Your team.
The Channel.
Under sail.
Take your team out of the meeting room and onto the water. 12 people, one catamaran, and 4h30 across the Channel that they will talk about for years.
The Channel is the world's busiest shipping lane. Your team crosses it under sail.
The team building that sticks doesn't happen in a hotel meeting room. It happens when people are taken out of their usual setting and put somewhere they genuinely share. The sea is that place. The wind, the horizon, the work of getting across: none of it is a simulation.
SailLink's sailing catamaran "Echoes" carries up to 12 passengers from Dover Marina to Boulogne-sur-Mer, or the reverse. Bring 12 and the boat is entirely yours. Bring fewer and the remaining seats are filled by other passengers, because every crossing sails full. That's the point. Andrew, our founder and skipper, is at the helm, and the sea does the rest.
No ice-breaker games, no trust falls. Just a shared voyage across the Channel, together, which turns out to do the work that no facilitated exercise ever quite manages.
"Sailing a catamaran creates a stimulating environment, conducive to cohesion and leadership, far from the usual offices. An immersive day at sea, accessible to all, initiates your team to maritime activities and offers a memorable experience to strengthen bonds and explore new perspectives."
What happens to a team on open water.
Six reasons a Channel crossing does what a day of workshops cannot.
A shared adventure
On a boat, everyone is in the same cockpit, equally far from shore. The office labels fall away quickly. A colleague who helped you trim a sail is a colleague you look at differently back at the desk on Monday. That kind of bond isn't something a meeting room can manufacture.
Sailing as a team
Andrew opens the boat to anyone who wants to get stuck in: trim a sail, take the helm, keep an eye out for shipping. He stays responsible for everyone's safety from start to finish. But the sailing itself is shared, and you feel very quickly that you're part of it.
Real conversations
At sea, time slows down. No agenda, no next meeting waiting. People end up actually talking to each other, often about things they'd never raise in an office corridor. 4h30 on the water says more than a full day's workshop ever could.
Out of the routine
The Channel isn't a figure of speech. It's a real boundary of water, crossed together, under sail. Leaving one country and arriving in another by your own sailing is something very few people have done. It's the kind of day a team is still talking about years later.
Away from screens
On board, there are no notifications, no open laptop. Just 12 people genuinely present with each other for the whole crossing. That kind of presence, now rare at work, is already half of what makes the day memorable.
Two countries, one crossing
Your team leaves one shore and lands on the other. Dover to Boulogne or the reverse, the crossing opens into a full day in Kent or on the Opal Coast. The team building doesn't stop at the gangway, it carries on ashore.
What actually happens during the crossing.
Cast off together
Your team boards at the marina. Andrew briefs the crossing, introduces the boat, and explains the part everyone can play. The first job is to cast off the lines, and that's enough to put you in it straight away.
Learn to read the wind
Once clear of the harbour, Andrew opens the boat to the crew. Trim the sails, take the helm, watch the compass. Sailing is learned by doing it, and your team members tend to find they're better at it than they expected.
The Channel in full
You are halfway between two countries, with no land in sight from the cockpit. This is the moment the crossing becomes real. Hot coffee, a quiet conversation, the sound of the hull through the water, and no agenda at all.
White Cliffs or Opal Coast
The White Cliffs of Dover rise from the south, or the hills above Boulogne from the north. Your team has sailed to another country under its own effort. The crossing ends, the day doesn't, and the destination opens up.
12 people.
Not 200.
SailLink is not a corporate hospitality boat. It carries 12 passengers, and that number is the product. A human-scale experience, with a skipper who knows every person on board by the time you reach the other side. That's what makes it work as a team building venue: the intimacy is built in, not staged. Behind it, SailLink is three people who set out to run a crossing nobody else was running.
Bring 12 and the boat is entirely yours. Bring fewer and the remaining seats are filled by other passengers, because every crossing sails full. That's the point.
Tell us about your teamEvery team is different.
Every crossing is tailored.
These are starting points, not fixed packages. Contact us and we will build an experience around your team's needs and ambitions.
The Channel Crossing
Your team crosses the Channel together, once. Dover to Boulogne or Boulogne to Dover. The crossing is the event. Arrive by train, car, or bike. Sail to the other side. A full day in the destination country, then return by ferry or train. The simplest introduction to the Channel under sail.
- Charter of the full boat for up to 12 people
- Approximately 4h30 under sail
- Hands-on sailing participation for all
- Hot drinks and light refreshments on board
- Remaining seats may be filled by other passengers if the group is smaller than 12
There and Back.
By sail.
Dover to Boulogne under sail. Two nights in France. Boulogne to Dover under sail. The same Channel, twice. It is never the same crossing: the wind has shifted, the light is different, the horizon has moved. Your team experiences both sides of the voyage, and both sides of the water.
- Two full crossings, both by sailing catamaran
- Approximately 4h30 each way under sail
- Two nights in Boulogne, partner hotels available
- The Opal Coast on your doorstep: char-à-voile, surfing, sailing, hiking, cycling, culture, gastronomy
- Dover side: White Cliffs walks, Saxon Shore Way, coastal paths, local pubs and independent restaurants
- The complete Channel experience, nothing left out
Coastal sailing from Boulogne-sur-Mer
Depending on the season's schedule, a short coastal sail from Boulogne-sur-Mer can occasionally be arranged for teams who want time on the water without the full crossing. Availability is limited and offered as calendar opportunities allow. Get in touch for 2027 dates.
Stories from the crossing.
"We did the crossing as a part of our teambuilding and it was a great experience. Very kind staff, and especially a very unique way of travelling. Would recommend."
"The crew made us feel less like passengers and more like part of the group. There is something very special about being out on the water in a small sailing catamaran, rather than simply being transported across it."
"Genuinely one of the best experiences I've had, it's completely unique. Everyone aboard the boat was fantastically friendly, a very professional setup but also a very relaxed affair. There's something very special about it."
Tell us about
your team.
Every team building enquiry is handled personally. Send us an email with your dates, group size, and what you have in mind. We will reply within 48 hours with a tailored proposal and availability. No automated forms, no call centre, just Andrew and his crew.
info@saillink.co.ukWe aim to respond within 48 hours · April to October season
Corporate groups can join an existing crossing if the number of remaining seats matches your team size, or we can discuss dedicated dates based on tidal schedules and crew availability. Write to us with your dates and headcount and we will find what works.