Team building where the sea decides half the schedule
Water-based formats work extremely well here and carry a risk nothing on land has: the sea state can remove an element with two hours' notice. Every activity we run therefore has a written alternative, agreed before you arrive rather than improvised on the deck.
Formats, and where each one runs
Anchorage, 60–90 min
Assigned crews, timed circuits between the karsts, scored. The most popular element we run and the first one the sea state cancels.
Anchorage, 90 min
Teams work a route through a cave system with staged clues. Runs in most conditions because it is sheltered — a good anchor element for the schedule.
Sheltered beach, 2 h
Classic beach formats on a landing beach reached by tender. Needs a calm tender run more than it needs good weather.
On board, 60 min
Knot work, signal flags, navigation puzzles, chef's table. Entirely weather-independent, which is why it is the standard fallback.
Anchorage, 90 min
CSR format, collecting floating waste by kayak and tender, weighed and reported. Popular with groups that need a demonstrable ESG line.
Galley and deck, 90 min
Teams cook against the ship's chef. Works in any weather, works at any size up to the deck limit, works particularly well with mixed-nationality groups.
The sea state rules we operate to
These are the coordinator's, not the client's. It is worth reading them before you build an agenda around a water element.
| Condition | Kayak | Tender to beach | Cave | Deck activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calm | Runs | Runs | Runs | Runs |
| Choppy, wind under about 15 kt | Coordinator's call, shortened circuit | Runs, slower | Runs | Runs |
| Wind above about 15 kt | Suspended | Suspended | Runs | Runs |
| Rain, calm water | Runs if guests want it | Runs | Runs | Runs indoors |
| Port authority suspension | No sailing at all | No sailing at all | No sailing at all | Shore programme |
We assign teams and we do not let people choose. Self-selected teams reproduce the org chart, the existing friendships and the existing silos, which is the precise opposite of what the exercise is for. Send us the department list and we will mix it. This is not a preference — it is a condition of running the activity.
What we will not run
- Night kayaking. Asked for regularly. Refused every time.
- Cliff jumping or unsupervised swimming from the vessel. Swimming happens from the tender platform, with the crew watching, or from a beach.
- Anything requiring participants to be blindfolded on deck. A moving vessel with a low rail is not the place.
- Formats that single out low performers. An incentive programme rewarding the top thirty percent should not contain an exercise that publicly ranks people again. We will push back on the brief.
Questions we are asked most often
What if the kayaking is cancelled?
The fallback runs instead, and it is written into the programme document you receive before departure — normally the cave route or the deck challenge. Nobody stands on the deck at 15:00 wondering what happens now, because it was decided in advance.
Can non-swimmers take part?
Yes. Everyone wears a life jacket regardless of ability, kayaks are doubles so a non-swimmer is never alone, and the deck and cave formats need no water skill at all. Tell us the numbers at brief stage.
Do you supply a facilitator or MC?
Yes, bilingual, and for anything above forty guests a facilitator plus scorers. The coordinator runs the logistics; they are different roles and we do not merge them.
Can team building be the whole reason for the trip?
It can, but a bay programme is a poor fit for a full day of structured activity — you get roughly two usable blocks, split by lunch and the sailing. For an intensive team building day, ashore is better and cheaper. We would say so.
Where to go next
Four fields and you can send
Tell us the basics and we will come back within eight working hours with feasibility — including how many hulls your headcount actually needs — and within three working days with a detailed quote.