Sailboat trips can inspire, relax, create the closest of friendships very quickly. But sailing doesn’t float everyone’s boat. Hence our very extensive FAQs, we want be sure that everyone knows exactly what to expect, and their idea of vacation-heaven-on-a-stick is along the same lines as their boat mates.
Never been on sailboat in your life? Don’t worry, most people joining our trips are first-time sailors. If you love the water, being outdoors, a touch of adventure, getting away from the crazy crowds, chances are you’ll love sailing.
If you have a gregarious, team-spirited nature you’ll love the social aspect of our shareboats. Our sailors often go from initial strangers to friends-for-life.
Please make sure that you are fully aware of the “cosy” space on sailboats. If you’ve never been aboard a yacht before, look closely at some interior photos.
Do be aware also that although you don’t need to be an athlete, sailboats do need a reasonable level of physical agility. You need to be able to climb in and out of dinghies, navigate a narrow gangplank to get on and off the boat, climb up and down the swimming ladder to get in the water from the boat, etc.
In short, if you thrive on adventurous new experiences, would prefer a family-owned pension to the Hilton, love the sun and the sea, you’re at great risk of falling in love with sailing.
You don’t need to be an athlete or a yogi to enjoy our trips. We’re very laid-back and cruise-y; we’re not out to win races nor battle 30 knot blows.
But you do need the balance and agility to walk over the narrow gangplank to get on and off the boat, climb in and out of a dinghy, up and down the swim ladder, and keep your balance on a moving object.
If you’re very keen but not sure on this score, just chat to us about it. We’ve had people onboard with conditions one would think a definite sailing no-no, and they have been wonderful!
On a sailboat, attitude comes before age. We welcome all ages, apart from the shareboat weeks where it’s adult only, and children from the age of 5 on private charters only.
We do need to emphasize the physical agility aspect here, which is not necessarily age-related. See the FAQ note on “physical fitness”.
Shareboat: all adults
Private charter: everyone from the age of 5
Being able to swim is not mandatory. However, we do not provide personal flotation devices for people who can’t swim. If you do want to get in the water, you should bring such item yourself. We do not allow people who are not able to swim to go in the water where it’s deep, as we are responsible for your safety during the trip. If you’re unable to swim, you can get in the water from the beach.
The yachts have a fold-down swimming ladder to get into the water, which means you have to be agile enough to get off and back on the boat (see question about ‘what level of physical fitness is needed?’)
Very few! That’s our whole philosophy of “No Surprise Extras”. In general, if it’s on the boat, it’s included. If it’s ashore, it’s not.
Alcohol: we provide a generous starter pack of beers, wine, and gin tonic in Greece, and beers and rum punch in the British Virgin Islands. After that it’s bring your own.
Dinner: apart from one barbecue night on the boat which is included in your charter fee, other dinners are at your own expense on shore.
The only other spending money you’ll need is for land activities. You might rent a scooter, car, or do some of the guided historic tours.
Of course, if you decide to go hit the town and get into expensive cocktails, this will clock up a few extra $$s. Though all things are relative: you probably couldn’t spend as much on a night in the town as you would at home, even if you tried!
Across the sailing charter industry, gratuity for the crew isn’t included in the charter fees. While the amount is always up to you, 10-20% seems to be the industry standard. Tipping is customary and quite welcome when you are happy with your experience.
Children from the age of 5 are allowed on private charters. This way, we can create a totally “kid-friendly” itinerary. We advise against bringing younger kids as it won’t be exactly a relaxing vacation for the parents unless the kids are already “boat trained”.
We don’t take kids on our shareboat trips, these trips are adult only.
We at SeaScape do not arrange flights ourselves. To get the best deals requires full-time attention to the airlines, and that’s not our area of specialisation. Of course, we are always here for advice on the best route to research, local connections/ferries etc.
Transfers
We can always help with arranging taxi rides at the end of a trip. We have lots of great local contacts for this.
