{"id":44413,"date":"2017-07-20T19:19:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T23:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=44413"},"modified":"2023-05-06T17:47:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T21:47:49","slug":"choosing-the-best-charter-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/choosing-best-charter-option\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Best Charter Option"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Charter\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Built for fun: Most crewed charter vacations are aboard well-appointed catamarans or larger monohulls, and water toys such as snorkel gear, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks are typically included.<\/span>\n Dream Yacht Charter<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019re not quite ready for a bareboat charter. Or perhaps a potential charter in a new, more challenging location has you nervous. Or it could be that you\u2019re just looking for a different kind of sailing vacation. Whatever your reasons, there are plenty of ways to get out on the water, all over the globe, regardless of your experience level. Let\u2019s take a look at what\u2019s available beyond the bareboat charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Learn-to-Sail Trip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re new to sailing or want to improve your skills to become a more competent and confident skipper, consider checking out one of the learn-to-sail courses offered through many sailboat charter companies. This lets you earn certifications that could be useful for a future bareboat charter while enjoying a vacation destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The American Sailing Association, which offers sailing instruction and certifications, has affiliated schools all over the world, and many of these schools also have a charter fleet. This allows students to make a vacation out of learning to sail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Barefoot Yacht Charters, located in St.\u00a0Vincent and the Grenadines, has been doing this for more than 20 years with its Barefoot Offshore Sailing Schoo<\/a>l. “BOSS gives a unique balance of an extraordinary vacation in a gorgeous tropical environment, combined with a good learning curve for sailing skills,” says Marissa Barnard of Barefoot Yacht Charters. “In addition to basic sailing courses, we also offer an offshore course, which includes overnight passagemaking between St. Lucia and St. Maarten.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Hire a Captain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you\u2019re completely new to sailing, or the boat that you would like to charter is beyond your skill set. Consider hiring a captain for all or part of the trip. Most charter companies make it easy to do this at the time of booking. Just a little rusty? The Moorings offers its complimentary Friendly Skipper option on any bareboat charter. With this program, a captain joins your crew for a four-hour refresher course at the beginning of your charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Chartering\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n If you’re more comfortable at the helm of a powerboat, there are charter companies with modern power fleets available in many cruising destinations, like MarineMax in the BVI.<\/span>\n MarineMax<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Join a Flotilla<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

Long a popular vacation option in Europe, flotillas are catching on in the North American market \u2014 and for good reason! Basically, a flotilla is a small fleet of chartered boats and a lead boat. Aboard the lead boat are guides who are in charge of the event and\u00a0are familiar with the\u00a0local waters and sights. You can charter an entire boat, or often just a cabin. Flotillas are a great way to explore a new destination, particularly if it\u2019s challenging or you just would like the reassurance of traveling with someone who has local knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The ASA has a full calendar of flotillas offered at affiliate schools around the world. These trips are targeted both at new sailors and those who have been sailing for years. Lenny Shabes, who is an experienced sailor and also chairman of the ASA, wanted to do a charter in the San Juan Islands but had heard so many horror stories \u2014 underwater obstructions, floating logs \u2014 that he was apprehensive about going it alone on a bareboat. \u201cI was looking for camaraderie and the security of knowing where I was going, so a flotilla was the perfect solution,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery morning the flotilla leader would brief us on where to go and where not to go, and what time and place to meet up again. It was reassuring to be cruising in this unfamiliar area, always in sight of other boats, and we met some great people who we still keep in touch with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

For newer sailors, flotillas can provide a bridge between sailing-instruction courses and heading out on your own. By booking just a cabin, you have the opportunity to learn from the captain and the rest of the crew while gaining experience in an exotic or challenging location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a different sort of adventure, one of Sunsail\u2019s themed flotillas might be right for you. Some upcoming offerings include Food and Wine Flotillas in Italy and Croatia, as well as a rum tour of the BVI. \u201cThe Food and Wine Flotilla introduces our guests to stunning scenery, fine wine and delicious, local Croatian cuisine,\u201d said Nicolle Smirlis, marketing manager for Sunsail. \u201cDue to the popular demand of flotillas in the Mediterranean, earlier this year we launched a new flotilla out of Palma de Mallorca, Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Once you decide that a flotilla vacation is in your future, Danelle Carnahan, of San Juan Sailing, which offers a full schedule of flotilla options throughout the Pacific Northwest, offers this advice: \u201cJust relax, brush off your sea stories and enjoy getting to know your fellow cruisers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"chartering\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Stress-free sundowners: Whether you have a crew of nonsailors aboard, or you just want more time to relax, consider hiring a skipper for the trip.<\/span>\n Sunsail<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

By-the-Cabin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

A stress-free sailing vacation where you can meet interesting people and travel to some out-of-the way places on a crewed catamaran sounds pretty perfect, right? A by-the-cabin charter is exactly this, and is ideal no matter what your sailing skill level. These charters \u201cremove the barriers for nonsailors and allow them to enjoy island-hopping aboard a luxury yacht at a reasonable price point,\u201d says Dan Lockyer, general manager of Dream Yacht Charter. \u201cBut they also appeal to experienced sailors who enjoy being on the water but want to kick back and relax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

By-the-cabin charters include a captain, and typically a chef as well, and take place on a well-appointed catamaran, or a larger monohull with separate cabins with en suite heads. Worried about whether you\u2019ll like the other guests? Don\u2019t be, says Lockyer. \u201cThese trips appeal to people with a similar mindset, which makes for a good group dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Motor Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you have plenty of experience on the water, but it just happens to have been at the helm of a powerboat. Or perhaps your crew just isn\u2019t interested in sailing. A charter aboard a trawler or a power catamaran might be just the thing. Powercats have started to appear in more charter fleets around the world. They offer the space and stability of a catamaran, with the ease of a powerboat. \u201cMost poweryacht charterers are people who already own or have owned a poweryacht in the past,\u201d says Barb Hansen, co-owner of Southwest Florida Yachts. \u201cOther power charterers might be people who have been through our power-cruising school and are chartering for the first time. Their ultimate goal might be to own a boat or just to keep chartering for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Calling All Salts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

If your call to the sea consists more of square rigs and sea shanties, consider a sail-training vacation aboard a tall ship. There is a wide variety of tall ships offering programs throughout the United States that ranges from overnight journeys to a semester at sea. Visit Tall Ships America\u2019s website (sailtraining.org) for more details and to find a program that interests you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

From learning sailing skills while cruising the Med to making new friends on a voyage through the islands, there is a way for you to get out on the water \u2014 no experience needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u2013\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Jen Brett is CW\u2019s senior editor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not quite ready to skipper but still want to charter? Don\u2019t worry, there are plenty of other options to get you out there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Jen Brett","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20170720","hydra_display_updated":false,"arc_story_id":"UWBCDQ5HC6EIGWZYKD44QDEEPY","arc_website_url":"choosing-best-charter-option\/","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[386,169,1138,690,183],"class_list":["post-44413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-american-sailing-association","tag-charter","tag-charter-resources","tag-chartering-101","tag-how-to"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}