Client Charter Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

Well, back home now, but what a fantastic trip we had! Two weeks is way better than one, plenty of time to relax and enjoy what the Cilento coast had to offer. We went as far as Isola di Dino, just south of Maratia.

Everisto from Star Sail was most helpful in giving us the heads-up on the best spots to go, and even booked a restaurant at Marina di Camerota for us for my wife’s birthday! In my opinion way better than the Amalfi coast, fewer people, and fewer tourists. There are many beautiful bays and grottos with clear, clear deep-blue water.

The marinas tend to be pretty small, so not a lot of space, but at this time of year we could get in everywhere we wanted. (Marina) prices for the Cat ranged from E200 per night, to E125. Marina di Camerota has a free tourist wharf for 48hrs.

There is a lot of national park along the coast, with marine reserves. You can’t anchor in them, but they provide mooring buoys for use. All in all a great trip, and one that I would recommend.

October 2024

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Bali 4.5

Nigel, New Zealand, October, 2024

Rating: 4 / 5

Review of the boat: the Bali 4.2 was 1 year old and very comfortable and well suited to island cruising with shallow draft. It had plenty of room for 6 people, having 4 double cabins and their own en-suites. Main cabin very comfortable. Fridge freezer adequate good. The rear of main cabin opened like a large garage door allowing space even when rain was around. Cooking was good, with stovetop, oven and outside bbq all used.

Highlights of the destination: anchoring off Ile Mahaea, Tahaa over 2m sandy bottom, beautiful for swimming and fishing. Mooring at Taurere, Piti Aau, Bora Bora was the highlight, with breathtaking scenery and beautiful swimming. Mooring near Anapa Pearl farm, Raiatea, beautiful snorkelling and the Pearl farm tour and more snorkelling was worthwhile.

How was our service? Sail Connections were very helpful, particularly facilitating the switch from troubled New Caledonia to French Polynesia. We worked out our 8 night itinerary but it would be good for Sail Charters to have a suggested itinerary. The Base Guide did have suggested stops but no sample itineraries, with simple chart.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Bali 4.2

Phillip, Australia, October, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

Ultra's 2024 Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 was the ideal catamaran for our party of 4 couples plus a skipper. Excellent living spaces and upper deck lounging areas, well-equipped galley with outdoor barbecue plus good sized cabins each with their own shower and toilet. Even with 9 people on board there were plenty of places to go for quiet time. The galley layout was well thought out for food preparation and cooking plus two fridges and one freezer made the whole eating on board experience a very enjoyable one.

We loved having the use of the tender to explore our various anchorages and the two paddle boards we took as an extra were a great addition to the charter. Initially we had thought to skipper the boat ourselves but decided to pay extra for a local skipper and it was a great decision. Not only did we all get to enjoy the charter equally but Marijan's local knowledge of quiet anchorages and moorings, weather patterns and dealing with marina authorities was invaluable. He was a superb addition to our charter and we would highly recommend anyone chartering for the first time to use a skipper.

Highlights of the destination:
Favourite mooring was on Scedro Island off south coast of Hvar. Mooring buoy in cove in front of Tavern Kod Ive. Tranquil, rustic, beautiful with man in skiff selling local wines and taking orders for fresh croissants from Hvar bakery which he delivered by skiff the next morning.

Borova, Prezba Island (north west of Lastovo) where we anchored with stern lines tied to the rocks. Isolated, crystal clear waters for swimming and paddle boards.

Komiza, Vis - mooring buoy in the harbour in front of village of Komiza. Beautiful village to explore on foot, fresh fish from local fishmonger.

Exceptional service! Sail Connections had been highly recommended by friends who had used their services previously. Robert's vast experience and recommendations on what boat would best suit our needs, tips on a proposed itinerary, practicalities of skippering and provisioning the boat plus explaining the terms and conditions of the contract was invaluable. Thank you to Brian and Sue for their excellent service dealing with the finer details of the contract, plus liaising with the charter company on our behalf.

