Client comments

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• S/Y Sophia

Letter of the year

• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2007
• 2008

More letters

• 2003
• 2004

Logbook entries...

Clients' photo album

S/Y Sophia, Sun Odyssey 33

Here are a few comments from customers who sailed on Sailing Yacht Sophia from Skiathos between 1993 and 2011 - in reverse order...

Feedback from 2011

All tick boxes: reception, yacht, inventory, itinerary, skipper - excellent.

"I personally do not that much experience on yachts but I can honestly say that the yacht provided for all my needs during sailing.

Your services from initiating the discussion  and setting the yacht renting details to actually sailing with us, were excellent, informative, quick to answer/service and helpful when needed. Even if I personally did not enjoy sailing due to bad weather and nausea, I will be glad to come back and give it one more try knowing, that my needs will be meet in timely manner, with organization and care for me and my friends."

Maria K, from Volos, sailed in May 2011 with Skipper Thanasis Raptis.

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καλημέρα,

θερμές ευχαριστίες εκ μέρους όλης της παρέας μας προς το γραφείο σας και τον skipper. ευχόμαστε να μας δοθεί η ευκαιρία σύντομα και για μια εβδομαδιαία εκδρομή στις Σποράδες.

Μ.Σφήκα

Translation:

Good morning,

Deep gratitude on behalf of our group towards your office and the skipper. We hope that we'll find the opportunity soon for another week long trip in the Sporades.

M. Sfika. from Thessaloniki, sailed in June 2011 with Skipper Thanasis Raptis.

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“Everything was excellent! Thank you.” Maria Kosmodoudi (Odyssey Sailing) April’11

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“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, engine and sailing area excellent. Yacht’s condition and sails good.”
Marco Rotar, May’11

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“Dear Francesca, We had a wonderful time back in June, thank you again and to Panagiotis, he was very nice and helpful, send him our best regards. Best regards, Cristian.”
Christian Ditescu, June’11

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“Reception by staff excellent. Yacht’s inventory, condition and skipper good.”
Theodoros Bentoulis, June-July’11

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“Dear Panos, Thank you and Greetings to you and Francesca!”
Ernest-Rosemarie – Matthias-Birgit July’11

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“Hello Francesca, Myself and my family, we wanted to thank you very much for the nice holidays we had on Sophia! We appreciated very much Sophia in general and also about some little details you never get with a standard bareboat. We loved the sailing area, especially Alonissos area. A very special thanks to Panagiotis for his warm welcome and hand-over of the boat: definitely not usual !!! See you, Thierry.”
Thierry Verhulst July’11

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“Panos and Francesca, A great two weeks. “Sophia” is aging well and the new sails are a good addition. We had a superb time!”
John Dillon Leetch, Aug 11

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“Reception by staff, skipper, location, engine and sails excellent. Yacht’s condition good.” Emanuela Nikolova, Sept’ 11

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“Reception by staff, skipper, location, engine and sails excellent. Yacht’s condition good.”  Nikole Roberts, Sept’ 11

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“Dear Francesca and Panagiotis, We wish to thank you very much for our wonderful sailing on your Sun Odyssey 33 Sophia. We felt the special home atmosphere thanks to so detailed equipment. All the signs and marks on the boat makes easy to find anything we needed.

And the remarks on the check in were very helpful not only for sailing time :-). Many thanks for the first night in restaurant, all those small "snacks" were wonderful and we wanted to repeat on departure. Hope there will be next chance to spend such nice time with Greek wine. We had a very nice trip, only the first planed stop on Trikeri Island we had to change for Agia Kiriaki as the Sunsail flotilla blocked all the place. But it was also good as we were only one boat on this first stop. We had some nice sailing, and the ports were empty, the beaches were completely less of people and the islands were so picturesque. It left many places for the next time. Sorry that we had to stop earlier due to the weather but good to know that bad weather was not so long and later came sun again…

I am sending you some of our pictures. On 2 cameras we made about 2000 photos together :-).

