Chartering a luxury yacht in a destination off the beaten track does not normally offer international airports, world class facilities and cutting edge hotels. Waking up in a new time zone, even for the experienced traveller, can be tiring. The answer; stay on land to recuperate before boarding your private yacht. With new direct flights from London to Bali, or multiple connections via Singapore, your Indonesia yacht charter has never been so accessible.
Bali is famous for its rice fields, also known as paddy fields. The Four Seasons Sayan, located just an hour north of the airport, offers spectacular views from the comfort of your own suite. With world class facilities and service second to none, you will be pampered ahead of your Indonesia sailing experience. Stay at the Four Seasons Sayan and embrace a truly authentic Balinese experience this winter.
Bali is just as famous for its long sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, which are a haven for surfers. Seminyak is only 30 minutes from the airport in the Kuta district, an area renowned for surfing. The W Hotel offers a myriad of swimming pools which cascade towards the beach. Stay on shore before your Bali – Lombok 7 day luxury sailing itinerary, and enjoy a party vibe experience like no other.
Your Brokers continue to visit your charter destinations, so they can continue to provide unrivalled insights. Ben is currently spending this week discovering the wonders of LAMIMA as she cruises the Komodo National Park. Stay tuned to see photos of the magical Komodo dragons, as well as some of the most spectacular scenery in the world!
If you haven’t visited the Italian coastline by boat, you probably have missed some unique destinations. A sailing holiday can offer you an exciting new experience to discover what this versatile country has to offer.
Have a look at 3 top destinations where to go sailing in this magnificent peninsula.
Sardinia
Sardinia is one of the best sailing destinations in Italy. The food, blue sea, beaches, sun, restaurants, and the local people are just so authentic. By visiting the Emerald Coast by boat you will reach unique beaches and secluded islands on assessable by yacht.
Aerial view of the famous Cala Luna Beach in Sardinia, Italy. Location: Gulf of Orosei, Province of Nuoro, East Sardinia.
The Emerald Coast is one of the most beautiful and famous coasts in the world, you will be able to visit bays, coves, and white sandy beaches. The perfectly clear turquoise waters seem to come straight out of a Caribbean dream!
You absolutely cannot miss visiting La Maddalena Archipelago! A National Park which consists of seven islands that could be compared to paradise on earth! We have a large selection of day yachts that are available for exploration through the park.
Mistral winds from the North West can set in for a few days during summer, which brings a pleasant breeze in the evenings. Exposed beaches on the North coast are the main areas affected by this wind, especially towards the straits of Bonifacio. This is why Porto Pollo is known as one of the best windsurfing beaches in the Mediterranean.
If this wasn’t enough very close to north Sardinia, there lays a beautiful island. Corsica. You are able to reach this island by sailing in just 2 and a half hours! You must visit the small island called Cavallo and the Bonifacio town.
Amalfi Coast
One of Italy’s most picturesque regions, the Amalfi Coast. This exclusive coast offers bays, coves, and unique landscapes. The houses almost look like they’re tumbling into the sea.
Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, and Ischia are breathtakingly and beautiful spots where you can stop and try traditional Italian cuisine! Pizza with fresh mozzarella, pasta with clams, tiramisu and why not a good wine, all of this in one of the many restaurants with the sea view.
Not too far from the coast there
is the wonderful island of Capri, classified in 2018 as one of the 20 most
beautiful islands in the world. Surrounded
by clear turquoise waters, rocky coves, emerald green grottos, beach clubs and
stunning restaurants where you can spend your time.
In a one-week charter, you can also visit the Island of Procida and Ischia, two tiny islands off the coast of Naples, both rich in uncontaminated nature and history.
Sicily
With perfect winds, unique landscapes and a sunny season that starts in mid-April and lasts until mid-October, Sicily turns out to be a perfect sailing destination, but these are only some of the reasons why you should visit this amazing island. This island is abundant in both history and culture. Sicily also possesses a coastline with pristine warm waters and a cuisine to die for.
The most popular destination is the Aeolian Islands, a Unesco World Heritage site due to their outstanding natural beauty. It is a volcanic archipelago composed of seven enchanting islands: Stromboli, Vulcano, Panarea, Salina, Lipari, Alicudi and Filicudi.
The islands are extremely diverse, all with spectacular views and black rock formations, quiet picturesque villages and exclusive ports all within hours of each other.
SUP boarding, originating in Hawaii is a spin-off from surfboards. As opposed to the paddle-less sister, sup boarding offers a range of activities perfect for your summer and winter charters!
Standing Up Paddleboards have become available to the masses, with almost all bareboat yacht owners offering SUP boards as an extra to their charters why not add one onto yours? Most crewed yacht charters will now have SUP boards, along with other water toys. But did you know there are so many ways to use them?! See below!
The classic – SUP Boarding.
In the Mediterranean, you will often see people push their sups off the side of the yacht and go for a paddle – join them! Bend your knees and make sure you have the paddle the right way around! As you become an expert over the week start to use some technique and draw a ‘J’ in the water. By doing this you only need to paddle on the one side.
Yoga
Downward dog!
Get up early, enjoy the stunning scenery of Croatia, Greece, Italy, Caribbean, wherever you are and get out on the SUP board. Go through some simple yoga exercises to get you ready for the day. Early morning around 6 am is the most special time on the water – so get out and enjoy it.
