Iris Yachtcharter - Yacht Charter Company | Fleet, Reviews & Booking

DISASTROUS CHARTER COMPANY!!! We, our family consisting of two adults and two children (aged 11 and 15), booked the sailing yacht TESORO, built in 2013, with IRIS Yachtcharter for the period from August 30 to September 13, 2025. The handover was supposed to take place on the day of arrival by 5 p.m., but was significantly delayed until 7:30 p.m. The formal handover with handover protocol did not even take place until 11 a.m. the following day. The TESORO had an endless list of defects, here are just the most serious ones: -Defective electronic wind gauge: Neither wind direction nor wind strength could be read – a safety risk. -Failure of the bow navigation light – a safety risk. -Sagging port side railing: The railing offered no support whatsoever, which posed a high safety risk, especially with children on board. IRIS's response to this defect will be noteworthy – see below! -Overflowing portside holding tank: The display did not show the correct reading. As a result, on the third day, the contents of the holding tank spilled into the bathroom – with consequences that one can imagine. In a bay where there is no possibility of proper cleaning. Overall, the yacht was in a dilapidated condition. All the upholstery was greasy, floorboards were broken (posing a risk of injury and making loud noises), and it was simply unkempt. Due to the aforementioned defects and delays, we claimed a reduction in the charter price, which was ultimately settled through a lawyer. We finally received a response to our lawyer's letter, the content of which is remarkable, especially the two arguments regarding the railing and the sewage tank. However, the comments on the wind gauge and navigation light were alarming. Here is the quote from IRIS: "...I cannot agree with your comments on the calculation of alleged damage; they do not correspond to the facts. I also cannot agree with your descriptions of the sequence of events and delays. Please provide the logbook as evidence of this. ... The fact that the electronic wind gauge was not working did not pose a significant safety risk. It can happen that a light bulb/navigation light fails; replacements are available in the spare parts box on board or at the nearest port. A night voyage was probably not planned, and without the logbook, I cannot understand why the light bulb was not replaced. A responsible skipper could easily have avoided any safety risk. The railing of a sailing yacht is there to hold fenders. In this respect, it was fully functional. Again, there was no safety issue. The railing is not intended to secure the people on board, but rather the safety line. The waste tank worked, and when used correctly, there are no hygiene issues, even if a sensor is not working properly. As a gesture of goodwill and without acknowledging any legal claim, we are prepared to settle the matter by mutual agreement by reducing the charter price, including the extras paid to us, to $450 per day or $6,300 for the two weeks..." The goodwill amount is a whopping €115.94!!! It's crazy, I would have loved to transfer the amount back, but instead I decided to donate the money to the DGzRS – you might need these people or other sea rescuers if you charter with IRIS, at least that's what I fear. I can only URGENTLY advise everyone not to leave any money with this amateur charter company and, above all, not to be taken in by them at the BOOT trade fair or anywhere else.

Despite the overall beautiful and eventful trip, we will definitely not sail with Iris Yachtcharter again. The introduction on Saturday was chaotic: the understaffed team didn't manage to prepare the boats in time and the overworked guide obviously didn't know the boat himself. Instead of leaving at 4 p.m. as planned, we were only able to set off at 8:30 p.m. because, among other things, the power supply on board was not working. Our skipper discovered that the heating element had calcified, which meant that no hot water was available, which could not be rectified on Saturday evening. According to our agent Silke, the HYGGE catamaran was designed for 10 people, but realistically only offered space for 6 people plus the skipper's cabin. The supposed "single beds" were tiny areas in the bow that were hardly suitable for sleeping. The kitchen equipment was a complete disappointment: basic utensils were missing, the oven didn't work properly and the equipment was generally inadequate. The bathrooms were dirty when we took over, one toilet was blocked and the shower drain did not work. Cleaning products were also not available. Some of the navigation instruments were defective and the general condition of the boat did not match the description as "as good as new". The first aid kit was inadequately stocked and many products had expired since 2017 - an absolute no-go in 2024. With only five sailing days, as we had to be back in port by 6 p.m. on Friday, the price-performance ratio was not right at all. Conclusion: The sailing was wonderful, but the numerous shortcomings and the poor service from Iris Yachtcharter spoiled the experience considerably. We strongly recommend choosing another provider to enjoy a carefree cruise.