FAQ

Simple! Click here (https://www.donmarsailing.com/prices-and-contact)and fill in the form at the bottom of the page. Or send me a message at +39 3332370870. I will get in touch with you and confirm my availability for your chosen dates. No advance payment is necessary to book.

All tours on the DonMar are private: only you and your family or friends will be on the boat - and me,(https://www.donmarsailing.com/about-me) of course!

If there is litte or no wind, we might have to sail using the boat's engine, at least part of the way. On the contrary, if there's too much wind and the sea is too rough to have a pleasant and safe experience, I will get in touch with you the day before your trip and attempt to reschedule it.

Of course. Get in touch (https://www.donmarsailing.com/prices-and-contact)with me and I'll let you know if I have any other available dates for you.

The tour will depart from Numana harbour.(https://maps.app.goo.gl/y16iY9AFF2WJXAhw6) I will meet you there and we'll board the boat together.

The boat tour is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Morning tours start at 10:00am. Afternoon tours start at 4:00pm

Yes, since you will be the only passengers on board the departure time can be flexible (as long as it doesn't clash with other bookings I might have on the same day).

I have a strict limit of 6 adult passengers. Kids under 10 count as "half passenger".

If you want, yes, we can stop in front of one of the nicest beaches only reachable by sea and you will be able to swim to it. However, remember that by law I will not be able to drop anchor closer than 150 meters from the shoreline. It's a reasonable distance, but you've got to be a confident swimmer.

Absolutely! The boat is at your disposal and you can sit or lay down wherever you want.

Unfortunately, not. The DonMar is an old open sailboat that was built for short trips, there's no cabin nor toilet.

Yes, I have sea masks and snorkels.

Yes, even if you're not a good swimmer you can simply jump off the boat and hang onto a floaty or the ladder and stay close to the boat.

Normally, no. But I do have a tent that I can put up to cast shade over the seating area, if you desire.

I recommend: sunscreen, a hat, and a beach towel. More than that, it's your call: you can bring your own scuba equipment, flippers, floaties...

If you want, I can bring food and drinks (https://www.donmarsailing.com/food-drinks)for you (for an extra price of 15€/person). On the other hand, if you want to bring your own food, you're welcome to do so!

Of course, I'm required by law to have life jackets for all passengers. Just remember that they're meant to save you in the (highly unlikely!) case of the boat sinking, and they're not particularly comfortable to wear to just have a swim. I have a ring buoy you can hang on to, if you're not feeling very adventurous in the water.

I grew up as a child on this boat so I'd say yes! But for safety reasons, I usually recommend that your child needs to at least be old enough to walk/stand on her/his own. The main seating area is perfectly secure, and I ask for children to mostly sit there. Of course, if your child cannot swim, please make sure you bring some kind of floating device that he/she should wear at all times.

I've had some unfortunate experiences with dogs that were brought on board: they were very scared and nervous about being at sea, which unfortunately resulted in some damages to the boat. I'm willing to say yes only if your dog is small and has already been at sea before.

Of course! There are a couple of particularly picturesque locations where I usually stop and drop anchor, for a roughly 45 minutes stop. But if your priority is swimming, we can modify our itinerary to allow for a longer stop within the 3.5hrs of our tour.

Yup. I am Italian but I speak fluent English.

Sea sickness is completely unpredictable. I've seen people being completely fine with pretty rough sea and others feel sick with the tiniest of waves rocking the boat. If you're prone to motion sickness in general I suggest you have a light meal before coming on board, and perhaps bring a small dry and savory snack with you. There are medicines against nausea you can take before heading out, which work but can make you a bit drowsy. In my experience, the only thing that really works at the onset of nausea is sucking on a little piece of fresh ginger. I usually have some anti-nausea gums on board, which can help. Or if worst comes to worst, I have a bucket.

Yes! I've hosted marriage proposals, small birthday parties, graduation ceremonies... As long as there's no more than 6 guests, everything can be arranged.

That of parking can be an issue during the high season, so the day before our trip I will send you a text message with very detailed information about where to look for parking, linking to Google Maps locations of your best bets to find a spot. Remember that you should always budged at least 20 minutes to find a parking spot, especially in July and August and particularly during weekends.

I'll do my best to spot them, but I honestly cannot promise that. They swim around following schools of fish and it is very unpredictable where they're going to be. I've seen them many times over the last few years, but if I had to give you an honest prediction, I would say it's a 1 out of 10 chances to see them. Chances are usually higher at the beginning and the end of the season (early June and early September).

You know what? Some other "tourist guides" will give you an exaggeratedly enthusiastic answer, saying that it is a prime spot to see all kind of marine wonders. But the truth about the Adriatic sea is that being relatively shallow and with a lot of sandy seabeds, the sea is very rarely crystalline as it would be in other parts of the Mediterranean -- it heavily depends on the weather conditions, how calm the sea has been in the previous week, how much rain we got, etc... Having said this, there are a couple of spots where some surfacing rock formations hide lots of small sea creatures (sea-snails, sea urchins, mussels, oysters, crabs...) and of course there's chances to run into a school of fish of some kind. I'll take you to the best spots to get to see something nice.

The main beaches that can only be reached by sea are the Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle, the Spiaggia dei Gabbiani, and the Spiaggia dei Forni. These are all very secluded and tiny coves, nested underneath the tall limestone walls of the Monte Conero.

Quite simply, experiencing the coast from the sea hits differently.(https://www.donmarsailing.com/post/why-doing-a-boat-tour-of-the-riviera-del-conero-the-complete-guide-to-exploring-the-coast-by-sea) You'll get to have a broader view of the most gorgeous part of the Italian Adriatic coastline. More importantly, there is a stretch of coastline, roughly from the beaches of Sirolo to the beaches of Portonovo, that can only be reached from the sea, being directly underneath the towering Monte Conero.