Intermediate & Advanced
Double Handed and Race Skipper Coaching on Sunfasts (Solent)
United Kingdom · Europe
Next: 31 October - 1 November 2026
1 date in October
£425
You have sailed before
Sailing Trips for Intermediate Sailors
You've sailed before: a course, a few seasons of crewing, a boat you grew up on. You can take a watch with someone to call, and you want more than a week of swimming off the back. These trips expect that and no more: the skipper is in charge, you do the sailing. One berth each.
- Vetted operators only
- Secure booking
- Trusted by 50,000+ sailors
Logged in the SailTies app
- 50,000Sailors
- 187,000Voyages
- 18.2mNautical miles
- 185Countries
As seen in
Trips for sailors who can take a watch
26 trips that ask for some experience, from £425 per person.
- Intermediate & Beginner5.0
RYA Day Skipper Practical
United Kingdom · Europe
Next: 11 - 15 November 2026
8 dates in 2026 & 2027
£795
- Intermediate & Advanced
Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC)
Spain & St. Lucia · Europe
Next: 29 November - 18 December 2026
1 date in November
£6,110
- Advanced & Intermediate
The Three Seas Expedition: Pula to Sardinia
Croatia & Italy · Europe
Next: 13 - 23 December 2026
1 date in December
€800
- Beginner & Intermediate
St Lucia Christmas Cruise
St. Lucia · Caribbean
Next: 19 - 26 December 2026
1 date in December
€1,520
€1,90020% off
- Intermediate & Advanced
The Final Push Outwards: Sardinia to Gibraltar
Italy & Gibraltar · Europe
Next: 24 - 31 December 2026
1 date in December
€800
- Intermediate & Advanced
The Atlantic Threshold: Gibraltar to the Canaries
Gibraltar & Spain · Europe
Next: 1 - 9 January 2027
1 date in 2027
€800
- Intermediate & Advanced
Hear when new intermediate trips list
Leave your name and email to get Mike's monthly email. It's where we announce new trips, so you'll hear when new intermediate trips list.
Prefer to talk it through?
Intermediate sailing
What does intermediate mean here?
It means you can steer a compass course, handle sheets and lines, and stand a watch in daylight with the skipper asleep below and reachable. Competent Crew plus some miles, Day Skipper, or years of crewing with no certificate at all: the skipper cares about what you can do, not what you hold.
It doesn't mean you can skipper. On every trip here the professional skipper carries the boat; you carry your watch.
Who books an intermediate trip?
The Day Skipper candidate
You've done the theory or you're about to. The practical course is five days on a school yacht, and a Channel Islands or Scilly cruise is where the tides you studied turn out to be real.
The sailor without a boat
You crewed for years on someone else's yacht and they sold it. A Greek or Balearic week gives you the sailing without the bareboat paperwork; a Med leg gives you a proper passage.
The one working towards an ocean
You've never spent a night at sea and you'd like to before signing up for three weeks of them. Med legs and passages to the Canaries run three to eight days, with nights at sea in them.
Before you book
What to bring
Your own foul-weather gear and a head torch; most people at this level have them. The operator's kit list covers the rest.
What the skipper will ask
How many miles, how many nights at sea, what you've helmed. Honest answers get you a better watch.
Logging
Every mile on these trips counts. Channel and Biscay miles are tidal and count toward Yachtmaster Offshore's tidal half; Med and Caribbean miles don't. The mile building page explains.
Tides
The Channel Islands have some of the biggest tidal ranges in Europe, and Scilly's rocks are the reason it isn't a beginner trip. If you've only sailed the Med, say so.
Night watches
The offshore legs run three or four hours on and six off. The cruises don't. The trip card says which.
Where intermediate sailors sail
Start with the destinations we've written guides for, or see every trip at this level.
United Kingdom
Tides, pilotage and Channel crossings: the sailing that makes skippers.
Explore the United Kingdom
Mediterranean
Greek and Balearic weeks for the sailing, Med legs for the miles.
Explore the Mediterranean
Atlantic crossings
The eastbound legs via the Azores ask for a watch-keeper; the trade-wind westbound takes beginners.
Explore Atlantic crossings
How booking works
Choose your trip
Compare the destination, dates, boat, experience level, and what's included.
Book your berth
You book a place on the boat, not the whole yacht, and pay securely through SailTies.
Get ready
The operator sends joining instructions and a kit list before you travel.
Sail and log it
Join the crew, take part on board, and record every mile in the free SailTies app.
Book with confidence with SailTies
A team of sailors who have your back
We will help you pick the right trip and be there if anything unexpected happens.
Every operator vetted
We only list operators we know personally or have been recommended by past customers. All trips are checked before they go live.
Terms published upfront
Cancellation and refund terms shown on every trip page before you pay a deposit.
Talk to a sailor
Our team sail, and they'll tell you honestly what a trip is like and whether it's right for you.
Sailing trip reviews from the boat
Reviews can only be left by sailors who were on the boat.
Trusted by 50,000 sailors
Kirsty Sutherland
August 2026
Great sailing, lovely crew
“Perfect introduction to non-stop ocean sailing, and night watches. We were blessed with plenty of solar/celestial activity, but most of all a professional and friendly crew who were generous with their time and expertise, and very lovely and thoughtful on top.”