Again many thanks for you hospitality and the best regards, Joanna & Andrzej

PS. Already some of our clients are asking for my report. I will advice when the articles will be printed.”
Joanna Rafalska, Oct’ 11

Feedback from 2010

Letters of the year 2010!

Panagiotis and Francesca,

As promised you receive a selection of the over 400 pictures we shot during our fantastic holidays with Sophia in the region of the Northern Sporades. Without your involvement, good suggestions, and warm personalities these holidays wouldn't have been so successful as they were.

Thank you for instance so much for suggesting boarding in Volos instead of Skiathos. The 4 days of our trip to and from the Sporades in the bay of Volos were at least as interesting as the rest of our stay amongst the islands. The bay is full of pleasant surprises and your permanent berth on the quay of Volos gave us all the services we needed for a pleasant start and ending of our holidays.

Sophia is really a fully equipped bareboat that made us become completely conversant with her from the first minute on we sailed from Volos. All the material is well maintained and that gave us a lot of confidence in sailing the Aegean Sea (these credits belong presumably the most to Panagiotis, don’t they? ; - )\

Your unexpected invitation for Panagiotis’ names day was a perfect finish of a two weeks pleasant stay in the beautiful sailing area of Volos Bay and the Northern Sporades.

Good luck to you and your family and lots of success with Odyssey Sailing; the money we spent on this experience was worth every penny of it and we’ll never forget your contribution in making it an unforgettable one!

 Kind regards,

Mariska and Marco, Aug’10 (from the Netherlands)
Please click here to see their sailing photos.

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“Everything was excellent! Thank you.”
Milan Knezeviz, June-July’10

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“A really good service. Personable well outfitted vessel. Well maintained. Enjoyed the sail.”
David Buller, July’10

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“Panagiotis and Francesca, As promised you receive a selection of the over 400 pictures we shot during our fantastic holidays with Sophia in the region of the Northern Sporades. Without your involvement, good suggestions, and warm personalities these holidays wouldn't have been so successful as they were.
Thank you for instance so much for suggesting boarding in Volos instead of Skiathos. The 4 days of our trip to and from the Sporades in the bay of Volos were at least as interesting as the rest of our stay amongst the islands. The bay is full of pleasant surprises and your permanent berth on the quay of Volos gave us all the services we needed for a pleasant start and ending of our holidays.
Sophia is really a fully equipped bareboat that made us become completely conversant with her from the first minute on we sailed from Volos. All the material is well maintained and that gave us a lot of confidence in sailing the Aegean Sea (these credits belong presumably the most to Panagiotis, don’t they? J ) .
Your unexpected invitation for Panagiotis’ names day was a perfect finish of a two weeks pleasant stay in the beautiful sailing area of Volos Bay and the Northern Sporades. Good luck to you and your family and lots of success with Odyssey Sailing; the money we spent on this experience was worth every penny of it and we’ll never forget your contribution in making it an unforgettable one!
 Kind regards, Mariska and Marco”
Mariska+Marco,July-Aug’10

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Also:

