Frequently Asked Questions
Holiday Build Up
Yes, your full passport information is required by the Greek Port Police for the boat papers. Names (as per passport) and date of births are submitted to the airline for your e-tickets. You can login to your booking via our website and upload your API. Until we receive this info, we cannot issue you your e-tickets.
Yes, email us at LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us a call on 020 8438 1122 and we can change your crew. This should be free of charge; however, you may incur a fee if the airline imposes a name change charge.
The best way to correct a name is to email us at LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us a call on 020 8438 1122, as soon as you spot anything that is incorrect. This shouldn’t be a problem unless the airline imposes a charge to change the name.
To make any changes to your booking, email us at LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us a call on 020 8438 1122 to go over all possible options and pricing.
If you have hired a professional skipper for the duration of your flotilla, they will require a cabin. You will also need to pay for their food and drink. This generally includes breakfast and lunch on-board with the rest of your crew. In the evenings, you can either choose to include your skipper in your dinner plans or provide with a cash allowance. Your skipper won’t be offended to not be included in your evening arrangements, as they understand this is your holiday after all!
Yes, they are great for our records and boat papers. The Greek Port Police only accept practical sailing qualifications, such as a Practical Day Skipper, ICC, Coastal Skipper, Yacht Master, or an international equivalent. Email us a copy of your practical certificates to LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com and we will update your profile with your qualifications.
Insurance
Your travel insurance needs to cover sailing specifically. Most sailing travel insurance speculates cover only within territorial waters and/ or within 12nm of shore, and all our Flotillas meet these requirements. However, it’s your choice and you must satisfy yourself that whichever policy you buy provides the appropriate cover for you.
Yes. When you book a holiday, a Yacht Security Waiver is included in your holiday cost. This is a non-refundable deposit and covers you in the event of any damage caused to the yacht or its contents. More details on the Yacht Waiver can be found in our Booking Conditions. However, it doesn’t cover you or any of your crew – your holiday travel insurance needs to cover that.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your holiday take a look at our Booking Conditions and get in touch with our Launch Crew as soon as possible by email at LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or by phone 020 8438 1122.
In most cases, yes. If you give our Launch Crew a call on 020 8438 1122 or drop an email to LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com then we can adjust your booking.
Flights
We email you a booking confirmation when you book your holiday. If your flights are confirmed, all the flight details will be shown on your confirmation. You will also receive an email approximately 8 weeks before departure detailing how you can book extras and your baggage allowance. Your e-ticket will be emailed to you the week of your departure date (sometimes earlier), on it you will find confirmation of your flight information.
Each airline has their own way to book extras, pre-book meals, purchase seats, and check-in online. At this stage, details are still to be confirmed for each airline, but expect an email approximately 8 weeks before departure with information.
In order to check in you will need your unique reference number, this is not your Sailing Holidays booking reference. We will email you instructions on how to check-in the week before you are due to depart.
If you are flying with Aegean Air, a meal is included. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know as soon as possible.
All our other airlines we fly with, only offer a ‘Buy on Board’ snacks and drinks cart.
Yes! We can tell the airline not to serve any nut products, or ask passengers not to consume nuts on board, if necessary. You can let the airline know yourself, if you prefer, but please tell someone!
It is usually best to pre-book airport parking and hotels. We work in partnership with Holiday Extras, who offer a great choice of parking, hotels and lounge options at amazing prices. Simply click on the link on your booking confirmation email, or visit their website, here.
Life jackets with no more than 2 small carbon dioxide cylinders (33g) can be carried onboard aircraft, according to the RYA and the CAA. If you are intending to take a life-jacket with you when flying the CAA recommend that passengers contact their airline when booking their flights and obtain written confirmation of the airline’s policy on the carriage of life-jackets and their inflation cartridges. Sailing Holidays Ltd. cannot accept any responsibility for our customers personal property.
Providing you have uploaded your API details (passport information) into your booking via our online portal, you will be emailed your e-tickets on the week leading up to your departure date. For Saronic holidays, you’ll receive your tickets on the Thursday before you travel; for Sporades, it will be the Monday before you travel.
Your e-ticket will include instructions on how you can check-in for your flight.
If all your crew’s API (passport information) details are entered and you think you should’ve received your e-ticket but haven’t, check your junk or spam emails in the first instance. If you really don’t have it, email LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us a call on 020 8438 1122 and we’ll sort it.
On certain flights we are able to use your British Airways membership number to enable you to collect Air Miles.
