Private charter & occasion

A private charter is the whole boat, the whole time: no strangers, no fixed route, no schedule but yours. One skipper, and a day built around whatever you are marking.

What it's like

You board at the harbour fifteen minutes before departure. The skipper runs the safety brief, asks what you want out of the day, and then largely gets out of the way.

Most private charters settle into the same rhythm: a run out while everyone finds their spot, an hour or two somewhere sheltered with the engines off, and a slower way back as the light softens. If there is a cake, it comes out at the quiet point. If there is a speech, that is when it happens.

Where you actually go depends on the boat and the wind. From Cape Town that usually means Table Bay, out toward Robben Island and the Milnerton lighthouse, then back into the lee of Table Mountain. From Simon's Town it means False Bay, the penguins at Boulders and Seal Island. From Langebaan it means the lagoon and the beaches at Kraalbaai.

Group size

Ten is the ceiling on one boat. For more than that we run two or three boats together, and for a big occasion we can carry up to fifty people across the fleet. A day like that is worth a phone call rather than a booking form.

Pricing

Bespoke. The day is shaped on enquiry: tell us the occasion, the numbers and the date, and we will put the day and the price together.

What's included

• The skipper and crew for the day
• Fuel, all safety equipment, life jackets
• Water aboard, and cold storage for anything you bring

What's not

• Food and drink beyond water: bring your own, or add a catering platter, quoted per head when you book
• Champagne aboard, quoted when you book
• A photographer for the first hour, with the full gallery delivered the next day

Bring

Sunscreen and a hat. A light jacket, because the wind picks up on the back stretch. Soft-soled shoes, or bare feet.

If the weather turns

The skipper has the final call, and we make it 48 hours ahead rather than on the morning. If we cancel, you choose: full refund, or a new date. Cancel yourself more than seven days out and you get everything back.