Αγαπητέ Παναγιώτη & αγαπητή Φραντζέσκα,
Οι 6 μέρες εν πλω τον Αύγουστο του 2010 στις Βόρειες Σποράδες και στον Παγασητικό κόλπο θα μας μείνουν αξέχαστες. Η «γλυκιά Σοφία» και η άψογη συνεργασία μαζί σας μας έχουν αφήσει τις καλύτερες αναμνήσεις.
Όσον αφορά το ταξίδι μας, αν και πρωτάρηδες, ακολουθήσαμε πιστά τις πορείες που είχαμε προγραμματίσει και γυρίσαμε ένα μεγάλο μέρος τη περιοχής (Αγία Κυριακή - Στενή Βάλα – Περιστέρα / Σκάτζουρα - γύρος Σκοπέλου - γύρος Σκιάθου / Χοντρή Άμμος – Τρίκερι / Βόλος). Συνολικά διανύσαμε 180 ν.μ.
Η πρόταση του Παναγιώτη για διανυκτέρευση στη Χοντρή Άμμο, και η απρόσμενη συνάντηση ενός κοπαδιού δελφινιών έξω από την Αγία Κυριακή ήταν οι πιο ξεχωριστές στιγμές του ταξιδιού.
Σας αξίζουν πολλά συγχαρητήρια για την άψογη συντήρηση του σκάφους καθώς και για τον πλούσιο εξοπλισμό του. Παίζοντας λίγο με τις λέξεις, μπορούμε να πούμε ότι η «Σοφία» κρατιέται πάντα νέα, χάρη στο δικό σας μεράκι!
Ευχόμαστε καλή συνέχεια και ευχαριστούμε ξανά για τις υπέροχες διακοπές που μας προσφέρατε!
Φιλικά,
Νίκος (ή Ξάρτης), Διονύσης (ή Ρέλιας), Σταμάτης (ή Χαβούζας), Νίκος (ή Κοτσανέλος), Θέμις (ή Πανιόλος), Πέτρος (ή Σεντίνας)*
*Τα ψευδώνυμα, εμπνευσμένα από τη γνωστή ιστιοπλοϊκή ορολογία.
Nikos Agoropoulos Aug’10

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Roughly translated:

Dear Panagioti and dear Francesca,

The 6 days sailing in August 2010 in the North Sporades and the Pagasitic Gulf will remain unforgettable. The 'sweet Sophia' and the excellent cooperation with you have left us with the best memories.

As regards out trip, our first sailing trip so to speak, we faithfully followed the course we had plotted and covered a large part of the area (Agia Kiriaki - Steni Valla - Peristera / Skantzoura - around Skopelos - Hondri Ammos - Trikeri / Volos). Altogether we covered 180 nautical miles.

Panagiotis' suggestion to spend the night at Hondri Ammo and the unexpected yet welcome meeting with a school of dolphins off the coast of Agia Kyriaki were the most special moments of the trip.

You deserve many congratulations for the excellent maintanence of the yacht as well as for her rich inventory. Playing slightly with the words, we could say that 'Sophia' will always be young, thanks to your efforts.

We wish you every future success and thank you again for the wonderful holidays which you gave us.

With friendly regards,

Nikos (the Mast), Dionissis (the Rail), Stamatis (the Water Basin?), Nikos (the Winch), Themis (the...) and Petros (the Sheet)*
The nicknames of course are inspired by well-known nautical terms.

Please click here to see their sailing photos.

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“Reception by staff and sailing area excellent. Yacht’s condition and inventory good.”

James Chadwick Darch
Sept’10

Feedback from 2009

We were very happy with the boat and all the arrangements, many thanks.
We'd be more than happy to act as a referee.
I'm still waiting for Dan to download the photos, if we have any good one's
we'll send them on to you.
It's certainly a lovely sailing area.
Many thanks for everything.

Annette

Annette and Dan chartered Sophia for 2 weeks in June 2009

“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent.”
Thomas Spirou, August’09

“Enjoyable, well organised and thoroughly thought over boat! It’s going to be hard to make any comments for improvement.”
Petri Karjalainen, August’09

“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent.”
Mathew Bellamy, August’09

“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory and condition, equipment, engine and sails excellent. See you next summer.”
Christian Ditescu, Sept’09

“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent.”
Kurt Cerny, Sept’09

“Everything was excellent! See you next summer. Thank you.”
Thomas Behrens, Oct’09

Feedback from 2008

Hi Francesca,

I am still in Greece but the rest of the crew has left. We had a great time with the boat which was in excellent shape. Everything was working right. I did fill out the form, but it got partially wet and maybe that's why Panos did not give it to you. My brother-in-law has some pictures up from our whole trip on the web.
About ten pictures are from Sophia: http://picasaweb.google.com/koehler.brad/Greece2008?authkey=SBAH7rzaMXc

Best,
Stergios

Stergios charterd Sophia from 29 June - 6 July 2008.