Hotels
We have several which have been longtime favourites with our SeaScapers; more notes available on this. We don’t book these directly, but we can certainly point you in the right direction! See the specific “hotel” section under the Greece & Turkey questions or British Virgin Islands questions sections.
We very, very, very strongly recommend taking out travel insurance. We have seen too many people having to cancel last minute due to illness or other unexpected reasons, and without travel insurance your money is gone.
For all bookings, free cancellation is possible up to 90 days before departure (€100 admin fee applies).
Some “soft adventure” companies have long made it mandatory; we really don’t want to be dictatorial on this, but it would seem foolish NOT to have some kind of safety net. Besides the medical factors, unexpected cancellations, etc. if something goes wrong far from home, you don’t want to be left high n’ dry.
The very best coverage is “Cancel For Any Reason”. It does mean literally that – because you had a bad week at work, or you broke a fingernail. Of course, it’s also the most expensive. But, if does give you peace of mind that you are covered no matter what. Do note that you must take this out very soon after paying your first deposit – between 7-21 days (policy dependent). Please be sure to read all the small print; policies can differ widely.
We’ll always do our very best to help and be flexible should your circumstances change; but please understand that we are a small company, and it is not possible for us to take the financial load if you need to cancel at the last minute.
A sailing holiday with SeaScape Sailing is almost the opposite of a cruise ship experience. The group is small (8 or 10 guests maximum, depending on the destination) and the boat visits anchorages and island harbours that large ships cannot reach. The pace is set by the group, the skipper, and the weather rather than a fixed schedule. There are no crowds, no formal dining rooms, and no entertainment programme. The experience is personal, flexible, and genuinely off the beaten track.
Our philosophy is very simple; our costs are as inclusive as we can sensibly make them. No hidden fees. SeaScape includes more in the headline price than most comparable operators: skipper and hostess, all breakfasts and lunches prepared on board, non-alcoholic drinks throughout, a happy hour on the first evening, one or two dinners on board (including barbecue night), alcohol starter pack, informal sailing instruction, paddle board, bed linen, towels, and all boat running costs including fuel, water, mooring fees and local taxes.
What’s Included:
What’s not included:
Look over our sample itinerary for your trip… then forget it! One of the best things about the sailing lifestyle is its flexibility; if everyone decides that they’d like to do something different, stay somewhere longer – as long as it’s logistically possible, we do!
If you have particular requests, let the skipper know and we’ll do our best to juggle everyone’s preferences and modify the itinerary to suit. Sometimes the weather gods may decide for us – the skippers will often modify the itinerary to take advantage of good conditions (or hide from bad ones!).
Please understand that the skipper’s decision on such safety-related issues is final. As part of our insurance / charter licence conditions, we are not allowed to leave port in winds of Force 6, nor if such a forecast is imminent. (And anyway – this is a fun vacation, not a time to show off anyone’s sailing machismo!)
For our sailing newbies, please also be aware that we will sail whenever it’s sensibly possible….but there are times when it is just not practical. Eg, if we are heading directly into the wind, it’s blowing 25 knots, and we have 20 miles to go. What would normally be a 4 hour passage could turn into 8 hours, if we try to tack the whole way. Likewise, if we’re cruising along in the afternoon at a lovely, mellow 2 knots…. but we still have 15 miles to go, and we know there is limited space when we arrive. Nope, dock reservations don’t exist here! The solution? Get up early and let’s get moving!! More time on the water, more time to explore the next spot. Our skippers are always happy to get going early.
As a brief summary – the sailing season in the Med runs from around mid/late May to end of Oct. Generally, Turkey is warmer early and late season than Greece; and there is even a small difference between eg, our Dodecanese islands and the more northern Greek island groups.
The winds roughly follow the pattern of the temperature; they are strongest when the season is at it’s hottest; late july/Aug.
Not at all ! We get a huge range of experience onboard – from old salts who’ve been sailing for decades, to people whose closest experience has been floating a rubber duckie in their bathtub.
