Top Tips for Chartering

Here is some advice for charterers

• Luggage Soft, squashable bags are your best mates—those big wheeled trunks just bash up the woodwork and are a nightmare to stash.
• Food Don’t go overboard at the supermarket. There are cracking little community shops along the way that’ll be chuffed to see you pop in. Drink - Treat yourself to a bottle from a local distillery—tastes way better when you’ve picked it up on holiday!
• Your route: Have a good look through the pilot books and charts before you set off. Trust us, trying to reroute on a rocking boat isn’t much fun.
• Bad weather If the weather’s grim, wait it out. Scotland can throw all four seasons at you in one day—but give it an hour and summer might just swing back around. And remember: it’s better to want to go to sea than to be stuck out there wishing you were back in port.
• Damage Stuff breaks—it’s part of the adventure. Just give us a ring and we’ll sort a fix or get the part on order.
• Navigation Heading into shallow waters? Go slow and steady. One knot is plenty. And keep in mind, some of those charts haven’t had a proper update since Captain Hornblower’s day—so what’s on paper might not match what’s under the keel.
  Antares Charts These are brilliant—super accurate and a great backup to your standard charts. You’ll find them online.
• Lobster Pots Give these little floaty traps a wide berth—at least 20 metres. Their ropes love a good tangle with yacht propellers.
• Help Need advice? Don’t hesitate to call David—day or night. He’s even talked crews in at 3am over the phone.
• Look after your crew Sailing non-stop might sound heroic, but it’ll kill the holiday vibe and could leave you short of crew next time. Keep it fun.
• If in difficulty Call the Coastguard early if things go sideways. The lifeboat crew would much rather scoop up smiling faces than search for missing ones.
• And finally Drink loads of water, slap on the sun cream, and let out plenty of anchor chain. You’re in for a cracking time—Scotland’s a stunner from the sea.