All Destination Yacht FAQs

Have a browse through the awesome photos and descriptions of our favourite spots – and then pack it away!

One of the best things about life on a sailboat is it’s flexibility; if a general consensus is to do something different, we’ll always go-with-the-flow, as long as it is logistically possible.

Sometimes Poseidon will decide for us – and there’s no point in arguing with the wind gods! There are times when it’s prudent to change our itinerary for safety or comfort reasons; your skipper will have your back on that one!

For our sailing newbies – please be aware that we will sail whenever it is sensibly possible; eg, tacking directly into the wind when we’ve still got 20 miles to go will turn a 4 hour trip into twice that time – and there will go someone’s much anticpated beach massage the other end or whatever!

As a brief summary – the sailing season in the Med runs from around mid/late May to end of Oct. Generally, Turkey is warmer early and late season than Greece; and there is even a small difference between eg, our Dodecanese islands and the more northern Greek island groups.

The winds roughly follow the pattern of the temperature; they are strongest when the season is at it’s hottest; late july/Aug.

In SE Asia – the best time to be in our cruising grounds (Phuket, the Philippines) is the northern hemisphere winter. From late Nov to late May is the dry season in Phuket; in the Philippines, their sailing season lasts a little longer. It IS possible to sail in both places in the “shoulder” season, before the main monsoon rains set in; be prepared for short, sharp downpours; but it can still be lovely sunny and warm weather inbetween.

Not at all ! We get a huge range of experience onboard – from old salts who’ve been sailing for decades, to people whose closest experience has been floating a rubber duckie in their bathtub.

Total newbies – if you’d like to learn – great !!  We love when people are enthusiastic to get into sailing. But if chilling on the foredeck with a good book is more your plan, that’s fine too.   However, we do expect that if you’ve chosen an active trip like this, that you’ll get involved in the pitch-in, team spirit onboard.  If chilling and doing absolutely nothing is your idea of vacation heaven – you’d be much happier on a cruise ship.

For you guys & gals who are experienced sailors already – our skippers are MORE than happy to let you take the helm and tweak the sails as much as you like ! And perhaps pass on some tips like how the infamous “Med mooring” works….so you too can look cool as a cucumber as you glide in stern-to, whilst total pandemonium breaks out elsewhere :).

Basically, if you come packing a sense of adventure, humour, and team spirit –  yay!  You’ve found the right page.

Experienced sailors, you can skip this bit!  You already know the pros and cons of living aboard. For our newbies – think of a sailboat as a floating RV home.  Basic resources like water and electricity must be used conservatively; storage space is at a premium. Someone once described sailboat toilets as “upright coffins” – yep, that’s about right!

So even though our 50-55′ yachts are big in cruising yacht terms, they are still a “cosy” shared space, where consideration for others is paramount. For those with an easy-going and gregarious nature, the way that group dynamics develop so fast on a sailboat is a wonderful experience; people often go home with friends-for-life.  If you are someone who needs a lot of their own “space”  (physically and/or mentally) – this may not be the trip for you.

Our favourite description of sailing comes from one of our guests: “It’s like camping on the water”.  Very upmarket camping for sure; but if this concept appeals to you, rather than the comforts of a plush hotel – you’ll be around like-minded people who love nature, adventure, and the team spirit that grows from such an environment.

With space being at a premium, most sailboats are configured with double cabins. Some are double beds, some can be bunkbeds or twins.

Some cabins have en suite heads (= toilet/shower), some are shared facilities.

Our shareboat prices are based on 2 people sharing a double cabin; single occupancy is sometimes available at 1.5 times the regular price.

If you are chartering the boat with your own group – it’s totally up to you how you sort out cabin arrangements!

Yes, it happens sometimes. If you know that you are susceptible to motion sickness, we can give you plenty of tips on getting around this. Meclazine, scop patches, wrist bands, ginger… different remedies work for different people.  The most effective sea-sickness cure is getting on the helm. Seriously!

For some people, it’s smart to stay up on deck for the first day; after that, we find that the vast majority of people acclimatise and are just fine. If you get sick on planes, trains, automobiles and said duckponds… it might not be your best choice.