What Sunsail ARE good at

[rogerroger]

Sunsail do get a rough ride in this forum re: their activities around the Solent. However, I've just returned from a week at their club in Yedi in Turkey and it was nothing short of superb.

Having not been with them since the First Choice take over and having heard rumours about them going downhill a little I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. Service was excellent all round, food perhaps even a little better than other years and air conditioned rooms made life a lot more comfortable.

Sailing equipment was very good - I'd heard that post First Choice take over things didn't get repaired but that wasn't the case. We broke the trampoline on the Dart 16, reported it and it was fixed immediately.

Money well spent I reckon and it was good to escape our dreary excuse for a summer...

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[AndrewB]

I've done their beach holidays too and agree they are good fun. I think it is the flotilla holidays that mostly come in for criticism here.

 

[hlb]

Wish you'd send the lot thats invaded our marina in Plymouth to Turkey.

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[rogerroger]

I wish they'd do that too! There weren't enough day yachts at the club and they were the only aspect that was wanting - poor quality sails etc.

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[jonjo]

Re: Yedi ups and downs

I came away with mixed feelings from my SunSail Club Yedi experience in Turkey.

The staff are their key asset. For the first few days I dismissed them as a bunch of gap-year hoo-ray Henry’s but during an easy yacht race round that island I listened into their safety boat VHF chatter and realised just how serious they were. The offshore wind at Yedi is not ideal for beginner dinghy sailors but the staff maintain a constant VHF dialogue of counts and cross checks between the shore and safety boats.

Yedi is their worst club and SunSail know this. They trade on the club's only real feature i.e. the teenage appeal of the nightclubs a staggering distance away. A SunSail regular who took the Yedi booking, because it was the only last minute vacancy available, told me the SunSail locations further south in Turkey were her preferred location.

I was annoyed with the poor mid-season condition of the flotilla yachts on week 2 and I think SunSail treat their Med venues as a cash cow for funding expansion elsewhere. Had it not been for the effort put in by staff (shore-side and flotilla) I would have left with negative feelings about SunSail.

 

[vyv_cox]

Sunsail staff

My son worked for Sunsail for 7 years, in Chichester, Port Solent, Greece, Turkey, France and Mallorca. His skills and capabilities in all types of craft are excellent. Now that he runs his own business in Mallorca, he finds that very large numbers of the skippers and crew that he deals with are ex-Sunsail. The company pays peanut wages but gets itself a highly dedicated and competent workforce. When these people move on they form the backbone of the leisure yachting industry, which doesn't mean a lot in UK, but does in the Med and Carribbean. Sunsail is a very good starter for someone wanting a career in this industry, but have no illusions about staying with them - you'll never be able to afford to.

 

[sailbadthesinner]

Re: Yedi ups and downs

I think the 'day boats' have always been poor
it is basically the retirment home for the worst examples of the flotilla boats.

I was last in yedi in 1990 and have fond memories, i would not wish to go back having sailed past it some years later. Bodrum and gumbet seems to have swallowed it up.The staff have always, bar one instance, been excellent and safety has always been paramount, giben the poor wages the staff commitment and sense of humour does them great credit.
the nannies are nice too!


...It was like that when i found it!

 

[rogerroger]

Re: Yedi ups and downs

Well our yacht race this time was far from easy ! A good F6 blowing and a long hard beat to windward with a boat with a jammed genoa that wouldn't reef so we broached many times!

I agree about the safety listening to the VHF - not only constant but well prioritised - e.g "get the windsurfer drifting towards the lee shore before the laser sailor capsized outside the club" type thing.

Of course Yedi appeals to those wanting more near the club. Gumbet was a tiny beach resort last time I went and now it's a massive sprawl. Yedi does have good wind and a large sail area. Pirelli is beautiful but has a tiny sail area made smaller by a large wind shadow, and Gallini - well, last time I went there there was not a breath of wind all week !

/forums/images/icons/cool.gif Roger Holden /forums/images/icons/cool.gif
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