Verified skippers
Explore independent professional skippers by sailing area, experience and availability — whether you're joining one of their hosted trips or bringing your own yacht.
Mediterranean · English-speaking · Available this season
9 of 124 verified skippers
Positions are indicative. Skipper counts reflect verified profiles currently active in each sailing area.
Featured skipper
A skipper who has sailed the same channels for a decade knows where to anchor when the maestral picks up, and which bay is empty on a Saturday in August. That knowledge shapes the week far more than the boat does.
“The best route is rarely the one you force. It is the one that works with the weather and the crew you have on board.”
Sailing Central Dalmatia and the Kornati since 2014
How it works
Most people join a trip a skipper already runs. If you have the boat sorted, you can hire the skipper on their own instead.
The skipper already hosts a published sailing experience with a set route and departure dates. You pick the week and how you want to book.
Already chartered, or the boat is yours? Search skippers available for your dates and hire them for the passage on their own.
Trust
Every skipper listed here has been through the same review before their profile goes public. We check the essentials and keep the documents private.
The skipper builds their profile: sailing areas, languages, experience, yacht types and how they like to run a week on board.
Identity, professional sailing licence, radio certificate where applicable and any further credentials relevant to the areas they sail.
Our team checks that the documents are valid, current and match the person and the sailing areas listed on the profile.
The profile is published with a verified badge. Details are re-checked when documents expire or the skipper adds a new sailing area.
We show a verification summary only. Licence numbers, identity documents, certificates and any medical information stay private and are never published on a skipper profile. Verification confirms that documents were reviewed — it is not a guarantee of any particular outcome at sea, and skippers remain independent professionals responsible for their own operations.
Choosing well
Almost every skipper here rates above 4.7. The useful differences are usually somewhere else on the profile.
A skipper who sails one area every season knows its anchorages, its afternoon wind and where to go when the forecast turns. Local depth beats broad coverage.
Some crews want to be handed the winch; others want to read a book. Profiles say how involved a skipper likes the crew to be — it is worth matching.
Monohull and catamaran weeks feel different to run — manoeuvring, anchoring, comfort under way. Check the skipper has real time on the boat you'll be on.
On a mixed crew this matters more than people expect — for the briefing, for the marina, and for the small talk that makes a week enjoyable.
Running published departures season after season means practice with groups, briefings and the small logistics that keep a week calm.
A skipper with 30 reviews across two seasons can be a better fit than one with 200. Read what people say about weather calls and route changes.
By sailing area
What guests notice
Reviews from crews who sailed with Malaka skippers last season.
“Calm when plans changed.”
A front came through on day three. We swapped two islands, kept the same mileage, and nobody felt rushed about it.
“We felt involved without being overwhelmed.”
First time on a yacht for three of us. By Thursday we were handling lines on our own, because he explained things once and then let us try.
“Knew exactly where to go when the wind changed.”
The meltemi built on the second day. We ended up in a bay none of us would have found, and it was the best night of the week.
New to sailing
You do not need sailing experience for most hosted Malaka trips. Your skipper handles navigation and boat operations, and you can take part as much or as little as you want.
Skipper-only
Tell us your dates, sailing area and boat, then find professional skippers available for your trip.
For professionals
Publish your sailing experiences, manage departures and receive skipper-only requests through Malaka.