Hen Weekends Yacht Sailing in the Solent

HURST POINT YACHT CHARTERS LIMITED

Lymington based hen weekend idea yacht hire

Tel 01590 623765 mob 07932 140878
or email info@hurstpointyachts.co.uk

Welcome to the Hen do website.
Hen weekends and mid week events operate from fashionable Lymington in the New Forest National Park, close to Southampton in Hampshire. We organise many of these events and can advise you how to get the most out of your experience on the water. Cruising around the Solent on modern 40ft sailing yachts with berths for 8 crew is proving to be an increasingly popular choice as a hen or stag do idea for a group of close friends.

Why is sailing becoming one of the top hen weekend ideas? Because for most it will be a wonderful new experience. It combines a sporting theme with stunning scenery, relaxation and the opportunity to get ashore to some great Solent yachting watering holes, some only accessible from the sea. Not only that but also there is the opportunity for you to gain some sailing tuition and possibly acquire a new interest. Certainly the sea has a way of getting under your skin very quickly.
Another advantage is the fact that the group does not get fragmented but operates the yacht as a team with the skipper providing instruction only as necessary. The 40 ft modern sailing yachts have wheel steering with stern swimming/shower platform. We are hoping for some warm Mediterranean style weather in the Solent this year!

What is included in the yacht charter price for hen weekends?
Accommodation on board is included in the price so there are no extra hotel bills to worry about and

costs can be further contained by bringing much of your own food and drink. The charter price also includes wet weather gear hire, all berthing charges, skipper fees and free car parking at the marina for the weekend. A uk hen weekend with Friday and Saturday night on board costs around £189 per person. We also have a 24 hour event with single night on board for £99 per person.

Where will we sail to on your hen do?
For the overnight trips, we will berth you in one of the Isle of Wights quaint harbours where you will be able to relax and go native. We can advise on the best restaurants and bars so you can book in advance. The yachts are equipped with showers, hot water, refrigerator, CD player etc. However the marinas we visit have modern clean facilities and cater well for the yacht crews. Equally you may have your own plans and we will try to fall in line with any reasonable destination or schedule. For instance you may prefer to berth each night on the mainland and head for some livelier night spots in Bournemouth, Portsmouth or Southampton.

Other detailsThese trips are suitable for people with no previous sailing experience. You are invited to sit back for the ride if you wish or get involved with sailing the yacht in which case considerable sailing knowledge and skills can be gained. The railway station at Lymington is just 10 minutes walk from the marina and links with London via the mainline station at Brockenhurst.

HOW TO BOOK

To make a booking you first need to check on availability so please email us or telephone using the contact details above. We will then send by return email the booking forms and grant you an option for the dates you are interested in.

That is all you need to do for the moment but if you wish to learn more about our operation including other types of uk yacht charter than the one you enquired about then please read on. Thank you for your time and patience in considering the above Solent yacht charter offers.

A Typical Intinery for a hen party weekend trip to Cowes with overnight stay, depending on tides, is as follows:

Day 1

Join the yacht in Lymington from 6pm onwards Friday evening and stay on board overnight. There is an atmospheric bar with restaurant in the marina so no need to go far once you arrive and start to relax. However it is usual to have some late night drinks on board to catch up with everyone. Note that we hand the yacht over to you early in the evening and late comers can join up with you at their convenience as traffic conditions from London and elsewhere dictate

Day 2

Breakfast on board in the marina.
Morning - Call in Yarmouth harbour followed by visit to Newtown Creek Nature Reserve anchorage for drinks, fishing, swimming, relaxing.
Afternoon - Carry on up the Solent practicing various sailing skills such as Man over Board recovery, sailing to buoys and anchor, navigation, sail trim etc.
Late afternoon - Arrive Cowes Yacht Haven which is close to the center of Cowes followed by celebration drinks. At this point you get let loose ashore for some well earned shore leave. There are many designer clothes and equipment outlets as well as the waterside restaurants and bars.

Day 3

Breakfast in Cowes high street adjacent to the marina. There is a highly regarded coffee shop which we can put you in contact with in advance.
Return cruise to Lymington taking in the Beaulieu river upstream to Bucklers Hard in the New Forest for lunch at the famous old dockyard. Three of Nelsons warships which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar were built here from local oak. Continuing westwards and depending on tides, the afternoon destination could well be Alum Bay adjacent to the Needles lighthouse for a final anchor stop.

Hen parties in the New Forest national park can be combined with other recreational activities in addition to the sailing to create a varied weekend. Favorites are horse riding, cycling and walking and we welcome enquiries. The horse riding involves a one hour or two hour walk out or hack across the moors. Cycling is a half day activity along wooded gravel tracks, possibly to a remote forest inne famed for its real ale. Walking can take as long as you wish. We know of numerous trails alongside rivers, though plantations, forest glades with deer reservations (there are four species of wild deer in the park), moorland and spectacular views of stately homes hidden away in the forest. The New Forest covers 70,000 acres.

