Explore The Magic

Of the Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds.


Welcome to Sounds by Sail

Sounds by Sail is a boutique yacht charter company dedicated to providing you with a wonderful and exhilarating sailing experience in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.

Within the labyrinth of waterways there are many secluded bays and inlets to explore from the comfort of our luxury 32ft Beneteau yacht.

Whether you've been sailing for years, or are a first timer, we can arrange the ideal sailing experience to suit your budget and time frame.



Gift vouchers are available for all charters, please get in touch to purchase.

Our Charters


4 Hour Sail

Join us for a 4 hour sailing adventure exploring the magic of the Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds. Step aboard our luxury "Beneteau" yacht and become part of the crew or sit back and enjoy the exhilaration of sailing within the back drop of this stunning waterway.

Luxury Night Afloat

For the ultimate romantic getaway, or that very special occasion: Engagement, anniversary, birthday, wedding or just because you want to spoil yourself. Our luxury night afloat will treat you to a private, skippered 2 hour sail after which your yacht will be moored in a secluded bay.

Private Charter

Enjoy the magic of sailing with your skipper as your personal guide. Pull into a secluded bay for lunch, a mussel farm, swim or bush walk, the day will be designed for what you want.

2 DAY OVERNIGHT SKIPPERED CHARTER/SELF CATERED

Spend 2 days exploring The Kenepuru & Pelorus Sounds stopping at secluded bays for swimming or bush walking, spend the night on your own at a safe anchorage under the stars. Your skipper will return in the morning for another day of sailing.

What our customers say


We booked the overnight stay and sailing experience with Phil and it was by far our favourite thing we did during our month-long holiday in New Zealand. My husband has discovered a new hobby and has now even signed up for a skipper's course! Phil picked us up from Te Mahia, saving us an extra 90 minute drive and we explored Keneparu Sound by sail before settling in a cove for the evening. He's a great character and we got along really well.

He then prepared a delicious dinner with marinaded mussels for starters, Moroccan chicken for mains and a lovely cheesecake for dessert. I believe that his wife, Deb, had prepared it all prior and it was lovely. We enjoyed a glass of fizz on deck before Phil left us for the night, returning the following morning to sail us home. The bedroom was as you'd expect on a 30ft yacht but it was comfy and lovely to hear the water lapping on the bow. The deck was also a great opportunity for star gazing.

Overall we would definitely recommend this experience. It's pricey when compared to overnight in a good hotel but it's a lot more than that. A very special treat which we're glad we did.

Indiebar

2018-08-27T04:00:22+00:00

Indiebar

We booked the overnight stay and sailing experience with Phil and it was by far our favourite thing we did during our month-long holiday in New Zealand. My husband has discovered a new hobby and has now even signed up for a skipper's course! Phil picked us up from Te Mahia, saving us an extra 90 minute drive and we explored Keneparu Sound by sail before settling in a cove for the evening. He's a great character and we got along really well. He then prepared a delicious dinner with marinaded mussels for starters, Moroccan chicken for mains and a lovely cheesecake for dessert. I believe that his wife, Deb, had prepared it all prior and it was lovely. We enjoyed a glass of fizz on deck before Phil left us for the night, returning the following morning to sail us home. The bedroom was as you'd expect on a 30ft yacht but it was comfy and lovely to hear the water lapping on the bow. The deck was also a great opportunity for star gazing. Overall we would definitely recommend this experience. It's pricey when compared to overnight in a good hotel but it's a lot more than that. A very special treat which we're glad we did.
Thanks Phil, just a fabulous afternoon. Really appreciated, absolutely professional, excellent hospitality, incredibly friendly, well organised. Just a superb experience.
2018-08-27T04:00:43+00:00
Thanks Phil, just a fabulous afternoon. Really appreciated, absolutely professional, excellent hospitality, incredibly friendly, well organised. Just a superb experience.
I was very lucky to pick this company to go out and sail on the Kenepuru Sounds. The boat is run by a great guy, Phil, who will arrange everything to suit, and in a friendly kiwi way. The boat is a Beneteau, in wonderful condition (not very old) and very pleasant to sail. You can choose between half day, full day and overnight trips, and I am already thinking about doing some longer trips. Even if you have not sailed before, it will not be a problem, as you can do as much or as little as you like onboard. The boat is ideal for these sorts of trips, and sailing down the sounds is so enjoyable. I guess that the trips on this boat would suit both complete novices and experienced sailors.

I was impressed by the new boat and by how friendly it all was. The sailing trips might be on a 'must do' list for the Kenepuru Sounds. It is one of those sorts of trips that when you come back, you will immediately want to do more of. So it gets a highly recommended rating !!! Worth staying longer in the area to do a trip on this boat !!

centraltraveller

2018-08-27T04:01:37+00:00

centraltraveller

I was very lucky to pick this company to go out and sail on the Kenepuru Sounds. The boat is run by a great guy, Phil, who will arrange everything to suit, and in a friendly kiwi way. The boat is a Beneteau, in wonderful condition (not very old) and very pleasant to sail. You can choose between half day, full day and overnight trips, and I am already thinking about doing some longer trips. Even if you have not sailed before, it will not be a problem, as you can do as much or as little as you like onboard. The boat is ideal for these sorts of trips, and sailing down the sounds is so enjoyable. I guess that the trips on this boat would suit both complete novices and experienced sailors. I was impressed by the new boat and by how friendly it all was. The sailing trips might be on a 'must do' list for the Kenepuru Sounds. It is one of those sorts of trips that when you come back, you will immediately want to do more of. So it gets a highly recommended rating !!! Worth staying longer in the area to do a trip on this boat !!
"We had the most amazing experience sailing on our trip to NZ back in March. Phil was the nicest guy we have ever come across. The 3 hours sailing trip was the perfect way to see the sounds. It was also our first time sailing so it made it even more special. The local wine and mussels were delicious too. I am not usually someone who writes reviews on trip advisor but really had to on this occasion. Highly recommended!"

Pragati N

2018-08-26T01:26:41+00:00

Pragati N

"We had the most amazing experience sailing on our trip to NZ back in March. Phil was the nicest guy we have ever come across. The 3 hours sailing trip was the perfect way to see the sounds. It was also our first time sailing so it made it even more special. The local wine and mussels were delicious too. I am not usually someone who writes reviews on trip advisor but really had to on this occasion. Highly recommended!"
We had the pleasure of taking a 3 hour sailing trip with Phil on his boat. The afternoon was really very enjoyable and this is a great way to see the sounds. We were picked up from Te Mahia, which suited us perfectly. The local wine and mussels were delicious. We had never sailed before and had the chance to join in with a bit of the sailing in a very relaxed and easy going way.

Louise K

2018-08-27T04:00:59+00:00

Louise K

We had the pleasure of taking a 3 hour sailing trip with Phil on his boat. The afternoon was really very enjoyable and this is a great way to see the sounds. We were picked up from Te Mahia, which suited us perfectly. The local wine and mussels were delicious. We had never sailed before and had the chance to join in with a bit of the sailing in a very relaxed and easy going way.

Enquire Now

Call Us

0210 451 358

New Zealand

Address

Hopewell, Double Bay
Kenepuru Sound, 7282

Reservations

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