FAQs

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Yacht Stuff

We work with sailboats, both monohulls and catamarans. We promote sailing so we’ll be putting those sails to good use and turn on the engine as little as possible.
There are many different options and variables that go into boat rental pricing, and rental rates are dependent upon the options that are important to you. Leaving aside the price difference for size, you also have to factor in the age of the boat, whether it’s a sail boat or a motor boat, when you’re renting it (summer months cost more than winter), where you’re renting it and on board amenities. All our boats are in excellent condition.

Sailing

From babies to grannies, sailing is for everyone and we encourage you to give it a try. We know you’ll get hooked on it. It’s about the adventure and freedom, accessing remote golfs, exploring different islands and sunbathing in the middle of the sea. It’s a complete experience.
The minimum age to sail unaccompanied in Europe is eighteen (18). This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians. Infants must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the sailing trip.
Sailing is a safe activity but always listen to your captain!
We have already checked all our routes and they are completely safe. We really want you to enjoy your holiday. Your personal belongings are your responsibility, so keep an eye on them. The yacht can be locked and, in case of emergency, we can contact the local authorities and coast guard.
Sailing can be hard and requires a reasonable level of physical and mental strength. You will be expected to be able to participate in all aspects of sailing a yacht, and should be physically and mentally able to do so. If you or any member of your party has any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday or has any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and/or making the booking.
Some days will involve about 2 to 4 hours of sailing, while others could be as long as 6 to 8 hours. Our itineraries provide a great balance between being out on the water and the related activities such as sailing maneuvers, sunbathing and snorkeling, and enjoying time on the shore, at restaurants and taverns, sightseeing on a scooter or shopping. All boats in our group will travel together, allowing for amazing social activities with group of selected individuals.

Booking & Payment

Go to Events, read all information carefully, choose the one that interests you and click on “Book this Tour”. You will book for an entire group and you shall be responsible for the group.

If you manage to plan ahead, you can take advantage of the special offers and discounts. All relevant information is available on the page of each event.

Go to the Contact tab if you require our assistance.

Subject to the availability of your chosen arrangements, we will contact the party leader per email, as soon as possible, to confirm availability, the total price due under the contract, the date when your deposit will be due and the details of the payment plan.
In order to confirm your chosen holiday, you will need to pay us the gross sum owed. The first payment due date is no later than 24 hours from the time of receipt of the booking confirmation. If this first payment is not made the booking will be automatically cancelled and reopened for bookings from other guests.
Guests may pay the entire amount owed in one lump sum.

The price includes all costs associated to the yacht: renting the yacht, towels and linen, safety equipment, sailing equipment, GPS, audio equipment, dinghy with outboard engine and final cleaning.

Fuel and docking fees is not included.
Skipper cost is not included for bareboat charters.
Hostess cost is not included.
All relevant information will be in the booking confirmation.

We encourage you to gather a full crew of friends or people who know each other. Rental price is cheapest in this case. In case you can’t, we will try to find other people in the same situation as yours. We’ll try to complete the crew for a yacht and reduce the costs for you. We will put you in contact with the others and the final decision is yours only.
Yes, but the full payment for the yacht still has to be made.
The crew list, filled in with the details of the people who will board the charter yacht, crew and passenger, must be presented for inspection by the port authority, together with the other papers of the boat. A copy of the crew list must be available on board during journey.
The crew list must be filled in and submitted to us at least two weeks before the departure date.

Skipper

Bareboat charter means we supply the yacht and you sail it yourself. We don’t automatically supply a skipper or crew and you take full responsibility for the safety of the yacht and its crew – although we can supply a Skipper and/or Hostess if requested. To charter a Bareboat, the port authorities and our insurers require a skipper to have at least an RYA day skipper certificate or an International Certificate of Competence (ICC). At least one member of the crew must be experienced or certificated to a minimum Competent Crew level. Should you have a license but lack the necessary experience, we can help you with our training courses. Click on this link for information: http://www.capetan.club


Skippered charter means we provide the skipper who will be in charge of the boat. All crew can take part in sailing. This is a great way to learn the ropes without the responsibility. Our friendly skipper will encourage you to take an active part in your holiday or you can simply relax and be sailed around! Booking a skipper allows for non-sailors or sailors to charter a yacht and go off on their own and experience the same beautiful environment as other sailors, without formal sailing qualifications. Skippers are also able to advise you on ports to visit, where to eat and places to swim. Take your time meandering from port to port, stopping for a lazy lunch and swim in beautiful bays along the way, before making the most of the afternoon breeze and sailing to your evening destination.

