Have you been thinking about chartering a
luxury sail or power boat for your next vacation?
From 20 years of boating experience, I can promise…
if you’ll follow these important tips, you're
practically guaranteed to have one of your most
adventurous and fun vacations ever.
Chartering, whether it's without a captain or with
paid crew, there are a few basic decisions for you
to make… especially if this is your first charter
adventure. I can almost guarantee one thing...
folks, you're gonna have a great time.
There are a few basic decisions for you to make…
1) You have to choose your destination
2) Determine if you want to charter a sail or power
boat
3) Choose between a bareboat (one where you captain
and provision) or a crewed boat where you don’t have
to do any driving, provisioning or cooking; you just
leave everything to the crew.
And…
4) Think about how much room you need and the
category of the vessel you want to charter. Both
sail and power boats are available in monohull and
multihull designs. Multi hulls include catamarans
and trimarans (primarily racing sailboats). You can
charter a bareboat or a crewed boat or just hire a
captain without any crew.
All have their distinct advantages though. If you’re
experienced enough to qualify to captain the boat on
your own, and have good nautical skills, a bareboat
could be the right thing for you. On the other hand,
if you’re looking for a less stressful and laid back
charter, leave it to the crew. They are pros at
making sure you and your family… or friends, will
have a great and memorable time.
Chartering is all about getting away from crowds and
seeing things most vacationers wouldn’t ordinarily
see. It’s more of a laid back, adventurous type of
vacation away from the throngs and hustle bustle of
being a tourist. Chartering a boat is exciting,
adventuresome and relaxing.
There are so many great destinations for you to
choose from. The East coast, Gulf coast, Pacific
Northwest, Mexico, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and
down island into the Caribbean. My wife and I once
chartered a boat in Auckland, NZ and sailed to the
fabled Bay of Islands, and another trip was from
Marathon, FL to Key West… both great trips. But the
destination I personally recommend is the Virgin
Islands.
Most people don’t know this, and think only of the
British or US Virgin Islands, but there’s actually
one more… the Spanish Virgin Islands near Puerto
Rico.
There are several reasons I recommend this as a
charter destination. The water is clear and a color
that stays in your mind for a long, long time.
There’s a lot of history (Columbus sailed through
here in the late 1400’s) and you are almost always
in normally calm conditions. But the most important
reason is that you are hardly ever more than a mile
or two (sometimes just several hundred yards) from
any of the 50 or so islands that make up this
beautiful boating paradise.
Part of your charter vacation planning should
include guides on navigating the waters of your
chosen destination. If you are a scuba enthusiast,
don’t forget your guide to dive sites. Charter
vacations can be booked through any number of
charter companies. Caution: check out your broker
and make sure they are reputable. Your charter
broker can suggest a popular itinerary for you and
you can also determine where and when you want to
stop. Remember… you are in the drivers seat and can
pretty much make the decision on what you want on
your boat as far as food and drinks are concerned.
Just remember if there a special need, you should
make sure you discuss it with your broker as some
brands and types of food are not available in all
places.
After answering the questions above, you should have
enough knowledge to call or email a yacht broker and
discuss your needs. My suggestion is that this year,
don’t just talk about it , do it. It really doesn’t
matter what type of boat you’re chartering. What
does matter is that you’ll finally be taking part in
one of the best kept vacation secrets around; a
relaxing, laid back, sun-kissed adventure that few
people ever get to do… a fun-filled charter
vacation.
Article by: Terry Hudson |
