A view under deck

Under Deck

First-timers are always amazed at how large and at the same time how small it is under deck.  Below deck there is enough room for a kitchen sink, cupboards, a refrigerator, a stove, an oven, a navigation desk, and a dining table with room for six to eight people.  Then we have one or two heads (bathrooms) with built-in showers. There are 3-4 separate cabins with small cabinets, and windows, and the whole cabin area is lighted.  There are even curtains on the windows, and a number of built-in electronic equipment, including a VHF radio, an stereo system, and a number of navigational instruments, including a clock.  There is always the possibility to plug in electrical items, such as cell phones.  The ship has a 12 V battery system like cars do, and 220 V (50 Hz) when it's attached to land power. 
Although the yachts are very nice and confortable, they do not come with a staff.  We are the staff, which means that anybody and everybody are maids, butlers, and cooks.  The galley/saloon area has to be kept uncluttered due to safety reasons.  Everything has to be stowed away, once we get underway, because unlike at home, glasses don't stay where they're put on the table, and glass splitters on the floor are not the thing we need during a barefoot cruise.  The key rule here is, you have to constantly pick-up after yourself. In your bunk, we aren't so rigid, except that you should make sure (in your own interest) that nothing will break if the ship rolls.  

We aren't too picky how tidy your bunk is

Cabins

Cabins on modern sailboats usually have double beds, and in a few cases they have bunk beds.  Our trip is planned that if you do not bring your own partner along with you, you may be asked to share a cabin with someone else of the same gender, unless you volunteer to sleep on the couch or outside in the cockpit. 
As we said, keeping your bunk immaculately tidy is up to you, so long as you don't end up getting broken glass in your bed or break your own telephone or radio.  You do have to close the windows while we are underway, unless the skipper dictates otherwise, to keep seawater out of your bunk.

Participation

Please don't confuse our cruises with the Love Boat.  We don't have white uniformed staff serving drinks with umbrellas sticking out of them, while you lay around working on your tan. On our cruises, we rely on your active participation, because you are part of the crew.  You need to help with everything from destination planning, to washing dishes, to raising the sails, tying on the fenders, and steering the ship. Don't worry that you aren't seaman first class. Our motto is learning by doing. As long as you are physically able to do something, we need your help. People that sit in the corner at wait for other people to wait on them are not on the right boat.

Peter, the Swabian Corsar

Peculiar People

All people that love sailing are peculiar in the own way.  Sailing attracts individualists. True sailors would rather sleep on the hard deck of their boat than in a hotel room, and all have a hankering for adventure.  Charter sailors accept the fact that they start their holiday with strangers and end their holiday with friends.  
This is almost always the case if you stick to these five little rules of thumbUnd das klappt fast immer, wenn man ein Paar Faustregel beobachtet.

Our 5 Golden Rules:

1. Be nice to each other.  Even if your sailing mate loves playing his Deep Purple CD all day long and it's driving you crazy. Resist the temptation to scream at him, and try to solve the problem dipomatically. 
2. Be considerate to others.  This means there will be no bullying on board, there are no permanent seating arrangements in the cockpit, and not just one person will get to steer the ship, while others only get to clean and cook. 

3. Make yourself useful.  An old macho sailor expression says, if you're not helping, you're in the way. Believe me, if you just sit on the ship all day like a bump on a log, watching the world pass by, your holiday will be boring. So you can and should help, but ask first.  If you want something do - ask.  If you don't know how to do it - demand that someone shows you how to do it. If you don't understand, you aren't stupid, the person couldn't explain it right to you, so ask again.  If you want really know how to navigate the ship or how to anchor all by yourself - just ask.  Your skipper is not the really the "big boss" on board, screaming orders at everyone, they are the "ship manager" who makes sure that everyone and the ship all finish the holiday in one piece. 
4. Follow the safety instructions your skippers give you.  Ther skipper isn't a spoilsport. They are legally and ethically obliged to make sure you have a safe trip.  So if they request or order you to do something, this isn't because they are picking on you - it's because they are concerned about the safety of the ship or the crew.  
5. Bring along a good attitude.  This is important, because we don't need negative people. This trip will not pull you out of your marriage crisis.  Know-it-alls and people who constantly remind us where the grass is greener will not be popular on our boats. We don't pretend that this is a great holiday - we live like it is, and people with a positive attitude help us achieve this goal.