You don’t have to, but you might need to. The minimum qualification required for bareboat/independent chartering is a valid ICC or RYA Day Skipper Practical qualification. If you do not have such certification, we’ll provide a member of our staff as skipper, the cost of which will be borne by you and will be available in the booking confirmation. The price doesn’t include the associated food costs for any skipper or hostess contained in the booking, and the crew is obliged to provide at least three meals a day for their skipper or hostess contained in the booking, at reasonable meal times. The price for the meals are up to you – will you be offering them pasta or lobster, champagne or beer? In flotilla events, where spot or cabin booking is available, skipper cost is included in the reservation price. This is specified in the event page.

Cancellation

As we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking, following the payment of the first instalment, cancellation is no longer possible. Even so, your yacht will be soon available online for others to book. Full refund will be given as long as the yacht is booked by someone else. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that all costs and losses are kept to a minimum.
Should you or any member of your party need to cancel your holiday once it has been confirmed, the party leader must immediately advise us in writing. We will do our best to find a solution as agreeable as possible, for your specific situation.

Check in

The check in process is a great chance for you to find out about both your boat and the sailing area, and to check you have everything you need. It is also an important protection for you in agreeing the state of your yacht at the start of the holiday. Agreeing any pre-existing damage or missing equipment at the outset can avoid disputes later.
For a skippered or crewed charter, you obviously don’t need to know the full workings of the yacht and the skipper will make the technical check in. During this time, clients are welcome to leave their luggage at the base, wander around, have refreshments in the nearby restaurant or do the shopping for the upcoming trip.

Technical and safety briefing is the last and the most crucial part of the yacht charter check-in procedure. It lasts around 45 minutes, and during this time, all crew members are introduced to the essential technical features of the yacht as well as to the onboard safety.

You will still be expected to pay a security deposit so we recommend paying attention.
You may have to do a little management to ensure you get the best out of it. On the other hand, do remember that the supplier’s team aren’t there to teach you how to sail. Check in is usually around 5 PM.

Yacht deposit varies between 1.500 – 3.000 Eur. and it is mandatory in most cases. It is supposed to cover for all potential damages and loses generated by crew members. Damages may be small, like:loss of a fender, loss of towels, burned pillow, clogged toilet; big damages include loss of dinghy,burned sail, broken hatch. The deposit will be charged upon arrival in the marina, before boarding.
As long as there are no damages, nor loses, your deposit will be refunded in full at check out. In case of accident generated from third party fault, your deposit will not be affected.
If you also pay for a skipper, you might still be required to leave a deposit. The skipper is being held responsible for any damages that may occur during the navigational processes. However, clients are responsible for the boat interior /exterior and other parts of the boat that can be damaged during their stay, which are not under the skipper’s responsibility.
The refundable deposit can be paid in cash or via card slip, meaning that the amount needed for the deposit will be put on hold until you return the yacht. A non-refundable deposit (deposit waiver) is not refundable, but in case of damage to a yacht non-refundable deposit will cover all the damages no matter how costly they are. Non-refundable deposits are usually a couple of hundred of euros.

Check out

Charter companies typically expect their clients to be back to the base on Friday around 5 – 6 PM and check out latest on Saturday, before 9 AM, a week distance from check in.
All luggage needs to be carried out before check out. Also, trash and left overs. Pile up all used sheets and towels in one of the cabins.
The refundable deposit is released, once the divers and charter staff determine that no damage has been done to the yacht.
Every boat has to follow a check out procedure and has to be in the harbor on Friday evening. Check out is usually on Saturday, before 9 AM. You are free to leave Saturday but if you have an early flight, check-out Friday evening. Agree on the best option for you directly with your skipper.

