In most cases, yachting is a group vacation, except in those situations when you charter a yacht for two, and you are both skippers. This means you will have a company with all its pros and cons.
It often happens that people with very different backgrounds meet on the boat, and it's not hard for them to find a topic to talk about, as they can simply share their stories and experiences. Besides, there are many jobs on a board, and it is more comfortable to do them together. However, how to make the trip as enjoyable as possible for all participants?
There is a simple tip to this question, which is very difficult to implement in reality. You need to combine the participants' experience, their expectations, the sailing region, the boat model and the particular skipper at the same point. Once everything fits together, the trip will likely be great. Conversely, if even one of the ingredients falls out, it will critically affect the overall result.
Despite many factors, I would say the team is the main one because everything depends on it. Below I will illustrate, using a couple of crews, as examples, how everything is interconnected.
1. Cheerful yachting
- Crew: medium-affluent lovers of island Greece. Prefer an active holiday, without too much demand for comfort and long crossings.
- Experience: average/good.
- Expectations: islands, lots of active sailing
Response
- Yacht: Oceanis 43, 4 cabins, approximately 5-7 years old. Optimal balance between economy and good condition.
- Region: Cyclades Islands, Athens-Santorini Athens
- Time: May holidays, 2 weeks
- Skipper: Racer
Result: A dynamic trip, the second part of which consists of many hours of daily crossings against the strong wind blowing from the north of the Cyclades. Minimal service, maximum wildlife on the island.
2. Hedonism
- Crew: Affluent lovers of comfort and Italian culture. Prefer a peaceful holiday without long crossings and unnecessary fuss with sails.
- Experience: Minimal.
- Expectation: A beautiful life on their own yacht
Response
- Boat: Catamaran Lagoon 52F
- Region: Gulf of Naples, Capri-Ischia-Procida
- Time: July, 1 week
- Skipper: Hedonist
Result: a leisurely drive with a high level of comfort. Visit historic sites and modern leisure facilities. Explore the island of Procida, where "The Talented Mr Ripley" was filmed, luxury shopping in the endless boutiques of the island of Capri.
The conclusion from these examples is simple - either be guided by the team's requests, then the sequence is as follows:
- assemble the crew, understand the request
- choose a region and a time of year
- plan the itinerary
- choose the right boat
either be guided by the region:
- choose a region and time of year, build a travel profile
- plan the route
- select a boat
- assemble a crew for a well-described trip
