Is A Day Out on Yacht Monty B suitable for me?

 

 

Mobility

Whilst you do not need a high level of fitness to enjoy a day out on Monty B, a sailing boat is an active environment and you need to consider whether it is suitable for you. For example, we will usually be picking you up in our sturdy tender (RIB) so you will need to be able to get yourself in and out of a small boat.

A good way of assessing this is whether you can sit down on the floor and get yourself up again, unaided.  Or, for instance, if you had to, could you climb out of a window in an emergency?  If the answer to either of these is “no”, then unfortunately this trip is not suitable for you. This is for safety reasons. To access the toilet below deck, you will need to get up and down the equivalent of a short step ladder.

We will go out of our way to accommodate older folk with restricted mobility or people with a disability (please email us and we will be happy to advise). However, if your mobility or balance is affected due to obesity, this trip is not suitable for you.

We reserve the right to refuse entry to the boat to anybody who we feel could endanger themselves or other people.

 

Feel free to skim through the questions below. If we’ve missed anything, just ask!

 

Why is it so expensive?

It isn’t, it’s just quite a lot of money if you’re two or three people, as there’s a minimum charge for the boat to make it viable. We work very hard to give you a wonderful experience. Most of this work is behind the scenes – we start work three hours before you arrive and finish two hours after you leave; and for every day we get paid, there are two days we work for nothing. Imagine how long five hours in a taxi would cost, and then add food and drinks and trained crew, and then think how much a yacht costs compared to a car! Plus we’re seasonal, so have to earn all our year’s money in four months.

Children under 5 years old

Babies are fine on the boat as they generally sleep for the duration. However, toddlers and very young children find the restriction in their movements around the boat difficult to cope with after 1-2 hours. For this reason, we do not usually recommend this trip for children under five years of age. Exceptions can be made after discussion! In less busy periods, we can sometimes organise a shorter two-hour trip which is more suitable so please contact us in this instance.

Dog allergies / fear

If you have an allergy to dogs that you can’t medicate sufficiently, this trip is not suitable for you. If you are worried about being with the dogs, this is another matter and we are confident that a day spent with Mollie and Bertie is enough to cure anyone of dog phobias! They are very friendly towards all our guests, including children.

Food allergies / intolerance

Please advise us in advance of any food allergies / intolerance or if you require a special diet and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

How many people can you take on the Monty B?

We can comfortably accommodate up to six people on Monty B.  This is for your safety and comfort. In special circumstances, we occasionally take one or two extra guests. However, we will not guarantee everyone with continuous shade, but that’s never been a problem.

What does the price include?

Everything!  Our prices are for the boat – not per person.  It includes all of the usual hidden costs (fuel, cleaning, skipper, etc).  We provide cold, filtered drinking water, some soft drinks and refreshing shandy, plus complimentary gin and tonics (or other if preferred) at sundown.
We serve a healthy, seasonal snack platter to keep the nibbles at bay; which becomes a memorable picnic when on the wooden deck of a yacht!

Are you allowed to drink alcohol on board?

Yes, we serve alcohol on board (though this is not a “Booze Cruise” and for safety reasons the skipper will intervene if things get out of hand!).  We are happy to provide a complimentary beer or glass of wine with food, plus sundown wouldn’t be the same without a G&T.

If you would like to bring additional alcohol on board, feel free, but no red wine please, it’s a nightmare. As refrigeration space is limited, please try to bring drinks already chilled and we will endeavour to keep them so! If you can bring ice or a frozen water bottle, that’s a bonus too.

Where does the trip start and end?

Our trips starting in Tivat normally pick up from opposite the town beach, but all details including maps will be in the booking confirmation.
Our trips starting in Kotor usually pick up from the nautical college ten minutes from the harbour.  This will be specified in your Booking Confirmation so please check for details.
We will try to pick you up from a convenient location for the itinerary of the trip you have chosen. Often, this can be very near to your accommodation.
We try to be as flexible as possible and we will discuss a plan for your day with you by email when you book.
We may also be able to drop off at a restaurant or your accommodation.

Please note that logistics and weather play a big part in sailing trips which is why we ask you to contact us the day before the trip, but we are very good at organising this so don’t worry!

We charge a commuting fee of €50 per extra hour of travel for special pickups.

What do I need to bring?

Essentials:

  • Suncream (not the spray suncreams, as most of it ends up on the deck rather than you!)

  • Hat

  • Towel and swimming gear

  • Sunglasses

  • Armbands etc for non-swimmers

Desirables

  • Sarong / long sleeved top for sun protection / breezy days

  • Camera, although we take lots of photos for you

  •  If you want to play your own music through our portable, bluetooth / usb speaker, bring your preferred contraption!

  • Some people like to read but there’s rarely time!