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Hi Francesca and Panagiotis,

As promised here are a few pictures taken from our time spent on Sophia. We are now back into the swing of things in New Zealand dreaming of our next sailing holiday with Odyssey. We had the best time onboard Sophia and could not have has a better boat to enjoy our first days of married life together. 14 days of pure enjoyment.

We were so impressed with the service from you guys and the condition and equipment onboard Sophia. Think the outboard was in need of a little service but I managed to keep her humming throughout the 14 days. In regards to the weather throughout the trip, it was great. Relaxed motoring in the morning with a good breeze in the afternoon to keep the keel in business. In fact on the second last day we recorded 28kts of wind which was just perfect! Amazing Island group, Fantastic people and downright awe smacking food! WE LOVE GREECE!!!!

We are thinking of the Ionian island group next.......

Regards,

Alex & Lisa

Alex and Lisa chartered Sophia for their honeymoon in June 2008 for 2 weeks.

"Everything was excellent as always! See you… "
Vasilis A. from Athens, April 08

"Overall we had a very positive experience. We hope to return next year! "
Brendan S, from Ireland, May- June' 08

"It's been a real pleasure sailing Sophia and visiting the Sporades. Our honeymoon was perfect and Odyssey helped make this happen. A huge thank you! "
Alex and Lisa R. June' 08

"Great boat! Everything was excellent! "
Stergios S, Gr/Ca, June- July' 08

"Reception by staff, location, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent. "
Niels N, Denmark, July' 08

"Reception by staff, location excellent. Yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails good. "
Sofia A. Portugal / Spain, Aug' 08

"Everything was excellent. Thank you! "
Verislava B, Bulgaria, Aug'08

"Everything was excellent! "
Timothy P, Ireland, Aug- Sept'08

"Reception by staff, skipper, location, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent. " Benjamin SN, Portugal, Sept' 08

"Everything was excellent but too much rain! "
Kurt O, Germany, Oct'08

Feedback from 2007

Everything was excellent! We had a very enjoyable time with no hassle! Sophia was perfect for the 6 of us.”

Hi Fransesca/Panos,
A word of thanks again for your friendliness and a boat in good condition that allowed us a hassle free holiday. The hole team thoroughly enjoyed the excursion.
I'm still feel sorry about the damage to the sails and trust that they could be repaired. We were trapped by an unexpected southerly wind on the windward side of Panayia. Registered 42.5 knots (max) on the wind meter and with only a little bit of sail out the damage happened in an instance...
Under those conditions I was extremely thank full that Sophia was in good condition and we could safely seek shelter in Planitis for a second night.
Sophia and all the memories will be with us as long as we can remember. I trust that the rest of the season will be a good one from you.
Regards
Thinus H., South Africa, charter dates 19 May - 02 June 2007

Francesca/Panos,
Just a note to say thank you very much for a great Charter. I think we enjoyed it this time even more and were very comfortable with Sophia and got to some previously unexplored territory.
I attach some photos for you which look good. On another good front I think I may have got you a charter from French couple we met at the airport who will contact you. Rest assured only good memories and we'll be back.
All the best and good sailing.
John , Helen, Conor and Sarah
John DL and family, (Ireland/UK) chartered 'Sophia' Sun Odyssey 33 from Skiathos, 21 July - 04 August (for the second time). Please click here to see their holiday photos...

Great organisation; very helpful staff. Thank you so much, Francesca for the arrangements and Panos for meeting us and looking after us. Panos outdid himself! Everything worked fine. A fully equipped boat with an easy to start economical engine. ”
George Morfopoulos, CA, June’07

“Everything was excellent! See you next summer...”
Ines Wagner, AU, (regular client) June-July’07

“Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails good.”
Thomas Wagner, DE, August’07

“Excellent holiday- looking forward to coming back and doing it again! Reception by staff, yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent.”
Chris Harrison, UK, August- Sept’07

Feedback from 2006

“The welcoming, the check-in and out procedure, the yacht’s inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent! ”
Thierry Poncin (ES) 30 April - 07 May 2006

