Hobby

If you’re considering taking a vacation on the ocean, you may find that one of the most pleasant and most rewarding experiences will be renting (also called ‘chartering’) a sailboat, whether for a few hours, a full day or a week or more. It gives a delightful plan-your-own-vacation flexibility that other options–tours, cruises, etc–lack.

There are two kinds of sailboat rental; you’ll need to know about both of them before you pick. The first is ‘crewed’ rental; you have a captain who does the actual boat-sailing things for you (useful if you’re a first-timer, have little experience, etc.) and sometimes other crew members as well. (A chef, for example; my favorite!) Crewed is generally the more expensive of the two, but well worth it, as it allows you to be more relaxed and frees you from the responsibilities of sailing the boat yourself.

The second kind is called bareboat; a sailboat charter without crew of any kind. You sail this one yourself and while it is cheaper and does allow you to set your own pace, it also requries experience and attention. In most places, you’ll need a license to be able to charter bareboat. Most countries accept an ICC license, but you’ll need to check with the location beforehand to be on the safe side. Also, consider how familiar you are with the area. If you know a little about sailing, but nothing about the area where you plan to sail, you may want to see if the charter offers the services of a skipper, to help you with navigation and other things. Inbetween crewed and bareboat, hiring a skipper still gives you some freedom and the ability to pilot the boat yourself, but it allows you to take along an expert, so to speak, and is recommended, if available, whenever you’re unfamiliar with the sailing conditions in a location. But, again, like going crewed, it will be more expensive.

There are a few things to check when you start looking at chartering a sailboat. After you’ve decided on crewed or bareboat, look at the charter company you’re planning on going with, and ask some questions about them. If possible, visit the location ahead of time. Is it clean? Are the boats in good condition, free from excess algae or barnacles? Are the ropes in good condition, or do they look frayed or worn? Is there a lot of trash lying around? None of these questions will completely tell you if the company is legitimate–some run-down looking places may be the best-kept secrets around, and some clean, tidy marinas may be efficient scamsters–but it will give you a good idea. If you can’t visit the site in person, you can check their record and always ask to see their insurance and papers before embarking.

With a little research and a lot of common sense, it need not be difficult to enjoy a first-rate vacation by chartering a sailboat and experiencing life on the open seas!