SAILING is more popular than ever before, with at least 1.5million Britons taking to the water every year. And this has sparked a sailing holidays boom in both the U.K. and abroad, with an ocean of possibilities.

If you fancy a holiday afloat, your first consideration should be the style of sailing you think you can manage.
The first question to answer is: “Should I go bareboat, charter or flotilla?” Bareboat is the nautical term for self-drive yacht hire. Charters are free to sail wherever they want but you really need to know your shrouds from your sheets. And before waving you off on a £200,000 yacht, the charter company will need proof of your sailing skills - a Royal Yachting Association qualification or logbook listing previous experience.

For those with less experience, flotilla sailing involves up to a dozen yachts travelling together with an experienced skipper on the lead boat.

If you are a complete beginner wanting to learn to sail here at home, visit http://www.rya.org and click on “Training centres” for details of the nearest sailing school.

Many people, though, prefer the warmer waters to be found abroad.
Sunsail, the world’s biggest yachting holiday operator - with more than 25 years’ experience - has beach clubs in Antigua, Turkey and Greece, and concentrates on family parties.

Further afield, they offer more adventurous bareboat charters in Tahiti, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Seychelles, as well as new destinations Tonga and Abacos in the Bahamas.

Neilson, another major player, has bases in Greece, Turkey and Croatia. The Greek Ionian is one of the Mediterranean's most popular yachting destinations with gentle breezes, a scattering of picturesque islands and sheltered harbours. The Greek Peloponnese offers great sailing with a stunningly beautiful, unspoilt coastline to explore and very reliable winds.
Meanwhile, Croatia’s Dalmatian coastline is perfect for those with a spirit of adventure.

For bareboat and skippered charters further afield, it’s worth looking at the options on offer from The Moorings, one of the world's premier yacht charter companies with almost 40 years of experience. They feature about 800 monohulls and catamarans - most less than three years old - for hire in such exotic locations as the Seychelles, Bahamas and Mexico, along with South Pacific sailing centres in New Zealand, Tonga and Tahiti.

For women who prefer to sail without men to distract them, Herizen run women-only yachting breaks in the British Virgin islands, Canada, Belize and Mexico.

Back in the U.K., the old-established company Blakes cater for holidaymakers not wanting to travel too far before casting off, with yachts for hire in the popular destinations of the Norfolk Broads and Scotland.