Balancing
Back in my Flotilla days in Greece, SUP boards were used for almost everything. Something which was seriously good fun, with not only the kids but also the adults was ‘The Balance’. Very simple – how many people can you get standing. Not as easy as it sounds!
Sun Bathing
Sup boards come with a wrist strap, to save you floating away to one of the other islands attach it to your bathing ladders or your anchor chain. It’s super relaxing – until someone thinks its a great idea to jump off the yacht and splash you! Yes – even the adults sometimes cannot resist making someone scream out of shock!
Darling, lets go to the races!
In your stunning anchorage, be it Greece or the Caribbean some people on the yacht might need to expel some extra energy! Or to get the whole group up with a little bit of competitive sport! This is a great way to have some quality time together and make memories. Try racing around the yacht and timing each other – or attach a fender to a kedge anchor and use it as a racing buoy! Make sure you use the correct knot to attach the kedge!
Wobble wars
It is what it says on the tin! Get two people to stand up on the board and wobble the yacht until someone falls off! A simple and effective game that brings hours of fun on the water. Very popular with kids, but it has been known for some 68-year-olds to get involved.. perhaps the G ‘n’ T had something to do with it!
If you would like to know more about adding sups to your charters, or interesting in chartering with us this coming summer or winter do email here!
Greece is one of the oldest vinicultural countries in the world, with a plethora of local grapes. The quality of Greek wines has tremendously improved over the past decades as new, highly educated and inspired sommeliers have applied themselves to the task of creating new labels. Many of the wineries have opened their gates to guests who can walk along the vineyards and then taste the wines in the cellars. Given this boom in the wine industry, an increasing number of yachties want to include a visit in wineries during their charters. Driven my own personal interest in wine, I am always happy to guide my clients and propose vineyard visits.
Santorini wines
The volcanic soil of Santorini island in the Cyclades offers the best terroirs for the Assyrtiko grapes. Assyrtiko wines are undoubtedly the flagship of Greek whites and a visit at the Hatzidakis winery in Sanotini offers a unique chance to view a unique and interesting wine in the making. Make sure to taste the award-winning Nukteri label. The thing, however, is that Santorini is way too far for a weekly itinerary starting and finishing in Athens, so I always advise my clients to fly to the island before or after their charter and combine this with a stay in one of the caldera hotels, enjoying the magnificent views.
Skouras Domaine
Skouras Domaine
Much closer to Athens I recommend clients to leave their yacht in Nafplion port and take a 30-minute drive to Skouras Domaine – one of the most modern and spectacular visitor-friendly wineries in Peloponnese. The prevailing force here is the Aghiorghitiko grape, which grows in the rocky terroirs nearby and is used in the much acclaimed Megas Oinos and Labyrinth labels. My personal favorite, however, is the fruity Viogner Eclectique, which grows in a small terroir called “spilitsa – little cave”.
The tempting Greek islands sun and the surrounding sea, together with the hospitality of your crew may keep you onboard your yacht through your charter. Do try to taste Greek wines during your visit – your chef will surely recommend the best pairings to their culinary creations. Contact now our expert broker team and start planning your next Greek motor yacht, sailing yacht or catamaran charter!
After having competed in the Antigua sailing regatta last week and gaining third place in class, charter broker and regatta expert, Alice gives her personal insight into the best parties, races, sailing, and restaurants that the regatta has to offer.
Every April, thousands of competitive sailors gather from all corners of the world to compete in the unmissable Antigua Sail Week. For any yachtie, this rum-fueled week is not to be missed out!
Rum-fuelled racing
The warm Caribbean trade winds allow for some of the world’s finest yacht racing conditions. The regatta has many different classes for yacht racing and welcomes boats of all sizes including bareboat, sports boats and many larger vessels.
Since the 1950s this prestigious event has been the home to some of the finest yacht performances in boating history. The week includes 6 competitive racing days in some of the best sailing conditions throughout the regatta world.
Many different types of boats will compete in the regatta, giving many different class options to join. There is even the option of entering this regatta in a bareboat class if you wish to add a different dimension to a standard yacht charter!
Regardless of the size of boat you are on, at the beginning of every race everyone is in the same position, competition for victory at the end of the day.
Expect to see:
Crews hanging over the boat rail.
All boats in the realm of possibility
Bruises.
Sunburn everywhere
Windswept sailors with a rum in hand at all times.
Windward-leeward racing
Ripped sails and ruined sailors!
Global sailing champions
The sunsetting every night in Paradise
Après-sail
No Caribbean regatta can be complete without dancing, copious amounts of rum and live reggae bands. Notorious live parties, team-building competitions, prize giving ceremonies, and onboard cocktail parties allow the perfection combination of sailing and socializing.
Be sure to walk up to Shirley Heights to get the best sunset and I may add the best rum punch that the island has to offer. This year, the sailing event was sponsored by Fever Tree tonics, as such the traditional Caribbean rum had some very strong competition for being the tipple of choice for the 2019 Antigua Sailing Week.
Tough competition, idyllic racing winds, structured race courses, rum punch and of course lobster on the BBQ are the key ingredients to a world class regatta for novices, experts or even beginners!
Please click here to get in contact with Alice for your next regatta charter. We specialize in global regattas and travel extensively to review the best regatta charters for you!