"Dear Francesca,
We had a really good time with your boat.
I think it is a very good boat and very cozy. Everything you need you can find it inside the boat. My friend Ntinos who has travelled with a lot of boats, thinks that is one of the best boats he has ever travelled with. Thank you for your offer, I hope we will have the time to travel with sophia again during the summer.
Best regards to Panagiotis and you,"
George K, Thessaloniki, May 2006

Hello Panagiotis,
Thanks again for letting us hire the Sophia. We loved your boat. Because she is a private boat she has a lot of extras above a normal charter boat. As we promissed we send you some photos we took of the Sophia. We hope you like them and are wondering if you recognize the places we took the photos. (See pictures here).
Hanno en Anne-Marie, (Holland), charter dates: 05 June - 19 June 2006

"Brilliant charter and service."
Mr and Mrs A. F. (newly weds), UK, charter dates: 25 June - 12 July 2006

“A very nice boat.”
Susanne Kuehnelarie, 15 - 22 July ’06

"A fine experience!! An excellent boat with an exceptional engine! Would recommend Sofia to anyone! Very easy to charter."
Mr Alex Chr., (Greece / USA) charter dates: 22 July - 29 July /06

“An excellent equipped boat. Very comfortable.”
Vasilis A. (Greece) 12 - 19 August 2006

“Everything was excellent! Excellent support by the chief of the base in Volos (Panos).”
Paolo Frigio N. (Italy) 19 Aug - 09 Sept’06

"Top class! Panos and Francesca were excellent in the whole process of the charter. Through their hospitality and efficiency I would highly recommend Odyssey Sailing. Thank you!! Chartered yachts before through other companies and this has been by far the best.”
Mr Rob K, (Dubai, S. Africa, Australia), charter dates: 09 - 23 September

Feedback from 2005

"Thanks for letting us sail off in what is obviously your pride and joy! We had a great time. We thought you were great, it felt hassle free, your email communication prior to the trip was great."
Further suggestions: "It would be great to include a safety at sea briefing prior to departure. We were not sure if there were flares on board for example. Also a fire-blanket near the galley could be a useful addition. If there is one - we couldn't find it."
Kevin and Jayne D, UK, (Odyssey Sailing) 1 week April 2005.

Excellent: (tick boxes: reception by staff, yacht's inventory, yacht base. Good: condition, engine, sails).
Mr Giovanni B, Italy. (Odyssey Sailing) 1 week May 2005

All excellent - (tickboxes: reception, yacht's condition, inventory, engine, sails, base, area)
Ernst F. and Ines W. Austria. 3 weeks June-July 2005, (Odyssey Sailing)

"Hi Francesca/Panos,
All gone extremely well- just in a cafe checking for a hotel in Athens this weekend. We are in Skopelos on way back West. No problems at all Sophia in top form. Helen Conor & sarah all well - just rueing this ending. Sophia and the Islands have been fantastic . We plan to see you in Skiathos about 4-5pm on Friday if that's ok. Rest assured we will have Sophia Spic and span- we feel she is ours now anyway."
"Thoroughly enjoyed the trip + Sophia - we will hopefully be able to come home soonl"
John D-L and family, UK (Odyssey Sailing) 3 weeks July 2005

"Your website & communication has been excellent. Has been an excellent fortnight - thank you."
Nick K and family, UK (Odyssey Sailing) 2 weeks August 2005

"We had a great time and fun playing with S/Y Sophia around Sporades islands, we discovered a very nice part of Greece."
Luca and Paola B. Italy (Odyssey Sailing) 1 week August 2005

Feedback from 2004

"Thank you very much. Your boat is excellent!"
Diego L (MG Yachts) June'04

"Reception by staff, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent. Yacht is in exceptional condition for its age. Inventory is far more inclusive than other bareboat charters".
Michael M (Odyssey Sailing / Sapphire Yachting) July'04