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Elba 45

Paul, New Zealand, October, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

Boat had plenty of space for the 7 of us. The sleeping cabins were well appointed and clean as were the communal areas.

The skipper Socarates took us to pristine beaches and bays that were not overrun with other boats. Loved being able to sail during the day and then visit the local towns at night. The skipper always gave us recommendations and asked what we would like to do each day. Crew were totally there to make our trip comfortable and to experience the beautiful Greek islands

The booking experience with Sail Connection was good would recommend to friends wanting to charter a boat.

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 55

Anna, Australia, October, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat (Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 - crewed) was perfect for our needs. Maintained well.
Vis island (was a hignlight -) day trip on scooters visiting cliff beach, town and winery.
(Your service was) great. Very knowledgeable and good recommendations for us being first timer on a charter.

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Saba 50

Daniel, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat was in excellent condition - only a couple of years old. All equipment and facilities worked faultlessly.

I would not choose to see the Amalfi Coast any other way than from the sea - especially during the busy season. The scenery was truly breathtaking, and the number of people travelling to and from and around the major towns was remarkable.

We chose to seek out the quieter spots for anchoring, and they certainly exist, allowing for public beach access via our tender to visit and explore at a more leisurely pace.

For the most part everything just seemed to line up as planned. With a long lead time to our holiday communications sometimes fell a bit quiet - but that's because there was not much to say. The wheels all turned, the boat was ready and waiting and lived up to our expectations. Nothing was overlooked, and our trip ran very well indeed.

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Bali Catspace

David, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat was excellent. Beautifully maintained great public spaces for our group.

We particularly enjoyed visiting Star Grad and Pocisca. In hindsight we wished we had visited more of these smaller towns. We also very much enjoyed anchoring in little coves and swimming off the boat.

The Captain's “excursions” to masonry school, beach bar and the deer were all enjoyable.

The service. On the boat was impeccable, Susan in particular did a mighty job.

Destination: Croatia

Derek, Australia, September, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

Excellent! Everything was perfect. Great set of islands - we enjoyed everything. Our guide Carlos was extremely knowledgeable -- we learned so much about aquaculture. He pointed out whales and turtles, and gave us a lot of info on flora and fauna. He made our trip phenomenal!!!

Destination: La Paz, Mexico

Yacht: Bali 4.1

Kerrie, USA, August, 2024

Rating: 4 / 5

The boat was as expected for a 2018 catamaran. The only issue was with one of the two toilets.
Amazing place with so many anchorage options. A great 2 weeks with nature and small villages. We loved it!
(Your servise was) Perfect as usual! I can't wait for us to work again together for another destination. Your advices and reliability are priceless :) Thanks again to Sue and Robert!

Destination: Italy

Yacht: Lucia 40

Eric, Canada, August, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

(The boat was) perfect for our family of four. Only slight negative is that the helm position has a fairly large blind spot and there is no shade.
Favourite spot ... Sarakiniko Beach, Ithaka. This beautiful spot offered good anchorage, a local taverna and easy access over the hill to Vathy.
(Your service was) excellent. Dimitri in particular was very accommodating and nothing seemed to be a problem.

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Bali Catsmart

Stephen, Australia, July, 2024

Rating: 5 / 5

The Lagoon 46 was the best catamaran we have chartered. There was plenty of deck and seating space and all the bedrooms/ensuites were a good size.

Preveza was a great starting point and we enjoyed travelling south to Ithaki and north to Paxi. Kalamos was a highlight we tied up to a pier next to a taverna for the night and it was a lovely spot.

We had very good service from Robert and Sue at Yachting Holidays and dealing with an NZ company gave us peace of mind. The service from Fyly in Greece was also excellent. We really appreciated being able to board the boat early and our skipper was also very friendly and easy to get along with.

Our skipper Adrian Dimitru was keen to get away on Saturday afternoon so we headed south and got a day ahead which was great. .he cruise was excellent and Adrian got us to some of his favourite spots so we were very lucky.

