the first time: for the duration of the regatta, they’ll have 100% assistance with routing and harbor maneuvers. Istion Yachting has recruited more than 10 people, including a mechanic, a diver - and an entire media team.
All that’s left for the crews to do is coast quietly from anchorage to anchorage back to their departure base. It is also possible to book a skippered catamaran.
Those who have chartered a catamaran during the high season, whether in the West Indies in winter or in the Mediterranean in summer, are well aware of the skyrocketing prices... The nice surprise of this Catamarans- cup, which takes place during the low season, is that it becomes very accessible. The asking price is based on the low-season rate and a surcharge of €1,000 per multihull (whatever the number of crew on board). For our Excess 14, this equates to €5,000. There were 6 of us on board, so it came to just over €800 per person. Some crews didn’t hesitate to increase the number of participants to 10, bringing the bill down to €500 per head - who could beat that with four nights in port and the same number of evening functions/dinners taken care of?
Rendezvous in Alimos
The Excess 14 reserved for us, which is almost new, is in perfect condition and is just coming to the end of its first charter season. Everyone settles into their assigned cabins, and we finish provisioning. The weather is summery: almost 30°C (86°F), but no wind. That’s exactly what’s bothering Théo, Excess EMEA Sales Manager. Our Excess 14 has the second-highest rating after the Samana 59, and this calm spell won’t help us much...
The fleet is due to check in at the Alimos marina on October 28, giving me the opportunity to take a look at the registration list. First surprise: there are almost 300 sailors on the list! Families, friends and sometimes cabin charters, the crews come from a wide variety of backgrounds: the most represented countries, apart from Greece, are Romania, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany... but there are also French, Bulgarians, Croats, Latvians, Ukrainians, Israelis, Canadians and Americans. So, the event is as international as it gets - and that’s what makes it so special. All documents and instructions are, of course, in English - and almost all crews communicate with each other in English. As the route is more or less the same every year, you’d think that the “repeat rate” of entrants would be low, but no: I’m discovering a great many crew members taking part for the second, third... or even sixth time! This Catamaranscup must be really fun!
The Excess team did ask me to wear a T-shirt and cap in the shipyard’s colors - as for the nice black jacket, it’s just too hot! - but I thought that the first evening would be limited to the presentation of the crews... In fact, no! The organizers are already pulling out all the stops, with a night-time drone show, dinner in an unlikely private floating restaurant and a fancy dress competition for the crews.
The nautical affairs kick off the next day with the first 26.5-mile leg to Poros in the south. Our in-house skipper, André, knows the Peloponnese like the back of his hand and speaks excellent Greek: he’s delighted to be taking advantage of this getaway. Théo is more impatient to get out of the harbor - it has to be said that our position means we’ll have to be the last out. In the end, for lack of wind, the day’s racing is cancelled. Félix, a technical salesman, casts a fishing line. As we sail along the island of Egina, we come to a superb anchorage close to the tiny island of Daskaleio, in Russian Bay. The water is completely protected and the light sublime. For Alice, Excess communications manager, it’s time for her first swim - the water is still 22°C (72°F), while the others get the paddleboards out. We then join the fleet in Poros, a magnificent port. All the stoves are simmering: tonight, it’s the culinary competition before the party!
On our second day, conditions are just as clement, with the catamarans processioning around Poros from the south. This time, we managed to complete a course. The wind is so light that we sometimes struggle to get our mainsail battens on the right side. In short, we can’t really get the Excess 14 to work, and our rating is taking its toll on us - that’s the name of the game! In fact, the initial 27-mile course ended up being reduced to less than 10... We then have time to enjoy an anchorage and a lap of honor in the port of Hydra - a magnificent stopover. Finally, we reach Porto Heli, a vast and remarkably protected bay. All the catamarans are moored in pairs on simple T-dock pontoons. Aboard the Excess, the team is close to burn-out: tonight is the Excess Orange Party! The carefully designed caps are a big hit - well done Théo!
Day three’s program is to head west- northwest towards Paralio Astros. The theoretical course is precisely 18.4 nautical miles, but the organizers are waiting for the afternoon thermal breeze to kick off the race, so we’re all invited to anchor in the nearby bay of Kollàdhia. There, an incredible paddleboard race is launched, and our crew is represented by Nina, marketing project manager. Despite all her energy and our encouragement, the Excess 14 paddleboard remains in the middle of the pack. Théo’s determination to win is beginning to be somewhat hampered, especially as the regatta that follows ranks us barely better than the day before... Keep cool, we’re here to have fun! The 34 catamarans dock in the port of Astros and we discover a charming seaside resort overlooked by the ruins of a castle. From up there, the sunset is a magical moment.
On the final day, the route is less ambitious, with the aim of reaching Nafplion, less than 10 miles due north. As on the previous day, a morning meeting at anchor is planned. But for this final day, the objective is even more ambitious, with the boats coming together to establish a gigantic flower, of which each catamaran becomes a petal... We head for Secret Beach, a deserted anchorage protected by a small island. Operations take over an hour, but the guys at Istion Yachting know their stuff. With Alice and Nina, we venture into a cave, then I climb to the top of the island to enjoy the view over the Argolic Gulf. At midday on the dot, after a countdown provided by the sound system aboard the committee boat, a Bali 4.8, all the participants dive or jump into the water, and a drone in the sky captures the moment, immortalizing it. The large flower formed by the multihulls also becomes a course for the tenders: a race is launched - without engine of course - and it’s Félix who wins hands down! The Excess team is no longer empty-handed! In the afternoon, a final course with a mark to tack finally forces us to do something other than downwind... but it’s still mostly downwind with a bit on the beam. Still no upwind work or tacking, conditions where our Excess could have stood out from the crowd. We’re managing to handle all the lulls and we’re not doing too badly. But the Lagoon 450 equipped with folding propellers is the one that keeps managing to escape, and not just by a little! Nafplion is a historic city - the old town and the citadel of Acronauplia are well worth a visit. After a grand dinner/prize-giving ceremony, participants are invited to extend the party in town - just in time, today is Theo’s birthday!
A 100% charter fleet
The Multi 2000 rule was used to establish compensated times for each race and to divide the multihulls into 3 categories. It should be pointed out that no catamaran is actually measured and checked... if you want to climb the podium, make sure your hulls are clean and that you’ve got a spinnaker. But the best turbocharger has got to be folding propellers!
