chartering

[Birdseye]

Boat sold and likely wont be replaced, so I am thinking of going back to sailing charters as we did 30 years ago. But out of touch so which are the goodies and baddies in the market? PM me if you want to crucify some company! Dont want to reduce YBW advertising even more.

Thinking flotilla for social reasons - will be just SWMBO and myself chartering

 

[mjcoon]

Even if you are not taking kids of your own, a well-organised flotilla can amuse with the antics of other peoples'...
photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Birdseye]

When I last did a flotilla many years ago, they organised a ladies rubber dinghy rowing race. I laughed so much I nearly wet myself, and SWMBO didnt speak to me for the rest of the day.

 

[Davy_S]

We did the Ionian flotilla with Sailing holidays years ago, it was certainly a good laugh, one young couple had not sailed before, they knew nothing about reefing, they put a Jag nearly on its beam ends, they lost the seat cushions, the fenders and the winch handle, all in a matter of seconds, they laughed about it though, so did we as we watched it happen!
one couple fell in the harbour pissed, one yacht snapped its forestay and asked why it was floppy, it was well organized though, hats off to Sailing holidays, some nights everyone had a meal and drink together, others you did your own thing, the last three nights we sailed off in company with another yacht, we did the North route, mainland and Corfu, i think the South route is better, Lefkas and Kefalonia, each to their own.

 

[mjcoon]

Although my on-line tabulation from 1974 has stopped in 2014 (see /page38.htm) we have continued with sailing trips, mostly flotilla, every year since with the exception of 2020. The 2020 trip was postponed to 2021 and the "flotilla" consisted of just us and our lead yacht. A bit claustrophobic, perhaps , but we were well looked after. That trip was organised by Sunscape in the UK and Greek Sails on Poros, including the necessary Covid-19 activities.

Monemvasia: photos.app.goo.gl

But any trip can produce challenges for the organisers to sort out, which seem often to involve holding tanks...

 

[Birdseye]

But any trip can produce challenges for the organisers to sort out, which seem often to involve holding tanks...

Yes. On our flotilla many years ago the holding tank sprund a leak at the same time that all 4 of us had the trots. Afte locker including the dinghy full of poo! I really felt sorry for the engineer who cleared it up and Sunsail gave us a free flotilla the following year to make up for it.

 

[Poignard]

Boat sold and likely wont be replaced, so I am thinking of going back to sailing charters as we did 30 years ago. But out of touch so which are the goodies and baddies in the market? PM me if you want to crucify some company! Dont want to reduce YBW advertising even more.

Thinking flotilla for social reasons - will be just SWMBO and myself chartering

Being a Yorkshire man you'll be wanting to do things on the cheap, so how about chartering my classic Twister for a week or two?

All I ask by way of payment is for you to undertake a few jobs from the defect list. Scrape and paint the deck. Ditto the antifouling. Varnish coachroof and cockpit. Repair the tri-colour light. Should leave you plenty of time for a little sailing.

 

[Daedelus]

One sailing holidays flotilla the engineer said the first heads clearance is free after that you buy me beer for a whole evening.

 

[mjcoon]

One Sailing Holidays flotilla the engineer said the first heads clearance is free after that you buy me beer for a whole evening.

That's just about OK if the crew had blocked it by putting down something they have never eaten, contrary to instruction. But on a trip with that very company the tank fell off the bulkhead it was supposed to be attached to and spilled some of its content over my bare feet... Rather than wanting compensation from us it went the other way, more like Birdseye's experience with Sunsail. But we argued that since we were a scratch crew rather than family we required cash-in-hand!