Ithaki not to be missed.

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 46

Craig, New Zealand, October, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

There was a good range of islands to visit, from busy to quiet and the Thai food was always amazing. There was usually a good morning breeze that kicked in fairly early and then seemed to drop off in the afternoon.

Our favourite destination was Ko Tao as the water was so incredibly clear. The national park was also good: not clear water but the night time phosphorescence made up for that. We loved finding the hong inside the northern most island in the national park too.

The Lagoon 400 S2 was an incredible boat! Easily the best choice for a family with kids. Comfortably slept all 9 of us and was very easy to manouvre. We'd definitely like to use her again in the future.

Great communication, good organisation. All went very smoothly. Incredible holiday, sailing amongst the islands surrounding Koh Samui, all organised by the team from Sail Connections. I highly recommend them!

Destination: Koh Samui, Thailand

Yacht: Lagoon 400

Nicholas, Australia, August, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat was excellent. We were the 2nd charters so it was effectively new. The Jeauneau 41 is a great boat for3 couples in a family. Easy to handle, enough performance to get where you want to each day, good facilities, good size cockpit etc.

SK Yachting were excellent at checkin and checkout. Friendly service, helpful and knowledgable. The checkout process on our arrival back was a well oiled machine. We sailed to the West of the base in Marmaris and the coast and villages were not as good as a previous charter out of Gocek. Perhaps if we had gone east it would have been better.

Destination: Turkey

Yacht: Sun Odyssey 410

Bruce, Australia, July, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

The Saba 50 was an excellent choice. Extremely comfortable and spacious, equipped with everything we needed.

Our skipper Hugo and his lovely wife, added considerably to our enjoyment of the charter. The only discomfort for me was the foam cushions. Everything else was great.

We loved the snorkeling, fishing. Swam with reef sharks, rays and fish everywhere. Highlight was the coral garden in Raiatea and of course Bora Bora with its magnificent waters.

Your service and the advice given by Sue and Robert was excellent as that given by Tahiti Yacht Charters and our great crew.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Saba 50

Sydney, Australia, June, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat was in good condition and everything worked.

I have done 21 bare boat holidays all over the world and rate Montenegro the best destination we have been to.

Service was very good. Very impressed with the provisioning. Our list, and what was not on the list, was questioned - demonstrating they had given thought to what we ordered.

I would have liked a bit more info re the marinas prior to the trip.

Although English was a bit of an issue every WhatsApp we sent with a query during our trip was answered promptly - the best support we have had.

Destination: Montenegro

Yacht: Lagoon 46

Giam, Australia, June, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

A very commodious boat, especially since there were only 3 of us. Easily short-handed. We didn't do a lot of sailing (either too little or too much wind during our charter) and what we did was under jib alone where we were able to maintain a solid 7 knots. The systems all worked, though at times the freezer was too warm and the refrigerator too cold. The fold down swim platform is a very cool feature of this design.

Nara Inlet and Butterfly Bay were beautiful, and the cave paintings at Nara were fascinating. Border Island was going to be a lunch stop, but we liked it enough to stay overnight. Border had the best snorkeling of the trip, even with stinger suits and poor visibility, although the overnight anchorage got a little rolly in the wee hours. Our last stop was Sawmill Bay with a nice hike on shore, though no swimming due to recent shark attacks.

The service staff were great, and provided everything we needed, and nothing we didn't. The twice daily VHF check-ins were cheerful and informative. Our travel schedule required us to arrive too late for a same-day briefing so we had our first night in the marina. It would have been nice if the provisioning service could have loaded the boat before our arrival, instead of making us wait until the following day, but that is our only very minor complaint.

Destination: Whitsunday Islands

Yacht: Oceanis 48

Tom, USA, March, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

Was fun to visit five islands but checking in/out of customs each time and the distance we needed to cover (~220 NM) made for little down time.

