What to Expect

Saga is not a “charter boat” - it’s a sail training yacht, not a luxury cruise - and the adventure sailing & Sail training trips we do are closer in spirit to trekking Kilimanjaro than they are to a typical summer cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. On most offshore passages, there will also be a 1st mate onboard in addition to the skipper, to safely sail the boat, but we expect crew on all adventure to, with guidance from the skipper, to take care of themselves for the most part when it comes to eating, sleeping & living on the boat.

It's a Working Passage - We share all tasks on-board: cleaning, cooking, standing watch and navigating. We are very good at making everyone feel at 'home' onboard. Which means, aside from our one hot meal per day ritual, you're on your own for food & snacks. If you're hungry, make a sandwich, and ask your watch partner if he/she wants one - take care of each other & don't expect the captain or crew to wait on you! You’ll be expected to do some or all of the following - don't know how to do it? We'll teach you! Also note that there will be equal opportunity for all crew members to get equal time on the boat helming, navigating, sail work, etc. DUTIES (AMONG OTHERS): • Wash dishes • Cleaning (heads included!) • Cooking • Standing Watch (alone or with a partner) • Recording in the logbook • Navigating • Going forward to reef / set the spinnaker • Hand-steering`

Crew on Saga47swan Sailing eat super healthy food, made as much from natural, whole ingredients as possible. We've created some awesome boat meals during our sea time. However, there is no way we can make individual meals for everyone - but we’ll honor any allergies of course. One hot, communal meal per day in the late-afternoon (so we can be cleaned up with dishes before dark). Breakfast, lunch & snacks are on your own – though it’s nice to ask if others are awake. Feel free to use the stove and galley anytime, and all food is up for grabs. We’ll share the washing-up duties and make a galley rotation before we leave port. Meals & snacks should be consumed in the galley, cockpit or saloon area. No eating or drinking anything, under any circumstances, in your bunk or at the chart table & Navigation station!

SY SAGA is a big yacht, but not that big! You won’t have much privacy onboard, and will be living in close quarters in challenging conditions. But you’ll have the time of your life! Each crew will be assigned a single berth. This is yours. At sea, in certain extreme conditions, we may rotate where people sleep ('hot-bunking'), but your bunk remains yours for your stuff. No snacking or eating in your bunk under any circumstances! Each crew will get their own ‘stuff’ locker adjacent to their bunk (about the size of a carry-on suitcase on an airplane). When you sleep, most all your stuff will be stored outside of your sea bag in the storage locker, as there is no storage for a seabag on the floor or in the vee-berth. Keep this in mind when packing. There is shared space available for hanging your foul weather gear (wet gear) and storing your boots in the “wet locker”

We choose our routes based on seasons (ie not sailing in hurricane season where there are hurricanes!), but once we head offshore, we get what we get. Sometimes it’ll be wet and uncomfortable and even downright scary! You may encounter heavy weather, uncomfortable and possibly frightening conditions, seasickness, sleep deprivation and constant motion. This is all part of the emotional roller coaster that is ocean & offshore sailing. Ports visited on route depends on weather and tide and is subject to change. The best plans are drawn in the sand at low tide – be prepared for the skipper to make changes based on wind, tide and anything else that can affect the passage.

Whether at sea or alongside, all crew are in a rotation for cooking and cleaning to ensure we have lovely food to eat and a constantly high standard of hygiene. There are also daily jobs of navigating, skippering and engineering, allowing everyone to try their hand at every aspect of running a yacht. With no set itinerary, we will have a look at the weather and tides as a crew and decide where we’d like to go. With the kettle on at 07:00 for breakfast - we are normally ready to sail by 9ish. Some days, if the weather is crappy or we’re at a wonderful place, we can just decide to stay there and explore some more, relax, do some training, get the fishing rods out, explore in the dingy - the time is ours and we can decide as we go! Night sailing is nearly always limited to the Ocean and Offshore passages If you are on an offshore sailing trip, you will likely spend the first few days sailing and training in coastal waters while the crew builds its competence, both individually and as a team. On our two week sailing trips, you can then expect to do one long passage of about 500-1000NM, which takes 4-8 days. You will normally be on one of 3 watches, allowing you to do 3 hours on and then have 6 hours off. This keeps you fresh and having a good time rather than sitting in a state of continual tiredness. Get ready for life at an angle, being up at strange hours, being hundreds of miles offshore and living the dream!

The crew that sail with us come from all walks of life, and are of all ages and nationalities. Some have had years of experience on their own boats, whilst others have never been to sea before in their life. But differences aside, what does unify them all is their adventurous mindset and the call of the ocean. Lots of crew joins solo, but we get many couples too. We get a full age range joining, with plenty of people in their 20s, 30s, 40, 50s and 60s. We are happy to have close to a 50:50 mix of men and women. The crew join from all around the world and are a wonderful mix of cultures, professions and backgrounds - many time, we had 6 different nationalities onboard, all brought together with the same desire to take part in one of these adventures.