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Bareboat Companies by Island | Catamarans | Monohulls | Motor Yachts | Why Book Through Us | Specials | Worldwide |  |
 
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Qualifications for bareboat chartering? To qualify for bareboat chartering you simply need to have experience skippering a similarly operated (sail or power) yacht that is within 8-10 feet of the yacht you wish to charter. With experience, a certification or license is not required in most locations. (A sailing license is required in Greece and Croatia.) You also need experience with various skills: anchoring, moorings, docking, navigating, and so on. The extent required of these skills depends on the difficulty of the location you wish to charter. For example, the British Virgin Islands is considered an "easy" sailing location with very little anchoring, docking and navigation required. In the BVI you don't need a large amount of experience with these skills to qualify to bareboat. If your experience seems a little light, there are two choices for your charter: 1. We will arrange for a captain to sail with you the first day for a more extensive yacht briefing and to ensure you are comfortable with the yacht. The captain will go over any sailing skills you may need to brush up on, plus they will give you a lot of great local knowledge. 2. A flotilla, which is a group of bareboat yachts that sail together with a fixed itinerary and a lead yacht with a professional captain on board. This is the perfect opportunity for you to bareboat with a little guidance. There are one and two week flotillas available in many locations. You can charter any yacht you want and simply pay a small flotilla fee. Feel free to email us at bareboats@visailing.com with the details (include size and hours) of your experience and we can let you what size yachts you are qualified to bareboat. Can I charter a catamaran with only monohull experience? Yes! Catamarans are gaining popularity and many monohull sailors are easily making the transition. All the sailing basics are the same; the main difference is operating the twin-screw engines. With experience on similar sized monohulls but no experience with twin-screw engines, we'll hire a captain the first afternoon for approximately $150 - $200 to accompany you for a few hours. You'll see that once you have the opportunity to operate the twin engines, they are actually easier than the single engines on a monohull. Can I get bareboat certified during my charter? Yes! The best destination for bareboat certification while on charter is the Virgin Islands both because the area is favorable for learning to sail and because there are many yacht options. With a little pre-studying bareboat certification can be accomplished during a 7 night charter. The certification is ASA and includes 3 consecutive courses: 101, 103 and 104. In order to stay within the ASA regulations, you would need to charter a monohull. Or, you can complete the first course in 2 days at a local Tortola sailing school which is not a live aboard. Then you can continue on a catamaran for the other two courses. You can charter any bareboat that has a cabin/berth for the ASA captain. The ASA captain's fee is $165 - $200/day, plus meals and gratuity. The course materials and exams cost approximately $100/person. The most ideal situation is to charter for 10 nights, allowing 7 nights to accomplish your bareboat certification and an additional 3 nights on your own. Who do I contact about my charter? Throughout your charter planning and until your charter date, you will work with Melody Delgado and/or Joann Higgins at Virgin Island Sailing for all your charter needs: 800-382-9666 or 941-966-9387. Both Melody and Joann are industry experts in addition to many personal charters and even previously living on Tortola. Once you arrive at your charter destination you will work directly with the excellent charter company's staff. The local phone numbers and office hours will be provided to you prior to your charter. Can I bring my children? Absolutely! A yacht charter is a wonderful family vacation and we encourage bringing children of all ages. Melody has chartered with her daughter as early as 9 months old to now 15 years old and Joann has worked with families of all sizes. Feel free to contact us for great parental charter advice, plus there is a great article on our website about chartering with kids, please See Link. Should I charter from Tortola or St. Thomas? Our best advice is to charter from whichever location you can rent the best yacht for your group. Charters starting in both Tortola and St. Thomas share the same cruising area with most of your charter days in the BVI. St. Thomas and Tortola are only a few miles apart and sailing time is 2-3 hours. Therefore, it's best to be on the right yacht rather than worrying about your starting island. Melody and Joann can check availability and make recommendations based on your group's needs, email bareboats@visailing.com. Return to FAQs list
What are yacht orientation and chart breifing? A bareboat charter yacht handover (yacht orientation) will usually take about an hour. You should be as familiar with the vessel as possible before leaving the dock. As a minimum, the skipper and at least one other member of the crew should be shown:
It is important not to rush the yacht orientation and don't be afraid to ask questions! If there is anything you are
not sure of or want to know more about, an extra 15 minutes at the start of your charter could save you hours of down time during your vacation. The charter company would
prefer you to feel 100% confident before you leave the dock.
