FIRST COME— FIRST SERVED
508-246-7034
Reservations are not required but firmly recommended for groups that would like to plan their sail in advance to coincide with their upcoming stay on the Vineyard. The more in advance you plan and reserve your sail the better your chance of getting your first choice for all four variables, (day/date/time/duration), of the sail you want. If someone booking ahead of you books an overnight weekend charter on the only weekend you plan to visit, you’re out of luck. It would unfortunately preclude your getting in any sail at all. On the other hand, if you were to book first, (say, a 2-4 PM sail on a Saturday), that same other person (looking to book an entire weekend) would have to go looking for another weekend on the calendar, free of any/all bookings like the one you just made. Their problem, not yours. Booking sooner than later is to anyone’s advantage who is seriously interested about holding a specific sailing date or time (e.g. anniversary sunset sail, afternoon birthday party, etc.), on our calendar.
As well as booking early, we urge all patrons to book, if possible, towards the beginning of their vacation. Thus, in the event of postponement, there will be more opportunity for re-scheduling in preferred weather of your choice, (not to mention more opportunity for yet more fun and intrigue aboard "MT-105" with a second go-around)!
This is not to say we don't welcome and encourage (often with discount) last minute, "perfect-sailing-weather" spontaneity and enthusiasm but feel obliged to point out that unless you’re on top of your game, watching closely, or get "last-minute lucky," you can’t always have it all ways: with boat/captain available and rarin’ to go on the day you are with the weather you want, and/or vice versa.
As with all healthy, outdoor activities and vacations in general, weather looms large in the sailing business. The obvious downside to making a reservation in the future is, of course, having to deal with the uncertainty of the weather that will prevail during your scheduled event. To further complicate the matter, weather is very nuanced and means different things to different people under different circumstances. Too much wind or salt spray or sunshine for one of your guests, a beginner, may be not enough for you or another, more experienced sailor.
No one can control the weather on the day you plan to go sailing but here at SailingMarthasVineyard.com we understand completely both the effort that you as charterer have put into bringing your group together and the fact that no one knows your group and group expectations better than you do. For this we take great pride in introducing needed reassurance and carefully thought out weather options that allow you to have control, if not over the weather you want, over the weather you DON'T want.
We urge you to become familiar with the unique weather contingency planning we offer in that it provides a way forward that is first of all reassuring, but also mutually cost-effective, transparent and seamless in execution, (avoiding any last minute, dockside misunderstanding and/or regret).
Because our reservation policies demand non-refundable payment in full for a sail that has not yet happened, it is incumbent on us to know that all patrons are at least aware of the options available to them, requiring indication of same, as well as signing off on all other Terms and Conditions BEFORE any "non-refundable" reservation can be purchased. (See "Confirmation Agreement" in menu at top of page.)
Once you and your group have decided when and for how long you would like to charter the boat and the type of weather insurance (if any) you desire, the next step is to call or text the office, 508-246-7034, to learn if the date/time/duration “slot” you want is, in fact, available. If so, it’s yours for the taking but, to be fair, the same goes for anyone else who might be deliberating with their own respective groups over the same general time frame. Our scheduling is based strictly on “first come - first served.”
Whoever is first willing to commit to an availability of their choosing, (as well the "Terms and Conditions"), owns it. Just keep in mind that your commitment works to both hold and protect your sail while becoming part of the backbone and basis around which all future bookings of our schedule/calendar depend. Others who follow will be that much more limited in having to plan their own vacation time around your previously made commitment. So “measure twice and cut once.” Be sure the sail you book is the one your group wants because, unless the weather interferes, there can be no changing it once purchased.
To help achieve this end, (and to help separate the “dreamers” from the "doers"), no partial payments will be accepted to make or hold a reservation. All reservations must be paid in full at the time the reservation is being made. Furthermore, all payments are final, for a specific, one-time event only (as scheduled), are non-transferable to another date/time/duration and, without Re-scheduling insurance or Cancellation insurance, are absolutely NON-REFUNDABLE should a sail result in a no-show by charterer for ANY reason, be it intentional or inadvertent.
