Both options take you to sea without having to handle the boat, but they are not the same. The difference lies in who looks after you on board and on which boats each one is offered.
The difference between a skipper and a full crew lies in the service. The skipper steers the boat, anchors and is responsible for the safety of everyone on board. A full crew does the same and adds service on board, and it is the formula for the yachts and the schooner. The fishing boats and the sailing boat go out with a skipper; the yachts in Puerto Banús and Estepona, with a full crew.
For a trip of a few hours, a day’s fishing or a sail, a skipper is enough. A full crew pays off on full-day trips, trips of several days, nights on board or large groups, when someone besides the skipper is needed to look after the group. On the yachts the crew is included, and anything paid separately comes with a written quote.
The skipper handles the boat from start to finish: steers, decides where to anchor and is responsible for the group’s safety. That means nobody in the group has to handle the boat or keep an eye on the manoeuvres, and everyone can have a drink on board, because whoever is at the helm drinks no alcohol and here the skipper is at the helm. The skipper also knows the coast and chooses where to anchor according to the day’s wind.
On the 12.2-metre sailing boat in Puerto Banús, the skipper can also teach anyone who wants to learn how to sail it during the trip. On the fishing boats, the skipper handles the boat while the group fishes, using the technique of each season: trolling in summer and bottom fishing in winter. This is the option that makes sense when what you want is the activity rather than the service.
A full crew does the same as the skipper and adds service on board: looking after the group while the skipper sails. It is the formula for the yachts and the schooner, boats designed for spending many hours on board, sometimes with food and with more people. The skipper does not have to split their attention between the helm and the guests.
On boats over 24 metres, the crew also includes a second deckhand. In the fleet there are two: the 24.1-metre schooner, which takes 36 people, and the 31.7-metre yacht in Puerto Banús, which carries 15 passengers by day. For the group, that means one more crew member looking after the boat throughout the trip.
The motor boats in Fuengirola go out with a skipper, as do the 12.2-metre sailing boat for 9 passengers and the three fishing boats in Puerto Banús, of 10.9, 12.5 and 13.7 metres, for 8, 10 and 10 people. The fishing boats have rod holders, a live bait well, a fishfinder and a cool box, and if the group brings no tackle, there is some on board.
With a full crew go the Puerto Banús yachts, of 21.7 metres for 12 passengers and 31.7 metres for 15, the 24.1-metre schooner for 36 people and the 21.8-metre yacht in Estepona, for 10. The Estepona yacht is booked for half a day, a full day or several days, which is the format where the difference between the two options shows most.
When the trip lasts a few hours and the plan is specific: cruising along the coast and swimming off a beach, a day’s fishing or a sail. A half-day fishing trip lasts 4 to 5 hours, and a full day 8, leaving at first light, between 7 and 8 in the morning. In both cases the skipper takes care of the boat and the group gets on with the fishing.
A skipper is also enough for a small group that wants to move quickly and does not need anyone to serve them. For fishing, bear in mind that each angler needs their own recreational sea fishing licence, which is issued by the Junta de Andalucía and obtained online. Alquiler Náutico does not issue it.
On long trips and with large groups. For a full day with food on board, for several days on the Estepona yacht or for spending the night on the 31.7-metre yacht, which sleeps 8 overnight in two cabins with a double bed and two more cabins for two. Those plans involve tasks that go beyond steering the boat, and that is what the crew is for.
It also pays off with groups of more than 15 people, because the only boat in the fleet between 16 and 36 places is the schooner, which already goes out with a full crew. And at celebrations where the group wants to focus on the party rather than serving drinks, an anniversary or a small company event, for example.
On the yachts the crew is included in the price. Fuel for long routes, catering and berths if you stop at other marinas are paid separately, and all of that comes as a written quote before the trip. It is worth asking for it that way, with each item listed separately, so you can compare without surprises when you get back.
On every boat a life jacket for each person on board, the safety equipment checked before every trip and the boat’s insurance are included. Prices are not published and are given by phone on +34 669 06 27 56. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost, whether with a skipper or with a full crew.
Then someone in the group needs a licence. The 4-metre boat, the only one of its kind in the fleet and leaving from Fuengirola, requires at least the Spanish navigation licence (licencia de navegación). Before casting off there is a ten-minute briefing: how to start the engine, steer, anchor and moor, where the safety equipment is and how to call for help. You must stay inside the authorised area, marked on the chart, and be back in daylight.
On that boat you leave a deposit, which is returned in full, and whoever is at the helm drinks no alcohol for the whole trip. As there is only one, in July and August it is worth booking it days ahead. The 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats also go out without a skipper, but whoever takes the helm must hold the Spanish PNB licence (Patrón de Navegación Básica).
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
Yes. On the yachts the crew is included. Fuel for long routes, catering and berths at other marinas are paid separately, with a written quote.
The deposit is required on boats that go out without a skipper and is returned in full. With a skipper, the person steering the boat and responsible for safety is the skipper.
On the 12.2-metre sailing boat in Puerto Banús, yes: it always goes out with a skipper, who can teach you to sail it during the trip.
Boats over 24 metres carry a second deckhand as well as the skipper. In the fleet these are the 24.1-metre schooner and the 31.7-metre yacht.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
