If you have enough sailing experience and posses necessary licences, we give you the option of bareboat charter.
If you decide to take this option, bare in mind that you are now responsible for overall safety on board. At sea it is very important to know who the captain is and who everyone must obey without question in dangerous situations (taking a democratic approach can only be harmful in these situations). In case you are the captain of your crew, understand that you have great responsibility on your hands.
Even though there is only one captain, all crew members share responsibility for the boat and general well being. One person can’t by themselves navigate the boat, take care of her running properly, set itineraries, cook, clean and still have time to rest and have fun (because you are on vacation!). Everyone on board must take some responsibility and obligations. This doesn’t apply to avoiding danger of accidents or bed weather, but to everyday running things on board. All of you are responsible for keeping the boat clean and tidy, taking care of the boat’s inventory and behaving in accordance with good maritime manners (for your own sake, as well as for other yachtsmen). Responsible behaviour reduces the chance of any problems, allowing everyone to relax, have fun and learn. If you have great time, it is very likely you will wish to come back again.
To charter a yacht without professional skipper in the first place, you must have some licences. That includes a valid skipper licence and the licence to use the VHF radio. You must have these original permits with you on board during your charter. Also, with you on board you must have a valid crew list, verified by the Port Authority. If some changes to your crew list occur during your charter, you are obligated to notify the nearest Port Authority of these changes immediately.
If you don’t have enough yachting experience, don’t have necessary licences or if you simply want to relx on your vacation and not to worry about anything, you’ll hire a skiper, and maybe even a hostess (depending on your needs, preferences and how much room on board you have).
Having a professional skipper on board can make your sailing experience much more pleasant and enjoyable. If you don’t have enough sailing experience or if you have some doubts about your skills don’t hesitate to rely on a professional. He’ll drive the boat and take care of her, but he’ll also give you some sailing advice, suggest routs, answer most of your questions, show you some fine restaurants and help you to find your way in a (probably) unknown area.
Because of their size, power and price, larger yachts can be chartered only with skipper or crew, and there is usually a separate crew cabin. However, if there isn’t one on board, keep in mind to save a berth for skipper. Besides sleeping, you are also responsible for the food for the crew so don’t foret about that when buying groceries or going out to the restaurant.
All these things also go for the hostess.
She’ll cook and keep the boat clean, but she can also give you various useful advice and suggestions.
Skipper and hosstes take care of the boat, while you realx and enjoy your vacation. Some guests sometimes forget what their jobs are, and treat them as personal servants, which is, of course, not true. You can read more about the jobs of skipper, hosstes and other crew members in The Crew section.
If you want to hire a skipper or hostess don’t forget why they’re there for and treat them with respect so you could all have a fun and enjoyable week(or more).
If you charter one of the bigger yachts (longer than 50 feet), you will probably get at least two crew members with her. Luxury yachts are chartered only with full crew. Still, why wouldn’t you want to have a few people who will take care of absolutely everything on board, while everything that you do is relax and have fun?
On these yachts, crew quarters are separate from the guest area, so you have your privacy.
Crew consists of captain, sailor, hostess and chef, and sometimes there is also a guard.
Each of them has their duties, and they are all professionals on which you can rely to keep things in order and under control.
Captain is in charge of navigating the yacht and setting the itinerary (in agreement with you); sailor is servicing boat, keeping her in good condition, helps the captain, assist with docking, and takes care of other minor maintenance; hostess makes sure that interior of the boat is clean and tidy; and the chef is in charge of preparing meals and supplying the boat with food and beverages. More detailed descriptions of the jobs of all crew member read in The Crew section.
If you have an entire crew on your disposal you don’t have to worry about cooking, shopping, cleaning, managing the boat, navigation… All you need to do is to relax, enjoy the comfort of the luxury yacht and scenic beauty around you.