Before calling to actually book a sail, be sure to check out our "weather options" (scroll up to menu at top of page) to see which weather/contingency plan, if any, is the best fit for you and your party.
WEATHER IMPLICATIONS
Sailing is most definitely a weather business. But let’s be honest, weather means different things to different people. Comparing someone who’s never been on the water to someone who just finished a circumnavigation in a rowboat, the term “ominous“ suddenly becomes very relative.
“Too much” wind for one individual in your party could mean “not enough” for another. Maybe there’s too much sun for Auntie Frailty’s liking. Too bright. Too cloudy. Too cold. Too much chance for rain. Not cloudy enough. Etc., etc. (We’ve seen and heard it all.) It’s very tough to please everyone. Look, we get it. We're on your side. No one (least of all the captain) wants to pretend that sailing in the rain, or worse, in thunder and lightning squalls, (however "memorable"), is fun, never mind worth paying for. Or that sailing with no wind is doable. (Lots of luck with that btw.)
We don't try to deny any of this. The good news is that here at Sailing Martha's Vineyard you don't have to either. When it comes to working around inclement weather we are happy to offer several mitigating and beneficial options.
First of all, rest assured, once in our system, if an acceptable and similar date/time slot is unclaimed and still available and you would like to switch over to it.......it’s yours provided the captain confirms that such a switch would be warranted by the forecast.
Keep in mind that although the general accuracy of weather forecasting improves greatly with each passing year, a ten day forecast is not nearly so accurate as a 3 day forecast or, respectively, as up to the minute, short range, doppler radar forecasting. As one gets closer to the time of scheduled sail departure the more accurate the forecast and the easier it is to make a weather-based decision. In this regard we ask our patrons to be patient; switching too soon to another date could prove to be counter-productive. As any experienced mariner knows, some of the nicest, most inspiring sailing follows right after the passing of a front in a typical and common summer squall.
For this we require the captain’s blessing, final say, when she/he decides, right up to the moment of scheduled departure, for any trip cancellation or postponement and for any reason she/he so states and deems necessary. Without such blessing of cancellation all trips are considered to be “on” and as scheduled.
With that blessing, however, if we can’t find a another time slot within an acceptable time frame to your liking, we guarantee all your money back. 100% refund.
To go one step further, we’ll even throw in (hold for you on our calendar), free of charge, a second, “back-up” time/date slot for your sailing event should the original event get cancelled by captain for any reason.
CANCELLATION INSURANCE
And finally, or closer. For an additional 25% of the cost of your sail you may add-on purchase (up to 3 days in advance of your scheduled sail) our unique cancellation insurance that allows you to opt out of the sail at ANY time for ANY reason, regardless of what that silly old captain thinks. You can tell him where to go. You want out and you want your money back now!
But before we get into that, it is of utmost importance to understand and agree that, weather meaning different things to different people, the captain and only the captain will have ultimate say as to whether or not a trip is officially cancelled BECAUSE OF the weather. First of all, you can rest assured that the captain, "Admirable Nick," doesn't like sailing in inclement weather either. Not when he doesn't have to. Not when it's possible to schedule around bad weather. After a lifetime of sailing professionally, he's put that macho stuff behind him. He's mellowed, OK? He's older now, wiser. In fact, he's a wuss.
One should know there have been plenty of events cancelled by him in spite of the charterer and guests having wanted to sail. What's a quick passing summer squall if followed by a beautiful rainbow?
Weather means different things to different people. oo much wind for one could be no enough wind for another. Aunie Frailtty
So, for all this, he capain an d not the paying charterer gets to decide and has final say as o wheher or not he sail is on or off. Furthermore, he hoods ha right (of deciding) up to he last minute of scheduled departure.
