Skippered flotilla holidays for families
Skippered Flotilla Sailing
Sail between beautiful Mediterranean islands with a professional skipper on board and the support of a flotilla lead crew: a family yacht holiday open to all.
Family yacht holidays for those new to sailing
Imagine sailing a yacht between beautiful Mediterranean islands, stopping in azure bays and diving into crystal clear waters. This might sound like something for seasoned sailors only, but with a Seafarer skippered flotilla these holidays are available to all.
Add the social side of sailing as part of a flotilla, meeting others in the evenings and swimming in secluded bays during the day, and it all adds up to a magical family holiday. Read on for how a skippered family flotilla works, what it costs, and some fantastic destinations.
Skippered flotilla at a glance
- A professional skipper to captain your yacht
- No previous sailing experience needed
- A lead crew, daily briefings and a kids club
- 2 to 3 hours of sailing a day, if you go direct
- Taverna nights and beach parties
- Yachts for a family of four, or three generations
How a skippered flotilla works
What is a skippered flotilla?
On a Seafarer flotilla, an experienced lead yacht crew guides a number of yachts to some of the best spots in the stunning islands we sail. While most guests sail themselves, we have professional skippers for those with no previous sailing experience. Your skipper will captain the yacht and give you peace of mind as you cruise.
Each day on flotilla starts with a briefing, before all the yachts set off to spend the day as they wish. Everyone meets up later in the afternoon, when the lead crew runs a kids club. Children can then meet others of their own age and enjoy organised activities. Some evenings, the lead crew also runs special nights, such as a taverna night or beach party. These create a great vibe for everyone on the flotilla.
Each flotilla has its own character, with different distances each day, from 2 to 3 hours of sailing if you go direct. However, the day is yours: you can sail, swim, relax or explore as much as you wish.
Something for everyone
Why a skippered flotilla makes a great family holiday
Skippered flotillas make an amazing holiday for families, as they offer such flexibility and something for everyone. There is the feeling of exploration and discovering new places, all while being powered by the wind. One evening you might be in a cosmopolitan harbour. The next, you could be in a secluded bay under the stars, with just the flotilla for company. Meanwhile, the skipper and lead crew give you peace of mind as you pass spectacular islands. You can be as involved in sailing the yacht as you wish.
Thanks to the different sizes of yacht available, a skippered flotilla suits a wide range of families. It works for a family of four on a smaller yacht, or for three generations or two families on a larger one.
Skippered flotilla prices and how it works
To put together a skippered flotilla holiday, there are a number of elements you need, as you can see below. As each skippered flotilla holiday is tailor-made, all these prices are examples. Our experienced consultants can design a holiday to suit your family. Just ask for a quote, or fill in our skippered flotilla quote form.
Yacht- Skipper
- Food and drink
- Flights and transfers
- Options
From £2,200 in the school holidays
Yacht
The yacht is both your accommodation and your transport on a flotilla holiday. So you need to pick the right one for your party. We normally describe yachts by their length in feet. However, an easier way is to look at how many cabins (bedrooms) and heads (bathrooms) you need. As a guide:
- 32 to 34ft: 2 cabins, 1 head
- 35 to 38ft: 3 cabins, 1 head
- 39 to 42ft: 3 cabins, 2 heads
- 43 to 49ft: 4 cabins, 3 or 4 heads
- 50ft and over: 5 cabins, several heads
On board
Heads are generally small, but each has a toilet, sink and shower. Cabins are normally doubles, though larger yachts will often have at least one cabin with bunk beds. Don’t forget you will need one cabin for the skipper. The price includes fuel, water, gas and the yacht’s end cleaning.
From £1,295 a week
Skipper and deposit
If you have never sailed before, a skipper is essential to captain the yacht and handle the technical side. Our skippers are experienced sailors with excellent customer service skills, who speak good English. Your skipper generally joins the boat on the morning of the first sailing day, the day after you arrive. Then they will discuss what you want from the holiday. Then it’s up to you how much you get involved: sit back and enjoy the ride, or get stuck in with the sailing. On most skippered yachts you need no deposit, because the skipper’s fee includes all insurance. The fee is between £1,295 and £1,695 a week, depending on the destination and yacht size (in Turkey, Thailand and the Dodecanese, skippers are paid by the day).
About €20 a day for your skipper
Food and drink
The yacht has a fully equipped galley (kitchen) with a gas oven and hob and a top-opening fridge. Most guests have lunch on board, while sometimes enjoying the wonderful bakeries and tavernas of the places we stop. There are good value shops in the ports we visit. In addition, the skipper and lead crew can tell you which harbours have the shops you need. During the week there are also group dinners at carefully selected tavernas. Here you can sample the local delicacies and meet others on the flotilla. While you have a skipper on board, it is your responsibility to feed them. We normally recommend budgeting €20 a day for this.
