HELM Recenzje 201

Our yacht trip booked through Victoria was such a smooth ride and a great experience! We booked a one-week chartered yacht through Helm, and they were such a great broker. The concept is brilliant, in stead of contacting lots of different owners to figure out what we wanted to do, Helm had several prepared suggestions, knew where we could easily fly to, and guided us well through any questions that we had along the way. 10/10 recommend!

We recently chartered a ‘Lagoon 52F catamaran with skipper’ to sail the Dalmatian coastline that was brokered by HELM (UK) with Adriatic Sailing (Split). As we planned to sail from Dubrovnik to Split, we paid a ‘one-way charter fee (€780)’, to cover the fuel used and crew needed to relocate the catamaran to Dubrovnik to be ready to sail no later than 5pm on Saturday (or earlier pending approval from the skipper). We understood that if they (Adriatic Sailing) were able to secure a charter from Split to Dubrovnik in the preceding week (typically 7 days) then as the catamaran would already be in Dubrovnik on Saturday, the ‘one-way charter fee’ would be simply refundable. In this scenario the mooring fee would be payable by the previous charter as it arrived on Friday and had to stay overnight at the marina. This all seemed logical and reasonable.

Prior to the start of the charter, we reviewed the contract (welcome package, Wi-Fi (75 GB/week), dinghy, outboard engine with full fuel tank, bed sheets & towels, beach towels, snorkelling gear, coffee machine + 10 capsules, ice maker, cooking gas and final cleaning) with HELM. Great idea. This review identified that two (2) requested stand up paddle boards (SUP) had been omitted and that ‘snorkelling gear’ actually meant that only two (2) sets would be available, despite the fact that the catamaran was licensed to hold 12 passengers. We incurred an additional rental charge of €60 for eight (8) sets of snorkelling gear and at our request we also rented a BBQ for €90. These additional monies would be paid on departure from the Dubrovnik marina at the Adriatic Sailing office.

When we all arrived at the marina after lunch on Saturday, we were advised there had been a delay in cleaning of the catamaran (i.e. last in the que) and that it wouldn’t be ready until just before 5pm.

When we eventually got onto the catamaran a number of problems, some big, some small, appeared:
1. all the dirty linen/water toys (kayak, extra SUP, extra snorkelling gear) from the previous charter had been NOT been relocated to the Adriatic Sailing office BUT placed in and blocked the skipper’s toilet cabin WITHOUT our approval. As a consequence, my wife and I had to share our cabin’s toilet facilities with the skipper for the duration of the charter
2. Adriatic Sailing informed us that we had to pay €170 for rental of the kayak, despite the fact we hadn’t ordered it and that it was left on the catamaran from the previous charter
3. marina required us to pay the outstanding mooring fee (€208), when clearly this was part of the previous charter as it had moored overnight on Friday
4. catamaran was NOT checked properly by Adriatic Sailing for our charter as:
• main shelf in the kitchen fridge door was cracked and was held together with masking tape. Needless to say, it broke as soon as we left the marina
• there was a periodic but strong sewage smell in the cabins which was discussed with the skipper. It appeared shortly after leaving Dubrovnik and then returned frequently during the charter
• Wifi went down (day 2/3) as this hadn’t been topped up from the previous charter despite the contract stating we had access to 75GBq/week
• kitchen stove ran-out of gas as the gas cylinder had not been refilled after the previous charter. We had to resort to boiling water on the BBQ which the used up all the gas. So neither the kitchen stove or BBQ worked
• shower fitting in one cabin was broken which had to be taped together so it would work.
We recognise that problems will occur. However, the majority of the problems detailed above should have been identified before our charter began. We discussed these problems with the skipper and then with HELM many times after the charter had finished. HELM’s negotiation with Adriatic Sailing was NOT very helpful or particularly successful. Eventually, Adriatic Sailing provided refund for the mooring fee (€208), kayak hire (€170) and €100 reimbursement for transporting the dirty linen back to Split. They refused to provide any compensation for the inconvenience caused by not preparing the catamaran properly for our charter; the skipper having to use one of the passenger’s cabin toilets/shower facilities for the duration of the charter, or a refund the ‘one way charter fee’ of €780 (despite the fact that this service was NEVER supplied).

Looking back on our experience with Adriatic Sailing and Helm I would be very hesitant to ever use or recommend them. Adriatic Sailing seem quite happy to put their commercial interest first and to charge for services that were NOT provided or asked for (e.g. ‘one way charter fee’, kayak, mooring fee etc). I am sure there are other more reputable charter companies whom International tourists should use when visiting the Dalmatian coastline.

I chartered a catamaran though HELM for a Greek holiday. All arrangements worked as expected and we had a great holiday. All the staff I dealt with at HELM were very courteous and efficient.

One point of feedback is there was little or no continuity as people left the business so a couple of things fell through the gaps, but were recovered without issue.

I would use HELM again - thankyou!

Great service all round. I could not have asked for more.
Great advice. Great organisation. Perfect recommendation for our 2 families and we had the most fantastic holiday.
Many thanks. We will definitely use again.

We had a trip of a lifetime on the Sinata Sunreef. Martin, Nicola & Hana were outstanding and made the experience unforgettable with amazing food, service and meaningful conversations. We went the first week of October and the weather was perfect. I wish I could offer some constructive feedback but the trip was perfect. HELM was informative and helped steer us to the best boat for our group. Victoria from HELM was very helpful coordinating logistics before our trip which helped relieve a lot of stress. Highly recommend HELM and the Sinata.