Clearing customs between BVI and USVI? During a Virgin Islands charter, you need to clear customs when entering a new country (BVI to USVI or vice versa.) Clearing customs into the USVI is usually done at Cruz Bay, St. John. Clearing customs into the BVI can be done at Soper's Hole on the west end of Tortola or Great Bay, Jost Van Dyke. The process of clearing customs typically takes 45 minutes. Start and end charter on a specific day of the week? Charters throughout the Caribbean and South Pacific start and end any day of the week. Most Mediterranean charters start and end on Friday or Saturday. Sleep aboard or hotel for arrival night? The main advantage to a sleep aboard is that you'll leave the dock earlier the next day. Charters with a sleep aboard usually leave the marina around 11:00 AM, whereas clients without a sleep aboard usually leave the marina around 2:00 PM. Sleep aboard boarding times vary by charter company, but all are between 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. The cost varies greatly depending on the charter company: $25/person up to 85% of the gross daily charter fee. Sleep aboard rates are posted on the individual bareboat company's rate pages. With a sleep aboard, you will load your gear that evening and have an opportunity to become familiar with your yacht prior to the yacht orientation. Also, you can usually provision that evening - especially in the Virgin Islands. If you arrive after the office is closed, the yacht's lights will be on, the refrigerator cold and there will be instructions describing the yacht's systems and where the head and shower are on shore. We recommend bringing a flashlight. The staff will show you the yacht’s complete systems the next day in a yacht orientation. On the other hand, a sleep aboard can be uncomfortable, especially in the summer when most marinas are very protected and can be hot and buggy. Ask us about individual marinas. Most hotels near the marinas will accept one-night reservations. Their prices start around $90 per room/night in low season and around $200 per room/night in high season, plus tax and service charge. Remember that a good night's sleep in a nice cool room after a long day of travel can be the best way to start your vacation! You can see a good selection of hotels on our “Local Information” pages by clicking here: Local Links Taxi and/or ferry fees included? With all charter companies and in all locations, taxi and/or ferry fees are not included in the charter fee. Throughout the Caribbean and the majority of other worldwide locations, the charter company will arrange for your taxi after receiving your arrival details. With a few companies in Tortola, BVI you can pre-purchase your taxi and ferry expense. What time will I leave the dock? If you reserve a sleep aboard for your arrival night, you can expect to leave the marina around 11:00 AM after your chart briefing and yacht orientation. Without a sleep aboard, charters typically start at noon which is also the boarding time. After loading your gear and provisions and completing your chart briefing and yacht orientation, you can expect to leave the marina between 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Expenses during Virgin Islands charter? 1. Overnight moorings (buoys) average $25-$30/night. The moorings are first come, first serve. You should plan to arrive at your overnight location by 3:00 – 3:30 pm during the higher seasons and 4:00 – 4:30 pm during the slower seasons. Once you hook-up to an available mooring, someone will approach your yacht in a dinghy to collect payment and give you a receipt, or the mooring will have instructions to pay a specific restaurant ashore. Only cash is accepted for mooring usage fees. 2. Meals ashore. Charterers usually dine ashore for at least half of their dinners and occasionally breakfast or lunch. Most restaurants accept credit cards – Visa and MasterCard are more widely accepted than Amex. The average cost for dinner and drinks is $50/person. Of course this does not include a delicious Caribbean lobster! 3. Ice & Water. Only cash is accepted in most locations. Ice costs $3.00 - $4.00/bag and water costs approximately $0.15/gallon. 4. Fuel. Most charters require you to top off your fuel tanks. The exact procedure will be reviewed during your chart briefing. The average fuel cost is $5.15/gallon. 5. The British Virgin Islands Departure Tax is $20/person if leaving Tortola by plane or $5/person if leaving Tortola by ferry.
The currency in British and US Virgin Islands is US Dollars. The are a few ATMs within the cruising area.