From a wide range of UK airports
Flights and transfers
As a tour operator, we can arrange flights and transfers to all our destinations from a wide variety of airports. As all our holidays are bespoke, our specialist consultants can put together the best package for you. This can include car hire, and hotels or villas before or after your flotilla.
From £100
Options
On all our flotillas, we offer options to make your holiday as fun and stress-free as possible. A stand-up paddleboard is always popular, and great for when you stop in bays and harbours: from £100 for the week. For those with younger children, we often advise safety netting for the yacht, which costs £100 per charter.
Example prices
An example skippered flotilla holiday
Here is an example of a 7-night skippered flotilla holiday in August, for 6 people on a 46ft yacht on our Lefkas flotilla. Play the video to look around the Bavaria 46.
| Yacht: Bavaria 46 | £4,795 |
| Skipper | £1,495 |
| Flights (£315pp) | £1,890 |
| Transfers (£45pp) | £270 |
| Total | £8,450 |
| Per person | £1,408 |
All skippered flotilla holidays are tailor-made, so these prices are an example only.
Some of our best family flotilla destinations
Sail a new island almost every day, with a lead crew to support you and a kids club in the summer holidays.
- Our flagship flotilla
Kiato to Korfos · Greece
Corinth Canal & Saronic Gulf Flotilla
One-way routes with a Corinth Canal transit every week, on yachts from 34 to 45ft.
Explore the Saronic flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Phuket · Thailand
Thailand Flotilla
Ten nights through Phang Nga Bay, Koh Lanta and the Phi Phi islands, with lead crew support.
Explore the Thailand flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Kos · Dodecanese, Greece
Dodecanese Flotilla
Two routes from Kos, to Symi, Tilos and Nisyros or to Kalymnos, Lipsi and Patmos.
Explore the Dodecanese flotilla
- Explorer flotilla
From Pula · Istria, Croatia
Pula to Venice Explorer Flotilla
Two weeks: Rovinj, Venice and Chioggia, then the islands of Lošinj, Silba and Susak.
Explore the Pula to Venice flotilla
- Explorer flotilla
From Palermo · Sicily, Italy
Sicily & the Aeolian Islands Explorer Flotilla
Two weeks: Cefalù and the volcanic Aeolian Islands, then west to the Egadi Islands.
Explore the Sicily flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Fethiye · Turkey
Fethiye Flotilla
Two routes of sheltered bays and hidden coves on the Turquoise Coast, on 32 to 50ft yachts.
Explore the Fethiye flotilla
- Explorer flotilla
From Tortola · BVI, Caribbean
British Virgin Islands Flotilla
Two weeks in steady trade winds, to Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Norman Island and Jost Van Dyke.
Explore the BVI flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Split · Dalmatia, Croatia
Split Flotilla
Two routes: to Hvar, Vis and the Pakleni Islands, or up the Krka river to Skradin.
Explore the Split flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Skopelos · Sporades, Greece
Sporades & Skiathos Flotilla
Two routes to Alonissos, Skiathos and the Pelion coast, with lively meltemi sailing.
Explore the Sporades flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Agia Eufimia · Ionian, Greece
Ionian Kefalonia Flotilla
Two southern Ionian routes to Ithaca, Fiskardo, Assos and Zakynthos, on 33 to 46ft yachts.
Explore the Kefalonia flotilla
- Flotilla holiday
From Nikiana, Lefkas · Ionian, Greece
Ionian Lefkas Flotilla
Two easy routes via Meganisi, Kefalonia and Ithaca, on yachts from 33 to 50ft.
Explore the Lefkas flotilla
Our promise
The Seafarer Price Guarantee
We will not be beaten on price.
Because we are an independent company, we keep our prices highly competitive: if you see a like-for-like product cheaper elsewhere, let us know and we will beat it.
Specifically, the guarantee applies to yacht and accommodation rates on our Beach Club, Flotilla, Learn to Sail and Cabin Charter programmes operated by Seafarer, and is subject to availability at the time of booking.
Book your skippered flotilla holiday
All skippered flotilla holidays are bespoke, and our experienced sailing consultants make the booking process easy. Simply ask for a quote, and we will send you one for your ideal skippered flotilla holiday.
Call or email us
- 0208 324 3118Monday to Friday 09:00 to 19:00, Saturday 09:30 to 17:00
- info@seafarerholidays.com
Request a quote
Tell us your dates and party size, and we’ll then come back to you with availability and prices.
Peace of mind
Book with confidence
Every payment you make to us is financially protected, from deposit to balance. Holidays with flights are covered by our ATOL licence, and holidays without flights by our ABTOT membership. Trading since 1995.
ATOL Protected — Licence 9511
All flight-inclusive holidays are fully ATOL protected
ABTOT Member — No. 5660
Additional protection for bookings without flights
Rated Excellent by our guests
4.6 out of 5 from 644 independent reviews collected by Feefo (7 November 2026).
What our flotilla guests say
Our flotilla holidays are rated Excellent, 4.4 out of 5, from 263 independent reviews collected by Feefo (4 November 2026).
