- Skippers
PYD regularly provide skippers to assist owners and their families with their yachts. Whether you are an experienced sailor and just need a helping pair of hands, a less experienced sailor and require help with an extended or arduous voyage or just need some expert knowledge for pre-purchase sea trials we can supply the right skipper for the job.
An impartial opinion on a vessel by a highly qualified skipper with many thousands of sea miles and direct knowledge of a vast number of boat designs, can assist with the decision process and frequently saves significant amounts of money by identifying problems that may not be evident to a less experienced eye.
- Mates and Deckhands
PYD can supply thoroughly vetted first mates qualified to RYA Yachtmaster offshore standard, to assist skippers or owners if unexpected commitments interrupt a planned passage. Deckhands can also be provided if an extra pair of hands is what’s needed. Our crew can be anywhere in the world within days to help move your boat or ensure her safety and security.
- Instructors and Own Boat Tuition
Many of our PYD Skippers are also qualified and experienced RYA Yachtmaster Instructors or Cruising Instructors, who can provide tuition and support to owners and crew in the familiar environment of their own boat. We can also arrange RYA training and certification up to Coastal Skipper level, including the ICC in conjunction with RYA sailing schools.
- Commercial
Since 2009 PYD have assisted several yacht builders with sea trials on new production yachts to test systems and iron out minor glitches for future production. The experience of our skippers in both sailing and managing all types of vessel (sail and power) is an invaluable resource and has the potential to provide significant savings to builders and reduce warranty issues.
Trials assistance will include a suitable PYD skipper to provide on-site opinions for builders and end-users to ensure that new vessels are optimised for reliable use at sea in all conditions. We have several PYD Skippers who have completed many thousands of sea miles with PYD and their input can be invaluable.
- Private
A number of our skippers have wide experience in boat building, engineering and other related trades, which enables us to offer supervision, specification and organisation of maintenance, repair and refit activities.
We can also assist with insurance issues and subsequent repairs. For example, after Hurricane Ivan hit Grenada we were contacted by an owner whose boat had been badly damaged and who was worried about looting. We were able to fly a team to the area as soon as the island’s airport re-opened to liaise with insurers and begin repairs. The yacht was ready for the owner’s use within 6 weeks, when similarly affected vessels were still awaiting inspection by assessors from their insurers. We subsequently handled negotiations with the yacht’s insurers and obtained a satisfactory settlement for the owner.
- Crew travel
PYD Skipper and crew travel is organised centrally to ensure it is as economical as possible and on all long-haul flights crews travel on Mariners airfares ensuring flexibility and best value.