10 Questions to Ask When Chartering a Skippered Sailing Holiday

Editor

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Created on Aug 26, 2021

Aug 26, 2021

Categories: Life Aboard

When choosing whether to go bareboat or with a skipper, you can take into account your own experience as a skipper and what kind of holiday you want. We hope that our questions and answers below will be a good guide for those who are considering chartering a boat with captain/skipper.

Fair winds and following seas!

1. Who is the skipper?

All operators of GotoSailing.com are very sensitive in choosing a captain. All of the skippers are professional and know their sailing area very well. They provide you guidance about the history, stories of the sailing area. Their priority is for you to have an unforgettable yacht holiday.

2. What is the benefit of chartering a skippered yacht?

- Determine the best possible sailing route in your cruise area

- The calmest coves, the best beaches, access to the best restaurants, benefit from the captain's vast local knowledge

- The comfort of leaving sailing to a professional while you relax

- Learning basic sailing tips directly from the skipper

3. What is a sailing day like on a skippered boat charter?

You will decide about your route with your captain in line with your wishes before your sailing holiday. How far you will sail each day is included in your itinerary. Mostly, you may sail up to three to four hours a day. After a morning sail, you may stop at a beautiful bay for lunch, and moor at a bay or marina for the evening. If you want to eat at a restaurant or decide to take a stroll at the beautiful sea villages you visit, you may go ashore… You can learn from your captain about the best restaurants, cafes and shopping stops in the area.

4. Where can I charter a skippered yacht?

5. What are the duties of the skipper?

Skipper’s most important job is to take care of the safety of the yacht and the crew. Management of the yacht in all respects. It is the responsibility of the skipper to ensure that whatever trip the boat is making whether for sailing or for holidays, he follows the regulations and maritime laws. He follows the weather conditions closely and ensures that the yacht and the crew are always safe. He keeps the deck always tidy, put away unused equipment and expect the crew to do the same for safety reasons. He is responsible for fuel and water transfer, the customer takes care of the payment. He is also in charge of the dinghy.

While it is not their primary duty, they provide the guests with local insight about the area and introduce you to basic sailing concepts if you are interested.

6. What are NOT the duties of the skipper?

- Cleaning up

- Cooking

- Doing the dishes

- Tidying up

- Shopping

In one sense, the skipper will be your responsibility on the boat in terms of hosting.

7. What do you need to plan when chartering a skippered yacht?

The skipper will need his own cabin, whether the spare cabin is double or single. Please make sure that you leave one full cabin to the skipper and then make your calculation for the remaining berths. And, don’t forget that you are responsible for the food and beverages of the skipper.

8. Can we get a hostess?

If you have an extra cabin to spare, why not hire a hostess? The hostess tidies up the yacht for you and prepares two light meals including the breakfast. Always check the duties of the hostess, because it may change from one destination to another.

9. In what other matters can you trust your captain?

Your captain communicates with you as much as you want. He also pays utmost attention to your privacy. You can also count on our captain’s discretion. Information about you is never carried outside.

Most of the guests communicate very well with their captain. We have many guests who want to sail with the same captain for their next trips.

10. How to rent a skippered yacht?

It is very easy. When you click reserve this boat button on GotoSailing.com web site, under the “Additional Services & Equipment” section you will see that skipper is listed as an optional service, if not yet obligatory. Just hit the plus sign, proceed with your booking and make the initial payment and there you have a skipper for your sailing holiday.