The wind blew hard all week and we sailed for more than 5 hours each day (and one 9 hour day). Our allocated skipper was great. The mega yachts in St Barts were fun to ogle and the French culture in St Martin and Guadeloupe was great to experience.

(Sail Connections was) easy to deal with over email and responsive to initial inquiries. Got us a good deal on the boat! Bit of a black hole in comms after payment made and before charter voucher received, which was a bit unnerving, but this all happened over the Christmas holidays, so understandable!

Destination:

Yacht: Dufour 520

Karl, USA, February, 2023

Rating: 5 / 5

The Lucia was great. we had a lot of fun and she did not let us down. There is one big complaint though and it is how hard the tender is to pull up on the Davits. I was able to do it but it was extremely heavy and if there was older or less fit people on board they would have had a terrible time.

Bora Bora and Huahine were amazing. On second thoughts everywhere was amazing.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Lucia 40

Daniel, Australia, January, 2023

Rating: 4 / 5

The design and layout of the boat suited us as a group of 4 very well.

Weather was perfect although not much wind for sailing but that suited us fine. The whole Whitsunday area is a great cruising ground.
Your service was very good especially all the changes that were made over several years due to Covid. I would definitely use you again.

Destination: Whitsunday Islands

Ralph, New Zealand, September, 2022

Rating: 5 / 5

The boat was amazing. We did have an issue with the water maker which couldn't be fixed on the run, but DYC happily reimbursed us for water that we had to buy and in addition compensated us more than fairly for the inconvenience.

The scuba diving and snorkelling was amazing. Being able to pull up the boat wherever you want on these amazing sites was also fantastic.
The boat sailed like a dream and we made great time on all our inter-island passages (it helped that the wind was on our side too!)

Your service was in line with the rest of the holiday. Trouble free, professional and a pleasure to deal with.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Lagoon 52

Dean, Australia, January, 2020

Rating: 5 / 5

The Wave was wonderful! We had 3 couples and the skipper so we each had a berth. We cooked several meals in the kitchen and kept a fresh mint and basil plant in the the window! Our skipper and my husband are both sailors so we sailed the boat as much as the wind and time would allow and very much enjoyed that. Of course the black water issue is not great, but we managed.

All the islands along the coast of Croatia are worth checking out. We had 2 weeks to explore the beautiful towns and coves and recommend hitting the towns during the day to sightsee and pick up supplies then find a quiet cove to anchor for the night. Split was very crowded and might have been better visited in the fall after the cruise ships taper off.

Sail Connections' service was really great! We felt guided through the process, of which we knew nothing about before. We were met in Slano by Cristina, who was so good to help us. Our skipper was excellent even tho we had a bit of a language barrier, He was careful, fun, and joined us on all of our excursions and was willing to explore and find places he had never been.

Destination: Croatia

Yacht: Astréa 42

Joyce, USA, August, 2019

We had a great time in the Aeolian Islands, and I highly recommend them as a destination. The beauty is that the islands each have a different character and are close to each other. The longest ‘passage’ is about 10 miles, and some are a lot shorter. Two of the largest islands, Vulcano and Lipari, are only 800m apart, but very different!

The marinas are well located and were reasonably priced (€70-100 per night) and at Panarea there are only moorings but for €70 you also get a 24/7 water taxi service which was perfect. We found mid / late July to be superb.

Destination: Italy

David, New Zealand, August, 2019

Had a great time. The wind was terrific - good fun, but nothing too hairy - exactly what we were looking for to take it up a notch or two from Croatia last year. And the Dodecanese were really good - nice ports, not too crowded (esp compared to Croatia) - just felt a bit more out of the way. DYC were fine - a little bit more on the 'smell of an oily rag' end of things compared to the very efficient German-run scene at Trogir, but it all worked and no real issues. Excellent recommendation Robert - boat and destination - you nailed it!

