Buyers’ Guide to Bareboat Charters, Part I
Captaining a “bareboat” charter has a lot of appeal for most of us with boating experience, allowing us to enjoy command of a boat in an exotic location where remarkable hideaway harbors and vacant beaches or charming and historic waterfront ports call from many directions.
Bareboating allows you to go where you want to go when you want to go and stay as long as you like—or as long as you can afford--and to enjoy the challenges of running your own boat, learning to handle it when docking and anchoring, and also charting your own course each day.
It also gives you complete privacy—just your family and invited guests will be aboard. No “strangers” in captain and crew.
But bareboating is not for everyone.
You have to have a certain level of experience or you’re just not going to be welcomed as a bareboat charter skipper.
The charter company is entrusting you with a yacht that may be worth anywhere from a half-million dollars upwards, and they just don’t want you bouncing it off reefs and rocks or running into docks and piers.
The requirements for sailing yachts are more stringent than for power yachts, not surprisingly.
Most bareboat charter companies will first require that skippers complete an online resume form. This evaluates the experience not only of the skipper but of every crewmember.
There will have to be at least two of you with significant experience on a boat of the size and type you’re chartering for your group to be bareboat candidates, since one operator can’t be on duty 24/7 and also because the primary captain could be incapacitated by an accident or illness during the charter. This will be a consideration if your significant other wants no part of trying to run a boat. Plan to team with another couple with boating expertise if your partner doesn’t have the required experience.
The resume won’t be all it takes to put you in command—the company is going to “ground truth” your abilities when you come aboard, so you’ll need to be honest up front.
For sailboats, most charter operations require 50 days of sailing history, 25 of which were as master of the vessel and 25 of which were on a vessel greater than 28 feet.
To qualify for a bareboat in the French Riviera, for example, U.S. clients must have passed a US Sailing “Basic Keelboat”, and ASA “103 Basic Coastal Cruising” course or above
On the larger yachts, the companies usually provide an instructor who will spend two to three hours with you teaching you the boat and at the same time evaluating your ability to run it. Some choose to arrive a day ahead of their charter and get this test run out of the way before their rental begins if the charter company provides for it. Otherwise, be aware that you can’t really go anywhere for the first half-day of your charter until this session is out of the way.
Yacht Insurance
At most charter operations, you will be required to pay an added charge for yacht damage insurance or YDI as well as a yacht damage deposit.
The yacht damage deposit will be a significant amount that could melt some credit cards, be aware. The amount is based on whether or not you opt for the yacht damage waiver insurance, typically about $50 to $100 per day depending on the size and value of the boat.
If you buy the YDI, the deposit for a 50 footer might be around $5,000. If you don’t buy the YDI, it is likely to be $12,000. If you’re not carrying an unlimited card, this might be a problem. This charge goes away after you check the yacht back in and it’s hopefully in the same condition as when you departed.
Check in advance that your credit/debit cards will be accepted for any large last minute charges, and be sure to notify the card companies that you will be traveling and that they will be getting legitimate charges from remote locations or you may get that dreaded “card declined” response.
Meals Aboard
If your family is typical, you’re likely to buy more food than you need and expect to eat aboard more than you will when you get on the water. Unless you have a dedicated chef in the crew, nobody wants to cook when they could be diving, fishing or exploring the beach. Plus, there are always really unique waterfront eateries where ever you anchor, and everybody wants to sample the cuisine there, so meals aboard may not be nearly as numerous as you expect.
Most large operations have grocery stores at the docks, but if not these are often only a short walk away, or the charter operation will arrange to have your food already aboard when you arrive.
Take along plenty of everybody’s favorite libation, of course, but it’s not a bad idea to enforce the “sun below the yardarm” rule for when happy hour begins. Starting the day with bloody Mary’s and enjoying Mimosa’s with brunch can have an unhappy end—and of course boat operation for a skipper who has had several drinks greatly increases the odds of accident, to say nothing of charges for BUI.