Family sailing fun in the Mediterranean

Opting for a crewed charter is perfect for families who like the idea of a holiday on the water but prefer to leave the hard work to the professionals. The Moorings yachts each come with their own captain to handle the sailing, and a chef to prepare all the meals.

Clients sleep aboard, making it perfect for families with teens who will relish the excitement of life at sea. They’ll be able to while away hours snorkelling, paddle boarding, or jumping into a dinghy to explore local beaches.

Tom Ryves, marketing manager at The Moorings says: “Our crewed products are very popular with families and you will often find two families holidaying together. Think of it as a floating villa holiday, offering all the luxury of a villa with the bonus of being able to change its location every day.”

The Moorings base in Croatia is at Marina Agana near Split, and clients can visit locations including Solta, Hvar, Vis and Brac by boat.

Book it: The Moorings offers a seven-night yacht charter on a Moorings 4800 crewed sail catamaran from £14,210 (based on six sharing), including private captain and gourmet chef, meals (excluding two dinners) and drinks. Price is based on travel in August. moorings.co.uk

Mark Warner’s Perdepera Beach Resort in Sardinia is located on the edge of a long sandy bay protected by headland, providing ideal conditions for novices.

The resort offers free top-notch tuition from RYA instructors, while those who want to take things a bit more seriously can enrol on a range of RYA courses, with options to suit all ages and abilities.

All courses offer guests the chance to earn a recogni­sed, certified qualification, so they’re ideal for those who’d like to own their own dinghy one day, or join a sailing club back home.

Book it: Mark Warner offers seven nights at Perdepera Beach Resort from £2,516 based on two adults and two children staying full board, travelling on June 10 and including flights from Heathrow. markwarner.co.uk

On a Neilson Stay & Sail holiday in the Ionian islands, families will spend the first week of their holiday at one of the beach clubs, and learning to sail as part of the “intro to yachting” course, which is open to those aged 13 and above.

The next week, they’ll put what they’ve learned into practice by setting sail on a flotilla. “A flotilla is a bunch of yachts on a tour together,” explains Pip Tyler, overseas director at Neilson.

“It’s best to spend the first week afloat this way, with a dedicated ‘lead boat’ staffed by experts who are there to make safety decisions, help with mooring and with the sailing if needed.”

By the end of the fortnight clients will have a certificate, and a week’s experience of sailing solo, putting them in good stead to move up to intermediate level next time.

Book it: Neilson offers a week’s stay at the Retreat Beachclub in Sivota on club board (breakfast, lunch and four dinners) from £5,033, based on a family of four sharing a Garden Club Seaview interconnecting room, with the second week staying on a Dufour 325. Flights and transfers included. neilson.co.uk

Club Med’s Gregolimano resort on the island of Evia in Greece offers a family sailing product for all levels
of ability.

Estelle Giraudeau, managing director for the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia at Club Med says: “Gregolimano is the perfect setting for budding sailors. As part of
Mini Club Med, we offer classes to children as young as six, while adults can take part in group sailing lessons.”

Once they’ve mastered the art of sailing there’s plenty more for families to get stuck into here, including waterskiing, archery, beach volleyball and flying trapeze.

Book it: Seven nights at Club Med Gregolimano in a Deluxe Room starts from £1,916pp on an all-inclusive basis, including flights from London, based on a June 6 departure. clubmed.co.uk

• Living on a yacht is like caravanning; you’ll have bedrooms and a bathroom but it’s all fairly tight so your clients need to be up for that.
• Your clients don’t need to worry about the heat. Yachts don’t have air con but they are well ventilated and sit in cool water so they are naturally cooled.
• First-timers shouldn’t be nervous. We have been teaching landlubbers how to safely skipper a yacht around the Med for years. Would we really lend out expensive toys if we thought our guests would crash them?