Please contact us for expenses during charters in other destinations. Virgin Islands provisioning options? The most convenient provisions/beverages option is to place your order in advance of your charter. The Moorings, Sunsail and Footloose offer their own provisions packages, which we recommend if you're chartering from one of these companies. Otherwise, you can order direct from the local grocery stores which do not have an up-charge and offer free delivery. The two largest grocery stores in Road Town are Bobby’s Market Place and Rite Way. Simply download the order forms from their sites and submit your order directly to your store of choice. For a larger selection of beverages, see Tico. You can also self provision at either of these stores the day your charter starts. Almost everything you will consume or throw away you will need to supply, including charcoal for the grill. Please see the specific yacht information pages for a list of items included with your charter. Provisions options are generally the same for all locations, but please contact us for details. Fuel Policy? Yes, for all power yachts and the majority of sailing yachts. The best places to top off your fuel tanks will be discussed during your chart briefing. The Moorings in the Caribbean and South Pacific include fuel in their charter fee, so refueling is not required. Sunsail, Footloose and TMM (non-generator yachts) have a convenient pre-pay fuel surcharge so that you do not need to refuel at the end of your charter. Is trip cancellation insurance offered? Yes and it is recommended! Some charter companies have their own trip insurance that will be offered when reserving your charter. Or, with any charter you can purchase trip insurance from one of our recommended companies for approximately 7% of your charter amount, See Link. Although no one expects to cancel their charter, last minute emergencies do happen. All companies have a no refund policy at a certain time before the charter - please see the cancellation policies posted on the individual bareboat company's rate pages. There are only a small percentage of charters that are cancelled, but in these cases the outcome is much better with trip insurance involved. What should I pack? See Link Dinghy & outboard included? All charter companies in all locations include a dinghy. Throughout the Caribbean and worldwide, an outboard is also included. The only exceptions are some Mediterranean locations - the outboard is not included, but available for rent. We try to list the dinghy and outboard sizes on the yacht information pages on our site. However, if the size is not provided online, we are happy to find out for you. Snorkeling gear included? Snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel & fins) is provided free of charge with the following companies: BVI Yacht Charters, Conch Charters, CYOA Yacht Charters, Footloose, Kiriacoulis (upon request), The Moorings, Sunsail, TMM, VIP Yacht Charters and Voyage. The Catamaran Company provides fins only with masks and snorkels available for rent. Both Horizon Yacht Charters and Virgin Traders do not provide snorkeling gear, but it is available for rent at the local dive shop. Please note that snorkeling gear is usually adult size. Chart and cruising guide provided? All yachts in all locations will have a navigation chart on board. For all Caribbean locations, Virgin Island Sailing Ltd. gives all clients a free cruising guide and planning chart. This is one of the many advantages to using VI Sailing for your charter! Coffee maker on board? Yes, a coffee maker is on board all yachts. Yachts that are not equipped with a generator will have a stove-top percolator. Yachts with a generator will either have a stove-top percolator or a drip coffee maker. A filter is not required for either. Cell phone service? All Tortola yachts have a cell phone available with a prepay phone credit of $10 - $20 to use towards calls. Additional credits can be purchased throughout the cruising area. Calls to/from the charter company are free. Calls to the USA are approximately $0.50/minute. Many personal cell phones will work in the Caribbean. If you have a GSM phone and an international calling plan, your phone should work. However, call your cell phone provider for specific details. Calls from the Caribbean to your home country usually cost $3.00 - $4.00/minute, so it's best to use the on board cell phone if possible. Internet service available? In the BVI and USVI there are some WIFI locations and “internet cafes” throughout the cruising area. During your chart briefing, the charter company will inform you of the current locations. Internet service is not available in most other cruising areas, but please check with Melody or Joann. Can I use my iPod or MP3 player? Yes! Newer yachts are being equipped with an iPod/mp3 input in the stereo - please check the online yacht specs. For other yachts, you will need to bring or rent an FM transmitter or similar device that plugs into a 12V cigarette lighter and tunes to a radio frequency, which will then play through the yacht's speakers. Fishing license required? In the BVI, a fishing license is required for anyone 18 years or older who will be fishing during your charter. You can apply for a license at the Government Office on Tortola, Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. However, for convenience we recommend working with either Last Stop Sports or Island Surf and Sail to apply for your license prior to your charter, and to rent your fishing gear. A fishing license is not required in the USVI. Please check with Melody or Joann for requirements in all other locations. Scuba diving options? Certified divers can rent scuba gear and tanks to take on board their yacht. Bareboats are not equipped with compressors or dive tank racks, but racks can be rented. Another option in the BVI is rendezvous diving whereas the dive company will pick you up from your yacht with your necessary gear. You would dive from their yacht, which is typically closer to the dive sites because some mooring balls are designated for dive boats only. For more information see Blue Water Divers on Tortola or Admiralty Diving on St. Thomas. Please check with Melody or Joann for rental companies in all other locations. Can I use a hair dryer on board? Hair dryers and yachts really don't go well together. But, if you must use one on board, please plan on bringing a very low wattage travel hair dryer. For non-generator yachts, you may also need to bring or rent an inverter. Please ask Melody or Joann about specific yachts. Keep in mind that you can also use a hair dryer on shore during your charter. Water on board potable? No, you should not drink the water from the yacht's water tanks. You should purchase bottled water for drinking. The amount of water to purchase will depend on your group and how much other beverages you'll have on board. As a general rule, you should purchase about 1/2 gallon per person/day. Recommended gratuity for hired crew? If you are having a captain and/or cook, it is customary to tip them at the end of your charter. For a first day check out Captain, $30-$50 is usual and for crew staying on board for the entire vacation, 10-15% of the captain/cook fee is suggested. This is at your discretion of course! Are pets Allowed? No, pets are not allowed on any charters. Can I charter by myself? No, sorry. Regardless of your experience, for safety reasons, at least two people are required on board. Call us any time if you have questions!
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