Depending on the weather and time of year, we may have time for a swim or water activity, so bring your swimsuit. If it’s later in the year, beyond summer, a light jacket is always nice to have. Most important, bring sunscreen and a hat to protect from the sun, even on cloudy days.
Rubber soled deck shoes (non-black) are the safest shoes for boats.
For our charters, we ask you to remove your shoes before boarding the yacht and we will keep them dry and out of the way for the trip.
Sailing is always weather and wind dependent. Captain Chris is a master at reading the winds and positioning the vessel to catch the wind if there is wind to catch! Your time on the water will be just as wonderful either way – we can motor-sail and it’s just as beautiful!
The motion of our sailboat is very easy, and we are never far from land. The design of Southerly is very stable, and “heeling” (tipping) you may have experienced on other sailboats is minimal and controllable. If you’re in doubt, we have ginger chews on board, as well as ginger ale that has been said to help. If you are someone who is prone to seasickness, we have Sea Bands pressure point wristbands available for purchase.
Not to worry, we won’t be going out in heavy rains, thick fog, high winds or threatening weather conditions.
We do sail in cloudy, cool or overcast conditions, and on and off sprinkles.
Unfortunately we can't guarantee you a postcard picture-perfect sunset and we won't cancel a "sunset sail" just because it's overcast.
If the weather looks questionable, we'll check the radar before we leave and if it looks like it's going to start pouring and rain for most of the sail, we will cancel. If it looks like there might be an occasional light sprinkle, we'll go!
Weather can change quickly and dramatically here. Some days it may be pouring in the morning and then be beautiful in the afternoon, or pour all day only to stop just before our sunset sail. And there have been days where the chance of rain is 80% and then it never rains. Therefore, we don't call off our trips when we see a five day forecast that calls for "a chance of thundershowers."
The timing and path of thunderstorms is very hard to predict, therefore a decision to cancel a sail because of a thunderstorm watch is typically only made 30 minutes before departure.
If we cancel your sail due to adverse weather conditions, you will receive a 100% refund, can elect to reschedule, or receive a gift certificate for a future trip.
The final decision to sail resides with us. If you've booked a charter and decide not to show up because of the weather and we are able to sail, your charter will not be refundable.
We have had many enjoyable trips in less than spectacular conditions. We think this policy is fair and appreciate your cooperation.
As with any vacation experience, a gratuity is never expected, but always appreciated!
Yes, there are electric outlets on board.
Yes, we have our own playlist, or you can connect your device to our Bluetooth speakers if you have music you would like to have on during your sail. We do, however, ask that all music is off if we are managing lines and sails.