Total newbies – if you’d like to learn – great! We love when people are enthusiastic to get into sailing. But if chilling on the foredeck with a good book is more your plan, that’s fine too. However, we do expect that if you’ve chosen an active trip like this, that you’ll get involved in the pitch-in, team spirit onboard. If chilling and doing absolutely nothing is your idea of vacation heaven – you’d be much happier on a cruise ship.
For you guys & gals who are experienced sailors already – our skippers are MORE than happy to let you take the helm and tweak the sails as much as you like! And perhaps pass on some tips like how the infamous “Med mooring” works….so you too can look cool as a cucumber as you glide in stern-to, whilst total pandemonium breaks out elsewhere :).
Basically, if you come packing a sense of adventure, humour, and team spirit – yay! You’ve found the right page.
Yes, it happens sometimes. If you know that you are susceptible to motion sickness, we can give you plenty of tips on getting around this. Meclazine, scop patches, wrist bands, ginger… different remedies work for different people. The most effective sea-sickness cure is getting on the helm. Seriously!
For some people, it’s smart to stay up on deck for the first day; after that, we find that the vast majority of people acclimatise and are just fine. If you get sick on planes, trains, automobiles and said duckponds… it might not be your best choice.
A question which frequently has our skippers grinding their teeth! :). We will always sail when it is logistically possible; it’s what we love too, after all.
But at times, when sitting in a calm harbour, it’s hard to tell what the conditions are like outside; so sometimes, we just plain don’t know until we get out there.
There are other factors which influence the decision too; eg, if the wind happens to be coming from exactly where we want to go….. it could take an age to get there, tacking backwards and forwards. If there’s no time constraints, and the distance isn’t too long – then sure, let’s get that team-tacking on! But if, for example, someone is getting miserably seasick – we’re not hanging around taking twice the time to get there; we’ll motor-sail as the fastest way to get to port.
Luckily, that’s actually rare; what is common however, is that we DO need to get a good dock space at our next destination. In most places, it’s first-come, first-served; there’s no reserving spaces. With just a few little spots, where the local families have say over who gets space on their dock / buoy; they’ll keep us space. But in most places, docks are public property and if we want to be sure of a spot, we can’t arrive too late.
Plus – this isn’t a full-on sail training trip; it’s a vacation where people also want to explore the islands, to experience the culture and meet the locals. If you’re a die-hard sailor who wants to sail from dawn till dusk, we’re not the right outfit for you. We keep the best balance we can with what each group /individual wants to do – our itineraries are not set in stone, and our skippers always go with the flow of what suits the group best. We sail when it’s practical and fun to do so; when other factors kick in, then sometimes we’ll need to motor.
Our trips are meant as vacations, not sail-training – so we do our best to balance out about half a day on the water, half a day with time to explore ashore.
In the Med, the distances tend to be shorter; 3-4 hrs sailing time would be an average. We generally get up and out early in the morning, giving us plenty of time to sail – then time ashore later in the day. When it gets busy, it’s a great policy to be “out first, in first” – to get the best spots on the dock!
Experienced sailors, you can skip this bit! You already know the pros and cons of living aboard. For our newbies – think of a sailboat as a floating RV home. Basic resources like water and electricity must be used conservatively; storage space is at a premium. Someone once described sailboat toilets as “upright coffins” – yep, that’s about right!
So even though our 55′ yacht is big in cruising yacht terms, it is still a “cosy” shared space, where consideration for others is paramount. For those with an easy-going and gregarious nature, the way that group dynamics develop so fast on a sailboat is a wonderful experience; people often go home with friends-for-life. If you are someone who needs a lot of their own “space” (physically and/or mentally) – this may not be the trip for you.
Our favourite description of sailing comes from one of our guests: “It’s like camping on the water”. Very upmarket camping for sure; but if this concept appeals to you, rather than the comforts of a plush hotel – you’ll be around like-minded people who love nature, adventure, and the team spirit that grows from such an environment.
