Taste of salt

We had a great outing with Francesco, he helped us every day and explained the basics of sailing, plus he made us experience a truly exciting holiday among friends.

The day on the boat was truly enjoyable. The boat is comfortable and well-maintained, perfect for spending time at sea along the Lazio coast. Francesco, the skipper, was always available and attentive, as was his son Andrea, who was very kind and polite. Both made us feel comfortable and safe throughout the day. It was a wonderful experience, peaceful and harmonious. Definitely worth repeating.

The contract, a copy of which is provided once the entire payment has been made, contains almost nothing of what is described on the offer page, so it offers absolutely no protection to the charterer. I chose this boat for its price, size, and especially for the check-in time, which was supposed to be 9:00 a.m., but it actually took place at 5:00 p.m. The day before departure, taking into account the weather, we had negotiated by phone with the charterer a scheduled departure of 11:30 a.m. at the latest (2:30 hours longer than the offer stated), but instead, as already mentioned, the departure took place at 5:00 p.m. The notification of the delayed departure (due to sea conditions) was made at 10:00 a.m., but it could have easily been done between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.; The charter group, who had clearly already departed, was forced to make other arrangements, remaining near the port of Nettuno to wait until 5:00 PM. This was unacceptable (especially given the contact with the charter company the day before)! The offer stated that a tender was on board, but it wasn't. The boat was very dirty, so it deserves zero stars. The skipper was otherwise kind, but, given the above, we will never book through Click&Boat again, and we also won't recommend it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OWNER'S RESPONSE Dear Claudia, We regret reading your review, which in our opinion doesn't accurately reflect the experience we had on board. I'd like to clarify an important point: the contracts you receive via the Click&Boat platform do not depend on me or my crew; they are documents generated and sent directly from the portal. As the owner and skipper, I have no ability to modify their content. Regarding the boarding time, it's true that departure was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. However, that morning the sea had waves exceeding 1.5 meters, making conditions absolutely unsafe for sailing. The communication was made as soon as I was certain that it was impossible to depart safely. Despite this, the passengers insisted that the boat leave anyway. To accommodate them, I agreed, but this choice resulted in the loss of the tender (worth €700), which was swept away by the waves and destroyed on the rocks. A loss suffered by me, certainly not by the guests. I would therefore like to point out that the tender was initially present on board, and that its subsequent absence was a direct result of the adverse weather conditions. Finally, regarding general comments about cleanliness and organization, I am always open to constructive and detailed feedback, but unsubstantiated observations risk giving a distorted and unfairly negative image of the service. Going to sea is not like taking a bus: safety always comes first, and weather and sea conditions are beyond our control. For this reason, I believe the criticisms are unjustified. Best regards, Francesco”

The contract, a copy of which is provided once the entire payment has been made, contains almost nothing of what is described on the offer page, so it offers absolutely no protection to the charterer. I chose this boat for its price, size, and especially for the check-in time, which was supposed to be 9:00 a.m., but it actually took place at 5:00 p.m. The day before departure, taking into account the weather, we had negotiated by phone with the charterer a scheduled departure of 11:30 a.m. at the latest (2:30 hours longer than the offer stated), but instead, as already mentioned, the departure took place at 5:00 p.m. The notification of the delayed departure (due to sea conditions) was made at 10:00 a.m., but it could have easily been done between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.; The charter group, who had clearly already departed, was forced to make other arrangements, remaining near the port of Nettuno to wait until 5:00 PM. This was unacceptable (especially given the contact with the charter company the day before)! The offer stated that a tender was on board, but it wasn't. The boat was very dirty, so it deserves zero stars. The skipper was otherwise kind, but, given the above, we will never book through Click&Boat again, and we also won't recommend it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OWNER'S RESPONSE Dear Claudia, We regret reading your review, which in our opinion doesn't accurately reflect the experience we had on board. I'd like to clarify an important point: the contracts you receive via the Click&Boat platform do not depend on me or my crew; they are documents generated and sent directly from the portal. As the owner and skipper, I have no ability to modify their content. Regarding the boarding time, it's true that departure was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. However, that morning the sea had waves exceeding 1.5 meters, making conditions absolutely unsafe for sailing. The communication was made as soon as I was certain that it was impossible to depart safely. Despite this, the passengers insisted that the boat leave anyway. To accommodate them, I agreed, but this choice resulted in the loss of the tender (worth €700), which was swept away by the waves and destroyed on the rocks. A loss suffered by me, certainly not by the guests. I would therefore like to point out that the tender was initially present on board, and that its subsequent absence was a direct result of the adverse weather conditions. Finally, regarding general comments about cleanliness and organization, I am always open to constructive and detailed feedback, but unsubstantiated observations risk giving a distorted and unfairly negative image of the service. Going to sea is not like taking a bus: safety always comes first, and weather and sea conditions are beyond our control. For this reason, I believe the criticisms are unjustified. Best regards, Francesco”

The day spent with Francesco on his boat was fantastic. We were a group of 10 with two 7-year-old children, an 83-year-old, and a dog. Francesco was incredibly kind, very attentive to the needs of each guest. Safety always came first, but once we dropped anchor, he left us free to have fun, always making sure everyone stayed close and never moving to keep everything under control. The birthday party was a success and all the guests were thrilled with the experience. Thanks again.

