Nautilus Yachting has been operating since 1992. We have been organising sailing holidays worldwide for 30 years and are now one of the leading independent yacht charter agencies in the UK and one of the few that is bonded for your financial protection under ATOL 3016.
We are committed to offering great service, lots of choice and excellent prices. You benefit from our first hand knowledge so do ask our advice. We specialise in putting together the holiday that’s right for you and pride ourselves on giving a courteous and helpful service. Please do not hesitate to phone our helpful and knowledgeable staff on 01732 867445 or e-mailcharter@nautilusyachting.com
Nautilus Yachting is the trading name of Nautilus Yachting Ltd, a limited company registered in England Number 2722826. The registered address is The Watermill, 87 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5AU.
Meet the Nautilus Yachting team
Jonathan Shears
Jonathan is the Managing Director of Nautilus Yachting and has been with the company since 2004. Most of our clients will have met Jonathan at a Boat Show. A keen sailor from an early age and an RYA Coastal Skipper, he has sailed in most of the cruising areas in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, so will be happy to chat about ideas for your next sailing holiday. Recent trips include: Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Mallorca, Grenadines, Sicily, Sardinia, Antigua and the British Virgin Islands.
Russell Stevens
Russell joined the Nautilus team in October 2022 as General Manager and has over 11 years of experience in the Yacht Charter industry. He has a wealth of sailing knowledge from charters in Croatia and Greece as well as Spain, France and of course the UK. He loves nothing more than holidays spent sailing with friends or his wife and two children.
Hannah is our Sales Manager. Before joining Nautilus she worked as a flotilla host in Turkey (Gocek & Fethiye) and growing up, she spent most of her summers sailing on flotillas in the Ionian in Greece. Today, Hannah still spends the summer season in Greece, working from the base in Corfu. An accomplished RYA Day Skipper since 2011 she has chartered monohulls and catamarans from 32-54ft with friends and family. Recent trips include Trogir, Sporades, Sardinia and the BVI as well as extensive knowledge of Greece & Turkey, so should you have any questions please do get in touch!
In more than 8 years with Nautilus as a senior sales consultant, Louise has sailed extensively in North and South Ionian, Sporades in Greece as well Trogir, Croatia and Martinique and BVI in the Caribbean.
A keen fan of the benefits of taking a professional skipper onboard she is an expert in both crewed and bareboat yachting.
With a career in longhaul travel, Louise is a discerning traveller who has jetted all over the world She is now enjoying a new, more civilised way of holidaying!
Kali works in the Sales Team and joined Nautilus Yachting in 2019 bringing with him many years of experience in helping clients organise holidays to dream locations. He has visited over 50 countries, including Belize, Thailand, and Australia. Although he is at the beginning of his sailing journey, he has been learning to sail since his school days. Kali has recently obtained a day skipper in Aegina and has sailed to several locations, including the South Ionian, Corfu, Saronic Gulf, and Split.
Isla is our newest member of the Sales Team. She has been in Croatia and Corfu during the 2022 season working as a flotilla hostess and has spent a lot of summer holidays on flotilla in Turkey, Croatia and the Caribbean. Isla’s next plan is to achieve her RYA Day Skipper qualification to continue exploring her love for sailing.
Cheryl is Customer Care Manager and is happy to help with your holiday arrangements once you have booked your holiday. She has learnt to sail in Gibraltar and Turkey and is now qualified to RYA Day Skipper. She has also visited our bases in Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Sweden, Thailand and Malta. Recent sailing trips include the Ionian and the Bahamas.
The multi-talented Olivia works both within charter sales and customer care, she is an integral part of the Nautilus team with ten years of experience in the marine and travel industry. Her passion is helping clients experience thrilling sailing holidays and ensuring they have everything organised from beginning to end. Her most recent charter was in the Gulf of Fethiye where she experienced the beauty and wonder of the crystal clear, turquoise coast of Turkey.
You may recognise Helen as lead crew from our Trogir flotilla if you were one of her guests between 2018 to 2020.