We think it’s great if people want to get involved, learn about the boat, sailing, and generally be part of an active team. If one of your objectives coming on this trip is to learn about or improve your sailing – we’re more than happy to teach you.
But, we realise it’s not everyone’s goal… so, if spreading your towel on deck and lying out with a good book is your plan – that’s fine too. Our skippers will need some extra pairs of hands to help dock the boat, but you don’t need to be full-on tweaking sails if that doesn’t float your boat.
We do, however, expect that everyone will contribute in some way to the team spirit – if you wanted to just lie by a pool and have cocktails served to you, we assume you’d be on a cruise ship.
With space being at a premium, our sailboat is configured with 2 double cabins and 2 twin (bunk beds) cabins. These all have en suite heads (= toilet/shower), which we happily share as a matter of practicality. Cabin arrangements are usually made based on gender and age, our experience is that the ‘who sleeps where’ game sorts itself out naturally. And then it’s also the case that people love to sleep on deck during the entire trip.
Shareboat prices are based on 2 people sharing a double cabin; single occupancy is sometimes available at 1.5 times the regular price.
If you are chartering the boat with your own group – it’s totally up to you how you sort out cabin arrangements!
We provide a “starter supply” of alcoholic drinks to kick off the first evenings’ Happy Hour – beer, wine, a few rounds of gin n’ tonics, etc. After that, it’s up to you to BYO whatever you’d like to drink onboard. Soft drinks are included in our prices, alcohol is basically BYO after our Happy Hour. There’s plenty of opportunities to grab stuff in Kos before we leave, or during the trip on the bigger islands. We’ll also have a supply onboard which you can buy from us at cost price.
Basically – as little as possible! Have a look at our suggested packing list in the next FAQ question. Sailboat life is very clothing-casual; shorts, t-shirts, swimwear are what you’ll mostly be living in.
One item NOT to bring – any hard-sided luggage, or bags with rigid wheels, as they can damage the boat’s surfaces and timber joinery. We do recommend soft, foldable duffel bags. See the question about luggage bags. We are very strict on this, especially in Greece.
We also provide bed linen and a regular towel.
Mains (AC) gadgets like hairdryers which consume a large amount of power simply won’t run on sailboat electrics. You might be able to use them in some on-shore shower facilities.
Suggested packing list
Do not bring any huge, hard-sided luggage, or bags with rigid wheels, as they can damage the boat’. Bring only soft duffel bags on board.
For our yacht in Greece we’re very specific: hard-sides suitcases are NOT allowed. They damage the surfaces and timber joinery. If you do bring a hard-sided suitcase to the boat, we will ask you to bring it to a local luggage storage where you can store it for a daily fee for the duration of the trip.
Duffel bags are ideal because they can be folded and stored away in your cabin easily. There is no separate luggage storage on board. All luggage has to be stored in your cabin.
Before contemplating washing your undies out on the boat – please check on the water situation first! You’re likely to become considerably unpopular with your crewmates if we run out of water for showers ‘cos someone’s done laundry at an inappropriate time.
The best laundry day is obviously when we’re on a dock with water at hand. Check in with your skipper when the next watering place will be.
There are services along the way in both Greece and Turkey where you can have your laundry done for you. Prices are reasonable. Again, your skipper can let you know where.
Paul your skipper has a cellphone, and we’re in range 95% of the time. In the places with a weak signal for voice, we can usually still pick up SMS or email. If someone needs to contact you urgently, try the skippers’ cellphones first. Other than that every island has good signal once we’re close to shore.
The boats do not have wifi, as being offline is part of spending time on a boat and in that way is an essential part of your experience.
Wifi is available readily at most local establishments; buy a coffee or beer, and you’re online! At the tavernas that we frequent, you are very welcome to use their wifi for free, and power also for your devices if needed. Most days, there will be somewhere to get online.