"Reception by staff, yacht base, sailing area, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent." Vaggelis P (Odyssey Sailing) July'04

"Sailing area, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent."
Nikos K (Odyssey Sailing) Aug'04

"Reception by staff, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent. See you next summer..." Ines W (Odyssey Sailing) Sept'04

"Reception by staff brilliant, yacht's inventory full and useful, equipment good, yacht's engine excellent, yacht's condition very clean. Great package, great yacht. Had a great two weeks. Thank you".
Andrew J (Odyssey Sailing/ Sapphire Yachting) Sept'04

"Reception by staff, yacht's inventory, equipment, engine and sails excellent. For a boat of 11 years she is in a remarkable condition."
Peter G (Odyssey Sailing) Oct'04

Feedback from 2000 - 2003

"A wonderful trip on a marvellous boat in very exciting islands".
Franco B (Athenian Yachts) May 2000

"….we were very satisfied"!
Chris S (Sun Yachting) Sept'02

"Bad weather the second and third day but the boat behaved ok. We really enjoyed it".
Eric S (Athenian Yachts) Oct'02

"My brother and I have just returned from Skiathos after an excellent sailing holiday. I just wanted to thank you all for the professional way all the arrangements were made and the helpfulness of all the staff involved. the yacht Sophia was very good and Panagiotis' attention to detail made it easy for us".
John W (Kavas Yachting) May'02

"….we immediately had a very good feeling for Sophia. It had been thoroughly cleaned, particularly well equipped, perfectly organised with instructions for each equipment and instrument. It soon became clear that we were on a boat cared for and maintained impeccably by her owner. I am convinced that few bare boats rival Sophia in terms of being well equipped and maintained. My heartiest congratulations to Panagiotis for maintaining in perfect condition a 10 year old boat used 20 weeks each year by different crews, every clew, every hinge, every latch, every everything was in reliable working order. Panagiotis returned and gave us a neatly prepared folder with the Port Authorities documents, answered my questions, and patiently gave us instructions on the specific aspects of Sophia, her electrics, fluid circuits and mechanics. It was really remarkable. I truly do not see what else could have wanted on board!"
Robert C (MG Yachts) July'03
Read this letter in full....

"Very good overall service and briefing. Thank you for a lovely holiday".
Stephen W (Odyssey Sailing) Aug'03

"Exceptional pleasure. We will come back! Thank you for everything. The boat is great".
Eduard and Caroline B, Belgium, honeymoon couple (Odyssey Sailing) Sept'03

Feedback from 1993 - 1999

"….yacht in excellent condition".
George N (Seafarer Sailing) Sept'98

"….my congratulations on your Sophia. It is in every respect a perfect and fast boat with excellent equipment".
Norbert W (Aegeus Yachts) July'97

"Strongly recommended! Very well maintained boat and fully equipped in comparison to other charter boats I have seen this one is far superior".
Tim H (Nomicos Yachts) July'97

"Great people to do business with. Very efficient, competent and helpful".
David B (Nomicos Yachts) July'97

"We will come back. Thank you very much".
Stefan U (Nomicos Yachts) June'97

"Boats with that equipment hopefully will be offered in general in Greece! Thank you very much".
Phyllip W (Cyclades Sailing) May'95

"Service, cleanliness, type of boat, state of engine was very good. We had a very good and relaxing holiday with no problem whatsoever".
Michael P (Seafarer Sailing) July'94

"It was a nice holiday on water".
Dietmar E (Winds Way) Sept'94

"Staff service, condition of yacht, equipment, check in procedure, inventory list:
excellent!"
Francois M (Seafarer Sailing) Oct'94

"….charter report from Christofer S..... arrived. He was perfectly happy and recommended the owner of S/Y Sophia VERY highly. Please pass this on to your owner. Seems to be a super man (a true Seafarer partner)".
Bodingbauer Yachtcharter GmbH April'94

"S/Y Sophia is a good boat that has helped us to have a nice and safe holiday".
Andrea T (Hellas Yachts) Aug'93