Côte d'Azur: New crewed yachting holidays that offer cultural and gourmet food experiences will be launched in May 2016 by Essential Sailing (www.essentialsailing.com; 0845 653 0126).

Essential Sailing has created an unusual and exciting new choice of holiday on the French Riviera, Italian Ligurian and Tuscan coasts for couples, groups of friends and families. “First Essential”, a Beneteau Oceanis 50-foot yacht, will provide smart, contemporary quarters for up to six guests in three cabins and will be available for cabin as well as whole-yacht bookings.

The seven-day luxury cruises on this “floating boutique hotel”. The “turn up and go” offering will mix the refreshing experience of morning sailings, with afternoons spent enjoying exhilarating watersports, playing on the beach, or heading off to explore cultural sights. In the evenings, guests will enjoy fine dining on deck beneath the stars or sample recommended restaurants in the different ports of call.

Itineraries will be ultimately flexible. Guests can choose to pre-book as many or as few excursions as they prefer – the hilltop village of Èze, the Îles de Lérins off Cannes, and the marble mines at Carrara are just a few interesting examples of the experiences on offer. Hidden bays, sea swimming, snorkelling, shopping, a trip to the casino and a nightclub – whatever guests enjoy can be arranged through Essential Sailing's personal service.

Gourmet four-course dinners are provided on four nights, with menus featuring dishes such as pan-fried local scallops with crispy jambon cru and crushed petits pois, salt-baked local sea bass with seasonal vegetables and crushed herb potatoes, and chilled cardamom pannacotta with summer berry coulis. These will be accompanied by the best regional wines. And it's no problem if guests wish to slip away and dine privately on shore, as and when the mood takes them.

Guests who fancy having a go at sailing can also enjoy The Essential Start to Yachting, an optional short introduction that puts them at the helm and teaches them how to winch the sails.

There are seven cruises to choose from along the French Riviera, Italian Ligurian and Tuscan coastlines: East and west from Hyères to St Tropez, St.Tropez to Cannes, Cannes to Menton via Monaco; Menton to Genoa; Genoa to La Spezia; La Spezia to Punta Ala Marina; and a voyage around the Tuscan islands of Elba and Capraia.

First Essential is one of the best blue-water cruisers in its class, with a spacious deck for sunbathing and dining al fresco – or to just watch the world go by. Below deck, the air-conditioned yacht has an elegant saloon furnished with comfortable sofas and a TV/DVD. The double en-suite cabins are spacious, with beds dressed in luxury Egyptian cotton sheets and complimentary toiletries provided by L'Occitane.

Essential Sailing holidays feature a Champagne and canapés reception, professionally qualified skipper and personal hosts, daily cabin service, soft drinks, confectionery and ices on demand, and use of snorkelling equipment, beach gear and an inflatable kayak. Plus, there are no hidden extras – mooring fees, fuel, gas and cleaning are all included in the price. 

Cruises start from £1,442 to £1,924 per person, based on two sharing, including breakfast and lunch daily and dinner on four nights. A selection of shore excursions is available to pre-book and special requests can also be arranged. Chauffeur-driven airport transfers are available on request for a supplement.

To book: visit www.essentialsailing.com or call 0845 653 0126

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To request images or further information, please contact Little Black Book Creative: Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk, or Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@lbbcreative.co.uk.

Notes to editors

Essential Sailing is a family business, founded in 2010 by Richard Reeves, a chartered civil engineer in the construction industry, and Phil and Kate Reeves, both of whom have many years' professional sailing experience. The company is relaunching its offering for 2016 with a redesigned website that features lots of destination information, giving insight into ports of call and recommendations on places of interest. Richard has had a passion for sailing since his childhood, and aims to offer luxury crewed sailing without the responsibility of owning a yacht, making such holidays more accessible to a wider clientele.