ABOUT US
El Yachting - AGENCY- CHARTER -BROKERAGE
Our Story
Our love for the sea and sailing begun when Elena was a small child and her father purchased a small Jaguar 27 where they spent their summer holidays sailing around the Ionian sea.
El Yachting was established in 2010 by Elena and Apostolis Papadopoulos Jr. Having worked in the yacht chartering business for many years Elena and Apostolis decided to join forces and pour their passion for yachting and their acquired wide knowledge of the industry into their own business. The duo can look back on 20 years of experience as they started out in their university years working as crew on large motor yachts. This experience gave them the insight to discover what clients want ,which they also applied to their own business.
El Yachting is a family runned business and the combination of Elena’s experience in the chartering business and Apostolis’s knowledge of yachting was the perfect recipe for success.
Today El Yachting ,owns its own fleet of sailing yachts and catamarans and is also appointed as central agent and management for crewed and bareboat yachts. The main office is located in Patras Marina and their branch office is located in Lefkada Marina.
Meet the Team
Elena Jan Papadopoulou
Founder-Managing Director
Elena was born in the UK and raised in Greece. Elena, can look back on 20 years of experience in the yachting business. As a student she used to earn her keep by working in the summer months on M/Y Elena , a professional 30mt charter yacht. Together with her father she has learned and developed the business from the ground up. Once she graduated she decided to work in yacht charter companies in Athens gaining wide experienced and offering clients the best possible yachts on the charter market suited to their needs. In 2010 Elena decided to move back to her home town , Patras, and start her own business there together with her cousin Apostolis. Parallel to building her business she also completed a Masters degree in Tourism and Marketing. Elena is a member of the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association (HYBA) the International Yacht brokers Association (IYBA) and also the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association (HPYOA). Every year she also attends boat shows inspecting yachts and keeping herself up to date with the latest trends in the yachting industry. When Elena has free time you will probably find her skiing down a mountain.
Apostolis Papadopoulos Jr.
Co Founder - Fleet Manager
Apostolis was born in Patras in 1981. He graduated as a primary school teacher from the Educational Department of Patras University in 2003. Apostolis has always been interested in the sea and from a very young age decided that he would also like to turn his hobby into his summer work. At the age of 17 he started working as a deck hand on crewed motor yachts during the summer period and travelled around the Greek islands many times. He acquired a large amount of knowledge which later on he put into practice when he himself became Skipper on motor yachts and sailing boats. However, Apostolis’s passion has always been sailing and this is what he returned to when he graduated from University. He has been skippering on sailing yachts and large Catamarans in the Ionian for the last 20 years and knows the area like the back of his hand. He is also well known for his kind nature and has many clients who visit the Ionian every year just to have him as their skipper. Apostolis is also a certified sailing instructor from the Hellenic Sailing Federation and a member of the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association (HPYOA).When Apostolis isn’t skippering he is either taking part in sailing races, fishing or else tending to his olives and vines in his village.
Captain Apostolis Papadopoulos
Public Relations and Consultant
Our senior consultant has been a member of the board of the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association for the last 30 years. He is also a Captain with more than 45 years of experience. His immense knowledge of the Greek Yachting legislation and his wide experience of the Mediterranean waters gives him the advantage of offering solid advice and guidance to yacht owners and prospective clients.
Andreas Alexopoulos
Charter Assistant
Andreas joined our team in 2021, he has studied at the Athens Polytechnic school as a civil engineer but the hectic life in Athens led him to decide that he would rather live in a smaller quieter area. Hence, Andreas now lives in Lefkas island and works from our office there. He is in charge of coordinated the charters, checking the yachts and he is also the person clients will meet when embarking on their yachts. Andreas has a lovely personality and a very friendly smile. His English is superb and he also speaks some French.
Giorgios Papadopoulos
Technical Manager
Giorgos is our technical manager and is in charge of the maintenance of our fleet. If something goes wrong Giorgos is there to fix it. He has been in the yachting industry for the last 10 years and is also the chief mechanic on a large motor yacht. He is hands on and our go to person for technical advice.
Lucky
Office Security – Meet and Greet
Lucky joined our team in 2023. He is a Greek stray found by Elena and Apostolis in a Greek Village when he was a puppy. Lucky is now in charge of office security and also meets and greets all our guests at our office in Lefkada. He is always up for a treat and a pat. In his free time Lucky loves to sail and enjoys “barking” commands to the rest of the crew to hoist the sails.
Our Understanding
The team’s understanding and aim is to offer its clients the best possible service helping and guiding them to find their dream yacht and take them step by step through the process – whether it is chartering, buying , selling or managing a yacht. El Yachting’s motto is quality – offering top service and top yachts .
