CANARIES YACHT SAILING CRUISE / HOLIDAY – Starts Tenerife
Grab a well earned break on a Skippered Canary Islands Yacht Cruise / Tuition Holiday on a ‘Buy a Berth’ basis for individuals, couples or cabin shares or if you have your own group – a Private Skippered Sailing Charter around the Canaries on a nearly new (2023), modern 48ft, 5 cabin sailing yacht starting from Marina San Miguel in Tenerife.
DATES:
November 25 – 2nd December 2024 (Monday Transfer Day)
From: Marina San Miguel, Tenerife South
PRICES:
Twin Bunk Bed Cabin (2 Person Price) £1898
Double Cabin (2 Person Price) £2190
Single Occupancy of Double Cabin £1699
Single Share in Bunk Cabin £1199
Places Available: 5
Not Included: Flights to Tenerife, 13 minute transfer to marina (30 eu taxi fare), meals / drinks ashore. 195 euro – ‘Boat kitty aboard’ which includes the yacht security deposit insurance, fuel used, mooring fees, towels, bedding plus cleaning materials, drinks mixers, breakfasts, lunches, some beers and some G&T’s and the large pre- week shop by Skipper / Mate
What it is all About: These extremely social trips are a mix of sailing with tuition in group, great company, good food, the occasional sundowner and a holiday all rolled into one. We try to anchor and swim wherever we can, we collectively eat evening meals together but if people want to ‘break away’ that is absolutely fine, and if you want to opt out of a sailing day and go hiking being picked up at another port then that is perfectly feasible! Everyone chips in to the running of the boat and it is all overseen by our professional skipper and a 1st Mate.
‘Buy A Berth’ Take a cabin or berth aboard our fantastic modern 48ft yacht with Skipper. These large modern yachts have 5 cabins, (3 toilets / showers) and give great space aboard for fast comfortable cruising in warm sunny climes. These are cracking boats and if you haven’t sailed a big boat before you’ll be amazed at the space – the deck height head clearance and big cabins. (Limited availability for own cabin option). Numbers wise we normally aim to have 6 (max 7) clients aboard a 48 foot yacht with 4 double cabins plus a bunk bed cabin.
Tuition: Every day we have a crew briefing with some teaching and at the end of the day a ‘cockpit debrief’ (normally accompanied by sundowners). During the day expect expert tuition and mentoring in a relaxed style, practise your passage planning and a bit of navigation under guidance – or just kick back and join in the sailing elements when you want to.
Accommodation wise we take any experience level on this trip and we try to keep the saloon areas clear using just the cabins so that there is plenty of space aboard.
CANARY ISLANDS YACHT CHARTER
Just 4 hours flight from the UK and on the same time zone. With cheap flights to Tenerife South this makes for a fantastic winter yacht destination. When you think of the Canaries – think about places that you just couldn’t get to by car, probably places that you have never heard of. Discover the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hiero, Las Palma – all are within reach of a yacht charter. They are Islands with a culture of their own – they have fantastic seafood from the abundant Atlantic fish stocks, they have great scenery with towering cliffs and secluded bays and more importantly they have winter sunshine and warm waters.
ITINERARY: Please note that this is a sample itinerary and gives a flavour of what we could do dependent upon the crews experience, desires and weather (wind) conditions at the time of the charter. We suit our itinerary to the crew and their needs.
TENERIFE, LA PALMA & LA GOMERA (possibly max to El Hierro – wind & crew dependent)
Much is dictated upon by the prevailing wind (from the NE) and weather, how that affects our sailing angles / performance / speed / comfort, availability of space in marinas and possibly more importantly, the crew condition, capabilities and desires. We will have a sit down on the first evening to come up with a more refined plan so that we do our best to meet expectations.
Arrival Day:
Meet us at Marina San Miguel marina office at 1700hrs – just 15 minutes taxi from the airport. We will greet you at the marina office and guide you to the yacht where you can get settled in and everything stowed. After you have unpacked we will give you a short safety brief. Then perhaps we’ll have a drink on board before grabbing a bite to eat ashore and discuss our general plan of action for the week.
Day 1: Marina San Miguel (Tenerife) – Los Gigantes (Tenerife)
We will start by completing the safety brief and boat safety systems. Then we set sail for Los Gigantes and its huge cliffs, which is further north on the NW coast of Tenerife for an initial short sail to settle you all in and get used to the boat. We can practise a couple of drills and take the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with all of the boat systems.
This sail will probably be combined with an anchor stop for lunch and a swim on the way. Then relax for the evening in this charming marina offering a good choice of restaurants and relaxing bars taking the chance to sample some local cuisine. With our size of yacht we need to book in advance and put side to against the wall climbing ladders to get up to the quay. If you are venturing here alone in your own boat do be careful – The entrance can be challenging after a storm and sometimes untenable due to surf breaking at the entrance. On the way, if we get a chance to check out the 500m depth contour – look out for dolphins and whales.
Day 2: Los Gigantes (Tenerife) – Santa Cruz (La Palma) 55Nm
Prepare to set off early for the sail up to Santa Cruz, La Palma. This is a full day sailing, usually on a beam reach (in NE trade winds) which should get us to our destination in time for dinner. Once again, a great choice of local restaurants awaits us (or we can eat on board). The marina here is new and offers great facilities including relaxing bars around the marina, Wi-Fi, etc with a good choice of restaurants up the hill.
Day 3: Exploration Day – Santa Cruz (La Palma)
We can opt to spend the day here on La Palma, which is considered the fairest of the jewels in the Canaries crown. Reaching over 2400 metres La Palma is considered to have certain grandeur. Abrupt changes in vegetation from volcanic scrubland through giant pine forests and laurels festooned with lichen to sup tropical palms and the ubiquitous banana, punctuated with fascinating and beautiful towns. The scenery is just amazing.