'Hi Clive, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the amazing time we had with you! My sister absolutely loved her hen party and she's still talking about it non stop. All the girls had a brilliant time mostly because of your great service! It was all a bit hectic on Sunday afternoon so I didn't say goodbye personally but I wanted to let you know that we all loved every minute of it. I hope you have a great week racing in Cowes. All the best! Jessica'

Please take a few seconds to read what other people have said about us recently or perhaps the faces below say it all?TESTIMONIALS

OUR PROMISES TO YOU

Payments We will look after your deposits and advance payments for your yacht charter. We are a limited liability company with all the reporting commitments that entails such as Annual Accounts and Companies House returns so we intend to be around for a while, in fact we have been operating since 2003. We are also VAT registered which is of benefit to Corporate organisations booking with us.

Safety. We promise to ensure that we offer only charter yachts which we have the greatest confidence in. Regarding our flagship Dotty Dot, we go family sailing in her ourselves including cross channel so we are as keen as you to ensure that everything is in order. We promise to keep all the life jackets serviced, the life raft contents renewed every year, the engine well maintained and all the other things that need to be done.

Value for Money. Charter yachts are incredibly expensive to run and maintain. However we promise to charge fees that give only a moderate return and to ensure that ours are amongst the lowest prices if not THE lowest.
This involves not only keeping an eye on what our competitors are charging but also including things in the price that would normally be extra such as wet weather gear, cleaning of the yacht on return and diesel fuel. Other items such as marina parking, gas, mooring fees at the marina and shore supply electricity are also included.

Hand over We promise to hand the yacht over to you in a first class condition. This means that the deck holding tank will be empty (you would soon know about it on a port tack if not - phew!), that water and diesel tanks will be full and the yacht clean inside and out.

General It is not our style to attempt to make you responsible for defects that have arisen during a charter that we should take on board ourselves and never have we done so. In fact we are extremely loathe to ask you to put your hands in your pocket for things such as fenders and boat hooks that have gone overboard because we do not want to finish on a sour note and want you to come back as many do!

VESSEL CERTIFICATION

A vessel to be used for sailing yacht rental should carry the following certification, originals of which should be held in a file (or sometimes attached on the inside of a port light) kept on board the yacht. When booking seek confirmation that these are held and will be available for inspection when joining the yacht.

1) Certificate of Coding.
This is a Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)/Department of Transport(DoT) requirement for charter vessels in commercial use. Certificates are renewed annually and additionaly there is a disc (similar to a car tax disc) which must be attached to the inside of a port light. The coding category is shown on the certificate and disc. Make sure that the yacht which you are intending to charter has the Certificate of Coding relevant to the voyage you are planning as this will have a bearing on the safety features and equipment carried. The coding categories are:
Category 6 - Up to 3 nautical miles(nm) from a nominated departure point or land in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 5 - Up to 20 nm from a nominated departure point in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 4 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 3 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven
Category 2 - Up to 60 nm from a safe haven (ie across channel)
Category 1 - Up to 150 nm from a safe haven.

2) Life raft Certificate of Servicing and Testing.
Charter yachts should carry life rafts conforming to SOLAS B requirements. This stipulates a greater degree of equipment and capability than a life raft for private pleasure yacht use. SOLAS B life rafts have to be serviced annually and a new certificate issued.

3) Ships Radio Licence
This is authority to use the VHF equipment on board, usually a fixed installation and a hand held. The licence is issued by OFCOM and must be renewed annually. The licence is a car tax disc style which must be attached to the inside of a port light.

4) Certificate of Insurance
Issued annually, this must be endorsed for bareboat and skippered yacht charter with a 3rd party liability minimum of £3,000,000.

5) Certificate of British Registry
Issued every 5 years, this is the ships ownership document with details of the registered owners.Essential to carry on board if crossing the Channel as failure to produce if boarded by officials can result in the impounding of the vessel. The registration number is required to be shown on the coach roof port and starboard and on the stern.

6) Gas Installation Certificate
Gas being one of the biggest risks on board a yacht, an annual inspection should be carried out by a CORGI approved technician and a certificate issued.

7) Engine Service Record
A marine diesel engine requires regular service. One hours running equates approximately to 50 miles of a car engine, so 200 running hours are equivalent to 10,000 miles on the road. The oil needs to be changed every 100 hours approximately. Other important items are annual change of the coolant, sea water impeller and fan belt. The service record should be up to date.

8) Sea Start membership.
No statutory requirement for this for Solent yacht charter but a must nevertheless. Covers engine/transmission failure and fouling of the propeller up to 3 nautical miles offshore. Permit attaches to inside of port light.

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