Skippered Charter
With SAILAZORES YACHT CHARTER, cruising around Azores islands is really one of a lifetime experience. For that you don’t have to be a sailor or stress about it.
Whether you are not qualified for skippering or you have not enough experience or you simply prefer a local guide, we will provide you a professional, attentive Skipper that will strive to ensure that you get the best of your holidays in the Azores with us, in safe and good hands.
The choice is up to you. You pay a daily rate on top of your yacht charter, so you have absolute flexibility to choose the days that suit you. All you need to do is provide your skipper with a separate cabin to sleep in and food and drink for each day of your charter. Alternatively, the skipper can sleep outside the yacht, in a nearby lodging, at his own expenses, for an extra fare in his fees. This last option will definitely give you and your Group more privacy on board when moored in a marina/port.
Our friendly, qualified and experienced skippers are available at any of our Bases so you get expert local knowledge and sailing expertise.
Let us help you going through some top question about skippered charters:
• Will the skipper always be in charge to the yacht, can I do any sailing?
Our skippers will be officially in charge of taking care of handling the yacht. Though depending on your level of sailing experience you can do as much or as little as you like, including taking the helm, so long as the skipper feels it is safe to do so. They will help you benefit from the best places to moor up, eat out and the best times to visit certain places. They can also teach you new things about sailing and help you rediscover confidence at the helm.
Please note that skippers will take pride in the presentation of the yacht but they are not cooks, cleaners or maids.
• Where will the skipper sleep?
Skippers must generally be allocated a stern cabin to themselves for the duration of your charter, though occasionally the bow can be agreed upon. Anything outside of this normal arrangement may be agreed upon with discretion before you book your charter, but please assume your skipper will need a cabin for his own.
• What/how do we feed our skipper?
That’s entirely up to you. If you’re planning to provision when you arrive, then speak to your skipper when you meet him to find out what they like or don’t like and can or can’t eat. You may invite your skipper to dinner and they may accept or choose to stay aboard. If there is no food aboard and you do not want your skipper to come with you then you can give them ‘pocket money’ so that they can pop in to their favorite local haunt. They’ll only ever be a phone call away should you need them.
• What does the skipper do in the evening?
Again, that’s entirely up to you as every group is different and interacts with people in different ways. Rest assured our skippers are professionals who are comfortable at meeting new people and adept at reading different social situations. If you invite your skipper to be part of the fun in the evening they may accept or choose to stay on the yacht and wait for your return. You may find that your skipper is an early riser who bunks down early after a long day’s sailing.
• Do we have to tip our skipper?
That’s entirely up to you. You are not obliged to do that, but we are sure that he will appreciate such gesture of recognition from your side, if he deserves it. We’re sure that a good skipper always adds immense value to your charter experience.
• Will the skipper speak English or my own mother-language?
Our skippers always speak English to a level that will mean your holiday is not impeded in any way. On other languages, we always require that you express that wish at the time of booking the charter, allowing us time to try to find a suitable skipper. But we cannot assure any other foreign language besides English…. and Portuguese!