Sailing superyachts. Quiet, tilted, and utterly different.
Thirty metres of mast, no engine noise, and a bay that a motor yacht of the same length cannot reach. For the right party it is the best week at sea there is, and for the wrong one it is a long way to sit at an angle.
At a glance
What a sailing superyacht carries
- GuestsUsually 8 to 12Twelve remains the maximum on any commercial charter. Sailing yachts often take eight or ten, because interior volume is smaller for a given length.
- CrewTypically 5 to 14Fewer than a motor yacht of the same length. Modern rigs are handled from captive winches, so a fifty metre yacht is sailed by a small deck team.
- Length30 to 90 metresAnything above about thirty metres is a superyacht under sail. Rigs are sloop, ketch or, occasionally, schooner.
- DraughtThe detail that mattersDeep keels limit where she can anchor. Many modern yachts have a lifting keel or a centreboard that halves the draught and opens up shallow bays.
Typical figures across the charter market. Sailing yachts vary far more than motor yachts do, so the individual boat and her rig decide almost everything.
Why sail
The difference is what you cannot hear
The first afternoon under sail explains the whole category. The engines are off, the generators are quiet, and the only sounds are water along the hull and the occasional winch. Nobody who has spent an afternoon like that on a big sailing yacht confuses it with a motor yacht, and a good number of charter guests never go back.
The second difference is where you can go. A sailing yacht draws more water, but many modern ones have a lifting keel or centreboard that reduces the draught by several metres, which means a fifty metre yacht can anchor in bays that a motor yacht of the same size would have to admire from outside. In the Aegean, the Ionian and the Caribbean that changes the whole shape of a week.
The third is the crew and the atmosphere. Sailing yacht crews tend to be small, hands on and happy to involve guests who want to be involved: taking a turn at the helm, trimming, or simply being told what is happening and why. Guests who prefer to be left alone are left alone. Odyssey arranges charter yachts, so the proposal names the boats and the crews we think suit your party, rather than whatever is easiest to fill.
The rigs
Rigs, and what each means for the week
| Rig | What it looks like | What it means on charter |
|---|---|---|
| Sloop | One mast, one headsail. Often a very tall rig | The simplest and usually the fastest. A single enormous mainsail, and the cleanest deck for guests |
| Ketch | Two masts, the aft one shorter | Sail area split into smaller pieces, so easier handling, a shorter mast for bridges and marinas, and a slightly busier deck |
| Schooner | Two or more masts, the forward one shorter | Traditional and striking, usually on classic or classically styled yachts. Sailed with more crew and more ceremony |
| Performance or cruising | The same rigs, different hulls | A performance yacht sails harder and heels more. A cruising yacht carries more volume, heels less and motors more readily |
See classic yachts for restored and traditionally built boats, and catamarans if stability matters more than sailing.
Said honestly
What to know before you book
Sailing charters are wonderful and they are not motor yacht charters with masts. These are the things worth hearing first.
- You will motor some of the time. Wind does not arrive to order, and a week with a fixed itinerary means the engines run on the days the wind is wrong
- She heels. Cruising superyachts are designed to limit the angle and many hold it to a few degrees, but a performance yacht under full sail leans, and not everybody enjoys it
- Interior volume is smaller than on a motor yacht of the same length, so compare cabin sizes rather than metres
- There is less garage space, so fewer toys: expect paddleboards, a tender, perhaps seabobs, rather than a full water sports operation
- Beach clubs are smaller or absent, though many modern sailing yachts have fold down platforms and swim ladders that work perfectly well
- Passages take longer and the schedule is a plan rather than a timetable. If you must be in Saint-Tropez on Thursday evening, say so and the captain will motor
- Guests who want to sail should say so. So should guests who would rather the boat simply took them somewhere quiet
Where they sail
Grounds that suit sail
Caribbean
Weeks worth planning around
Regattas
The week where the yacht is also competing
A number of the best sailing superyachts race, and superyacht regattas have become a season of their own. Guests aboard during a regatta get something no ordinary charter provides: a boat sailed properly, by a crew who are concentrating, alongside a fleet doing the same. It is loud, physical and occasionally wet, and it is not the week for anybody hoping to read on the foredeck.
Two practical points. Regatta weeks are booked long in advance, because the yachts that race are committed early and the harbours fill. And the boat sails when the race committee says so, not when the party is ready, so the days have a shape you do not control. Tell us if a regatta appeals and we will set expectations honestly before anyone commits.
The gentler version is to charter in the same waters in the week either side, watch the racing from the water, and keep your own hours. That is often the better week for a mixed party.
Getting there
The yacht is the easy part to arrange
Embarkation is usually at midday, and a sailing week goes wrong when the flights and the cars are booked separately from the boat. We arrange all three together and brief the captain on your arrival.
Request a proposal
Tell us who is coming
Dates, numbers, ages and how much actual sailing you want. That last question decides more than any other, and it is the one most people are never asked. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About sailing superyachts
Will we be leaning over all week?
No. Cruising superyachts are designed to sail at modest angles and most of a charter is spent at anchor or motoring gently. A performance yacht in a good breeze does heel, and if that worries anybody in the party we will steer you towards a yacht that does not.
Do we have to help sail her?
Not at all. Guests who want to take the helm or trim are welcome on most yachts, and guests who want a chair and a book are equally welcome. Say which you are and the crew will get it right.
Is it slower than a motor yacht?
Usually, yes. Plan on passages taking longer and on the itinerary being a plan rather than a schedule. If you need to be somewhere at a fixed time, the captain will motor to make it.
Are there fewer toys?
Generally. Garage space is at a premium under sail, so expect a tender, paddleboards and perhaps seabobs rather than a full water sports operation. It is a fair question to ask about each yacht and we do.
Can twelve of us go?
Twelve is the maximum on any commercial charter, and many sailing yachts accommodate eight or ten comfortably rather than twelve. Tell us the party and we will be honest about which boats genuinely suit it.
