Join us
We're going anyway. Come along for a stretch.
Che Bella Vita is making her way from Oxford to Istanbul whatever happens, as the weather allows. There's no booking calendar and no fixed plan. If our route happens to match where you'd like to be, you're welcome aboard, for an afternoon, a few days or a week. You'll live the boat life with us: take the wheel, learn the navigation, the engine and the water systems, and enjoy quality home-made food on deck. This is a VIP experience, personally hosted by Mike and Kate, with a glass of Champagne on arrival served by the crew and high-speed satellite internet for all your devices.
Hands-on experience
Take the wheel under the owners' supervision, learn navigation, engine maintenance, water management and the endless routines of a real boat.
VIP experience
Mike and Kate look after you personally, one guest party at a time. A glass of Champagne on arrival, served by the crew, sets the tone for your time aboard.
As long or short as you like
A single afternoon, several days, or a longer stretch. Join at one stop and step off at the next, or stay aboard as the route unfolds. There is no set structure: you join for the time that suits you and the leg that matches.
All-inclusive hospitality aboard
Quality home-made food, crew service and high-speed satellite internet are part of your time aboard. We agree the full inclusions for your trip with you beforehand, including meals, drinks and any overnight accommodation.
High-speed satellite internet for all devices
Stay connected 24/7, with internet for everyone aboard and power for phones, laptops and tablets. Time on the water need not mean being out of touch.
Tender use for dads, lads and daughters
A hands-on adventure for the family. Have a go in the tender with the crew supervising, when the location and conditions allow. Mums are welcome too.
Stay overnight
Make it an adventure
There are two bedrooms below. The master suite at the bow has a European king bed and its own shower and head, reached only through the bedroom: that is our cabin while you are aboard. Guests stay in the second bedroom near the stern, which has a king size bed, with a shower and head directly opposite, which also serves as the day head. For families, a double and a single bed can be made up in the wheelhouse from the sofas, for children or extra guests. We opted for two bedrooms rather than three so the lounge could be larger. Charter the whole boat while we are moored up, as honeymooners and premium guests often do, and we leave you with both bedrooms.
Master suite, at the bow
European king bed with private en-suite shower and head
Guest room
King size bed near the stern, with shower and head opposite
Wheelhouse
Double and single bed made up from the sofas
Whole boat charter
We leave the boat overnight, so you have both bedrooms
Why two bedrooms
We chose two rather than three so the lounge could be larger
Food
Quality home-made food
All-inclusive hospitality aboard means quality home-made food and personal care from Mike and Kate. We welcome you with a glass of Champagne served by the crew, then take care of the catering: breakfast, lunch and dinner for overnight stays, and lunch, drinks, snacks and coffee for day charters. We plan dietary needs and agree the meals and drinks for your trip in advance.
Day charters
Lunch, drinks, snacks and coffee throughout the day
Overnight stays
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
On arrival
A glass of Champagne, served by the crew
Style
Quality home-made food, prepared aboard
Dietary needs
Catered for with advance notice
Honeymoons and romantic getaways
A private escape, just the two of you
Che Bella Vita can be moored close to your venue so you step aboard after the celebrations and slip away together. The master suite is yours: a European king bed with a private shower and head, reached only through the bedroom. On a whole-boat stay we leave you alone aboard overnight, so you have both bedrooms, with the boat moored safely and a phone line to us. Your VIP experience begins with a glass of Champagne on arrival, served by the crew. From there, quality home-made meals, a few unhurried days on the water and the quiet of the canal.
More about honeymoons and romantic getawaysYoung crew
The young crew certificate
Families often tell us the best part of a trip is watching the children get properly stuck in. So we've made it official: at the end of the charter, every child aboard can earn their own Che Bella Vita certificate. We teach them simple, real jobs as we go, nothing dangerous and nothing rushed, and when they've had a proper go, we sign them off. It gives the little ones a role aboard, and something proud to take home.
Rope work
Coiling, cleating and the knots every sailor should know
Deck hand
Fenders, lines and helping bring her alongside
Helming
Taking the wheel with an owner right beside them
Navigation
Reading the chart, spotting buoys and keeping a good lookout
The reward
Their own signed certificate to take home
Corporate away days and team building
Bring your team aboard
Real boating, supervised helming, ropework and tender driving, with space to talk business and high-speed satellite internet available 24/7. Corporate away days can be arranged directly; team building is offered only through established team building companies.
Corporate away days and agency partnershipsFilm and television
Camera crews welcome aboard
We are happy to accommodate film and TV crews, and there is plenty of space on the stern and bow decks to film. The one thing to plan around is her speed: displacement speed only, so 8 to 10 knots plus or minus the tide.
More about filming aboardHow it works
There is no booking button
- 01
Register your interest
One short form. No dates to choose, no payment, no commitment. You simply join the list.
- 02
We email the list when a leg opens
When a stretch of the journey looks possible, everyone on the list gets the full details by email: route, dates, places aboard and cost.
- 03
Say you're interested
Reply, or use the Open Voyages page, and you go onto the shortlist for that trip.
- 04
Priority runs down the list
We work down the shortlist in list order, so those highest up the list are offered the places first.
A note on prices: every leg is different, so we quote each one for its length and the size of your party when it's announced. No obligation. If your dates are fixed and you'd rather talk it through first, email us and we'll see what can be done.
Join the VoyageOpen voyages
The legs ahead of us
Legs marked "Open - Register Interest" are taking interest now. The rest are closed until Che Bella Vita is coded for sea passages, so the inland waterways come first. Already on the list? Say you're interested in an open leg and you go onto that trip's shortlist, where those highest up get first refusal.
Looking at the chart…
The list
Fellow adventurers
Add to ListEveryone who has registered, in the order they joined. The earlier you join, the higher your priority when a voyage is announced.
- 1Dad and Daughter T from New Jersey24 Oct 2026