How it Works
You
Prior sailing experience is not required to join our cruising adventures! Each of the boats is responsibly managed by an experienced skipper and each skipper ensures that one or two of their crew have the experience to perform all the necessary functions that support the effective running of a large cruising yacht.
You are invited to do as much or as little as you feel comfortable with during the cruise. If you wish to learn about the various aspects of sailing a cruising yacht there will be no shortage of enthusiastic sailors willing to help you! If your primary aim is to soak up the sun with a good book in hand that's perfectly ok with us too! Away from the actual sailing a boat works really well when everyone is willing and happy to muck in during the week with activities like cooking and keeping the boat tidy. You must be easy going and low maintenance - there is absolutely no room for drama on a boat.
Sign up for a single berth or a whole cabin
All berths are double occupancy. You can pair up with someone that you’d like to share a cabin with or just wait to be assigned a cabin once you pay the berth fee. A good Skipper will prefer to meet or at least talk with each of their crew when putting together a boat – we will facilitate that as much as possible.
The majority of the cabin space on a charter boat comes with plenty of room for two people to share comfortably. Beds are generally full to queen size and the cabins on larger boats often come with en-suite bathrooms with toilet and shower facilities. Smaller boats may have a fewer number of bathrooms that are shared between more cabins.
Putting down a deposit (if offered) or the full cost of a berth when registering secures you a berth on a boat. A single occupant of a double occupancy cabin is required to pay for both berths.
Meals and drinks
One of the great joys of sailing from one place to the other is the opportunity to jump off the boat and explore a local town or to stumble across a secret gem of a beach bar and restaurant.
With this in mind we try to structure meals so that you have an opportunity to enjoy your food both on the boat and ashore during the trip. The majority of breakfasts and lunches are provisioned for the boat. Dinner is generally split between three meals on the boat and three ashore. The exact split of meals on the boat vs ashore can vary from one trip to another as some destinations are more sparsely populated and thus require a higher number of meals to be taken on board the boat. All crew are encouraged to contribute to the boat provisioning decision.
A DCSC cruising adventure is not a booze-cruise. Alcohol is agreed upon between crew members and provisioned in quantities that reasonably support social interaction during the week. Some nights a boat may decide to host other boats for sundowners, or you may enjoy some wine with dinner on board. Cocktail hour upon taking a mooring ball or dropping anchor for the night is a favorite sailor's tradition!
DC Sailing Community charters boats for the trip on your behalf and each crew member contributes a share of the total cost*. The cost to charter a cruising yacht varies from week to week and is fixed as of the date the contract is made with the charter company, very similar to the way air travel works.
Boats are categorized into 3 Tiers. Availability of boats under each tier may be restricted by location or by skippers’ preference for the type of boat they wish to sail.
Boat Costs
Tier 1 - Catamaran Experience
Catamarans provide for a high degree of comfort and are our standard offering, ranging in size between 40’ and 50’, subject to availability. To the best of our ability we will charter catamarans equipped with a generator for AC, a watermaker, and en-suite bathroom facilities for each cabin. We will also try to charter catamarans that offer a similar standard of lounging space. Catamaran offerings and features are subject to availability at each charter base. All flotilla participants on a catamaran chartered by DC Sailing Community will pay the same per person cost**.
Tier 2 - Monohull Experience
We will endeavor to charter one or more monohulls, for each flotilla, offering a budget friendly option for those that prefer it. While they offer less room to spread out on deck, many sailors perceive that a monohull provides for a more ‘true’ sailing experience, particularly as the boat heels on a strong upwind beat - wonderful! Please be aware that it is not as common to find Air Conditioning and Watermakers on monohull charter vessels, although occasionally that can be a welcome surprise. Cabin space is also much more limited. Monohull offerings are subject to availability at the charter base. All flotilla participants on a monohull chartered by DC Sailing Community will pay the same per person cost**.
Tier 3 - Flexible Option
DC Sailing Community welcomes third party vessels to join our flotillas, either chartered or owned***. A qualified sailor may wish to charter their own vessel from a charter company other than DC Sailing Community’s charter partner, but still wish to take advantage of the planning and organization that we put into curating a flotilla sailing itinerary and associated events. Similarly a boat owner may wish to join a DC Sailing Community flotilla on their own boat with guests invited at their discretion. DC Sailing Community does not have any part in the contract agreement for a third party chartered vessel, or for deciding how charter costs are shared by or collected from the crew. The lead charterer for such a vessel is solely responsible for assuming all risks associated with their choice of charter company and vessel. DC Sailing Community is not responsible for any damage or injury resulting from the charter of such a vessel. All third party vessels, chartered or owned, will pay a flat rate Flotilla Participation Fee of $1555 to join a DC Sailing Community flotilla****.
In addition to your berth fee you are individually responsible for paying for your round trip air travel, land transportation and travel insurance. The majority of meals and drinks (provisioning), and other costs associated with the cruise such as mooring fees, are generally split evenly by boat among all crew on that boat, including the Skipper. After the berth fee is paid, any variance in your total expenditure depends on when you book flights and whether you choose to take a hotel room before or after the sail – sailors often share rooms to minimize this expense.
Other costs
*DC Sailing Community skippers do not pay a berth fee, in recognition of their commitment to ensuring a safe and fun flotilla experience for their crew. Skippers of third-party chartered vessels or boat owners have sole discretion in determining how fee’s for their boat are shared.
**Taxes, local cruising permits and administrative fees are included in the per person cost of a berth. Fuel may also be included, depending on availability of refueling facilities.
***DC Sailing Community reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to limit the number of third-party and owner operated boats that can participate, and to approve any and all participating boats. Third-party and owner operated boats and their participants participate at their own risk. DC Sailing Community is not liable for any changes to itinerary or cancellations, injuries, or other harm to persons or property. DC Sailing Community reserves the right to require participants on third-party and owner operated boats to complete a waiver and release (as is completed by all flotilla participants) as a condition to participation.
****DC Sailing Community reserves the right to adjust the Flotilla Participation Fee at any time as deemed reasonable and necessary.