If it’s important to stay connected more frequently and easily than having to make a shore expedition, it’s easy to get a travel e-sim card for your device.
It would be worth checking also with your own provider; many have international roaming packages with a data component. Another option is a travel e-sim through a provider like Holafly.
Our skippers do have mobile date on their own phones, and yes you are welcome to use these connections in an emergency.
Unless we’re connected to shore power, the boats run on 12v. Enough to charge your phone via usb-ports on the boat.
Artemis (Greece) has a 3000w inverter which enables us to run our espresso machine off-grid, or charge your laptop.
Charging small devices like phones is not a problem, you can use the usb-port in your cabin (usb-A).
When we’re on a dock and connected to shore power, you can use the regular power sockets to charge heavier devices like a laptop or camera batteries. We can also run the inverter on the boat to occasionally charge a heavier device while we’re on the move.
Mains (AC) gadgets like hairdryers which consume a large amount of power simply won’t run on sailboat electrics. Think of it as running devices from your car battery, that’s the type of power we’re working on.
Greece: the standard Greek/Turkish electrical outlet is the small round 2-pin one and is 220-240v.
Unless we’re connected to shore power, the boats run on 12v. Enough to charge your phone via usb-ports on the boat.
Artemis (Greece) has a 3000w inverter which enables us to run our espresso machine off-grid, or charge your laptop.
A shareboat sailing holiday means you book a cabin on a yacht rather than the whole boat. You travel with a small group of other guests, typically solo travellers, couples or pairs of friends, along with a professional skipper and hostess. The boat, crew, all meals and running costs are included in the price. It is the most sociable and cost-effective way to experience a sailing holiday without needing to organise a full group yourself. SeaScape’s shareboat trips carry a maximum of eight guests across four cabins.
A good point! A 50’+ boat is still a very small space if you don’t get on with your crewmates. But — the fact is that 95% of the time, everyone on board gets on just great, and ends up really good friends. How come??
1) A very effective self-selection process! By definition, anyone who would choose an adventure vacation like this generally is an independent, flexible type, with a sociable spirit. In our experience, anyone who reads these notes and thinks “Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun!” usually turns out to be a pretty cool person themselves…
2) Just to be QUITE sure – not only do we have these very in-depth notes, but we also chat to all our potential sailors on email and/or on the phone before they book. We DO tell anyone who we don’t think is really suited that they should reconsider. We’re not doing anyone any favours by not being totally candid about this.
Obviously, we can’t make any guarantees you’ll love all your crewmates, but our success rate is pretty amazingly high (check in with TripAdvisor and Facebook reviews from our previous shareboaters !).
That’s what we’re all about! We’ll always give you the lowdown on the current guest composition of a trip, so you won’t ever end up unknowingly as the odd-one-out with eg, a family & kids!
We also send out “group intros” to our shareboat groups, so that everyone can introduce themselves and share a little of their background before the trip – a great ice-breaker when you’re travelling solo.
It’s also a chance to team up with other travellers before the trip – eg, to share taxis rides, swap info on hotels, or just have a pre-trip beer with some crewmates-to-be.
Our shareboat prices are based on two people sharing a cabin; and no, there is no single supplement in this case.
Because of the necessarily compact design of sailboats, most cabins are doubles. Some are double beds, some are bunk beds or twin singles. We get lots of solo travellers, and most are happy to have a cabin-mate (don’t worry, we won’t put you “in the same bed” with someone of the opposite sex).
If you’d really prefer to have a cabin to yourself – on most trips, we are able to offer that option, at a cost of 1.5x the regular price.
Just check in with us for any particular trip you’re interested in, and we can give you the options.
It doesn’t get much safer!
First of all, you get an instant friend-group to explore new places and experiences with. If you want to go off on your own, that’s fine too – if you get lost or whatever, the locals know us so well, they’ll take you home to the boat.