The boat fully met our expectations: spacious, tidy, and very functional. The trip to the Pontine Islands with Francesco was truly special. A professional, kind, and always available skipper, he conveyed a sense of security and tranquility throughout the entire voyage. Thanks to him, we were able to enjoy an unforgettable time with friends, filled with relaxation, nature, and splendid views. An experience I recommend to anyone seeking the sea, freedom, and serenity.

We were on board with Francesco, and it was a truly special experience. The boat was clean, well-maintained, and welcoming; we immediately felt at ease. Francesco is a skipper who puts everyone's safety first: attentive, professional, and always available to explain everything calmly. His kindness and the way he takes care of his guests make the difference: we never felt like mere customers, but rather like people he cared for with respect and passion. He took us to discover wonderful places, and every moment was organized with great attention to detail. It's rare to find someone who manages to combine professionalism and hospitality like this. I recommend this experience to anyone who wants to experience the sea in complete tranquility and in excellent hands.

We organized a weekend sailing trip to Ponza and Palmarola with Francesco; there were five of us. We met Francesco at the port of Nettuno and began sailing; he was alone. Let's start by saying that Francesco isn't experienced enough to sail "alone" for an entire weekend. Fortunately, having had previous experience, we were able to lend him a hand, since Francesco seemed to struggle every time we had to dock or move the boat somewhere. Another issue was the stop in Ponza for dinner ashore. His tender's engine was broken, so we arrived at the dock soaking wet and towed by some guys, while on the way back we had to take a taxi boat at our own expense. Yet another issue regarding the common fund. Given that we had already spent on the food, so there was no additional money to spend or expenses to cover, the sore point was the fuel management policy. As a general rule, if you arrive with a full tank, you fill it up again upon your return and pay the difference, but Francesco, of his own free will, decided to come with a full tank and fill it up again at the port, but with his own jerry cans. This would be fine, even if we don't know the cost he paid for filling the jerry cans. The absurd thing is that he expected the common fund (which would also have covered fuel costs) to be kept in full. He says that those sums are often left to him to cover the boat's maintenance costs, but in my opinion, which I've also shared with him, if his concern is covering those costs, he would be wise to increase the rental fee. There's a lot of potential for Francesco and his boat, but he needs support and more experience! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OWNER'S RESPONSE "Thank you for your review. However, I would like to clarify a few important points. Our charter service specifies that the onboard experience also includes learning to sail: participants can therefore try their hand at small maneuvers, always under the skipper's supervision, which is often appreciated by passengers. In your case, your contribution was limited to holding the helm at times and making small movements to the inverter: activities that do not involve any risk and do not in any way replace the main maneuvers, which were always performed personally and directly by me. Safety on board was never in question. Regarding the issue of the common fund, I recognize that there was a misunderstanding. I confused the management of the common fund with a fixed fee, when in fact the organizer had envisaged a "pay as you go" management. This was a miscommunication on my part, and I apologize for the inconvenience. The inconvenience. I'd just like to point out that refueling is done with jerry cans for practical reasons: it's not always possible to enter the port of Ponza when you're in Palmarola and want to stay there. This solution allows us to guarantee autonomy and continuity of the cruise. Fuel prices are always available online at the official diesel price. Finally, I advised everyone to remove their shoes in the tender since you're almost at water level, but I wasn't listened to... I will take this incident to heart to further improve clarity in communication with my guests, thus avoiding misunderstandings in the future.

The sailing experience was wonderful. Francesco and Andrea are very kind and helpful. Personally, we only had a few issues with timing due to the lack of wind; in this specific case, reaching the Pontine Islands took an average of 8-9 hours.

I'll start by saying that Francesco and his son Andrea are two very good people, especially Andrea, who is very helpful, polite, and skilled for his young age. Unfortunately, however, I have to say that Francesco is a true novice and very inexperienced as a skipper. Our trip absolutely had to be canceled due to adverse weather conditions, as the weather forecast wasn't good, and given the distance we had to travel, he must have foreseen that it wasn't possible to go out, especially considering we had an 11-year-old daughter on board. Unfortunately, on the return trip, his lack of experience in nautical chartering became apparent. I'm sure he'll improve with time, as he's a good person first and foremost, but alas, the sea is unforgiving and you have to be experienced!

The boat is very comfortable and functional. It was an excellent experience in the Pontine Islands with Francesco, the skipper, and his son Andrea, a wonderful helper, knowledgeable, helpful, and extremely polite. Both were kind and attentive to the safety of the crew and the boat. We enjoyed a holiday with friends in harmony and complete freedom, in a wonderful, serene, and relaxed atmosphere!

A wonderful family experience! We left from Ostia for a day off the coast of Lazio. Francesco, the boat owner, and his son Andrea, who helps him, are fantastic! Definitely worth repeating.