The whole team at HELM made our holiday experience wonderful, taking away all the stresses and strains from us. Any queries about our holiday plans were quickly addressed. We couldn't ask for more and we look forward to using HELM's services again.

We chartered MY Koukles from Peter H @ Helm. Great experience and effortless undertaking from beginning to end. The weather at our destination was complicated and ultimately had to revise our itinerary. We highly recommend Peter / Helm to anyone looking for a luxury yacht charter!

We contacted Helm to book a one week bare boat catamaran charter out of Athens in mid September. Our experience with Helm and their local agent FyLy in Athens was nothing short of excellent. We were given a superb deal on a brand new Astrea 42 which was the ideal boat for our party of 6 retired sailors. Helm made planning our trip to Greece very easy with full details on the boat, suggested itinerary and booking of transport from the airport to the Marina. Their agent gave us full support at Alimos marina and during our cruise around the Saronic Gulf. We would recommend Helm to anyone considering a bare boat charter in the Mediterranean

As someone new to chartering, Toby was patient and extremely helpful. I didn’t have a huge budget, but was always made to feel supported throughout the process. He helped me decide where to sail with itinerary information, and helped advise me on a million other questions I had.

Our charter in Greece was the highlight of our trip, made extra special by the information and responsiveness of Victoria on restaurants and places to go that would fit with our itinerary.

We will absolutely use HELM again, and have already started planning our next trip. I’ve also recommended them to quite a few other people.

Thank you to Toby, Victoria and the rest of the team!

We had a Fantastic charter to Croatia. This was my first time using Helm, but I have chartered boats in The BVI and Tahiti. Marcus was superb! He helped me choose the right catamaran 50 ft which was luxurious and spacious for 9 people. It served our needs very well.Marcus answered all my questions and emails promptly and professionally. He also helped organize transportation from Dubrovnik to Split, with a winery stop at Deak Vineyards which was very special. I would highly recommend him and Helm.
Mario was our Captain. He was Amazing! His knowledge and navigating of the boat was top class. He was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the islands. He helped us organize land transportation to see other parts of the islands. As well as top restaurants for dinners. I was impressed with how he moored the boat into a marina or cove like it was seamless. He also has a great sense of humour which we all appreciated.
Ana was our hostess she was very kind and sweet. She cooked us some great meals! We were amazed with what she concocted in the galley. We particularly enjoyed our breakfasts that she would create and the special BBQ we had on the back of the boat, tuna and calamari were outstanding.
I would highly recommend this team. It was a monumental birthday that I shall never forget.

Just finished with Vas and Kelly. They were amazing, so caring , so attentive to us and the boat, cannot recommend them highly enough, incredible people, I am sure all the feedback is always positive. They were perfect, thank you John for your recommendation, communication and advice.

Troy, Amanda, Rose, Henry.

Thank you to Helm for arranging our sailing holiday. In particular, thanks to Zach for the time he took to locate available yachts that suited our training certification and the dates we needed, as it was short notice! We hadn't sailed in Croatia before and had a fabulous time. We had all our queries answered on the lead up to our departure and got accurate information on the marina and contact details there. The yacht we hired was top quality for its age and overall great value for money. Everything was as promised!

We would recommend Helm for organising your next boat charter. They booked us into an excellent charter company & maintained contact with us all the way through the process from booking to charter. I was very impressed with the service & they were highly responsive to my queries.

Fantastic holiday, Marcus - great recommendations, we loved our yacht, Andre was a fabulous skipper and Ban tours in Split were superb. Great locations, great sailing. All of Andre's reco's on swim stops, restaurants and helping us get the most out of our desired itinerary were great.

I booked a day charter from Capo d'Orlando, Sicily to the Aeolian Islands. We swam around Lipari and Vulcano. If we had enough energy we could have zoomed off to Salina also. The crew of Aerre Sicily Charter, Captain Carlo and his Skipper Angelo were kind, social, and great hosts. We had fruit to snack on and for lunch we had enough food to feed at least 15 people, we were a party of 7. They could accommodate other requests with advanced notice. We probably used about 1/3rd of the vessel's gas, easy fill up with American Express.

I would definitely book this charter again.

Zachary and James at Helm did a great job in finding 2 different yachts from Rogoznica and Kremik Marina in Croatia. They also advised on itineraries and in-country info. The prices were also very competitive. Chilla Sailing in Kremik were particularly good to deal with, very family orientated with super support; Rogoznica was good, but a larger scale Marina and less customer-focused experience due to the busy-ness of all the competing operators. Thanks Helm - great job and easy admin. Croatia is a great sailing destination that only brings smiles! :-) 👍

great charter in greece, lovely boat everything efficiently organized. very responsive team on the phone.

Thank you Toby at Helm for organising a wonderful charter on Baldur in Croatia. It was our first charter and Toby and the team were super helpful at finding the right boat and itinerary and our super skipper Mico from Under the Heavens was first class!

Jack from Helm helped us find a boat & plan a trip with just 2 weeks till we departed! When I initially called and told him mid-august (it was end of july) he thought I was talking about the following year. No issue - Jack found us a beautiful 45 foot cat and we got paired with a wonderful skipper. Couldn't have been a better week in the adriatic. 10/10 would recommend.

We arranged our weeklong Charter through Toby Slocomb at HELM. Toby arranged for us to rent a 42 foot skippered Fontaine Pajot named Nou Nou 1 through FYLY, and our skipper Nakitas Vrachatis was amazing. I highly recommend Toby and would definitely do it over again.