During the day you will have a chance to visit the truly beautiful town of Santa Cruz, and the opportunity to visit the volcanic caldera on the island, Caldera de Taburiente the largest volcanic crater in the world! Or maybe even go scuba diving.
Day 4: Santa Cruz (La Palma) – Valle Gran Rey (Puerto Vueltas – La Gomera) 44Nm
Sail to the west coast of La Gomera to the spectacular Valle Gran Rey. The small port (Puerto Vueltas) is on the bottom right of the picture shadowed by the huge, imposing cliffs. Well sheltered from the North but exposed from the South – this is a small fishing harbour offering fantastic fresh fish and catch of the day. You may see giant stingray in the harbour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFtZFPBc1SA
The harbour has a long wall and we can either lie against the wall or raft against a boat. Alternatively we can lie at anchor in the bay under the cliffs. The whole place seems immense and imposing!
Day 5: Valle Gran Rey (La Gomera) – San Sebastian (La Gomera) 20Nm
This is a fascinating shorter sail along the coast of La Gomera, with a possible stop at anchor for lunch and a swim. On a previous charter we had some clients walk from here across the Island through the rain forest then grabbing a bus to the opposite side at San Sebastian to re-join the yacht.
Later in the day we will make our way into San Sebastian. 
San Sebastian is the capital settlement on La Gomera, a pretty historic town. There is evidence of the fact that Christopher Columbus spent time in the island, leaving his mark on the capital, it was his point of departure for the discovery of America. This makes San Sebastian a unique place n the Canary Islands. Some of the places that are well worth a visit are, the Torre del Conde, a medieval fortress and the oldest building preserved in the Islands, the church of Our Virgin of the Assumption and the unique chapel of St. Sebastian, built around 1530. The so-called Casa de la Aguada (House of the Water), is popular for its well from which legend says that Christopher Columbus took water to baptise the new continent.
Day 6: San Sebastian (La Gomera) – Marina San Miguel (Tenerife)
After a morning ashore and the chance to explore the ancient town of San Sebastian a few gifts for those back home we’ll make our way back to the Marina on Tenerife to arrive just before 5pm as required by the charter company, and after a few drink ashore we will enjoy a final dinner together
Day 7:
Marina San Miguel (Tenerife) – Home Marina
We pack up our stuff, clear the boat of any rubbish and get our bags ashore to leave the boat ready for the cleaners at 0830 hrs.
Wildlife:
It would be unusual for us not to see bottlenose dolphins during our week in the Canaries. They often interact with the boat and play around the boat ‘dancing’ in the bow wave. We also could easily see pilot whales and larger whales and Cetaceans. If there is anywhere to see these magnificent animals it is in the Canaries. Just keep your eyes peeled for fins and flukes!
If you are a lover of fauna then the Canaries will not disappoint. There is a natural history book available to buy specific to Tenerife called, quite amazingly, ‘Natural History of Tenerife’ by Philip & Myrtle Ashmole. We hope everyone has a great trip.
Want to join us?
Contact Us by email: info@yachtforce.co.uk
Telephone: 02380 016450
How to Book:
For book a berth we are taking money now. Balances are due 8 weeks prior to departure.
Deposits £500 pp for buy a berth deposits with balance 8 weeks prior to event. Skippered charter 50% deposit with balance 8 weeks prior.
(Please do not arrange your flights until you have received confirmation from the office. Please take out insurance to cover yourself for health, holiday curtailment, C19, repatriation and whatever other risks you want to cover). We will send you more information, the event specification, booking form, our bank details.
Mediterranean Alternative?
Greece – 11-18 May & 12 – 19th October 2024.
We also do a week sailing cruise around the Greek Cyclades, Saronic and Argolic Islands and the Peloponnese in May and October (12-19th October 2024) (Greek Islands Cyclades, Saronic & Argolic Gulf Yacht Cruise)
Check Out What our Clients Say:
Zoe had this to say about her sailing with Yachtforce in 2023, ‘I’ve been on two trips with Buster in 2023 – the first sailing around the Greek Islands in May and more recently sailing around Lanzarote in November. Both were absolutely fabulous!! (oh, and a cross channel long weekend too – which was top notch). Sunshine, fair winds and lots of sailing. The yachts were top class – I’ve never had so much head room. Why do I go with Buster? Well – firstly I feel safe and secure knowing the yacht is being skippered by someone so experienced they can handle anything the sea/wind can throw at you. Secondly the experience in these waters means he knows the optimal routes to take depending on the wind, best moorings, the best swim stops and can easily adapt when the weather changes.
He also is helped by excellent first mates – first Ross, then Vikki. All help to make your experience a good one. Also, when the winds are low he either offers great options ashore (we biked on Graciosa) or is a master at finding the wind to sail in. On the first trip I was concerned about going solo, but there has always been enough solo travellers on board and then friends or couples who are all very friendly. If you are thinking about it but not sure, Go for it! you really will have a fab time! I will definitely be back in 2024 for more adventures. Thank you Buster, Vikki and Ross for amazing trips this year!’
Suzanne said this about a ‘Buy a Berth’ space on a 56ft Bavaria around Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, ‘Mixed but fab weather [testing to relaxing], great companion crew, fab skipper and fab first mate – even the dolphins agreed – what a great week 
and welcomed break
. What else could you ask for on a Yachtforce trip!’
‘Such an amazing week in the Canaries with Josh as the ever knowledgeable, calm and fun skipper. We have all learned a great deal. Organised brilliantly by Buster and team. Thank you, hope to be back!’