Booking, Refund, Cancellation, and Returns Policy

Booking Conditions

Welcome aboard! We’re thrilled you’re joining us for an amazing sailing adventure. Here’s everything you need to know about booking your dream trip:

To secure your spot on any of our fabulous sailing adventures, we require a nonrefundable deposit of 50%* of the total booking price at the time of booking. This helps us reserve the perfect vessel for your journey, secure our crew, and prepare for an unforgettable experience. The remaining balance is due within 60 days before the start date of your adventure. You’re also welcome to pay the full amount upfront – the deposit portion remains nonrefundable, while the balance is refundable according to our “Voluntary Cancellations & Refunds” terms below.

*unless otherwise specified on the trip description page of our Shop.

To keep everything ship-shape, a late fee of 5% APR of the total booking price applies to any past-due balance. To ensure smooth sailing, all balances (including any late fees) must be settled before boarding. If the balance remains unpaid at departure time, we’ll unfortunately have to treat this as an “involuntary cancellation” without refund possibility.

Want to share the love? You can transfer your booking to another passenger up to 45 days before departure – just let us know about the changes so we can update our passenger manifest.

Your amazing adventure with Bare Waves Sailing includes the following:

1. A fantastic sailboat charter for your entire trip
2. Your chosen cabin occupancy (single or shared) with selected occupancy
3. All mooring/marina fees at embarkation and disembarkation ports
4. Fuel for both sailboat and dinghy/tender
5. Dinghy/tender with outboard motor
6. Fresh bedding, pillows, and towels
7. Professional cleaning service after your journey
8. Expert, qualified skipper(s)
9. An incredibly fun and welcoming atmosphere!

To be transparent, these items aren’t included in your booking price:

1. Travel to/from the marina (airfare, transfers, ground transportation)
2. Pre/post-trip accommodation
3. Meals and drinks (unless you’ve booked a trip with our fabulous onboard caterer and the trip specifically states food/drink are included)
4. Shore excursions or entertainment (unless specified that the cost(s) is/are included per your trip details)
5. Mooring/marina fees at ports of call
6. Trip cancellation and international medical insurance (we strongly recommend getting these through a third party)
7. Entry visas or travel immunizations

Voluntary Cancellations & Refunds

While we hope you won’t need to cancel, we understand life happens! Here’s our policy:

To ensure we have the perfect yacht for every journey, bookings are non-refundable, with some exceptions detailed below. Since we have two main types of sailing excursions (scheduled and bespoke), we have outlined our policy for each type:

Scheduled Sailing Excursions

Applies to sailing excursions where Bare Waves Sailing has defined the start and end dates, location, and itinerary.

If requested at least 30 days prior to the start date of the original trip, we’ll do our best to transfer your booking to a different trip if available. If your new trip costs more, you’ll just need to pay the difference. If it costs less, the difference is non-refundable.

To cancel your trip (a “voluntary cancellation”), just let Bare Waves Sailing UG know in writing through our website’s Contact form, email, or WhatsApp. Here’s what you can expect:

• 50% refund of the total trip price when canceling 60+ days before your trip starts
• No refund available within 59 days of your trip start date, or if only the deposit has been paid

Refunds go back to your original payment method, or we can issue a credit for a future adventure – just let us know your preference!

Exceptions (because we believe in transparency):

• We’re committed to making your trip happen! In the rare case we must cancel (eg: oprational or staffing issues), you’ll receive either a full refund or credit toward a future trip, at your choice.
• If we need to end a trip early due to yacht maintenance or technical issues that make continuing the tour unsafe or impractical, we may offer a pro-rated refund or credit for the unused portion of the trip. No additional compensation will be provided beyond the refund or credit.
• For force majeure events (including but not limited to extreme weather, natural disasters, regional violence, epidemics/pandemics, or other unforeseeable events beyond our control), we will make every reasonable effort to offer either a refund or credit towards a future trip. If force majeure happens mid-trip, we may pro-rate the affected days at our discretion. The choice of refund or credit remains at our discretion, depending on the circumstances.

In any case, Bare Waves Sailing is not responsible for any expenses you may incur or have incurred to travel to / from the tour location, even in the case of a voluntary or involuntary departure or force majeure. No further claims (e.g. compensation for damages or inconvenience) can be made in such cases.

Bespoke Tours

Applies to customized tours where you have requested specific start and end dates and location for the itinerary.

We are happy to discuss your needs at no cost to you prior to confirming your trip to ensure we can fit your timing, location, and your other needs. Since we need to invest upfront in securing a yacht suitable to your needs, bespoke tours are non-refundable once booked.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing in your offer or booking contract, the cancellation and refund policy for bespoke (customized/private group) tours is the same as for our scheduled sailing excursions (see above). However, please note the following important exception:

Rescheduling or transferring bespoke tours to a different date or location is not possible. Once a bespoke tour is confirmed and the contract is signed, we immediately commit to chartering the yacht, reserving crew, and making other tour-specific arrangements. These involve fixed costs that are non-refundable, and due to the nature of bespoke tours, we are unable to rebook these services or offer the tour to other customers on short notice.

By confirming a bespoke tour booking, the customer acknowledges and agrees that the tour is non-transferable and bound to the agreed date and location, and that rescheduling is excluded.

No-Shows and Voluntary Premature Disembarkation

If you miss the boat (literally!) by not arriving by the scheduled boarding time, we can’t offer a refund, and any remaining balance will still need to be paid. This also includes cases where immigration officials refuse entry to you at any point along your journey prior to and/or during your booked sailing trip with us.

If you need to leave mid-journey (whether by choice or necessity), we unfortunately can’t offer any refund or credit for the remaining trip duration.

Involuntary Cancellations

Safety and respect for others are our top priorities! If we need to ask someone to leave such as due to inappropriate behavior (such as, but not limited to, illegal activities, failure to follow the skipper’s/captain’s or crew member instructions, not following policies of Bare Waves Sailing, causing physical or emotional danger others, damaging property, etc.), medical or mental health fitness (see our Terms and Conditions and safety guidelines), or any other reason, no refund or credit will be provided.

If any damage or fines occur due to a passenger’s actions, they’ll be responsible for covering those costs.

Product Returns

For physical products purchased from our shop (excluding trip bookings), we offer a 14-day return window. Items must be unused and in original packaging.

Once we receive your return, we’ll email you about its status and process approved refunds to your original payment method.

Late or Missing Refunds

Haven’t seen your refund? First check with your bank or credit card company, as posting can take time. Still waiting? Get in touch.

Exchanges

We’ll happily replace any defective or damaged products. Need an exchange? Contact us for return instructions.

Shipping Returns

After contacting us, we’ll provide the return shipping address. Return shipping costs are your responsibility and non-refundable.

For valuable items, consider trackable shipping or insurance – while we’ll do our best, we can’t guarantee receipt of untracked items.

Sale Item Refunds

For items or services purchased during a sale, refunds will be calculated based on the sale price.

Need Help?

We’re here for you! Contact us with any questions about refunds and returns.