Our Story
Sharing our love and knowledge of our region and sailing with You!
Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures is a local family-owned yacht charter business who have been providing great sailing opportunities in the region for over 23 years. Our skippered tours include daily scheduled sailing tours, private personalized sailing tours, and multi day sailing holidays in the Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson and Tasman Bay waters.
We are the region’s longest operating and most extensive yacht charter company, and the only sailing business to offer a regular scheduled service.
Jane-Maree & Martin Holmes started their yacht charter business, Catamaran Sailing Charters, in 1997 when as a younger couple we returned to New Zealand having purchased the sailing catamaran Jamarh in South Africa. Having spent several years overseas working on flotilla boats then super yachts, we sailed home through the Southern Ocean with the dream of starting up our own yacht charter business. Now 20+ years later we are still at the helm and feel proud and privileged in turning our love of sailing and the boating lifestyle into a successful business.
We have seen many changes and improvements along our journey. In 2010 we took over Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures, the only other full time sailing company in the region. This allowed us to offer a full and extensive range of day and multiday options to our clients. Our fleet of sailing catamarans has now grown to 5 vessels, which include 3 day sailing catamarans and 2 larger cruising sailing catamarans.
We operate our tours from two locations. Kaiteriteri Beach is where we have a summer ticketing office and is the departure point for our scheduled day tours of the Abel Tasman. We have a home base office in Nelson and nearby is the berth for our larger cruising catamarans.
With growth came the need to surround ourselves with like-minded people. Our team are all locals who are passionate about their Abel Tasman environment and sailing. Our skippers have been working with us for years and their local knowledge means you get to experience the very best on your sailing holiday.
We focus on experiencing the Abel Tasman National Park and our region, not just transport into it.
We welcome the opportunity to have you sail with us!
Jane-Maree, Martin & the Sailing Team
The Peaceful, Quiet, Relaxing way to enjoy the Abel Tasman.
Clean Approved certified. To achieve this certification, we must show we have a robust understanding of the COVID-19 environment and how this relates to our staff practice, cleaning procedures and business operations. COVID Clean Approved is formally recognised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The Department of Conservation is the central government organisation charged with conserving the natural and historic heritage of New Zealand. We are Doc concessioned operators which means we are permitted to land our guests on the beaches and foreshore of the Abel Tasman National Park.
Qualmark New Zealand's Tourism Mark of Quality. All accommodation and tourism business which carry the Qualmark means they have been independently assessed as professional and trustworthy, so you can book and buy with confidence. Our Qualmark Environmental Responsible Tourism rating is Enviro Gold which means we have excellent performance in Responsible Tourism Operations.
All our vessels are certified and operated under Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) and exceed 
TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers who have previously taken part in our sailing tours. This award subsequently ensures new travelors that we have the peoples vote in reccommending our tours within the Abel Tasman National Park. Your reveiws are important to us and help us ensure we continue to provide the best possible service and experience on your holiday