At the moment, if you are booked on our London Heathrow flight to Corfu then we are able to take your British Airways membership number from you so you can collect points. Please email LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us a call on 020 8438 1122 and we’ll sort it.
Unfortunately, if you are booked to fly on our London Heathrow flight to Preveza we are not able to do this as it is a charter flight.
Transfers
Yes. If you are taking our flights, you're automatically assigned a space on our transfer coaches, at no extra cost.
Estimated coach transfer times are:
Preveza Airport to Nidri (Iris Hotel) – 45min
Preveza Airport to Sivota – 60min
Preveza Airport to Plataria – 60min
Corfu Airport to Gouvia Marina – 20min
Kefalonia Airport to Ay. Euphemia – 60min
Athens Airport to Epidavros or Navplion – 2hrs
Athens Airport to Orei – 3hrs
Once you've arrived in Greece and collected your luggage, you'll be met in arrivals by one of our airport reps. They have everyone's transfer details to hand and will direct you to the correct transfer coach. Don't worry, you can't miss us!
No. If you'd rather make your own way to the flotilla base (e.g. if you took your own flights) that's completely fine. Just let us know your plans as soon as you can. It's important we know of your travel plans so we can make sure everything runs smoothly at the airport and yacht base.
What to Bring
You're welcome to pack as light or as heavy as you like, but remember that whatever your crew brings, must fit on board your yacht with all of you! It's very warm in Greece, so you won't need heavy clothing although we do recommend a waterproof jacket just in case!
We always suggest using soft hold-all style bags rather than solid suitcases, so they can be easily stored in the storage compartments on your yacht. If you have a spare cabin and absolutely must bring a solid suitcase, then it can be stored in there out of the way.
The following:
- Passport - Check validation and expiry dates
- E-tickets
- Your sailing qualifications (e.g. RYA Day Skipper Practical, ICC, Yachtmaster certificates)
- Holiday insurance certificate
- Payment card(s) plus some cash
- European health insurance card (if you have one)
- Driving license (if hiring a car - please note you must be 21 years and over to hire a car in Greece)
We recommend a daily average of €30-€50 per person.
We recommend taking enough euros for the majority of your holiday, as ATMs are not as widely available as in the UK. In addition, most local tavernas prefer payment in cash and may not accept card.
No. There are no appropriate power-points on board your yacht. Whilst there is a chance you might find a taverna or shower facilities to plug in hair dryers or straighteners, we recommend embracing the natural, windswept look!
On board your yacht, there's a 12v power supply (like the ones in your car). You'll need a 12v charger to use it. On shore, you can usually charge up devices in tavernas, so remember to bring a European adaptor with you too!
Have a look at our Helpful Hints guide which gives you a comprehensive list of our sailing holiday packing essentials, along with useful packing tips.
Please read our 'little sailors’ section on helpful hints for all the information and questions you might have.
Your Yacht Inventory
A generic yacht inventory list can be found here. Quantities vary depending on crew numbers and yacht size.
Everything should be there, but if there is something missing, let your Hostie know. They will be able to replace most things while you are still in the flotilla base, but once you have left the harbour, it's not always possible to get inventory items, so make sure you check your inventory as soon as you can.
Have a good look under all the seat cushions and in the cupboards and lockers - there are a lot of storage areas that are not immediately obvious. If after that you still can't find what you're looking for, speak to your Hostie. Your Hostie knows where everything should be stored and can come aboard and show you where everything is. If anything's missing, your Hostie can rectify this for you.
On Holiday...
The lead crew will have a rough idea of the flotilla's route, but it is not generally shared with the flotilla beforehand, as they can't promise the flotilla will visit certain places. The Lead Skipper must consider many factors when deciding each day's trip, so the flotilla will find out where they're going on the day, or sometimes the night before, over dinner or drinks. Speak to your Lead Skipper if you have any questions about the route.
Speak to your Lead Skipper. If there's a certain harbour that you'd like to visit and it's not somewhere the flotilla is going, the Lead Crew Skipper might agree that you can sail independently for the day and re-join the flotilla the next day. If both you and your Lead Skipper are comfortable with your sailing abilities, then we can be quite flexible with this. However, the Lead Skipper is ultimately responsible for the safety of their fleet, so please respect their decision.
Get in touch with our London office before setting sail. If both groups did not book together, we will ask our lead crews to try their best to arrange for you to meet up. It is unlikely that we will be able to move you onto the same flotilla once you have booked, so if you do want to sail with another group please mention this at the time of booking so we can do our best to accommodate this. Email us at LaunchCrew@sailingholidays.com or give us call on 020 8438 1122.