Secondly, our skippers are not there just to sail the boat. They are your go-to people for everything – whether it’s keeping an eye on boat dynamics (is that guy bugging you?) to “What’s appropriate to wear to the monastry / the beach bar / the Turkish baths, etc?”
We advise the usual caution when transiting through the bigger cities; keep your street-smarts about you there. But in general, the places we have chosen as our favourite cruising grounds are very low-risk for solo women travellers. Sure, the Greek & Turkish guys may well try to chat you up; but if you make it clear you’re not interested – they’re fine and still totally friendly. All of us female SeaScape team members feel a whole lot “safer” here than we would in our home “First World” countries!
Want to bring your own group of friends or family? Great ! We can customise a trip for you which suits your pace and places you’d like to go.
That’s within logistical reason, of course – sailing from Athens to Crete to Istanbul in one week isn’t going to happen! When you are looking at distances, allow around 5 knots as an average sailboat speed. (Although not strictly accurate, think of a knot as “a mile per hour”).
In the Med, our usual trip duration is a week; for Greece AND Turkey, we really need around 10 days to make it worthwhile with the extra paperwork and distances. Sometimes we are able to offer shorter trips (only within Greece).
No problem! It can be a great learning experience for the whole family. But we would recommend a minimum age of around 5-6 yrs old unless your kid(s) – and you – are already used to sailboat life. Otherwise, it’s unlikely to be exactly a “relaxing” vacation for the parents…
The Dodecanese is a chain of Greek islands in the south-eastern Aegean Sea, close to the Turkish coast. The name means “twelve islands” though the group actually includes many more. SeaScape’s home base is Kos, and a typical week’s sailing takes in islands including Kalymnos, Leros, Lipsi, Patmos, Nisyros, and Chalki, depending on the route. These islands are significantly less visited than the more famous Cyclades (for example Santorini and Mykonos) which makes them ideal for travellers looking for authentic Greek island experiences away from mass tourism.
The Dodecanese and Cyclades are two distinct island groups in the Greek Aegean. The Cyclades, which include Santorini, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos, are the most internationally recognised Greek islands and attract significant tourist numbers in high season. The Dodecanese, further south and east near the Turkish coast, are quieter, less developed in many places, and offer a more local experience. SeaScape Sailing primarily sails the Dodecanese, with 12-day trips extending into the Cyclades for guests who want to experience both island groups.
We’re based on the island of Kos. We usually dock the boat on a pier close to the old town, not in Kos Marina. For the old salts that have sailed with SeaScape Sailing down through the years: yes you’re right, we’ve changed our base location!
Kos is an easy island to fly in and out of with flights from Kos main airport to most European cities all summer. Also we’ve also a fantastic new Greek islands south route which is very easily accessed from Kos.
You’ll see on the itinerary that we commence our charters on Friday mornings at 9 am for your briefing and familiarising yourself with the boat. So you may need to arrive to Kos the day before on Thursday afternoon, check into a nice hotel, order a cocktail and relax by the pool or explore Kos old town. There’s an array of hotels to choose from in Kos town. For those That think Kos many be a little too commercial, don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of the smaller Greek island experiences as soon as we get sailing.
Getting to the boat from the airport
We’d recommend a taxi from the airport to your hotel. There is also a local bus service, but as the taxi ride is only approx. 40 euros in total, we think it’s worth it.
Our Greece and Turkey trips depart from and return to Kos. These are hotel recommendations based on feedback from previous guests.
If you prefer to book elsewhere, anywhere between Kos Marina and Kos Old Town is ideal, as everything is within easy walking distance. The boat is usually docked close to Kos Old Town.
Go to SafeWheels Rental (George), Vas. Georgiou 6, Kos town, to store any hard-sided suitcases or luggage you don’t need during the trip. Please note that hard-sided suitcases are NOT allowed on the boat!
The luggage storage is within 10 minutes walking distance.
WhatsApp George: +306974499622
€25-35 per dinner will get you a ton of food, and about as much wine as it’s possible to drink.
