article_snippet: Kent-based Nautilus Yachting has yachts all over the Med and has been organising charters around Elba and the Tuscan archipelago for years.
article_snippet: The only question is: who will do the sailing?
article_snippet: Nautilus can organise a skipper for £90 a day.
article_snippet: But having been messing around in boats since childhood, I want to take charge.
article_snippet: The basic requirement for renting anything larger than a day boat is the Royal Yachting Association's Day Skipper certificate, within easy reach of the average dinghy sailor.
article_snippet: It involves a five-day practical sailing course plus a detailed theory course.
article_snippet: You can do the latter online, but you must live aboard for the practical part.
article_snippet: Sunsail runs flotillas and courses all over the world, and I join the fleet on the Solent.
article_snippet: We keep the sailing to an hour or two each morning before dropping the anchor in a pretty bay, swimming and exploring in the rubber dinghy (every boat comes with one).
article_snippet: More adventurous sailors would, no doubt, sail right around the island, taking in the wild western shores.
article_snippet: Nautilus Yachting (01732 867 445; nautilusyachting.com) offers seven night yacht charters in the Tuscan Archipelago from £1,149, excluding flights.
article_snippet: Sunsail (020 3393 0924; sunsail.co.uk) has Day Skipper practical courses at Port Solent from £459.
article_snippet: First Sail (0330 223 2533; firstsailtraining.co.uk) does online skipper courses from £285.