Stag Do Yacht Sailing Weekends

HURST POINT YACHT CHARTERS LIMITED

Lymington and Hamble based stag party yacht hire

Tel 01590 623765 mob 07932 140878
or email info@hurstpointyachts.co.uk

DECEMBER 2011 - Now taking bookings for stag sailing weekends in 2012. Prices held at 2011 levels until further notice. Weekend stag party event from Lymington or Hamble rivers on 7 or 12 berth yachts with Saturday night across the water on the island no more than £195 per person. All dates available. A simple email to the address above will reserve a date without obligation for 14 days while the flock are gathered.

Welcome to the Stag Do Sailing site.
Stag events operate from either Lymington in the New Forest National Park or Hamble River Southampton. We organise these events weekly using yachts certified to carry either 7 crew per yacht plus skipper(Lymington) or 12 per yacht plus skipper (Hamble). A weekend charter includes two days sailing and two nights accommodation on-board the yachts. Stag enquiries are the earliest we get due to numbers of people involved and advance planning required. We find that enquiries commence in autumn for the following season which runs from 1st April through to end October.

Why is sailing a top activity as a stag party idea? Because for most it will be a wonderful new experience. It combines a sporting theme with stunning scenery, relaxation and the opportunity to get ashore to some great Solent yachting watering holes, some only accessible from the sea. Not only that but also there is the opportunity for you to gain some sailing tuition and possibly acquire a new interest. Certainly the sea has a way of getting under your skin very quickly.
Another advantage is the fact that the group does not get fragmented but operates the yacht as a team with the skipper providing instruction only as necessary. The modern sailing yachts have wheel steering with stern swimming/shower platform. The Solent has its own micro climate with far higher sunshine than the mainland.

What is included in the yacht charter price for stag weekends?
Accommodation on board is included in the price so there are no extra hotel bills to worry about and costs can be further contained by bringing much of your own food and drink. Our stag weekends have become more popular since we started operating them in 2003 as trips to Europe become less affordable.

Where will you sail to?
This depends on wind and tides at the time. We always know the tide in advance as we get this information from the nautical Almanac. The skippers are always interested to know if strong spring tides will be present when earth, moon and sun are in a straight line or whether weaker neap tides will exist. The wind conditions usually become clear a few days before the charter. Wind strength and direction together with tides would together dictate the route. However we aim to berth on Saturday evening on the Isle of Wight, usually Cowes. The yachts are equipped with hot water, refrigerator, CD player etc. The marinas we visit have modern clean facilities and cater well for the yacht crews. Equally you may have your own plans and we will try to fall in line with any reasonable destination or schedule.

Other detailsThese trips are suitable for people with no previous sailing experience. You are invited to sit back for the ride if you wish or get involved with sailing the yacht in which case considerable sailing knowledge and skills can be gained. The railway station at Lymington is just 10 minutes walk from the marina and links with London via the mainline station at Brockenhurst.

HOW TO BOOK

To make a booking you first need to check on availability so please email us or telephone using the contact details above. We will then send by return email the booking forms and grant you an option for the dates you are interested in.

A Typical Intinery for a stag party weekend trip to Cowes with overnight stay, depending on tides, is as follows:

Day 1

Join the yacht in Lymington from 6pm onwards Friday evening and stay on board overnight. There is an atmospheric bar with restaurant in the marina so no need to go far once you arrive and start to relax. However it is usual to have some late night drinks on board to catch up with everyone. Note that we hand the yacht over to you early in the evening and late comers can join up with you at their convenience as traffic conditions from London and elsewhere dictate

Day 2

Breakfast on board in the marina or in the bar when bacon rolls, coffee and orange are served.
Morning - Call in Yarmouth harbour followed by visit to Newtown Creek Nature Reserve anchorage for drinks, fishing, swimming, relaxing.
Afternoon - Carry on up the Solent, possibly racing the other yachts if several are involved.
Late afternoon - Arrive Cowes Yacht Haven which is close to the center of Cowes followed by celebration drinks. At this point you can take some well earned shore leave. There are many designer clothes and equipment outlets as well as the waterside restaurants and bars.

Day 3

Breakfast in Cowes high street adjacent to the marina where there are several cafes offering fried breakfast at reasonable rates.
Return cruise to Lymington taking in the Beaulieu river upstream to Bucklers Hard in the New Forest for lunch at the famous old dockyard. Three of Nelsons warships which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar were built here from local oak. Continuing westwards and depending on tides, the afternoon destination could well be Alum Bay adjacent to the Needles lighthouse for a final anchor stop.

