THE INFORMATIONS
BOOKING AND PAPERS
When you book a Cruising Charter boat, being in time as per our paperwork is essential; payments, filling in and spedition of contract and of your previous experiences, all informations must reach us in time to give you a precise service. Arrival details are expected to be available not later than 1 week before the embarkation.
ARRIVAL
If you book the transfer our minibus will bring you directly in Portisco, in front of the booked boat; if you arrive with your own car you have to go to peer number 9 to meet our staff and find your boat. Passing through our offices at your arrival is not worth, Saturday and Sunday are closed; all process will be done directly on board. If you get in trouble in finding the base, call 337/813577.
CHECK-IN
As per contract, boats are delivered at 18.00 h, beginning time of a 1 hour check-in process wich is part of the charter period. Sometime some boats might be ready to be delivered before 18.00 h, and in this case special agreements could be taken with the skipper for an earlier check-in, wich anyway is not foreseeable nor due, because only during the boat preparation we will be able to know if it can be ready before the time or not. However, in normal cases check-in is in the evening and moorings are loosen the next morning. The check-in process providing detailed explanations on all the boat functionings and relative tips and tricks, must be heard and understood very carefully by the skipper (and max other 2 people); approximately the 95% of problems on board actually are statistically caused by a wrong use of the boat and of its equipment. Therefore, in order to avoid regrettable incidents, time wasting and expensive repairs, is very important to clear up all details before leaving, and to remember always that, once ended the check-in and all during the charter period, skipper will be the only responsible of the boat.
CONTRACT AND CHECK-LIST
In the end of check-in process all papers will be filled and signed, if not yet done. The Italian National Charter Contract is the only valid document regarding the charter of the boat, and the only valid to sail with a Cruising Charter boat; we recommend you to read it very carefully to clear up duties and rights, and to avoid unuseful and unpleasant discussions in case of problems. The Check-list is the document wich state that the boat is in perfect condition, that all equipment is on board and that all checked devices are perfectly functioning, with the loss-cost of every piece of equipment. With its signature client accept and load the boat on its own responsibility. In case of damages or loss, Cruising Charter will follow straight the check-list and contract provisions, avoiding useless and unpleasant negotiations.
SAILING.........WITH OR WITHOUT SKIPPER ?
Sardinia is well-known as one of the most beautiful sea place in the world, particularly suitable for sailing and cruising between beaches, cays, islands and reefs; like in most of the beautiful places, sailing is exacting, and a reasonable good sailing experience and skill is required to be safe enough and enjoy the holiday. If you know to be enough experienced, you just have to be able to manage every situation in the sea as a real sailor, asking for Cruising Charter help in case of need, but remembering that you will be the fully responsible until the end of the charter period. In many years and thousands of charters, we found out that sometimes a boat holiday can be more pleasant and relaxing with a professional skipper on board, who takes the responsibility to head the boat in the best places at best times; low familiarity with the environment, wich is typical when you come from a year-long work period in the city, little experience, rare direct knowledge of places and spots (books are not enough), beside increasing errors and damages possibilities, may lower very much your cruise enjoying. Having a sailing license is not all to be able to sail properly alone: experience is the most important factor to head safe an offshore cruiser, so sometimes is really worth to book a skipper who, in the 100% of cases is, besides a best used cruise guarantee, a valuable professional at your service and a sailing teacher and travel guide as well; skipper reduce statistically near zero the possibility to have problems on board as well, and in case of incidents he always got the right solution. Many people avoid skipper service to keep a certain "privacy", risking in safety and crew serenity, is it worth? Not for us, thinking that, beside a solid help, the skipper actually become always "the friend" of the holiday, nice point of reference, who most of crews become fond of, asking for him for the next cruise.
IN CASE OF PROBLEMS
Most of problems on board are caused by low experience and wrong use of the boat and of its equipment, and most of times solution is found very quickly with a repeat of explanations, but remember: when sailing, a small problem can become great; we therefore repeat our advise to follow very carefully the check-in process, and to ask for more details if something is not clear. If you are not able to solve your problem call ++39-337-813577 as quick as possible: remember, the earlier you call us, the earlier you give us the chance to help you. As per contract, our network can operate from La Caletta di Siniscola (South) to Santa Teresa di Gallura (North); over these points our service is not guaranteed, mainly if problems are not great.
CHECK-OUT
Normally boat loose their moorings the day after check-in, and come back the day before check-out; we say "normally" because you can even loose your moorings immediately after check-in, and come back some hours before check-out, but this forced saving cruise time is just fake: when you leave too quickly, you may forget some details or information important to head the boat properly; if you come back too late, you get the big risk not to be in time for the check-out time as per contract, and its art 10) is clear enough to discourage giving back the boat late. In the check-out process you will be asked for a general report on the cruise, possible extraordinary events, general conditions of boat and equipment; in spite of a full check-out, the responsibility for false evidence in front of witness is not over, mainly regarding hull, engine and sails conditions, and it will be denounced to police on the base of Italian criminal code, for putting in danger the lives of next crews. If no damages or loss will be found on board, deposit will be given back to the client; if some damage or loss found on board can be liquidated in check-out, the corresponding amount will have to be paid in the check-out process; if some damage or loss found on board cannot be liquidated in the check-out process, the 100% of deposit will be kept by Cruising Charter and cashed, until rest and invoice of repairing cost/spare/ecc. will be sent to the client.
SOME ADVISES
With the increasing of the charter boats business, while in one side a nice, sporty and ecological way to make holidays increases, in the other side the "real sailorman spirit", wich is a mix of experience, education, skill and mind typical whose sail, is lowering.
Even if now boats are ever more comfortable and spacy, it's never to be forgotten that sailing always need the top of attention and responsibility, and that unforeseen events and accidents would always happens, even in a brand-new yacht So it will be better to approach your sailing vacation , mainly if without skipper, with the right experience and the right mind, calm and sure of yourself, respecting those unwritten rules of gentle behavior and respect of other people that always should be followed, in the harbours as well as in the sea, sailing as well as in land, as a proper sailor.
Any situation you are involved with after check-in or in check-out, when dealing with anybody of our team, be sure that we are doing our best to help you in the fastest way, always with a gentle behavior; we care very much about education and respect, so we expect the same from other people.
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