Regina K

There aren’t many captains who can say that a charter on board their yacht both created and saved a marriage, but Captain Nikos is a rare breed. Passionate, hospitable and extremely knowledgeable, so it’s safe to say he knows his stuff.

Please tell us a little about your background and how you got into yachting?

I graduated from the Commercial Shipping Academy of Greece and upon graduation I started my career in the Private Yachting Industry of Greece, eventually becoming a Captain. I’ve headed up Regina K since 2017, and before that I was captain on the MY Glaros for six years and MY Glafki for seven.

How would you describe the owner’s vision?

He sees Regina K as a welcoming hospitable place for our guests, their family and friends to cruise the Greek islands, as well as a relaxing and enjoyable home for his leisure.

How would you describe the style and personality of Regina K? 

She has a strong and warm personality with a contemporary design. She was built to welcome people on board eager to visit the beauty of Greece’s untouched and vibrant islands in the comfort and luxury of their own charter yacht.

Guests on board will find both fancy and casual ambiances all at the same time – it really depends on their tastes and the type of charter they are looking for.

What’s your personal style as captain? 

I personally choose the crew, and together we form a perfectly operating team that is well trained, hardworking, and has a natural propensity to be hospitable and of service to our guests.

What’s the best thing about working on Regina K?

She is a dream yacht to captain. She was built by Cantieri di Pisa in 2008 and last refitted in 2018, and the last three years working on board have been great. She is comfortable, easy to navigate, and gives me a flexibility that is greatly appreciated by our guests on board.

What are some of the standout features and where do guests tend to gather?

There’s far too many to name, but some of the most notable features include the beautiful bright modern living spaces with an office/media room, and the large exterior dining and sunbathing spaces. The lower deck has a deep swim platform that connects through to the beach club so guests can access the main deck aft, too. Guests tend to gather at the beach club and on the sun deck, mainly.

Which types of client are most attracted to a charter on board

The owners are very selective about who charters their yacht, but the regular clientele is from the USA. This year, though, we’ve had mainly Dutch, Danes and the Swiss.

What experiences can you offer guests?

A large variety of itineraries and comfortable cruising that allows clients to enjoy the actual pleasure of sailing the Greek seas. We allow plenty of time to visit the charming ports of call, beautiful bays with unspoiled blue waters for swimming, and endless space for watersports or fishing.

Please share some examples where you and your crew have gone above and beyond to make the guest experience as special as possible… 

The crew is trained and ready to be with the guests 24 hours a day, listening carefully to what they want and making it happen. They are trained to learn the guests’ eating, drinking, sporting, sightseeing and shopping habits early, and are always prepared to satisfy these preferences in a professional, hospitable and polite way.

A particular case I have in mind was an August charter cruise with an American family when the meltemi winds in the Aegean made reaching the island of Santorini very difficult. It was a dream of the wife though, so I, as the captain, managed to reschedule the itinerary to find a four hour opening in which we could reach the port safely, without endangering the trip.

I spoke to the husband about my new plan, he was happy with it, and we departed much earlier than planned, travelling with increased speed to reach our dream destination. When the guests woke up in the morning, they were delighted to face the beautiful island of Santorini and enjoyed a full day of sight-seeing. That evening I sailed the yacht in a beautiful bay where we prepared a beach BBQ and all had a wonderful time.

Are there any interesting personalities or talents among the crew?

The crew is multilingual and I would definitely say multitalented. They have been with me on many cruises and have developed a unique teamwork mentality and an admirable ‘modus operandi’.

How are the yacht and the crew prepared to accommodate children and teenagers on a charter?

Since the owners are very selective about who charters their yacht, we tend to have a lot of families, and consequently the crew is trained to entertain children and teenagers with a variety of games on board. We can also recommend various nightlife options in different ports of call if teenagers would like to have some more fun in the evenings.

How would you describe the cuisine on board?

A mix of continental, American and Mediterranean. Greek cuisine is always popular, and we have a very special love of Aegean seafood.

Tell us about the toys and tenders – which toys are the most popular with guests? 

We have a one 4.3m tender with a 40hp Honda outboard engine for watersports, one Spark Waverunner Seadoo two-seater, one tube, one SeaBob, one stand-up paddleboard, water skis and fishing equipment. All are very popular!

What are your usual cruising grounds?

We cruise the Saronic Gulf, the Aegean and the Ionian Seas and the Eastern Mediterranean, with a special preference for the Aegean-Cycladic islands. We have a variety of multi day itineraries.

Which destinations and your personal favourites and why?

One of my favorite itineraries is visiting the Aegean-Cyclades islands of Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Syros, Serifos, Milos, Sifnos and Antiparos.

What have been some of the highlights or your favourite memories as captain of Regina K?

There are so many happy and memorable highlights, I could fill a small book with them. To name a few, we had a charter with an American mid-western family, and on the day they were disembarking, the young boy (about 10 years old) came to me, hugged me, and told me that he has decided when he grows up, he wants to become a captain on a yacht.

On another cruise, we had a Greek-Canadian family. The daughter, a young lady of 22, met a young Greek boy on Paros who was studying at a university in Toronto, spending his summer holidays in Greece. The meeting was the beginning of a friendship, and they met in Toronto later that year, finally fell in love and got married. I received a wedding invitation with a personal note from her, thanking me for making her cruise on our yacht a happy and memorable experience.

The biggest highlight of my career has to be during a charter with a family from California. The couple was having marital problems when the cruise started, and they were talking about divorce. However they had such a great time on board they decided to give the marriage another chance, and three month later they sent me a letter from San Francisco with a photograph - she was pregnant with another baby, and they both looked very, very happy.
Every cruise is a highlight for me, and when our guests have a wonderful time and thank me when the cruise is over, I remember why I love my work as a captain on a yacht cruising the Greek islands.