Jay Baum
July 2026
An amazing training opportunity at a world-famous racing event
“I'm a resonably experienced club sailor with some racing experience on smaller keelboats. When I realized I would be visiting the south coast during the Round the Island Race, I went looking for a chance to join a crew. I didn't want to over-sell my experience, and finding a new class of boat (for me) and an organizer like Tim (who was looking to make the event a training day in which we would all have a chance to learn and practice our skills) was the perfect fit. With an experienced skipper and a crew with diverse sailing sailing backgrounds, we worked well together and helped each other in our various roles. Tim focused on communication and timing, making sure we knew what to do, and what to do next. Finishing in in the top half of our class was a proud moment considering we all met for the first time at 5am on race day.”
Andrew Buchan
July 2026
Fantastic sail
“Quite simply, it was a fantastic day. Tim was brilliant, as was everyone else on board. It was great to rotate responsibilities throughout the day, giving everyone the chance to experience all aspects of sailing. It was a fantastic way to pick up new sailing tips, build confidence, and have a great deal of fun along the way. I would highly recommend these sails!”
Dan Fullerton
July 2026
RTI 2026
“The day was absolutely brilliant, Tim who organised the event did an exceptional job, Richard the Skipper was a local so knew the Solent like the back of his hand so the boat sailed well at all times, Niomi who ran the bow definitely knew her stuff and when there was a problem sorted promptly so we could still sail competitively. To say none of us as crew had meet before hand everyone got on and did there rolls and helped others out if people where struggling a bit. By the end of the day everyone could do everything and do it well. I would definitely recommend Seatrails as a company. Hopefully I will sail with them again.”
Photos & videos from our sailing trips
Taken by the people who were there, attached to the reviews they left.
Gift vouchers
Give the next step
A SailTies gift voucher works on any trip we list. For the sailor ready for more: a Channel cruise, a Med leg or an ocean.
They choose the passage and the dates.
Another way aboard
Looking for a free crew place?
Some yacht owners take crew who help on board and share costs rather than paying a fee. An intermediate sailor is who owners want: say what you've sailed and the watches you can take.
The free SailTies app
Your miles count. Log them.
The free SailTies app records each trip as you sail: your track, your crew, your photos and the log you write each day. Keep your miles, watches and passages together in one log.
The SailTies community
From the logbooks
SailTies is the leading digital logbook and sailor network. These are stories from the sailors who use it.
Three Volcanoes and a Cracked Shroud: Racing Offshore with Robert Šarić
A cracked shroud 250 miles from the Rolex Middle Sea Race finish, three volcanoes in one campaign, and why Robert Šarić of Veruda Sailing School trains his crews on the Adriatic.
Read the story
Seven of Thirteen: Elouise Pemberton's Challenge Fleet Quest
A Tall Ships bursary put Elouise Pemberton to sea at 19. Twenty years on she is working through all thirteen Challenge yachts, logging every mile on SailTies.
Read the story
46 Legs Round Britain: Jenny Whelan's Voyage with Dogsail
Jenny Whelan sailed 46 legs and 1,800 nautical miles around Britain with her partner Pete, their dog Svea, and an AI chatbot, logging every leg on SailTies.
Read the story
Intermediate sailing FAQs
What counts as intermediate?
You can steer a course, handle sails and lines, and stand a daylight watch with the skipper on call: Competent Crew plus miles, Day Skipper, or years of crewing. The trip page says what the operator wants.
Do I need a certificate?
No. Some operators ask for Day Skipper on specific trips and the trip page says so; most ask what you've done.
Is Day Skipper a course or a trip?
A five-day practical course on a school yacht: four or five students, one instructor, and a certificate at the end.
Can I count the miles toward Yachtmaster?
Yes. Half your Yachtmaster Offshore miles must be tidal, which the UK and Biscay trips are and the Med trips are not. The mile building page has the rules.
What's the difference between a cruise and a leg?
A cruise sails by day and sleeps in harbour. A leg is a passage: nights at sea, watches, a destination. Both are here, and the trip card says which.
I've only sailed in the Med. Can I do the Channel Islands?
Yes, and that's the point. The skipper teaches tides and pilotage; you bring the boat handling. Say so when you book.
Can I do the ARC as an intermediate sailor?
Yes. The rally is a downwind trade-wind crossing with a professional skipper. The RORC Transatlantic Race asks for more.
Can I do the Caribbean 600?
Some boats take intermediate sailors with offshore miles; others ask for more. Each trip page says what its boat wants.
Will I be the least experienced on board?
On a cruise, possibly; on a leg, probably not. Crews mix, and the skipper sets watches so nobody is alone with a problem.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. Plenty of berths are booked by people on their own; the solo travellers page explains how it works.
Is 50 too old?
No. Many people on these boats are in their fifties and sixties, and plenty of intermediate sailors came to it late.
What's the next step?
An offshore leg with nights at sea, then an ocean. The Advanced page has the trips that ask for it.
Keep exploring
BeginnerBeginner
73 Trips
- Advanced
Advanced
16 Trips
Mile buildingMile building
29 Trips