TRAVEL SOLO SAILING
Above, left
Escape the
everyday and
indulge in a
luxury trip
Above right
Classic yachts
are increasingly
popular for solo
trips as they ofer
plenty of space
Below
Travelling solo is a
great way to tick
of your bucket
list destinationscourses in Greece and Croatia for
ive students aboard 42-44t Bavaria
and Harmony yachts. Lorenzo adds:
“It is a fun week because the tuition
boat also meets up with the (main)
lotilla on most evenings, making it a
more sociable experience combining
a real holiday with RYA tuition.”
Younger solo sailors looking for a
fun-illed sailing holiday should consider
Med Sailors, a leader in skippered sailing
holidays for 20-35 year olds, particularly
around Greece, Croatia, Turkey, and
Italy. Rebecca Anne Hunter says cateringfor 20-35 year olds means there are
always plenty of single place bookings:
“We ofer solo spaces for any destination
where we have monohull yachts which
have bunkroom cabins on board,
which includes all our Mediterranean
sailing... We ensure guests are
grouped with people of a similar age
and demographic to themselves.”CLASSIC ADVENTURES
Classic boat sailing holidays are fast
becoming a popular choice with solo
sailors. At Cornish-based Classic
Sailing, which runs some of the
most unique and adventurous trips
to places like Antarctica, the Arctic
Greenland, Iceland, South Georgia,
Faroes, Scotland and Norway, solo
charter places are the most popular.
According to Debbie Purser – RYA
Principal, director and co founder
of Classic Sailing – 78 per cent of all
charter spaces are taken by solo sailors:
“Since 1997 we have taken over 10,000
individual sailors on voyages and many
are solo female sailors. It is not a singles
holiday but it is great for solo sailors.”
he company’s leet of vessels includes
all sorts, from pilot cutters to gaf rigged
schooners, and individual charter spots
are available for long or short voyages.
Purser was also keen to point out the
accessible nature of these trips: “Disabled
sailors can come on our trips without
a‘buddy’becausethetallshipsintheleet – Lord Nelson or Tenacious – are
purpose built and the crew on board
partner up abled-bodied and disabled
crew so no one is let out the social mix.”
he recently launched VentureSail
holidays similarly ofers adventure sailing
holidays on board classic sailing ships
in diverse and oten lesser-travelled
locations. Solo sailors can book a berth
aboard one of the interesting large
classic ships on ofer, including the
1904-built Bessie Ellen – one of the
last remaining trading ketches – and
set sail for places like the Arctic, Baltic,
Scotland, Caribbean and Canary Islands.
Nikki Alford – director at VentureSail
Holidays and owner and skipper of
the Bessie Ellen said: “All our holidays
provide the opportunity for solo sailors
to meet a host of new people, share new
experiences and get involved as much
or as little as they wish. Our vessels are
also large enough for guests to either be
quiet and independent or join in with
others for lively discussions and activities
in the various community spaces.”PHOTOS: C/O DREAM YACHT CHARTER; CLASSIC SAILING; DEBBIE PURSERUseful contacts
Seafarer Sailing – seafarersailing.co.uk
Classic Sailing – classic-sailing.co.uk
Sailing Nations – sailingnations.com
Med Sailors – medsailors.com
Venture Sail Holidays – venturesailholidays.com
Bessie Ellen – bessie-ellen.com
Yachts IBIS – yachtibis.co.uk
Singles Sailing Holidays – singlessailingholidays.co.uk
Trident Yachting – tridentyachting.co.uk
One Stop Sailing – onestopsailing.co.uk
Ocean Elements – oceanelements.com
Sailing Holidays – sailingholidays.com
Sail Ionian – sailionian.com
Ondeck Antigua – ondeckantigua.com
Sail Race Crew – sailracecrew.com
Sunsail – sunsail.co.uk
Sailing Logic – sailinglogic.co.uk
Dream Yacht Charter – dreamyachtcharter.co.uk
Wildwind – wildwind.co.ukThe most unique and adventurous
trips are to Antarctica and the Arctic
74 Yachts & Yachting July 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk