Choose the right experience provider:
There are two main choices to make when finding a provider; either buy the experience from an Agency (large retailers that sell a wide range of gifts) or buy direct from the Supplier (a specialist company that only sells their own products and you will actually go sailing with). We would recommend buying direct from a Suppler, such as us, for a number of reasons.
Firstly you get to deal directly with the people taking you sailing - we can give you far more information about the day, the boats, which sailing experience would be suitable, local hotels etc because it's what we do.
As usual to find out information, go to the experts...
Secondly it's not in our interest to sell you a product that is unsuitable as it will be us who will take you out sailing and meet you face to face. We specalise in offering hands on sailing experiences and have a range of products designed to meet different sailing abilities - we want you to buy the correct sailing experience, not just the most expensive one.
It's also vitally important you choose a professional company who operate with all the necessary MCA (Marine Coastguard Agency) commercial licencing. Both our yachts are MCA category 2 coded, which means they are lisensed to carry passengers up to 60 miles offshore and have a safety inspection every year by an external surveyor. All our Skippers hold a minimum of Yachtmaster commerically endorsed.
We offer a large choice of dates, a range of products and an online booking system that ensures you get the best possible booking service.
Our boats are 60ft Ocean Race Yachts (both of which have raced around the World) and are designed to be sailed by 12 people due to the nature of the size of the sails and systems aboard - so when we go sailing there are a minimum of two professional crew aboard and up to 12 participants to sail the boat which is just how it was designed! You get plenty of opportunity to sail the boat yourselves and you have the excitement of being on board professional race yachts. There's lots to do and it's a hands on experience.
Many other providers offer sailing aboard smaller leisure craft that are not quite so exciting and designed to be sailed by smaller crews.
Choose the right sailing experience:
As mentioned above, we want you to buy the most appropriate sailing experience, if it's not the right experience for the participant we will advise you accordingly. We have intentionally designed a range of sailing experiences to cater for a wide range of sailing experience - from complete beginners to experienced boat owners.
When looking around on the internet for sailing experience gifts, do a bit of research into the various companies and check out their range of products. Cheap isn't always the best option when you're sending your Great Uncle Fred out to Sea...
We include everything for our sailing experience, lunch, tea and coffee, bottled water and soft drinks through out the day, wet weather clothing is aboard the boats and free to use and we provide a life jacket as standard. The only additional cost on the day is for parking your car when you get here and that's only £6 for the day.
We've been running sailing experience days since 2003 and specalise in only that - day sailing experiences. We don't race, or offer RYA tuition, but specalise in what we're good at.
When looking at other suppliers check what is included in the price - for example, is lunch included, or do you need to take your own? Is wet weather clothing hire an extra or included in the price?
Our sailing experience range guidance:
We have 4 experience 'products' to choose from. Here's a bit of information on them and who they are suitable for, which hopefully will make choosing an experience a little easier.
Solent Sailing Experience: Ideal for complete novices to those with a small amount of sailing experience.
This experience is aimed at those with no sailing experience to those who have done a little - perhaps a bit of dinghy sailing, or sailed a long time ago and would like a reminder of what it's all about. We structure the day around informal tuition and the pace of the day is slowed down so everyone understands what's happening. This experience is aboard our Clipper 60 which is a large stable platform for learning and getting actively involved in sailing at a pace that suits you.
This experience only sails midweek usually Tuesday to Thursday. Price £129. Read more about the Solent Sailing Experience here.
Ocean Race Yacht Experience: Ideal for complete novices through to those with more experience such as dinghy sailors and yacht sailors who may have been on flotilla holidays, chartering etc.
This experience is aimed at those with no experience to those who have had some aboard dinghies and yachts. Unlike the Introduction to Sailing, the pace of the day is slightly faster with less emphasis on step by step tuition, but more on getting the boat sailing. Equally as hands on, this experience is our best seller as it is so versatile in terms of who it is suitable for.
The other key advantage of this experience is that it's available midweek and weekends. During the week the experience is run aboard our Whitbread 60 - the faster of our two boats, and weekends run aboard our Clipper 60 - the same boat that runs the Introduction to Sailing Experience. Price £149. Read more about the Ocean Race Yacht Experience here.
Whitbread 60 Experience: Ideal for a keen novice through to those with more experience such as dinghy sailors and yacht sailors who may have been on flotilla holidays, chartering etc as well was boat owners and very experienced sailors.
This experience is run aboard our Whitbread 60 which is currently the fastest commercially available yacht licenced to run day sails in the UK. This boat is very different to what most people have sailed on before and is usually a real treat for sailors who have followed the Ocean Racing Circuit. Our boat hasn't been de-tuned or changed since it raced, the participants get the 'real' experience of what it was like for the sailors take this sailing 'machine' around the World.
This experience only runs on weekends aboard our Whitbread 60. Price £179. Read more about the Whitbread 60 Experience here.
Round the Island Experience: Ideal for a very keen novice through to those with more experience such as dinghy sailors and yacht sailors who may have been on flotilla holidays, chartering etc as well was boat owners and very experienced sailors.
This experience is run aboard both of our boats and priced accordingly. This is a long experience, starting at 8am and usually finishing about 7pm, so really ideal for those wanting a long time aboard the boat. Sailing around the Isle of Wight allows the boat to be taken into open water which has the advantage of being able to allow the boats to be pushed a little harder, but the downside (or upside) of being out of the shelter of the Solent is the weather and waves that go with sailing in the open sea. This product is very popular with people who have already sailed with us on experiences such as the Ocean Race Yacht Experience, who what to come back for a bit more...
The only disadvantage of this product is how often we can run the trips. We can only sail when the tidal flows are correct to take us out of the Solent and back in - meaning it's usually only twice per month - and not necessarily on weekends. Check the website for available dates before booking. Price £229 aboard Clipper 60 and £249 aboard the Whitbread 60. Find more about Round the Island Experience here.
We hope this has made it a little easier! If you're still not sure, just give us a call on 02380 988966 or send an email to info@blueboxsailing.com and we'll do our best to advise you on the best experience to suit your needs. |
