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Suppling your own crew and members - Bareboat Charter Sailing If you have sailing experience and desire privacy and freedom to navigate the Caribbean and Bahamian waters yourself, consider a bareboat charter. This means that the charterer takes responsibility for supplying crew and provisions (though some companies will supply provisions to bareboat charterers) and the charter company will not provide a captain or skipper. If you have experience, you may captain the boat yourself. You could also charter bareboat with a group and appoint the most experienced person as the captain or skipper, or hire your own captain and crew separately. Agencies usually require a sailing resume if you decide to charter bareboat, for safety and insurance reasons. Routine information includes: if you ever owned a sailing vessel, if you have chartered in the past, if you have long distance sailing experience, if you can understand a nautical chart, and if you have any certification from any recognized organizations such as the American Sailing Association (ASA). Chartering bareboat makes a less costly alternative to chartering with a crew and has been especially popular in recent years. Typically, insurance is included in the bareboat charter and maintenance is cheaper as well. Many sailing charter agencies cater solely to bareboat charterers. Another advantage, you can usually travel further, visiting more locations and enjoying more activities. If traveling with a captain and crew, you might have to accommodate them with room and board onshore as well as on the boat. If you would like to charter bareboat, but don't have the necessary experience, many companies give sailing courses. The ASA offers a basic bareboat standard course, but the two prerequisites are basic keelboat sailing and basic coastal cruising. All courses include theory and practical parts and all three courses together take 10-12 days to finish, so plan for a trip of 10-12 days. If you plan for lessons while you sail your vacation, your instructor meets you right at the start to walk you through every step. During this period, you will learn how to hoist sails, tie knots, navigate the boat through confined spaces, perform emergency overboard procedures, use the radio, drop anchor, and moor for an overnight stay. When you complete the courses, you will be certified to sail by the American Sailing Association (ASA). |
