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Marine Directory
where we let you have your say on the quality of service you have
received from any organisation in the leisure marine industry around the
world.
Below is an impartial piece on yacht and bare boat
charters but for information on any marine organisation then please use our free search facility.
Bareboat charter is the freedom of the seas
in its purest form, where the dream comes alive. Like renting a car
without a chauffeur, you must be able to 'drive' it, so to charter
bareboat, at least one and preferably two of your party must be able to
sail the yacht unaided. Help is available if you need it, but on the sea
the skipper's word is law (in every sense), so responsibility rests with
him or her.
Sailing qualifications are helpful,
but they don't always tell the whole story. Many sailors have a wealth
of experience without certification of any sort. So if you have no
formal training it doesn't mean you can't skipper a bareboat yacht
(subject to local law), but you must have experience of responsibility
in sailing a yacht of a similar type, in the conditions you might
expect, wherever you plan to charter. If you are in doubt, please
discuss it with the charter company.
Bareboat & "Skippered" yacht charter utilises
the same boats, simply with or without a professional skipper, and they
come in a huge range of shapes and sizes. There are hundreds of yachts
and an enormous number of different models to choose from. Their prices
match this variety, so there's truly something for everyone.
What should you expect of a bareboat yacht?
What are your priorities?
Like most other things, the type of yacht you charter will depend, to
some degree, on its cost. A yacht's level of equipment and her age (an
over-used yardstick) has a bearing but at it's most basic, the yacht
should be fit for the purpose, equipped with all you need to sail her
safely, including all navigational tools (whether that means GPS and
chart plotter or simply parallel rule and pencil) and manuals for the
increasingly complex gear on modern yachts. All of this, plus relevant
charts and pilot books are aboard all bare boats we offer; you won't
need to take so much as a pencil. Apart from personal possessions and
provisioning, you will be able to step aboard and leave the dock.
The charter-yachts' life
Bareboat charter yachts, sailed by a multitude of people who do things
differently, means that deck gear and rigging can have a hard life,
sometimes to the point of abuse. If something fails and you can fix it,
then jury-rig it temporarily. But always tell the charter operator about
any equipment failure as soon as you reasonably can, then follow their
advice — don't wait until you return the yacht and complain about
something that stopped working five days ago. It's too late to help
then.
Does all the yacht's
equipment work?
All the gear should work, which is obvious of course, but it can also be
difficult in this technological age. People expect an increasing amount
of electronics on yachts and we get more questions about whether a
notebook PC can be plugged in or a mobile phone recharged than we do
about life jackets. Be aware that, ultimately, electronics and salt
water don't mix. If suddenly you can't use the hair dryer, don't let it
ruin your holiday. If the VHF packs up, get to a phone as soon as
possible and tell the charter operator. It's all a matter of degree and
you must make the judgment.
Know your ability
Bareboat charter is for the adventurously-minded sailor, who likes to do
his/her own thing independently. Operators of bareboat yachts will
always try to help if needed, but you should be reasonably sure of your
ability to run the yacht you're chartering on your own, for the limited
time she's under your command.
Check her out first
The most important advice is check the yacht before you take her out.
Not a quick five minute glance over the gell-coat, take your time. You
will be asked to sign an acceptance form before leaving, so know what
you're accepting and note anything irregular (including what you
couldn't inspect short of a haul out). What happens after that, apart
from normal wear and tear, is your responsibility.
Do you want to recommend a Boat Charter Company
that has given you good
service? See if it is already listed and if not then why not list
them with your recommendation?
Listing is FREE! Just use the 'Suggest a Company'
link above.
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Find boat charters from all around the world listed right here in
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