Private Charter may sound like a luxury, but bespoke sailing trips can provide great value adventures for all sorts of groups. Once on board these voyages are all-inclusive, so there’s no debate over where to go, what to do or when to eat! Each member of the party can enjoy life on board in a way that suits them, be that monkeying around the foredeck from dawn till dusk or spending more time to sit and soak in the views; you don’t have to split the group to each take the expedition at your own pace.
Whole-boat bookings range from private day trips to trans-ocean voyages, so whatever the group and whatever the budget you can enjoy life-enhancing traditional sailing together.
Family & Friends
The family that sails together, stays together (or something like that!). Re-connecting with your loved ones on a wooden deck with the wind in your hair is what we all need after the enforced distance and separation of the last few years. Opportunities for hilarity abound, and working together to steer, sail and manoeuvre a beautiful ship allows you to enjoy each other’s company in an active way, and provides anecdotes you’ll treasure for life.
Trips can be designed to fit the abilities of the group, and to make the most of the time you have available.
Honeymoons
Sitting on the beach sipping cocktails is lovely, but it’s not for everyone. If you want a more adventurous honeymoon to cement your relationship why not sail away into the sunset?! Some ships in the fleet are particularly well set up for couples, with generous double cabins and completely separate crew accommodation, ensuring you’ll enjoy privacy when you want it.
It’s up to you whether you invite friends and family along, or take a trip just you two and the crew. Explore out of the way creeks, eat fish fresh from the sea, swim off secluded anchorages and create memories to last a lifetime. What could be more romantic?
Clubs & Societies
If you’re a member of a club or society on the lookout for your next outing, a sailing trip could be just the ticket. Voyages can be tailored to allow for all sorts of additional activities, from hiking and wild swimming to art, photography and wildlife-spotting.
There are often discounts available for whole boat charter, so whether it’s a daysail, a long weekend or a full-on ocean crossing it can pay to club together in a mutually interested group. It is also often possible for an expert in your particular field of interest to join your group on board. Be this a maritime historian, marine biologist, walking guide or artist, you might have an expert in mind or Classic Sailing can help you find one.
Education
There are ships in the fleet which specialise in youth sail training. Trips aboard can be immensely rewarding, both for building individual confidence levels and creating cohesion among a class or year group. Skills developed on board are transferrable in the truest sense, as participants focus on teamwork, communication and resilience.
Sailing can be immensely beneficial to higher education groups too, particularly when studying a relevant subject such as history, conservation or marine biology. College and University field trips aboard provide opportunities for students to design creative research projects, gather data and observe an environment that can seem distant from the usual classroom setting.
Companies
There’s a reason why so much corporate team building lingo is based on seafaring: a sailing ship is the ideal setting for literally pulling together. The importance of good communication skills, team work and mutual respect among a sailing crew are completely transferable to a cohesive workplace.
Each team member has the opportunity to shine in a leadership role, taking on watch leading responsibilities, whilst also understanding the importance of every other individual in the crew. The development of good interpersonal relationships and people management skills can be fast tracked on deck, and your team will have an adventure to fuel coffee-break conversation for years to come!
There are also opportunities for multi-vessel charters. This allows for healthy competition between teams from different departments, or the chance to pair up staff members who don’t usually work closely together. Time on a crew like this creates meaningful communicative links between all areas of your company.
Sailing day trips can be fitted into conference schedules for a quick hit of salt-air and solidarity. Alternatively longer, residential voyages provide a fantastic setting for more intensive personnel development.
Film & TV
Many of the ships that Classic Sailing work with have appeared in feature films, television series and documentaries. While it would take a whole separate article to detail the extensive skillsets and experience present in the fleet, it is worth noting that private charter for filming is always considered, and that excellent marine coordination and boat wrangling come as standard!
Timing is Critical
If the thought of a whole boat charter has piqued your interest, now is the time to start thinking about it, as ships begin filling their 2023 seasons and beyond. ‘Off the peg’ trips are usually available for private charter only up to the point of the first individual booking, and bespoke voyages have to be fitted around a vessel’s other commitments. It’s never too early to start the conversation, so get in touch and we’ll help you find an adventure to suit your group’s own particular circumstances.
