Mykonos Yacht Escorts — Companions for Charters and Day Cruises

Mykonos Yacht Escorts — Companions for Charters and Day Cruises

A private charter out of Mykonos is one of the best days the island offers. You leave the traffic and the crowds behind by ten in the morning, spend the day between Rhenia, Delos and half a dozen anchorages that cannot be reached by road, and come back into port at sunset. Arranging company for that day is straightforward, but it has to be arranged — a yacht booking is not something that can be organised at short notice from the quayside.

This page covers how charter bookings work with Mykonos Girls: where we meet the boat, how the timing runs, and what changes when the weather does.

Company aboard a charter

Day charters versus overnight

Most charters out of Mykonos are day charters — eight to ten hours, leaving mid-morning and returning at or after sunset. These are booked as a block rather than by the hour, because a companion cannot leave a boat mid-afternoon in the middle of the Aegean. The booking runs from the marina to the marina.

Overnight charters, where the boat anchors somewhere quiet for the night or continues to a sheltered anchorage, are also possible. They need considerably more notice and are priced differently again. If you are planning a multi-day sailing, talk to us at the point you book the boat rather than the week you arrive.

Catamarans, motor yachts and gulets

The type of boat matters more than people expect. A catamaran is stable, spacious and has proper shaded areas — comfortable for a long day. A fast motor yacht covers more ground and reaches the quieter anchorages, but is louder and less comfortable at speed. A traditional gulet is slow, beautiful and best for a relaxed day that does not try to cover the whole archipelago.

Tell us which you have chartered and roughly what the itinerary is. It affects what a companion brings and how the day is likely to run.

Marinas and pick-up points

New Port and Tourlos

Most private charters leave from the New Port at Tourlos, north of Mykonos Town. It is a straightforward pick-up: a companion is dropped at the quay, meets you at the passerelle at an agreed time, and boards with you. Give us the berth number or the boat name — Tourlos is large and there are a lot of boats.

Ornos and Platis Gialos tenders

Smaller boats and some day charters run out of Ornos or Platis Gialos instead, often using a tender from the beach. This works fine but needs a clearer meeting point, because the beach at Platis Gialos in August is not a place where two people find each other by chance. A specific beach club or a named jetty solves it.

Meeting a boat at anchor

If your boat is already at anchor and you want to add company partway through a charter, that is possible but needs to be planned. It means a tender run to a beach or the port and back, and it takes time out of your day. It is usually better to have the companion aboard from the start.

Planning the day

Timings, tenders and returns

Charter days start earlier than anything else on Mykonos. A ten o’clock departure means a nine-thirty pick-up, which on an island where the previous night ended at four is worth thinking about honestly when you plan. Build the return in as well: if the boat is back at eight, the booking ends at eight, and anything after that — dinner in town, a continuation of the evening — is a separate arrangement that is much easier to make in advance than on the quay.

What to bring and what we provide

Companions come prepared for a day at sea — swimwear, a change of clothes, sun protection, something for the evening if the day is running into one. What we ask from you is what any charter guest would want to know in advance: whether there is shade, whether there is a proper cabin to change in, and whether lunch is provided or you are stopping somewhere for it.

Weather and the meltemi

The meltemi is the north wind that blows across the Cyclades through the summer, and in July and August it can blow hard for days at a time. When it does, charters are cancelled — not by preference but by the port authority and by common sense. This is a normal part of Mykonos life and every regular visitor has lost a charter day to it.

If your charter is cancelled for weather, tell us as soon as you know. We do not charge for a weather cancellation made in good time, and we will usually be able to move the booking to a villa or hotel for the same evening instead.

Rates and cancellation

Day rates and overnight rates

Charter bookings are quoted as a day rate rather than an hourly one, because the commitment is the whole day. The rate reflects the length of the booking and is agreed before you confirm. Overnight and multi-day sailings are quoted individually.

As with every booking we arrange, the rate covers a companion’s time and company aboard. Nothing beyond that is implied or arranged by us.

What happens if the charter is cancelled

Weather cancellations notified in reasonable time carry no charge. Late cancellations for other reasons are handled case by case and we will always tell you the position clearly before you book, not after. We would rather have a straightforward conversation about it in advance than an awkward one on the day.

Booking a charter companion

The practical sequence is simple: book the boat, then book the company, and do both further ahead than you think you need to in July and August. When you enquire, tell us the date, the departure time and marina, the boat name or berth, the expected return time, and how many people are aboard. That is enough for us to confirm quickly.

A charter day is one of the few bookings on Mykonos where there is genuinely no flexibility on timing — a boat leaves when it leaves. Everything we ask for is aimed at making sure that is not a problem.

Where charters actually go

Delos and Rhenia

The standard Mykonos day charter runs west to Delos and its larger, uninhabited neighbour Rhenia. Delos is the archaeological site — a serious one, and the reason the island has any historical significance at all — while Rhenia has the anchorages: a series of shallow, protected coves with water the colour of a postcard and almost nobody in them.

Most charters spend the middle of the day at Rhenia, swimming and eating on board. It is the quietest part of the day and, for most guests, the best part of it.

The south coast run

The alternative itinerary stays close to home and works along Mykonos’ own south coast — past Psarou, Paradise, Paraga and Super Paradise, anchoring off the beaches and tendering in for lunch or a drink at one of the beach clubs. It is a busier, more social day and a good option if you want the party rather than the quiet.

Either works with company aboard. The Rhenia run is more relaxed; the south coast run is more of an event. Tell us which the skipper has planned and the day gets arranged accordingly.

Practicalities aboard

Crew, privacy and space

Every chartered boat comes with crew, and on a day charter the crew are present throughout — a skipper certainly, usually a deckhand or host as well. They are professional, they have seen every kind of charter party, and they are entirely uninterested in their guests’ arrangements. Privacy aboard is a matter of space rather than solitude: most boats of any size have a cabin, and the bow is usually out of sight of the helm.

If genuine privacy matters to you, it is worth asking your charter company about the layout when you book the boat. A catamaran with a forward cabin offers considerably more of it than an open day boat.

Sun, water and the length of the day

Eight hours on the water in Cycladic sun is more demanding than it sounds, and the sea breeze disguises how strong it is. Boats carry shade and water; guests routinely underestimate how much of both they will want. It is worth mentioning because a charter day that ends with everyone exhausted at six is a worse day than one paced properly, and the pacing is entirely within your control.

Common questions

Can a companion join a private charter?

Yes. Day charters, sunset cruises and overnight sailings are all possible. Charters are booked as a block rather than by the hour, and confirmed in advance with the departure point, boat name and return time.

Who arranges the tender?

Your charter crew does. If the boat is at anchor or leaving from a beach rather than a quay, the tender run is part of the charter, not something we organise separately. We just need to know the meeting point.

What if the sea is too rough?

Meltemi cancellations are common in high summer and are not anyone’s fault. Let us know as soon as the charter is called off and there is no charge; we can usually move the booking to your villa or hotel for the same evening.

Can several guests book together?

Yes, group charter bookings are common and we can arrange more than one companion for the same boat. Give as much notice as possible — a group booking on a specific August date needs planning, not a phone call that morning.

Do you charge for time spent travelling to the marina?

No. Travel to Tourlos, Ornos or Platis Gialos is included. The booking clock starts when a companion boards and stops when the boat is back alongside.

Can the booking continue after the charter returns?

Yes, and it is a common request — dinner in Chora after a day at sea. It is far easier to agree in advance than to arrange at the quay, so mention it when you book even if you are not sure yet.