Hostess
Sit back and relax, our hostesses have the cooking and washing up covered! They will keep the boat stocked up with delicious local delicacies.
First time sailing?
We make sailing accessible to everyone. Your skipper will navigate your yacht throughout the week, whilst your hostess will do the shopping, cooking and washing up so that you don’t have to. These little extras will make a big difference to your dream holiday.
How does it work?
Your hostess will present you with a menu and send it to you as a basic guide. Specific requests are more than welcome! Not only trained chefs, our hostesses are knowledgable about every destination and can make restaurant recommendations and bookings on your behalf. When you choose a yacht, you should bear in mind that your hostess will need to sleep in one of the beds on the yacht.
Quick faqs
€789 per week
Professionally trained
First hand knowledge of all of our destinations
Sleeps on the boat - reserve a spot for her!
So, what will a hostess do?
A hostess will...
Shop for all groceries
Cook all breakfasts, all lunches and two evening meals
Wash the dishes and keep the kitchen tidy
Recommend and make restaurant bookings
Sleep on the boat (preferably in a cabin or in the saloon)
A hostess won’t...
Clean the bathrooms
Clean the cabins
Be responsible for navigating the yacht
Clean the exterior of the yacht
Babysit the kids!
Q&A
with Alissa Fitzgerald, a Yachts and Friends Hostess
Where are you from?
San Francisco, CA by way of Boston, MA
Where did you learn your expert hostessing skills?
Technically, I went to culinary school in Cambridge,MA, but my mom taught me how to be a great hostess. She has always thrown the best family gatherings and massive dinners. No one's glass is ever dry or their plate empty. When I moved to San Francisco, I began hosting my own dinner parties and discovered that nothing makes me happier than a table full of good friends laughing over great food and wine.
When did you begin sailing?
My first sailing trip was with friends in the British Virgin Islands in the spring of 2012. I was instantly addicted! Nothing beats waking up to a sunny day on clear blue waters in the middle of paradise. I made sure our skipper was always well fed and he taught me the basics of tacking and dropping anchor.
What are your favourite dishes to prepare?
I love feeding large groups and using locally sourced food and wine. The mussels are amazing and so fresh! Especially when steamed in a white wine, garlic and butter sauce. I usually serve this with a light caramelized onion risotto and pair it with whatever wine I've used for the mussels. My favorites are the dry white wines from Vis, Croatia.
For a light snack it's hard to go wrong with prosciutto wrapped melon and a glass of sparkling wine before dinner!
What was your favourite moment on a Yachts and Friends charter?
Having pre-dinner cocktails and snacks after mooring up in Primosten (Croatia). We were all relaxed after a full day of sailing and swimming, chatting about what everyone does back in the real world when the sun started setting over the cathedral in the center of Hvar. We all silently watched it sink down and each one of us forgot about the real world completely.
When you're not hostessing, you are...
Catering for a bike and wine tour company in San Francisco and counting down the days until my next sailing adventure!