On the other hand, (as many of our guests have come to learn), thinking positively and too spontaneously, with car legally parked, picnic cooler in hand, showing up last minute on that most perfect day for sailing with no reservation can be chancy too. You might find the captain aboard and ready to go all right but committed instead to another sail for another party. Not yours. Or, there might be an available, one hour, "uncommitted" time slot for sailing “MT-105” but not the 1/2 day you were hoping for. Or, with no party scheduled, there's a good chance the captain won't be so readily available to drop everything he or she had planned to accommodate your last minute, "perfect day" sailing request. For this reason, 90% of our customers, already having dealt with the frustration of the logistics of organizing the event, ultimately throw fate to the wind/weather gods and opt to book in advance.
Cancellation Insurance with peace of mind
We pride ourselves for having one of the most resilient, consumer friendly cancellation policies in the indusry, where you, as patron, are given the ability and flexibility to choose the weather of your liking for the group you have organized to go sailing. After all, who knows better than you the conditions you are looking for? "Acceptable," "desired" weather means different things to different people for each and every charter group. Too much wind for one member of your party might be not enough wind for another. ) What happens if half way through the sail it starts to drizzle....or sleet ...or thunder and lightning? Who wants to sail with that added risk? Then again, maybe nobody cares. The age of your friends or family, the duration of sail, their sailing experience with day or night sailing, their desire to be included, the temperature, the wind, the % chance of rain, their tolerance of salt water spray ..... these are factors that must be considered and weighed....by you.
When it comes to nature and planning around the weather, nothing is completely guaranteed, Try as we might as humans tto counter tthis, the irony is that for exactly this reason, Nature's unpredicabiliy, we, as humans, wanting to feel more alive and more "on the edge," are lured away from more stable, comforable air conditioned settings we build for ourselves towards things more nattural and less predictable....like skiing down a mountain or getting out on the water for a sail... over the horizon. I digress.) sailing and naur has acually But by combining improved and more accurate short and long term weather forecasting with current, state of the art, interactive, public, wi-fi calendars and other scheduling techniques, our re-scheduling policies give you more control over the planning of your event, reassuring you, and us, of its successful outcome.
A commitment that works both ways.
It is important to understand that when we hold a specific time/date slot for you and your friends to go sailing aboard “MT-105“ we are, in effect, necessarily, making that same “slot” unavailable to the rest of an inquiring public by taking it off the market, potentially reducing our own revenue share. In a short summer season this could prove very costly should our patrons’ commitment(s) be anything less than sincere. For this we require a strictly NONREFUNDABLE deposit (typically 25% of the cost of the sail) to be applied towards the cost of your sail and/but forfeited by you should you decide FOR ANY REASON to change your mind and cancel and/or simply forget and/or FOR ANY REASON not show up for the sail that had been reserved for you and was scheduled by you. Only the captain, for ANY reason she/he deems necessary, has the right to cancel a scheduled sail. In such case, if, specifically, weather, crew or mechanically related, all money paid towards the sail shall be refunded unless a mutually acceptable alternative time slot can be determined.
For further information please go to “Terms and Conditions” and “Cancellation Policy” (that must be agreed to and confirmed by charterer before any deposit can be put down on any sail).
For his reason, a sail date/time slot can not be reserved for your party before the NONREFUNDABLE $100 deposit has been deposited in our account along with your confirmation of having read and understood and agreeing to comply with the “Terms and Conditions” of our policy.
Insurance
Weather
Liability shift
On the brighter side, (pun intended), weather forecasting over the years has become increasingly more accurate.
For what it's worth, here's a link to ten day weather forcasting for Menemsha, Ma.
Mission statements – You can tell a lot about a company by its mission statement. Don’t have one? Now might be a good time to create one and post it here. A good mission statement tells you what drives a company to do what it does.
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By clicking the button below and scheduling my boat tour I am acknowledging that I have read, understood and am agreeing to all of the TERMS and CONDITIONS outlined above.