No formal qualifications are required. The skipper has to have an understanding of practical seamanship, navigation and the maritime regulations. (Rules of the road at sea) The skipper also needs to be experienced on a simalar vessel to the one they would like to charter. For some vessels one or more crewmembers may also need to be experienced.

Normal hours 9 am to 5 pm. Arrivals for late ferry or other alternative times will have to be arranged in advance.

Compass Charters base is located in Waikawa Marina about 5 km from Picton in the Queen Charlotte Sound. Click here for map & directions. Means of transport could be car, train or buses to Picton, Cook strait ferries, Soundsair flights to Picton airport or other flights into Blenheim. If our schedule allows it Compass Charters runs a courtesy service from Picton to the charterbase.

This is if you would like to sleep onboard the vessel in the marina before commencing your charter. Your charter will start at 9 am the next day and will also finish around this time. Arrival for your onboard accommodation is late afternoon (~5pm). The cost for this service is $15 per person.

On demand the Compass Charters crew can provide tuition in all aspects of boathandling, navigation and seamanship.
These cruise & learn options can vary in length, groupsize and can emphasize certain subjects. Like 1-2 hours berthing tuition to sail training or the general working of a boat.

Depending on your experience & length of charter you can cruise the Queen Charlotte & Pelorus Sounds, circumnavigate D’Urville and cruise part of Tasman Bay. You are not allowed into the Cook Strait turning right at Koamaru or out of East & West Head. Some vessels are allowed into the Cook Strait with one of our skippers or if permitted by Compass Crew on self-drive charter if this skipper is capable and has a commercial ticket.

The Compass Crew can help you with quite a few of your dillemma’s. They provide other services like crew for your vessel, provisioning, hire of fishing & dive & other equipment and can also help you with things like accommodation, activities etc. We can customise your holiday to your requirements.

The prevailing wind in the Sounds is from the Northwest. Spring & early summer could have a few weather fronts passing over. The rest of the summer, autumn & early winter are quite settled & ideal for cruising. Winter can be stunning if a bit chilly but clear and when the sun comes out it warms up quickly. Click here for general information.

There are numerous sheltered spots in the Marlborough Sounds away from wind and swells. As you can understand you cannot cancel a charter just because it is raining a bit. Lots of work is being done to prepare your vessel for charter and other parties might have been turned away. You will find all the vessels seaworthy and if not venturing out in the open sea you should be OK in all conditions if being sensible. In certain conditions we could postpone the charter a short while (1/2 day, day, few days) while the weather settles down. This is mainly done for the runabouts and small vessels and no other bookings are to be inconvenienced. Sometimes if the bookings & your plans allow it we offer you to stay a bit longer if the weather has been really bad during the charter.

If for any reason you are somewhere in the Sounds in adverse weather conditions and are hesitant to take the vessel back in time to end your charter. Please hold tight till you feel comfortable to leave your secure anchorage / mooring. No extra charges in this case. If you do return the vessel late for no obvious reason or without prior arrangement there will be an extra charge.

Yes, there are a few places we will relocate vessels from/to. It is the best if you start in Waikawa but it is possible to start somewhere else if other bookings allow it. Relocation fees vary, starting from $200 + fuel depending on locations. Options can be The Portage, Havelock, Nelson…We can help you with organising your travel arrangements if you are leaving the vessel somewhere else. If you decide to leave the vessel when not pre-arranged, please check with base first.

The runabouts with registered trailers can be towed to Nelson Lakes or other places like Port Underwood, Golden Bay.