Life on board

You will be sleeping on the boat. Cabins are equipped with either double beds or single / bunk beds and storage space. One of the great pleasures a boater can enjoy is sleeping onboard. The calming sound of waves gently lapping against the hull can lull even the most wound-up insomniac into a peaceful night’s slumber.
A bathroom on a boat is called a head. Each boat has one or more heads, depending on size. Although small, they provide all necessary comfort, including running water, hot water. At the stern of the boat, you can also use the transom shower (external shower), to rinse off that salty water. Alternatively, marinas have available showers. Do ask your skipper if you need a card to use them and feel free to troop off to the marina for your morning shower.
The tanks on the boat offer a limited amount of water and they can be refilled while in marinas, usually against a small fee. Use this resource wisely!
Yes. When we are docked, the boat is connected to shore and there is 230V power. While sailing, power is 12V and similar to a car plug. This can be used for charging phones and of course, to keepthe fridge working. Our skippers will provide inverters to transform 12V into 230V (only if needed).
Your sailing luggage should be similar to the one when you go to the seaside. Beach clothing and some casual outfit for the evenings out. Usually, half the clothes will not be worn; your bathing suit mostly, maybe more than 70% of the time. For beginning of May and end of September it is recommended to have thicker, waterproof clothes. Highly important is the windproof jacket and trousers. Footwear: High heels shoes won’t do any good. It is recommended to have easy footwear, casual; sandals and flip-flops are great. Shoes with black bottom might leave marks to the non-skid deck; this is unpleasant and pretty difficult to clean. Test your shoes by rubbing it to the shower cabin or any other plastic surface before taking them aboard. If they leave marks, they’re no good.
Each yacht, no matter the size of it, is equipped with a towel/person. Bed linen is also included. We advice you to have your own beach towel as we will anchor in golfs and we’ll spend time on remote beaches.
Not unless you enjoy it enough to do it while on holiday.
Boats have fully equipped kitchen areas, with storage space for your supplies and a fringe to keep your drinks cold (and not only). Your skipper will show you where everything is located. We encourage light meals on board and sampling goodies at the local taverns.
If you get to enjoy nights at anchor, far from the hassle of the shore, there might be some cooking involved. You’ll get to show off your skills or praise someone else’s.
For some events, we make reservations at local restaurants that we find particularly special. Your skipper will have all the info.
The crew members take care of shopping, usually in one of the supermarkets located in the marina.
Discuss, agree, make a list and hit the store. We do recommend shopping every 2 or 3 days because storage space on board is limited and because you should enjoy fresh bread and pastry, milk, seafood, local fruit and veggies, which you can easily get in every marina. Don’t forget to provide for your friendly skipper 🙂

General questions

There is GSM coverage in all the destinations. You can easily call your friends home or even send them emails. Each boat has a VHF radio to communicate with other boats and it is used in case of emergency; VHF will be used by skippers.
WIFI might be available on board, against a small fee; please check with us or your skipper. WIFI can also be found on land, free of charge at some restaurants.
Each boat has its own audio system; speakers are inside the boat and also on deck. There is a Radio CD-Player similar to the one you have in your car. CDs are the safest. Most players can rad MP3 and have AUX in for your iPod. Bring a lot of good music.
We expect all clients to have consideration for other people and the places they visit. External speaker systems are not permitted in some locations and loud music must not be played in marinas after 8 PM.

During some events, yes. If you do not wish to be on camera or video this should be brought to our attention by sending an email to hello@sailarmada.com before the commencement of your holiday.
This should include the name and contact details of the person who does not wish to be photographed or filmed, along with your booking number.

Depending on the destination, a valid passport might be required and maybe a travel visa as well. Check with your ministry of foreign affairs if you can travel to the desired destination only with your ID.
It is recommended to have travel insurance which should include nautical sports. Yachting is considered by some insurance companies as a sport and might not be covered by standard insurance. Please check out T&C for more details.
Besides swimming and snorkeling? You can rent a scooter or a bike. You can go for a run in the morning or enjoy a yoga session on the beach. Just don’t forget your gear. And if you really want to work out, ask your skipper to show you the ropes 🙂
Seasickness may hit one person hard, while others don’t feel a thing.
Motion sickness occurs when what you see conflicts with what your inner ear senses. Those mixed signals confuse the brain, and the resulting sensations and symptoms (dizziness, nausea) are the result. Be truly aware that you are on a moving boat and the brain should be able to balance the two senses: go stand at the center of the ship, and take some nice deep breaths while focusing on the horizon.
Not skilled enough? No problem, the available medications are true and tested. Visit your doctor before the trip or go to any pharmacy and choose from the variety of medicine, patches, electronic devices or acupressure wristbands. For some, a few sips of ginger ale or chewing fresh ginger will do the trick.
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