  • Additional drinks and snacks if you want

  • Ice – a frozen water bottle is excellent.

Is lunch provided?

We provide a healthy (ish!) snack platter of nibbles.

All food is prepared on board and included in the price of your day. Bakery stuff is bought fresh every morning.

If you want to bring additional snacks, feel free, but grown-ups won’t need them.

If you have any allergies or dietary requirements that we should know about, please let us know before your trip and we will make sure that the food served is suitable for you.

Are your trips suitable for children?

We welcome well-behaved children on board and we find our trips work best with children of eight years old and over.  However, if you do have a younger child and you still wish to do our trip, if you think they can cope with having their movement restricted for four hours then we can make an exception. Please contact us to discuss.

Babies are not a problem; we find them a shady space and they tend to sleep for most of the trip.

We have teenagers. Will they enjoy it?

Absolutely!  There is so much for them to join in with: they can helm (steer), learn the ropes and help us run the boat.  We can teach basic sail training and show them how the electronics work. They love the swimming stops – trying out frightening-looking, ambitious diving from the boat and paddling around in the kayak.

Alternatively, there is plenty of space for them to sit in peace, with their contraptions on, enjoying the scenery / staring into the nether distance / making videos / whatever…

There really is something for everyone, that is the great thing about it.

There are more photo opportunities than they can imagine!

Do you provide lifejackets?

We have lifejackets on board, for use in the event of emergency. We also have children’s lifejackets but these are, like the others, for emergency use. They are not suitable to be worn around the deck. The sea is sheltered and very buoyant.

If your child requires a buoyancy aid for swimming, please bring this with you. Our lifejackets are not suitable for this use.

I am a non-swimmer. Will this be a problem?

Monty B is a safe, sturdy boat and if you cannot swim, this is not a problem, as long as we know.

We have buoyancy aids which we have successfully used with less-confident adult swimmers, enabling them to enjoy the water.  You can stay permanently attached to the boat with a lifeline when you are in the water and it is easy to get in and out of the water using our swimming ladder.

The sea here is very buoyant and we have man-overboard equipment and training.

What safety equipment do you have onboard?

We are an ocean-going yacht so have pretty much every piece of safety equipment you can imagine.  But for our trips, as well as lifejackets, we have an ocean liferaft, fire-extinguishers and VHF radios. The area we sail in is non-tidal and similar to an inland sea.

What footwear do I need?

We ask everyone to remove their shoes when coming on board and going barefoot is the most practical and pleasant option.  If this is a problem for you, let us know before your trip and we will suggest an alternative. Deck shoes that you’ve worn off the boat are not deck shoes, they’re just shoes!

Do you do overnight / two-day trips?

Below decks, our boat is set up as a fantastic living area for us but it is not suitable for larger groups so we do not currently operate overnight trips. We do have some good contacts here in Montenegro who do offer longer charters and we are happy to put you in contact with them.

Can we fish from the boat?

No.

Is Monty B a luxury yacht?

Monty B is a beautiful, solidly built ocean-going yacht. She is our home and we are very proud of her. We have fifteen years renovating her and she continues to be a work in progress and is a “living boat” with two friendly dogs on board.  A day’s cruising around the Boka certainly feels like a luxury experience but we are not a “luxury yacht charter”.  Neither do we wear uniforms or tug forelocks when you come on board! 🙂 For that you will need to pay (someone else) a lot more money!

Please bear this in mind when you book your trip. We are though, a very friendly, genuine and hospitable team by nature, and we will do everything we can to make your experience as wonderful as possible.

What happens if the weather’s not great?

Unlike all the other boats, we don’t go out in the rain. So it’s important that you check in with us, normally by whatsapp, the day before your trip. We are very good at weather forecasting and adapting itineraries.

Deposits and refunds

We ask for 20% deposit two weeks before the trip. Even if it’s last minute, we will ask for a deposit, as these days some people think it’s ok to just not turn up. Payment is accepted online, it’s very easy, in euros or sterling. This is a load of unpaid hassle for us but better than people not turning up. Thankfully it’s very very rare.

If the trip’s cancelled by us, all money is refunded. Please trust us on this and don’t cancel or “break a leg” or “get food poisoning”. It’s very rare that we can’t sort something out if you have some flexibility.

Will I get back to my ship in time?

Everyone always has! We allow two hours before your ship’s departure to end the trip. In peak season, we advise cruise ship guests to take our friend’s Kotor Bay tour, that we organise for you. It’s four hours so you have more time in Kotor to explore, and it starts and ends right next to the big ship dock, so there’s no anxiety about traffic or cabs. These trips can start any time from 0900 so completely feasible for cruise shippers.

Can we smoke on board?

You can smoke off the back of the boat when we’re sailing up wind, but nowhere else. Feel free to talk the skipper about hypnotherapy…

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