Is there an age limit?

On a sailboat, attitude comes before age. One recent 73yr-old newbie sailor was helming in 25 knots within a couple of days and having an absolute blast!

We do need to emphasize the physical agility aspect here (but that’s not necessarily age-related!).  See the FAQ note on “physical fitness”. If you’re a sailboat newbie and unsure, just talk to us!

Flights, hotels and other “getting to” info

We at SeaScape do not arrange flights ourselves. To get the best deals requires full-time attention to the airlines, and that’s not our area of specialisation. Of course, we are always here for advice on the best route to research, local connections/ferries etc.

Transfers
We can always help with arranging taxi rides at the end of a trip – we have lots of great local contacts for this. Meeting arrival flights – it depends on which destination. We have detailed notes on all this.

Hotels
We have several which have been longtime favourites with our SeaScapers; more notes available on this. We don’t book these directly, but we can certainly point you in the right direction!

Sailing seasons – when is the best time to sail?

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.

Do I need to know how to sail ?

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.

The sailing life – practicalities of living onboard

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.

Accommodation on board

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!