MEDYS 2026 in Nafplio

There's a moment, about thirty seconds after you step aboard, when you already know. Malcolm Gladwell wrote a whole book about it and called it Blink. At a charter show you get to test the idea dozens of times in a few days, and it holds up better than it has any right to.

You don't really inspect a yacht point by point. You feel it. The way the saloon's been laid out, whether the flowers are fresh, whether the crew come to welcome you warmly or just nudges and continues what they were doing in the first place, though I’m happy to report that has not happened during this last show. On the bigger boats there's often a stewardess waiting with a cold towel before you're even at the top of the passerelle, and that’s the kind of thing we look for when visiting these yacht.

In the brochure, most yachts look and sound the same. Experienced crew, talented chef, fresh out of a refit or yard work over winder, the lot. What actually makes one week better than another tends to be the things you can't put in a brochure: whether the crew really enjoy working together, and have been doing so for years, whether the captain plans to stay another season and is motivated to have you return next year, whether the chef cooks because he loves it or just because he's good at it. You pick most of that up quicker than you'd think, like… almost immediately.

So I'll ask how long the crew have been together, and listen mostly to how they answer, along with the number itself. People who've been aboard a while, and clearly still enjoy it, talk about the boat differently, they care. That’s my next question, who’s the owner and how are they. Some know the owner intimately because they’re involved on a weekly basis, others only talk to management. Then it's practical stuff, like how the cabins smell below deck, which thougthful touches crew pull out their sleeve to make guests feel special, what the toys are, and whether the crew can actually teach them. A few bites of whatever the chef presents visitors that day… and by the time I've walked the cabins and the decks, the image is very clear.

A strong year

This year was one of the better fleets, and most of the brokers I spoke to felt the same. It was the 11th MEDYS, 2 to 6 May, and with more than 100 yachts on the quay, the biggest yet. It was also freezing, the coldest anyone could remember, though nobody seemed to mind much and by the end of the week, the sun finally came though for a glorious ending.

What struck me is how the whole thing keeps getting more professional. The eastern Med is busier every year, and the competition is pushing everyone to raise their game, owners, agents, and especially crew. I started on the few cats that were present, then the 30-metre motor yachts and worked my way up to the superyachts, and the service was excellent the whole way, just more impressive the bigger the boats got.

If there's one clear direction, it's toward light and space. The newer yachts have dropped the dark, closed-in saloon for big windows, fold-down terraces and beach clubs right at the waterline, and they sip a lot less fuel, which you notice when the APA calculation lands at the end of the week and globally, the push towards a more ecological yachting scene helps too. None of that means the older boats are finished, and that’s something that definitely stood out too this show. Even the older boats were generally in exceptional condition and for most of them I would not hesitate to offer them confidently.

What people are actually asking for

The way clients talk to me has changed over the years. Fewer ask about top speed, toys or amenities, and more ask what the yacht and week will feel like, how the crew is with guests and generally just things that aren’t in the brochure. Privacy comes up sooner than it used to. Families want crew who are experienced with children, and somewhere for the teenagers to disappear for a few hours with the toys, and the bigger multi-generational groups -a huge part of the charter market now- ask about accessibility, cabin layouts and stabilisers long before they ask about anything else.

The captains I remember were the ones talking about the anchorages most others sail past, the chefs that were planning around the local markets they trust, using seasonal ingredients & special local touches, and the watersports which were run by people who could actually teach you something rather than just hand over the keys.

I’ve noticed captains truly open up once you start pushing beyond the standard itinerary. A good test is asking them for their favourite hidden spot. First round they’ll come back at you with a generic reply, but once they understand you know the region well, they’ll give you the insights clients come back for year after year.

The standouts

If the budget allows, VOLO MARE is a yacht I'd comfortably recommend to anyone who will listen. She's an Azimut Grande, just under 40 metres, but she feels much bigger: a flybridge with a 360-degree view and a forward-facing bar, a table for 12 out in the open, and another 12-seater by the saloon, tucked behind a lounge so you're not eating in full view of the quay. That lounge is sitting in between two levels, adding an extra lounging area without compromising any of the decks. Everything runs off one control system, and, thankfully, whoever picks the music has taste. Maybe that’s just me, but a good song or some good playlists can really make the holiday, 10/10 on that. For two families who care about good design, details, great crew and a guaranteed exceptional experience, she was the boat I kept thinking about on the drive home.

