How does the weekend go?

• Book A Berth
• Cruises
• Round the Island Race
• Cowes Week
• Our yachts
• More information
  • What's included?
  • What goes on?
  • Who else?
  • Why YV?
  • Qualified?
  • Booking
  • Seasickness
• About us

To make a booking or to find out more about our events, click on the email link at the bottom of each page, or call us on 0333 4440 477.

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To be kept informed of new developments as the season progresses - new events, new boats, special discounts - sign up for our occasional email newsletters by clicking on the button below.

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We also operate corporate events – take a look at our main site reached via the About us page.

What will you find when you show up at our marina? Here's a brief attempt to answer the question.

In the fortnight before the event you’ll be emailed a briefing note giving joining instructions and other information. Normally, we assemble in Southampton the evening before departure, although some cruises may involve departure the same evening. Some events allow the alternative of joining the boat in Cowes or Lymington.

When you get to the boat, you’ll find early arrivals beavering away changing sails, doing last-minute maintenance/preparation jobs and stowing gear; you may find the skipper or mate is off at the supermarket, buying in the provisions for the weekend. If you’re a bit late, you may find the boat deserted - see next paragraph.

In Southampton, we usually have supper in one of the quayside bars at Ocean Village, or one of the restaurants in Oxford Street, five minutes' walk away. This is an opportunity to get to know the people you’ll be living with for the weekend - with luck, people you’ll enjoy spending time with. More on that on the Who? page.

Depending on how tight the schedule is for the following morning, the pub may be followed by a briefing covering the event and safety on-board. The skipper will then allocate berths. On Azzurra, we have two double cabins aft, a four-berth cabin forward and a double berth in the saloon which is normally allocated to the skipper and mate. Naturally, we strive to avoid mixing men and women who don't know one another.

When sailing overnight, we put all baggage in the forecabin and use the stern cabins for off-watch sleeping - plus the saloon berth for the skipper or mate. The stern cabins have lee-cloths rigged down the middle so that two can sleep without one crushing the other.

Although the skipper and mate expect to shoulder most of the responsibility for catering during the trip, we find that most clients are happy to muck in and do a share of the domestic chores, as you would on a non-commercial sailing trip. This makes life a lot easier, and is much appreciated.

When sailing, we try to make sure that everyone gets a fair crack of whatever whips turn them on, whether it’s plunging around on the foredeck, helming or navigating. We’ll often operate watches during the day as well as the night, to make it less likely that the super-keen will grab all the responsibility.

When we get to our destination, we are usually able to find a celebratory tube or two in the bilges. Evening meals are normally taken ashore, in a pub or a not-too-expensive restaurant.

On return to Southampton, offers of help in getting the boat sorted out will be gratefully received - but we do not follow the example of some sailing schools which require their paying guests to scrub the boat from stem to stern. If you want/need to get away, you should do so without compunction.