Elmár SailingReviews of elmarsailing.com

Response from Elmár SailingAug 6, 2026

Thank you for this, and for being fair about the parts that worked for you personally— the Aeolians, the clean catamaran, the paddleboards, the volcano climbs. That's the week we aim for, and we're glad most of it reached you. Let us take the honest points in turn. The irrational guest. You're right about this one, and for this part we focused on resolving it. Any guest breaking the rule about alcohol or doing any other disruptive behavior is taken seriously. Luckily, it is almost never the case on our trips thanks to our personal interviews before the trip. The captain spoke with him directly, one-to-one, and more than once. This way we resolved the issue of the tea kettle, and the issue of overdrinking. As you remember, they didn´t happen again. Clearly, it wasn't fast or firm enough from where you were sitting, and we're sorry for the part that affected you. What we can tell you plainly is that guest is no longer welcome on our trips. If any guest buys anything personally without asking the team, or gifts you any wine and wants something back, of course it is not your responsibility; it can only be an invitation, and it is up to you to decide. On our trips, no one is pushed to buy anything extra on top of what is agreed. Food. We've taken this one. We didn't run a proper meal plan back in 2025, and after this trip and a couple of similar notes we've built one into how we provision and cook for the week — so thank you, that change is partly down to you. One gentle correction, only because it's on a public page: we never reach thousands of euros for food shopping. On your trip, provisioning worked out to roughly €180–250 per person for the week — within the estimated range. On breakfast — we had breakfast every morning, and within a couple of days the group had synchronised into an easy rhythm. Some are up at dawn, some are on holiday and sleep in, and that's fine, but no one went without. Tuition. A group trip isn't a course, and we're careful never to sell it as one. On this trip, every time we set sail, the captain or co-skipper Marco offered everyone the chance to take the helm, raise sails, learn and practice — the invitation was open all week. All who showed up for that were fully satisfied. But structured one-to-one teaching is our separate sailing course, not during the adventure week. If that line wasn't clear enough before you booked, that's ours to state better. Being "in charge." We have to be straight here, because it touches safety. Command of the yacht was never handed to a guest. It is not possible. On this trip we had two licensed skippers, and while the captain held ultimate responsibility, a competent co-skipper was in charge of many hands-on operations. The captain carries responsibility for the safety and well-being of everyone onboard and the yacht itself; it is not a subject for delegation. Our licensed co-skipper was acting under his supervision, which from the outside can look like shared control, but the responsibility never moved off the captain. As a result, this trip was safe as usual. We have had eight years without safety incidents, and it is exactly because that line doesn't blur. And the tea. A skipper doesn't serve the drinks or food to the group — his duties are for the yacht, keeping everyone safe, weather and navigation planning, port reservations, and logistics. That said, the captain still voluntarily offers tea or coffee to others whenever he's making it for himself. "Hands-off" still isn't a word we'd want a guest leaving with, so we've taken it seriously rather than shrugged it off. The hardest thing about reading this is that most of it reaches us for the first time here — not during the week, and not in the year since. We wish it had come sooner, straight away, because nearly everything in it is something we'd have wanted to put right on the spot, make clear and transparent.

Response from Elmár SailingJul 14, 2026

Thank you for writing this in full. We'll answer all of it. "Luxury." We have never sold these trips as luxury — not on the website, not in the ads, not on the captain's call. We deliberately avoid the word. What we offer is a simple, active week on a yacht with a small group of people, and that's exactly what we describe before anyone books. The yacht and the departure port. The charter company changed both shortly before departure. That wasn't our decision, and we couldn't overturn it. It was in line with the trip Rules and Principles document that you have accepted. The scramble it caused you was real, and we're sorry for it. The route. Our trips have never had a fixed itinerary, and we say so on the website and again on the call with the captain before anyone pays. Weather, safety, and logistics decide, and so does what the group actually wants once we're out there. Missing one island, while we managed to include two other new islands, isn't plan-breaking — it usually is the plan. The safety briefing. Usually we do it at a marina before departure, but sometimes we do it immediately upon departure when the weather is perfect and before opening the sails. Or give it in parts to save time and keep the group´s focus on safety. In your case, the time saved avoided sailing at night or skipping one of the islands. That was an exception. "You should suffer." What would be the point of saying that? It is simply not in our language. Written down like that, it sounds awful. A week at sea is not always 100% comfortable — like a hike in the mountains or a night in a tent — and pushing past that a little is one of the reasons people come and part of what they take home in an adventurous way. That's how it was meant. The phone. A captain on his phone or laptop at sea is usually a captain running navigation apps, checking weather updates, and communicating with the next port. Modern apps do this better than the yacht's instruments alone, and using them is now part of skippering. The table. A yacht has one galley, one table and one shared food budget, and we say before anyone boards that life on board is communal. But sharing has to be something everyone actually wants, not something a guest puts up with. When the group said they'd prefer cups, cups is what we used from day one — no argument, no debate. That's how we handle any preference at that table, and if it didn't feel that way to you, we're sorry. All guests who expressed their preferences verbally were always satisfied. The destinations. This is the part we'll push back on properly. Sergy had sailed those waters several times before your trip, and our social media from previous years shows those voyages. Calling that a lie is a serious thing to put in writing, and it isn't true. Receipts. We were updating our system, and we clearly communicated to you via WhatsApp that the detailed invoice (including the status of the prepayments) was available upon request. We didn't hear back on it, so we assumed you were fine with it as is. We still have the message history saved. It's yours whenever you want it, and it always was.

Response from Elmár SailingJul 14, 2026

Thank you for writing this. We'd rather answer properly than leave it unanswered. The yacht. In rare cases, when the original yacht has a technical or logistical issue, it is replaced with the same or a better yacht. The swap came from the charter company shortly before departure — not our decision, and not one we could overturn. It is in line with the trip Rules and Principles document that you have accepted. We pushed for the best replacement available and ended up on an upgraded catamaran considerably larger than the one originally booked (model 42 instead of original model 38). The year of build was 2020, which is within our standard for the latest model fresh yachts. One of the engines had a problem in the middle of the week, but luckily it didn´t delay us at all, and it was fixed in a very timely manner by the engineer that was sent to us. It is unfortunate, but it can happen with any yacht of any age; we know how to manage it without compromising safety. Paperwork. We were updating our system and clearly communicated to you via WhatsApp that the detailed invoice was available upon request. You decided not to request it. Also, we didn't receive your emergency contact details; that was optional. But the details of guests who provide them are always registered in our system. The reviews. Every one of them is from a real person who actually sailed with us; they are traceable. None are AI-written. Point at any single review and we'll tell you the guest, the trip, and the week it happened. Elmár Sailing is a registered company, six years on the market, with more than 700 guests behind it. The crew. We don't invite inexperienced skippers. Every co-skipper on our trips is licensed and has sailed enough before, with us or with other agencies. And yes — a captain is on his phone very often as he is running a navigation app, a yacht instruments remote monitoring app, and weather apps. He is also communicating with the next ports via email and other means using the laptop and/or the phone. The week. We sail under wind whenever conditions allow and motor when they don't. We have chosen not to stay in one spot for days just to wait for the next suitable wind. And the plan is always flexible, as mentioned on the website. We discuss it with the group every day. It was the same on your trip.