She has worked with Nautilus for the last 6 years. She is a yachtmaster and cruising instructor and has over 15000nm behind her from sailing all over the world. She now helps us recruit and train our flotilla staff and ensure a great flotilla season.
She is also a professional skipper and works with our partner company 'Rock Sailing' as an instructor for dayskipper and competent crew courses. Her favourite places she's sailed in the world are Croatia, Australia and the Caribbean. Her most recent sailing trip at the time of writing was in the UAE in the Persian gulf.
Howard and Nicola started Nautilus Yachting in 1992 and after 23 years sold the business to long-time General Manager Jonathan Shears. They continue to be involved as consultants offering ongoing advice and support to the business.
"We had an excellent time. Our 32 foot was in good nick with everything working that needed to and we did not suffer any breakdowns. Our flotilla hosts Debbie and Mike were absolutely superb. The perfect mix of being there to help you but standing back as well. They are, I think, the best flotilla leaders we have come across over many years. The bays and harbours were very busy due to the unexpected extended public holiday but they got us in to a good restaurant every night. This was our first Turkey experience and we loved it so much we will be booking again, probably next May. The booking process through Nautilus was faultless, pre-travel information was good and all the connections etc worked so again 100% there."
Call our knowledgeable sailing specialists for the latest advice and recommendations on the sailing areas most suited to you.
Let's talk later
Arrange a call back from one of our specialists (Mon-Fri: 0900-1730).
Sailing Qualifications
To skipper a bareboat charter or flotilla yacht, you need to hold a practical sailing certificate equivalent to RYA Day Skipper Practical qualification or RYA International Certificate of Competence (ICC). For charters in Greece, you must now have the ICC certificate. You must also be assisted by at least one competent crew member over the age of 18.
The port authorities in Greece are now insisting on one of the following practical certificates: RYA ICC (International Certificate of Competence), RYA Coastal, RYA Yachtmaster, ASA IPC (International Proficiency Certificate) or the IYT (International Yacht Training) Passport. If you hold an RYA Day Skipper or ASA104 it will no longer be accepted and you need to obtain either an ICC or IPC from the corresponding issuing body (RYA or ASA). If your RYA Coastal/Yachtmaster or ASA105/106 certificate is more than 12 years old and does not have a photo ID, then we would also strongly advise applying for an ICC or IPC. If you are a member of the RYA or ASA, you may qualify for a discount or free certificate, otherwise, you will have to pay. The approximate cost is £50. Please use this link - RYA application for the ICC or ASA application for the IPC.
For charters in Croatia, Malta and the Canaries, at least one member of the crew or the skipper will also need a VHF licence.
RYA qualifications can be obtained by RYA sailing schools in the UK or alternatively choose from one of our overseas centres in Gibraltar, Greece or Turkey.
For Seychelles, the local authorities require an ICC for the skipper of a bareboat or flotilla yacht charter.
For Caribbean and Tropical charters, formal qualifications are not compulsory, however, you should be Day Skipper standard and be assisted by at least one competent crew. A brief sailing resume should be provided to outline your experience.
If you don't hold the relevant qualifications then why not add a skipper?
Sailing Levels
Level 1
Winds force 2-3 (4-11 Knots)combined with generally shorter distances. Good for beginner or intermediate sailors. Line-of-sight navigation but basic knowledge of charts and ability to plot your position required.
Level 2
Winds force 3-5 (7-21 Knots) with approximately 15-20nm per day. Intermediate experience required. Predominately line of sight navigation but an understanding of how to sail in open water.
Level 3
Winds force 4-6 (11-27 Knots) with mileage of approximately 20nm+ per day. Ideal for experienced skippers looking to venture out to new destinations. Day skipper standard but with experienced crew would be recommended.
Nautilus Yachting has been operating since 1992. We have been organising sailing holidays worldwide for 30 years and are now one of the leading independent yacht charter agencies in the UK and one of the few that is bonded for your financial protection under ATOL 3016.