Limited sailing experience? Let one of our sail travel guides show you the sights of the Whitsundays while you find your sea legs. Or consider hiring our fully skippered Leopard 50 with a host.

Our host & skippered charter offering

Point of Sail, a Leopard 50 sailing catamaran, is the largest and one of the most high-end vessels in our fleet.

Due to her size and depending on your qualifications, if you want to charter Point of Sail, you may be required to have a skipper and host. Or perhaps you simply want to add a small professional crew so you relax, taking in the stunning Whitsundays onboard a luxurious and remarkable boat.

A skipper’s role is to be fully responsible for operating the boat and safety of those onboard.  They are the person who commands a boat — the captain if you like.

A host is there to ensure guests are looked after and comfortable. They also act as crew support for the skipper.

Your skipper and host onboard Point of Sail can assist in making itinerary decisions based on their extensive local knowledge. They will also allow you to be involved with the ins and outs of operating the boat if you wish. 

Like a sail guide, the skipper and the host must be catered for and they each need a private cabin.

If you wish to have a skipper you must also hire a host (regulatory requirement).

A skipper and host on Point of Sail will cost approximately $950 per day of charter (both crew). Please note that this service is subject to availability.

* Price is indicative and subject to change. Cost increases with a public holiday

 Additional Training from your Briefer

Should you wish to organise some additional training, perhaps you have very limited sailing experience, however, would still like to do a self-sail trip, your boat briefer can accompany you for the first few hours of your charter.

We highly recommend first-time charterers spend additional time with their briefer on the first day, to ensure they are confident operating the boat on their own. Speak to our reservations team when making your booking so additional training time can be allocated.

Additional training is $70 per hour – between 1 and 3 hours

Overnight Sail Guide options

Take the pressure off with a sail-guided holiday. Whether you’re a novice wanting to cruise around the Whitsunday Islands or an experienced yachts-person looking for a chance to share the load, having a sail guide on board allows you to enjoy maneuvering your vessel with guidance from an expert.

Our sail guide will be happy to assist you to sail, motor and anchor the vessel while on your charter holiday.  All of our sail guides are qualified and highly experienced. They will be able to recommend anchorages and assist and provide a wealth of local knowledge all while showing you as little or as much as you would like to know about sailing.

You, the skipper, and your crew will still have full responsibility for the vessel, its inventory and all its fittings.

You pay a daily rate on top of your boat charter, so you have absolute flexibility to choose the days that suit you. All you need to do is provide your sail guide with a separate cabin to sleep in and food and drink for each day of your charter.

Overnight sail guide $400.00 per day of charter (subject to availability)
* cost increases with a public holiday

See below for more details on adding a sail guide to your charter

Sail Guide FAQ’s

Our friendly, qualified and experienced sail guides are available at any time of the year, providing sailing expertise in a world-class sailing destination. You can organise a sail guide for your entire trip or just a day or two, whichever suits you.
Below are some commonly asked questions about the finer details that come up when considering a sail guide and the answers to help you decide what’s right for you.

Can I do any sailing myself?​

Depending on your level of sailing experience you can do as much or as little sailing as you like, including taking the wheel. You are the skipper and your sail guide is there to assist in a way that suits you.

We highly recommended adding a sail guide either for half a day or a night if you have minimal boating experience or if it’s been a while since you were at the helm. A sailing guide can also benefit you if you’ve been hoisting your own sails for decades and just want a little help and support with some of the more physical aspects of keeping a yacht moving under sail.

You may have a first mate on board who just prefers sunbathing to pulling ropes, or has too much on their hands keeping crew members (particularly the little ones) occupied!

Please note that sail guides will take pride in the presentation of the yacht, but they are not cooks, cleaners, babysitters or maids​​.

Where will the sail guide sleep?

Sail guides must be allocated a stern (down the back) cabin to themselves for the duration of your charter, though occasionally the bow (up the front) can be agreed upon. Anything outside of this normal arrangement may be arranged with discretion between you and your sail guide upon check-in. But please assume your sail guide will need a cabin in the stern.

What/How do we feed our Sail Guides?

If you are planning to pre-order all of your food through our recommended provisioning services or to do your own food shop, then remember to buy enough to accommodate the sail guide. Feel free to call our sales team so they can find out if your sail guide has any dietary requirements.

When visiting a resort, you may invite your sail guide to dinner on shore, and they may accept or choose to stay aboard. If there is no food aboard and you would prefer your sail guide not to come with you, then you can provide them with ‘pocket money’ so that they can pop into their favourite local haunt. They’ll only ever be a phone call away should you need them.

What does the sail guide do in the evening?

That’s entirely up to you as every group is different and interacts with people in different ways. Our sail guides are always friendly and professional, and comfortable with meeting new people and adept at reading different social situations.

If you invite your sail guide to be part of the fun in the evening they may accept or choose to decline, opting to stay on the yacht and wait for your return. You may find that your sail guide is an early riser who bunks down early after a long day’s sailing.

Do we have to tip our sail guide?

While it is not compulsory, we do encourage you to tip your sail guide. A guideline amount would be 10% of your yacht charter price, however as this could encompass quite a range, we leave it at your discretion and ask that you offer the gratuity you think your sail guide deserves.

Will the sail guide speak English?

Our sail guides all speak English and are friendly and excellent communicators.

How much value does a sail guide add?

A fully qualified, commercially endorsed and experienced sailor, with tonnes of local knowledge to share with you. Our sail guides can show you the best places to drop anchor, snorkel and dive, swim and sunbake – and the best times to visit popular locations. They can teach you new things about sailing, help you rediscover confidence at the helm, provide an extra pair of hands and handle the heavy lifting for you.

Adrian, one of our sail guides shares:

“When my wife and I go on holidays to new places we seek out the people that can share their knowledge and experiences, giving us a deeper appreciation and understanding of their way of life and the ecosystems that they live in,” Adrian says.

“For our first trek in the Himalayas, we chose to have a guide. When we tour new exotic countries we always have a driver/guide. When you explore the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park under sail for the first time, why wouldn’t you have a guide? Oh yeah…and you get to learn how to sail too!”

For total indulgence, a hostess can also be arranged for an additional cost (please note the hostess will also require their separate cabin and to be included in the provisioning).

Host, skipper and sail guide pricing subject to change