The best single space at the show, though, was the sundeck on O'MADELEINE, the 60-metre Golden Yacht out for her first season. It goes on forever, half of it shaded, with a bar, daybeds, a massage table and a gym, then sunbeds and a jacuzzi out in the open looking over the bow. She's the obvious next step for anyone who's done the 50-metre boats and wants more room and a newer hull. The chef turned out to be a sushi master, among other things, and the crew didn't miss a beat. Second place is definitely for GECO, the 55-metre Admiral. She has plenty of brilliantly (Italian…) designed outdoor spaces and it was a difficult decision putting her second.

PERSEFONI is for the guest who wants size and nothing left to chance. She's got the longest toy list I've seen on one boat, and the owner's art collection alone is worth the visit. A long standing and excellent charter reputation preceed her and I was especially pleased by the crew’s exceptional professionalism and the quality of the yacht.

For a first catamaran charter, the kind where it all has to go smoothly, SERENITI is an easy one to recommend. She's barely a season old, Captain Vasiliki and her crew were some of the nicest people I met all week, and there are lovely little touches everywhere, like the cockpit table that drops down into a sunbed.

MY EDEN suits the guest who wants the boat mostly to themselves but likes the odd party. The whole top deck is the master bedroom, sauna and jacuzzi included, and the beach club opens onto the sea at the lowest level (and through a hatch straight to the galley) with room for a crowd. The perfect venue for any event.

BESTIA is great for younger families or couples: a glass-wrapped Sanlorenzo planing hull, full of light, quick enough at around 30 knots to keep the hops short, with a crew of 5 who bring real energy to the week and proved their worth during the show.

And for anyone who finds all that glass a bit cold, AKIRA ONE is the opposite, all warm wood, deep carpets and the kind of detailing you keep noticing, with a sundeck made for long, lazy afternoons. The woodwork on board this stunning vessel was something we were still talking about hours after.

As a brand, the Cantieri di Pisa yachts surprised me this year. In photos they look like less modern, indoor boats. But when on board, they're classy and beautifully put together, giving this sense of craftsmanship and superiority you can only find on a yacht built and designed by the hands of Italians. SHOOTING STAR was one, KINTARO another, and for a larger group after space and comfort, they're popular for good reason.

And one to skip, unless

Sometimes it's more useful to say who a boat isn't for. BLACK LION was the only monohull sailing yacht on the quay, a 30-metre Perini Navi, though not like the traditional Perinis you'd picture: carbon hull, fresh off a full exterior refit with new winches, teak deck, mast, boom, sails and rigging. She's also the most stripped-back boat at the show, and proud of it, with all the space and comfort you'd want from a 30-metre sailing yacht but none of the plush and excess. Being a sailor myself, I was dying to take her for a sail and seeing what she can do, which is undoubtedly very impressive, but unless you're the rare guest who'd love chasing down the Meltemi under sail, she's not your boat. However if you are, you'll have the time of your life behind the wheel of this true performance sailing yacht.

It's the people

The thing that stuck with me most was on GECO. The chief steward, on board since she was new in 2020, showed me around, and he knew her inside out: every anchorage and setup, what different guests like, right down to how the stabilisers work and why they matter. Calm, attentive, the sort who quietly holds a whole week together without anyone noticing the effort.

Why Nafplio

Nafplio is a great host for this. The harbour's big enough for the whole fleet along one long, sheltered quay, and it's only about two and a half hours from Athens, so it's easy to reach. It's also just a lovely place to be: the first capital of independent Greece, Venetian forts above the water, and plenty of good tavernas and squares for the evenings between the parties and the talks. No bad place to finish a charter, either.

Thinking about Greece?

Reach out to us here at Frontier Yachting. We’ve been in the business for years and know the Mediterranean fleet inside and out.

When you call, I'll start by asking what you're really after: the full superyacht week with the cabins turned down morning and night, or simply a week where you don't have to think about cooking. Then your budget, which decides the size of boat more than anything else, and your dates & flexibility. Tell me your ideal day on the water and I'll match it to a boat and a crew I know can pull it off.

Tell me what your week looks like and I'll find the right one. You can browse the fleet here, or if you're still choosing where to go, have a look at our comparison of the Greek charter regions.

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