From learning to sail to a seasoned sailor’s next adventure, flexible vouchers can be used towards sailing courses and trips for every experience level.
The first time at the helm of a yacht, a night watch far from land or a harbour reached under their own sail can now be given as a present, with SailTies’ new sailing gift vouchers.
Vouchers start at £25 and can be spent with any of the dozens of independent operators on SailTies, so one gift opens up trips from sailing schools, skippers and charter companies worldwide. The giver picks the amount and the recipient picks the trip, from the 82 currently live, with prices from £350.
Those trips range from sailing courses and island-hopping cruises to offshore races and expeditions, in waters from Scottish sea lochs to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. Some last a long weekend, others cross an ocean. Places are sold by the berth or cabin, so even a solo traveller can join a professional crew without chartering a whole boat.
Recipients can browse trips by destination, type of sailing or experience level, or simply roam an interactive world map, with every trip pinned to the waters it sails.
With trips for every level, it makes a thoughtful gift or Christmas present that works as well for someone who has never set foot on a yacht as for a seasoned sailor.
Vouchers are also available as gift packages built around a specific course: Begin Sailing (£850), Day Skipper (£850) and Mile Builder (£1,500). (Like all vouchers, these can be spent on any SailTies trip.)
For the beginner
A five-day RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Competent Crew course is designed for complete beginners. Living aboard a cruising yacht from Gosport, they learn to helm, hoist sails, handle ropes, tie knots and keep watch, with possible stops around the Solent.
Operated by Nomad Sailing. £850 per person.
For the explorer
A trip around Brazil’s Bay of All Saints, 1-6 March 2027, sails from Salvador for a few hours at a time between anchorages, stopping somewhere new each day. Time ashore is for the area’s history, music and food.
The boat takes up to four guests of any experience level, who share the cooking and washing up.
Operated by Saga47swan Sailing. About £1,518 per person.
For the racer
In the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Transatlantic Race, 7-20 January 2027, they join the crew of VO65 Sisi, a yacht built for the Volvo Ocean Race round-the-world race. They race from Lanzarote to Antigua alongside a professional team, taking part in sail handling, helming and watches through the day and night.
Different sailing abilities are accepted, but crew must be able to move around a moving yacht unaided.
Operated by KORA Yachts and Austrian Ocean Racing. About £6,019 per person.
Chris Jacobs, co-founder of SailTies, said: “A Christmas jumper or a new gadget will end up in a drawer, but a sailing trip is an experience people talk about for years, and a skill they get to keep. Sailing means different things to different people, though, so a voucher lets them choose the trip themselves. All the giver has to decide is their budget.”
Gift voucher details
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Vouchers are emailed to the buyer to print or forward, or sent to the recipient on a chosen date, such as Christmas morning.
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They are valid for 12 months from delivery, and the recipient chooses the dates when they book.
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Vouchers can be bought for any amount from £25 to £10,000.
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Unused vouchers can be refunded within 14 days of purchase.
SailTies gift vouchers are available at sailties.net/adventures/gift-vouchers
