Who's going sailing and where?
Discussion
cptsideways said:
We keep our boat on the Scottish West coast, she'll be going on her mooring this week for the season. Handy as we can almost see it out the window ??
Quite tempted with a charter in the med this year so will have a read through to get some ideas. A couple of friends have boats that they charter out too.
There used to be a web site for swapping boats but I can’t find it anymore, I could swap one of mine for a week somewhere if it works.Quite tempted with a charter in the med this year so will have a read through to get some ideas. A couple of friends have boats that they charter out too.
limmy01 said:
Some of these sailing holidays you guys have posted look amazing! So for someone who has zero experience of sailing, where would you start with the end goal of being able to hire and sail one of these magnificent boats? I also assume its better to do it with a couple of families as it looks like it needs a few hands on deck
They are fantastic holidays - for all ages. A skippered charter is a great way to wet your appetite and to see if it is something that you and the family would enjoy. Then, do a Competent Crew course at your local RYA sailing school, then Day Skipper.With your Day Skipper ticket you can then charter a boat (<38ft) for a week on a flotilla (or Assisted Bareboat Charter in our case). Do that for a few years and then go proper bareboat. There aren't really any shortcuts in this game. Invest your time into it properly.
You could also obtain your qualifications overseas in a better climate. This can be a very valid way of doing it, if you think you will only be sailing in the Med for example.
Always happy to advise if you message me.
We have just launched our fleet of 21 boats in the Ionian, ready for the 2024 season to start in a few weeks!
Alfabeat (Nisos) assisted bareboat is a great halfway house. A happy customer here!
If I think about how we did it (starting when I was about 12):
Years 1-3: Sunsail flotilla, 33-36ft yachts
Years 4+5: Assisted bareboat with Nisos, 38-40ft boats. I also (as a teenager) did my Day Skipper some time around here.
Years 6 onwards: Bareboat, starting in Ionian on 44ft, then gradually going larger and exploring more places.
Now 20 years in! Only 1 really bad experience along the way (there is one large greek charter group I will still not use). Normally I’m trying to charter the biggest thing I can get bareboat…once you look at crew it starts getting very expensive very quickly.
I generally try to use charter companies with fleets of 10-20 of their own boats - so large enough that they know what they’re doing, but small enough you’re pointing at a named specific boat and you’re generally dealing with the same person in the office throughout the process.
If I think about how we did it (starting when I was about 12):
Years 1-3: Sunsail flotilla, 33-36ft yachts
Years 4+5: Assisted bareboat with Nisos, 38-40ft boats. I also (as a teenager) did my Day Skipper some time around here.
Years 6 onwards: Bareboat, starting in Ionian on 44ft, then gradually going larger and exploring more places.
Now 20 years in! Only 1 really bad experience along the way (there is one large greek charter group I will still not use). Normally I’m trying to charter the biggest thing I can get bareboat…once you look at crew it starts getting very expensive very quickly.
I generally try to use charter companies with fleets of 10-20 of their own boats - so large enough that they know what they’re doing, but small enough you’re pointing at a named specific boat and you’re generally dealing with the same person in the office throughout the process.
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