PRICES
The prices above are based on maximum occupancy and relate to a high season bareboat weekend which is our most popular charter type. If you have less than a full crew, find the price per person by multiplying the number of berths by the price shown, then divide by the number of people you have. Any Vat applicable is included in the price as is diesel fuel and gas, berthing charges, wet weather gear hire, cleaning of the vessel at the end of the charter and free parking.

Please take a few seconds to read what other people have said about us recently or perhaps the faces below say it all?TESTIMONIALS

OUR PROMISES TO YOU

Payments We will look after your deposits and advance payments for your yacht charter. We are a limited liability company with all the reporting commitments that entails such as Annual Accounts and Companies House returns so we intend to be around for a while, in fact we have been operating since 2003. We are also VAT registered which is of benefit to Corporate organisations booking with us.

Safety. We promise to ensure that we offer only charter yachts which we have the greatest confidence in. Regarding our flagship Dotty Dot, we go family sailing in her ourselves including cross channel so we are as keen as you to ensure that everything is in order. We promise to keep all the life jackets serviced, the life raft contents renewed every year, the engine well maintained and all the other things that need to be done.

Value for Money. Charter yachts are incredibly expensive to run and maintain. However we promise to charge fees that give only a moderate return and to ensure that ours are amongst the lowest prices if not THE lowest.
This involves not only keeping an eye on what our competitors are charging but also including things in the price that would normally be extra such as wet weather gear, cleaning of the yacht on return and diesel fuel. Other items such as marina parking, gas, mooring fees at the marina and shore supply electricity are also included.

Hand over We promise to hand the yacht over to you in a first class condition. This means that the deck holding tank will be empty (you would soon know about it on a port tack if not - phew!), that water and diesel tanks will be full and the yacht clean inside and out.

General It is not our style to attempt to make you responsible for defects that have arisen during a charter that we should take on board ourselves and never have we done so. In fact we are extremely loathe to ask you to put your hands in your pocket for things such as fenders and boat hooks that have gone overboard because we do not want to finish on a sour note and want you to come back as many do!

VESSEL CERTIFICATION

A vessel to be used for sailing yacht rental should carry the following certification, originals of which should be held in a file (or sometimes attached on the inside of a port light) kept on board the yacht. When booking seek confirmation that these are held and will be available for inspection when joining the yacht.

1) Certificate of Coding.
This is a Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)/Department of Transport(DoT) requirement for charter vessels in commercial use. Certificates are renewed annually and additionaly there is a disc (similar to a car tax disc) which must be attached to the inside of a port light. The coding category is shown on the certificate and disc. Make sure that the yacht which you are intending to charter has the Certificate of Coding relevant to the voyage you are planning as this will have a bearing on the safety features and equipment carried. The coding categories are:
Category 6 - Up to 3 nautical miles(nm) from a nominated departure point or land in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 5 - Up to 20 nm from a nominated departure point in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 4 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 3 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven
Category 2 - Up to 60 nm from a safe haven (ie across channel)
Category 1 - Up to 150 nm from a safe haven.

2) Life raft Certificate of Servicing and Testing.
Charter yachts should carry life rafts conforming to SOLAS B requirements. This stipulates a greater degree of equipment and capability than a life raft for private pleasure yacht use. SOLAS B life rafts have to be serviced annually and a new certificate issued.

3) Ships Radio Licence
This is authority to use the VHF equipment on board, usually a fixed installation and a hand held. The licence is issued by OFCOM and must be renewed annually. The licence is a car tax disc style which must be attached to the inside of a port light.

4) Certificate of Insurance
Issued annually, this must be endorsed for bareboat and skippered yacht charter with a 3rd party liability minimum of £3,000,000.

5) Certificate of British Registry
Issued every 5 years, this is the ships ownership document with details of the registered owners.Essential to carry on board if crossing the Channel as failure to produce if boarded by officials can result in the impounding of the vessel. The registration number is required to be shown on the coach roof port and starboard and on the stern.

6) Gas Installation Certificate
Gas being one of the biggest risks on board a yacht, an annual inspection should be carried out by a CORGI approved technician and a certificate issued.

7) Engine Service Record
A marine diesel engine requires regular service. One hours running equates approximately to 50 miles of a car engine, so 200 running hours are equivalent to 10,000 miles on the road. The oil needs to be changed every 100 hours approximately. Other important items are annual change of the coolant, sea water impeller and fan belt. The service record should be up to date.

8) Sea Start membership.
No statutory requirement for this for Solent yacht charter but a must nevertheless. Covers engine/transmission failure and fouling of the propeller up to 3 nautical miles offshore. Permit attaches to inside of port light.

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