Private Charter Sailing Bay of Islands

You will find us on the beach at Paihia. We won’t be hard to find once you get there, just walk along the beach and you will see the boat anchored very close to the shore line.

Absolutely! But not too wet – you will have to step into the water to get onto the boat. Sometimes it is ankle or calf deep, other times a wave will roll in and it may be up to your knees. So kick your shoes off and roll up your trousers before you step aboard. Sometimes we get the odd wave splash on the boat, it’s all part of the fun!

Just the usual – bottle of water, warm clothing, a jacket, footwear for island walks, swimwear, towel, hat, sunglasses and sunblock – please do not spray sunblock, it eats the paint.

Please do bring clothing that you can cover up with, the summer sun can be intense on your skin so be prepared for this as much as the possibility of cool wind.

The day cruises include a packed picnic lunch, the evening cruise has no set food inclusion. Please check each cruise option for specific food inclusions as the details vary. There are options for special catering options as an add on to the cruise.

Yes we do. We use the motor to get in and out of the beach to anchor. We just love sailing! So we like to sail as much as possible, the boat performs far better under sail than under motor so sailing it is! There are times where if there is not enough wind to reach our destination we will have to use the engine, or to keep to our time schedule – we don’t like to make anyone late to catch their ferry/bus.

We have children of all ages on our cruises, even babies on occasion. An ideal age is 4yo and up, however, some families are used to being in the outdoors environment so if this is you then great! The sailing time varies between cruises – from 2, 3 or 4 hours on the boat. This can be a considerable time for kids, but we find they are usually entertained with all the goings-on and the beach time is great to break it up on the day cruises. If your child is exceptionally active this might not be too well suited as we can’t allow them to run around the boat, but gentle play is ok, and we are really happy for interactive kids to join the sailing.

Our experience is that if both parents are very nervous on the boat the kids are hard to manage, so one confident parent is the key to a good day sailing. If you are unsure please call. We are happy to chat with you about it, and we’d love you to enjoy an amazing family day experiencing the Bay of Islands with us.

New Zealand can be tricky to plan for with the weather, particularly when choosing outdoor activities, so to be realistic you just have to be prepared for anything.

We do try our best and are very vigilant when it comes to weather forecasting.

Safety is always our foremost concern, then comfort. We are generally not too bothered by a rain shower here or there. It is an open boat, so we have rain ponchos to cover up and stay warm/dry, or you can pop down into the cabins if you want. If the forecast looks like a serious day of rain which will make the trip an absolute misery we will cancel/postpone, as we would like our guests to have a good experience.

The skipper is experienced to make decisions based on the weather, and the final decision will be his (keeping in mind that we are reliant on the information that is given to us, we can’t promise the forecast will be correct). If we decide to cancel a full refund will be given if we can’t make alternative arrangements for another day that suits your travel plans.

We understand that everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to the weather, and we do our best to make everyone as comfortable as we possibly can. Sometimes people are not used to the wind, the sea state, salty splashes, or a bit of rain, or even the sunshine. But as Kiwis, this is all part of our lifestyle, and it is how New Zealand has become so well known for its adventure tourism because we are so good at it!

Nope, just like the name suggests we are Barefoot Sailing Adventurers!! Kick off your shoes at the shore and experience the Kiwi barefoot culture for yourself, it’s quite liberating!

No, the boat sits flat while sailing which means it is a very comfortable experience, especially for first-time sailors or families with children. There is plenty of deck space and we have bean bags to relax on if you are sitting on the front half of the boat, the back half has seating.

Yes, our skipper loves to get people involved if they want to take the helm or help set the sails. There are some conditions or points of sail that it is not practical to have others helm the boat, but for the most part you are very welcome.

Yes, we have a range of options for catering if you would like special arrangements made which differ from our usual picnic lunches, at an additional cost.

Yes we do see dolphins, not every day but they are there and if they happen to be where we are sailing it is a lovely experience to see them in their natural environment. We like to advise you that the resident dolphins in the Bay of Islands are very sensitive to human interaction, we do not encourage any interaction with them. As of 15 Dec 2021 the Department of Conservation has declared the Bay of Islands a Marine Mammal Sanctuary. This means if we encounter dolphins or other marine mammals there are rules which we must abide by: when within 300m of the vessel we must stop the boat (so long as it is safe to do so) until the marine mammals have moved away further than 300m. There is no swimming or water activities allowed within 300m of a marine mammal. This may cause some disruption to our planned cruise but we hope to keep the disruption as minimal as possible, we thank you for your understanding. If we happen to encounter a marine mammal on our sailing cruise, this is a completely natural encounter, it is very special and possibly the best way to experience dolphins as they can choose to interact on their own terms.

We have 2 sailing catamarans available for Private Charter:

Our 10m Tennant Turissimo Catamaran Kopiko is the beaching boat, you will see her in many of the images and videos on the website anchored right on the shore line, for easy boarding. This is our fun, sporty catamaran, the original Barefoot Boat. This vessel is suitable for up to 16 passengers.

Our 12m Tennant Jayar Catamaran Moonwalker is our more recent addition to the fleet, a larger ocean going vessel with extra comforts like interior saloon area, and covered cockpit for shelter, with a bit more space onboard. Suitable for up to 20 passengers.

Either of these vessels will be booked for your Private Charter experience, the vessel allocation is dependent on how many people you have booked for and the vessel’s availability at the time of booking.

Each vessel has it’s own unique charm and although they are similar in design and layout, each one has design features that are unique to that particular vessel . If you have a preference of the two (ie: shade and indoor areas vs beaching boat), please contact us to see if we can make these arrangements.

The amount of the charter price is in New Zealand Dollars, incl GST.

Private charters require a 50% deposit requirement to secure booking for the day. The full amount is required to be paid 30 days prior to charter date, if this is not paid the charter is considered cancelled and cancellation fee will apply.

Cancellations of more than 30 days prior to the charter date will forfeit 25% of the charter fee.

Cancellations within 30 days of the charter date will forfeit 50% of the charter fee.

Cancellations within 14 days of the charter date will forfeit 100% of the charter fee.

In case of a “NO SHOW” no refund will be given, 100% charter fee will apply.

Barefoot Sailing Adventures reserves the right to change, postpone, or cancel the arranged charter due to adverse weather which might pose a risk to the safety of the operation, any mechanical issues or other unforeseeable event, or make a change of vessel booked to ensure the charter will proceed in circumstances that require this operational decision to be made. In the case that Barefoot Sailing Adventures deems it necessary to postpone the charter date, a full refund of the charter fee will apply in the circumstance that alternative arrangements for another date can not be made. Any refund will be in New Zealand Dollars, and will not be liable for any differences in the exchange rate.

We recommend our guests hold a comprehensive travel insurance policy in case of any unexpected changes in their travel plans that may incur a cancellation fee.