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privacy in a charter boat with skipper?

5K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  milos 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,
It's going to be our first time sailing in Greece alone (without friends) with my wife. We are not experienced and we need a skipper for sure; however I don't know if I and my wife can still have privacy in our trip? How is it in general? Do we have to have dinner together when on land? Is it possible to sunbath or swim nude? Can we choose which bay to go next and in which port/bay to stay at nights, etc?
I would like to hear some experiences both good and bad? Thanks
 
#2 ·
I'll pass on this one...well, sorry I can't resist....

Of course you can swim nude.....no problems.

However, if I were you, I wouldn't.... you know...the Greeks:D :D ....OK if the wife swims nude, we won't mind.....where are you guys going and when???:D :D :D

Hey if you need a captain...I have an European Union Skipper License..... if you feed me, I'll even sing.....:D :D :D

I won't give you any privacy, though:D :D :D
 
#4 ·
Leventy-Watch our for Giulietta…you get him to be your captain and he might end up naked in the water with you and the wife!

A professional charter Captain understands that he or she works for the guest. Tanning and swimming in the nude should not be a problem for a seasoned captain nor should going where you want to. Chances are if you find a good captain and tell him of your plans before he might even be able to recommend some secluded coves and private beaches to head to.

I picked up a boat two years ago in BVI but I was not ready to bring her back to New England myself. The captain had no problem stopping where I wanted to and had no problem with my girlfriend tanning nude and the two of us fooling around on deck. He always turned his back or looked away out of respect. As far as food went, we always had meals together when under sail but on land we tended to go our own ways. I would recommend working that out in advance. I was very impressed with the guy I hired and I would hope you get the same treatment.
 
#5 ·
leventy-

If you do hire Giulietta... you get what you pay for... and all that entails... He's also known to carry a digital camera... so your privacy will be minimal at best, and at worst, posted on the web for all to see, but he is open and upfront about the fact that he won't let you have any privacy. ;) Also, if you do hire, get him to sign a no-singing clause in the contract... or buy earplugs.
 
#6 ·
leventyapan said:
Hello,
It's going to be our first time sailing in Greece alone (without friends) with my wife. We are not experienced and we need a skipper for sure; however I don't know if I and my wife can still have privacy in our trip? How is it in general? Do we have to have dinner together when on land? Is it OK to sunbath and swim nude? Can we choose which bay to go next, etc?
I would like to hear some experiences both good and bad? Thanks
We've never chartered in Greece, but I'm assuming it's not that much different from elsewhere. We've chartered, with a captain, in the BVI's and coastal Maine.

Usually, the captain will ask if you have an itinerary or if you want him/her to do all the planning. You don't have to eat with the captain onshore if you don't want to. On our charters, sometimes we did, sometimes we didn't. As a matter of fact, for one of our charters, the captain took our kids ashore and left my wife and I on the boat! That was unusual (but he is definitely the best captain we've ever had with kids - absolutely friggin' amazing with them!!! If anyone wants his info...). You can swim nude, or fully clothed. You can include the captain on everything (or almost everything) you're doing, or nothing. In "foreign" ports, they will also take care of all of the checkins and outs.

When we charter with captain, we usually like to run the boat and keep the captain around for "backup".

Have fun!

Chris
 
#7 ·
look, you can hire me....

Hey I don't mind being a "backup"......but I will not take the kids ashore so you can have fun with the wife.....you take the kids, I'll keep an eye on her....don't you worry....I don't need to eat with you...and yes please swim all dressed up...not her...not good for her skin:D :D :D
 
#8 ·
Privacy with a skipper

Hi there,

For three years in a row, we chartered with Moorings (Greece, Martinique and BVI). For each of those trips, we took a skipper on board for a couple of days.

Some experiences:

1/ All of the experiences were excellent, the skippers were very helpful, and had excellent knowledge of the boat, the sailing areas and dos/donts.

2/ For each of the cruises, we only took a skipper on board for a couple of days to a week, to get us acquainted with the ship and sailing area, after that, we continued on our own... I found, if you know how to sail a boat but are uncomfortable about the first couple of days, it is a good idea to take a skipper onboard.

3/ A must for the privacy, is to ensure the skipper has his/her own cabin.

4/ We always invited the skipper to join us for meals onboard or on shore. While onshore, we paid for his meals.

5/ The skippers were always very sensitive to our privacy, and often suggested we dropped them onshore for a while (while at anchorage), so we could have some time by ourselves.

6/ Keep your eyes open 'for the signs', though... Our last skipper came on board with a couple of sixpacks of beer. The first day, he took his first beer at 1 pm, the next day at 9:30 AM (!)... We had a similar experience when chartering for a training cruise in the UK... There the skipper often tried to convince us to go into a port before 3 pm, later only to find out that 'he liked his drink'.. These were all minor problems though. They never got drunk on the boat (but then again, we never had a skipper onboard for more than one week...).

7/ make CLEAR agreement the first day as to what you will pay for him/her (meals, drinks etc..), and how... Last charter we suggested the skipper ate with us and said 'our fridge is open for anything you want'.. He always refused, and hardly ate anything. Back on shore, through the charter company, he later tried to claim $150/day of provision fees...

Overall: don't worry.. you will be fine.

Peter.

http://theroadtothehorizon.blogspot.com/
 
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