The best time to sail in Greece and Turkey is between late May and late Oct.
Earlier in the season is possible, but those glorious sunny-all-day Med conditions are not guaranteed; we can still get some dodgy weather early in May. The Turkish season tends to extend a little later than Greece; it stays warm and calm longer, the “lights-off” time for most tourist businesses in Turkey is Oct 30. In Greece, conditions can be a little unpredictable late in Oct (but it can still be a great time to sail, for those who hate crowds!)
Winds – the typical meltemi pattern of summer winds tends to follow the temperature. It blows the strongest in mid-summer, and is calmer in early and late season. In some parts of Greece (notably the Ionian), it’s a nice, predictable afternoon breeze; anywhere mid-Aegean or further east, forget any such reliability – the meltemi will blow when it feels like it!
For Greece, most nationalities do not need a visa. One notable exception is South Africa, where you must apply in advance. If you at all in doubt, pls check with your local Greek embassy. Most non-EU residents get an automatic 3 month visa-on-entry.
Turkey – most nationalities do need a visa, but it is a very simple online process. The cost varies according which nationality you are, usually from around 15 euros to sometimes up to 50 euros. The most common is around 20 euros.
Please note, your passport must be valid for 6 months AFTER your overseas travel is completed.
One of our reasons for choosing the Dodecanese as our home base is that we get Turkey as our next door neighbour. So we get to sail in both countries, a wonderful variety!
However, just because we are so geographically close does not mean that we can simply zig-zag between countries (if only!). One still has to go through customs procedures, and this can only be done at certain Ports of Entry. Still, it’s a whole lot easier to take our own floating home between countries, rather than messing around with bags, queues and customs officials, as you would on a ferry.
However, it still takes our skippers time to deal with paperwork, hence our usual suggestion of 10 days as a minimum timeframe. Hence, ou ‘standard’ Grece – Turkey Combo trip is 12 days.
The Meltemi is the prevailing summer wind system of the Aegean, blowing from the north or north-east typically from June through September. It can range from a pleasant 12–15 knots to a strong 35–40 knots, sometimes with little warning. An experienced skipper uses the Meltemi to plan the week’s route: heading south when it is blowing hard in the northern Dodecanese, or taking advantage of calm northern conditions when the wind is light. SeaScape decides on the week’s direction on the morning of departure based on current conditions, which is why no two trips follow exactly the same route.
Mediterranean mooring (known as Med mooring0 is the standard docking method throughout Greek and Turkish marinas. Rather than pulling alongside a dock, the skipper drops anchor as the boat approaches the dock, then reverses stern-first toward the dock and attaches lines while keeping tension on the anchor chain. It requires precision and local knowledge. Guests are welcome to help take lines ashore. This is different from the mooring ball system used in destinations like the British Virgin Islands, where you pick up a fixed buoy rather than setting your own anchor.
SeaScape operates BVI sailing holidays from late December through the end of February each year, departing from Hodges Creek Marina, Tortola. The first week of the season is the New Year’s Eve cruise. The BVI season runs for approximately eight weeks and cabin places book up well in advance.
The British Virgin Islands in December through February offers some of the most consistent sailing conditions in the world. The north-east trade winds blow steadily at 15–20 knots, the temperature is warm without being extreme, and the inter-island distances are short, making it an ideal destination for first-time sailors and experienced sailors alike. The BVI is generally more sheltered and predictable than Greece in summer, where the Meltemi can vary significantly.
Greece and the BVI offer genuinely different experiences. Greece, specifically the Dodecanese, is more off the beaten track, with smaller island communities, exceptional food in local tavernas, and more varied sailing conditions including the Meltemi. The BVI is more developed and more visited, but offers outstanding snorkelling, a vibrant sailing culture, and the specific magic of Caribbean sailing including mooring balls, trade winds and rum punch. SeaScape’s crew sail both and consider them complementary rather than competing destinations.