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Dufour 460

John, Australia, July, 2019

Rating: 5 / 5

We sailed for two weeks in the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia in late May, 2019. The Dream Yacht Charter team was fantastic. Our boat, the 52' sloop ARZ, was a delight, very much up to the job of carrying our crew of 8 from island to island. Every minute of the trip was life-changingly dynamic, charged with beauty in land, sea, and people. We experienced the deepest peace combined with the greatest excitement, including a passage from Bora Bora in the midst of a suddenly appearing, un-forecast gale with 2-3 meter breaking wind waves slamming against directly opposing 2 meter swells. The boat performed beautifully in these challenging conditions.

Really, we couldn't imagine a more wonderful trip and greatly appreciate Sail Connections as our agent, who smoothed our way and was instrumental in our choice of charterer and vessel, and Dream Yacht Charter, who made it happen. Had taken an earlier cruise in Tahiti and had experienced some problems with the charter service. Robert talked to me in detail about those issues and reassured me that Dream Yacht Charters was excellent, and that he and the Sail Connections team would back us up and do all they could to smooth over any difficulties. Without this, I doubt if we would have taken the cruise. Both teams, Sail Connections and Dream Yacht Charters, were meticulous in making serious promises and keeping them. Ten out of ten.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Dufour 520

Paul, New Zealand, July, 2019

Rating: 4 / 5

The boat was well maintained with everything in good working order. Sail systems are easy to use, especially with the electric winch and the Catana sailed beautifully. Personally I do not like the steering stations at the stern of each hull as visibility to the opposite side is poor. But I knew that before we booked. The GPS is located inside the saloon which makes navigating more difficult compared to having a map alongside the steering. Overall a very comfortable sailing boat for 2 families.

Vanilla tour of Tahaa was amazing with Noah. Bora Bora is beautiful, though of course very touristy. Managed to swin with many reef sharks, eagle rays and a manta. Taputapuatea is worth the effort to visit being the centre of Polynesian migrations.

Your service was great. Quick responses to most questions and patience during the many changes.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Catana 41

Craig, New Zealand, July, 2019

Rating: 5 / 5

We had a Lagoon 52 for our sail out of Grimaud, France. The boat met our needs and expectations and was in excellent condition. Not a great sailing vessel but very comfortable and enjoyed by our non-sailing wives. The charter company was good. Our skipper and hostess were fantastic and highly recommend for sailing in the area. Very knowledgeable and accommodating.

Enjoyed the French Riviera, it was a 10. Went to St. Tropez, Cannes, Monaco, Antibes and took side trips inland to Eze and St Paul de Vence to name a couple.

Your service was excellent and everything was terrific. Thanks for all your help in insuring a memorable vacation.

Destination: South of France

Yacht: Lagoon 52

Dave, USA, September, 2018

"What a truly magical trip it was! The islands were stunning, the crew was amazing. We had an amazing trip and truly kicked back. We snorkelled so much in such amazing underwater coral gardens and reefs - outstanding! The local Champion in Raiatea is as good as any grocer here in Toronto. Good supplies in Bora as well, and pizza too! The base crew in Raiatea were great, most knowledgeable and helpful It was a most amazing time. Thank you for all of your help in making this all come together."

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Yacht: Catana 47

Patti, Canada, November, 2017

The Lucky Clover was fantastic. We travelled around the Saronic Islands which were beautiful. A new adventure every day. One day we hired scooters and explored the islands. Great service thank you. 10 out of 10, a trip of a lifetime!

Destination: Greece

Yacht: Lagoon 52 - 'Lucky Clover'

Deborah, New Zealand, August, 2017

Totally awesome place and a trip of a lifetime! My wife and I enjoyed the remoteness we found in Avea Bay on Huahine. We had the place to ourselves. We enjoyed learning about the culture and had a great time at Ficus on Tahaa where we saw a very entertaining show and ate authentic Polynesian food which we enjoyed. We met some great people on our trip. The sailing provided a mix of adventure and relaxation. The natural offerings were spectacular and we enjoyed snorkeling where we saw many beautiful fish and several Manta Rays. Awesome.

Destination: French Polynesia: the Society Islands

Robert, USA, February, 2016