Some yachts are easy to admire from the dock. Athena I is the kind you remember long after you've stepped off. A 27-metre Wally built in 2018 and comprehensively refitted in 2022, she carries that unmistakable Luca Bassani signature — clean, low-slung lines that somehow manage to look both aggressive and effortlessly graceful at the same time. Add Alberto Pinto's sophisticated interiors into the mix, and you have one of the most compelling private yacht charter propositions in the eastern Mediterranean.
We're genuinely fond of the Wally pedigree — these are performance sailboats turned into floating art — and Athena I wears it well. Her owner has invested seriously in keeping her in immaculate condition, which shows in every detail, from the quality of the fabrics in the saloon to the precision of the deck fittings. This is not a yacht that's been rested on its laurels.
Life Aboard: Space That Surprises
For a 27-metre yacht, Athena I punches well above her weight when it comes to living space. Her 280 square metres of interiors — beautifully appointed throughout — feel genuinely generous. Three staterooms accommodate seven guests in real comfort, but the headline act is the full-beam Owner's Suite with its own direct access to the sea. That feature, frankly, belongs on a much larger yacht. Waking up, sliding a door open and dropping straight into the Aegean — that's the kind of detail you don't forget.
Up top, the 59-square-metre sundeck is one of the better ones afloat at this size. Plenty of room to stretch out, soak up the afternoon sun, and — when at anchor with the stabilisers doing their quiet work — feel the whole world slow down around you. That anchor stabilisation system is worth mentioning: it makes a meaningful difference in the afternoons when you're moored in a gentle swell and really don't want your sundowner to arrive with extra movement.
Greece Yacht Charter: The Cyclades, the Ionian, and Everything Between
Athena I's operating area covers two of the world's most extraordinary cruising grounds — and we'd encourage you to think seriously about both rather than defaulting to whichever you know best.
A Greece yacht charter aboard Athena I opens the door to some of the most iconic sailing in the world. Picture anchoring off Folegandros at sunset, the volcanic cliffs of Santorini glowing amber behind you, or threading through the quieter northern Cyclades — Syros, Tinos, Andros — where the crowds thin out and the tavernas feel genuinely local. With a cruising speed of 11.5 knots, Athena I covers ground efficiently without ever feeling like she's in a hurry. The Dodecanese are equally compelling — Rhodes, Symi, Kalymnos — a different aesthetic to the Cyclades but no less rewarding.
Türkiye Yacht Charter: The Turquoise Coast in Style
Cross into Turkish waters and the character of a charter holiday shifts entirely — in the best possible way. A Türkiye yacht charter brings a different kind of drama: pine-covered mountains tumbling into impossibly blue bays, ancient ruins half-hidden in the hillside, and a culinary tradition that holds its own against anything the Greek islands can offer. The Turkish coastline between Bodrum and Göcek is, frankly, unmatched for variety.
Göcek's natural harbour and its scattering of small islands make for an ideal early-week base. From there, you can push south towards the Bozburun Peninsula — one of those stretches of coast where you genuinely wonder why more people don't come here — or head east into the Gökova Gulf, a landscape so striking it's been declared a Special Environmental Protection Area. Athena I's shallow 1.75-metre draft is an advantage here, allowing access to anchorages that deeper-keeled vessels simply can't reach.
The Crew — A Difference You'll Actually Feel
A team of four professional crew, led by the highly regarded Captain Giannis, completes the picture. Good captains make a charter — they know which anchorage to head to when the meltemi picks up, which bay will be empty by Tuesday, and how to read what a group of guests actually wants even when they haven't quite articulated it themselves. Captain Giannis has that quality. It's the difference between a competent charter and one you'll be talking about years later.
Athena I is available now for luxury gulet charter across Greece and Türkiye. If you're considering a charter holiday in the eastern Mediterranean and you want something that genuinely stands apart — in design, in space, in crew quality — this is a yacht worth a serious look. Reach out to our team and we'll take it from there.
