ScubaTyke

Excellent first sailing experience !!

I spend 5 weeks on Mark's sailing vessel Elnath, and I really started to love boat life. Since it was my first sailing experience I enjoyed very much, getting to know a lot about sailing. Mark is a good teacher, great skipper and knows what he is doing! And he also has some amazing books around sailing! As a young woman I felt really comfortable with him and his boat very quickly. He is an honest, kind person, who hasn't forgotten about his inner child! :) I apprecciate our late night talks a lot, you can literally talk about everything with him! I would definitely recommend going on a sailing trip with Mark! Especially our 3-night crossing from Sicily to Kefalonia/Greece was an unforgettable experience, that I loved so much!!

5th Jul 2024

Safe space in the middle of the Med

I had the chance to crew for Mark in August and had the adventure of a lifetime! His yacht is a very reliable sailing vessel, making you feel at home right away and keeping you safe while on the journey. Mark has an amazing attitude, is very open minded and a lot of fun! He has a great sense of humour and countless of great stories to tell. His calm and unflappable attitude makes it easy to work through unexpected events together. He'd always explain situations and reassure his approach in difficult situations, keeping the crew in mind. We met as strangers and left as friends - I'll definitely be back as soon as I have the chance! Thank you for this journey, Mark!

30th Aug 2023

My first experience as crew

I have been on Elnath from the end of March until the end of June 2023. I felt at home and was happy to find a welcoming and caring Skipper, with a great sense of humor. Mark is knowledgable, explains his reasoning, communicates his decisions clearly, values your input and has a plan for almost everything ready, buuut all plans are written in pencil.

4th Jul 2023

Great skipper and boat!

Safe skipper, cool guy, great boat. After 3 chilled weeks onboard I definitely recommend ?⛵?✅✅✅.

23rd Sep 2022

Thank you Mark and Elnath

I crewed for Mark onboard Elnath mid-April until the end of June 2022. I joined them in Tunisia as a complete beginner sailor – no experience at all. We spent that first week in the marina getting to know each other and getting ready for our sail over to Licata Italy as soon as the weather granted. So, my first sail ever was cross continent, with a man I met on the internet! No lie, it takes a special kind of human for a young solo girl to choose to make this venture with. Luckily for me, Mark, from the get-go was an excellent captain and very patient. He made me feel straight at home onboard Elnath and during all our time sailing he took extremely good care of me and my good friend Cords when she later joined us. He always let me have more sleep on the crossings which was so great since I really needed it with some of my sea sickness in the beginning! He is Fair, honest, kind, direct and a great teacher! We sailed around the southeast coast of Italy up to Syracuse, from here over to Pylos Bay then we cruised the Ionian Sea for the lush majority. During this time, Mark taught me how to sail, anchor, do engine checks, navigate, steer, feel the wind and its direction, live on a boat! A fine art and practice that involves a lot of pumping the toilet flusher 17 odd times, washing dishes with saltwater and making friends with cockroaches (or more so screaming for Mark to kill them). Bless their little souls. We did have great fun though, visited so many beautiful places, met really lovely people and swam in such clear blue waters it was utter paradise. We even fitted a water maker! Credit where credits due, I was merely a nodder to his plans and a holder of tools his tools, whilst Mark carefully and cleverly constructed the system together. Another thing mark was always careful about planning was our voyages/destinations. By using the weather and various other apps, we were always sailing in safe weather and had solid anchorages. Plus, this way we were able to find some of the most magnificent spots! The trip was filled with laughter, storytelling, good food and rum cocktails! Cord and I even managed to drag Mark out for one night of wild fun in Zakynthos. Even here he was such an angel – waiting until the early hours of the morning after he’d gone back to the boat to come collect us both on his dingy. Mark will bend over backwards for his crew. I know he takes pride in that just as he takes pride in his crew. I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful experience on a safe, sturdy vessel with a Captain equally as safe, and chilled. Though I am still very novice at the skills I learnt onboard; there’s one that way that can never be untaught, and that’s boat life. It’s safe to say Mark made a sailor of me and to this lifestyle I am hooked. Thank you mark. Thank you, Elnath. Thank you, fair winds, and sometimes following seas.

7th Sep 2022

Badass Skipper and Teacher

I hopped onto Elnath with Mark in Greece knowing nothing about boats or sailing. To say Mark was a patient, amazing teacher and friend is an understatement. I put all my trust in him in regards for my safety and I never once regretted it. Though we hit a few bumps along the road as all voyages do, Mark took them in a calm and calculated stride to protect his boat, crew and himself. Very grateful for the couple months I got to spend with him and learn on Elnath. Fair winds and following seas, Mark!

16th Feb 2022

Maiden Voyage

From Athens to Limassol, the maiden voyage had everything you could want. From calm serenity to some boystrous & challenging conditions, both Mark and his new home handled them within their stride. I felt comfortable and at ease with the capabilities of boat and skipper working together as one. We shared some good laughs, interesting debates and a democratic view on how we faced decisions, problems and i enjoyed the positive rhythmn that was created. I have skippered my own boat, delivered boats and sailed for fun on others boats, this is one boat i would return to without hesitation. Have an amazing summer, fair winds and fun new experiences.

6th Jun 2019