It’s hard to beat the outright indulgence of a Virgin Islands crewed yacht charter. Every detail is managed by a trained crew. From operating the yacht, to preparing your customized meals, you are covered. From keeping the vessel tidy and shipshape, to reading charts, all is done for you.
WANT TO ESCAPE?
But what about those times you feel the need to escape? To be alone with loved ones? Have a chance to trade polite intrusiveness with no-frills quality family time?
WHY NOT BAREBOAT?
Families who routinely enjoy luxury yacht charter vacations with a full-crew compliment can now opt to go boating in total privacy. They can choose a bareboat yacht charter.
What is bareboating? The concept is simple – just as you would rent a car to drive yourself, with some basic training, you can rent a bareboat and take the helm yourself!
WHAT IS A BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER?
A“bareboat”is just as the name sounds. It is a boat with just the bare essentials onboard. It comes with no food, no beverages, and most noticeably, no crew. You do your own cooking and cleaning. You operate and sail the yacht, yourself.
WHERE CAN I FIND A BAREBOAT?
Fleets of bareboats can be found in nearly every location you would expect to find a fully-crewed yacht charter vessel. Virgin Islands bareboat vacations are perhaps the most common. There are hundreds of boats available for rent in both St. Thomas, USVI, and Tortola, BVI.
Both sail yachts and motor yachts can be rented. They accommodate 2 to 8 passengers. A few bareboat catamaran yachts can even accommodate up to 10 passengers.
WHO RENTS BAREBOATS?
Companies such as 1-800-BAREBOAT, the Moorings, and Sunsail specialize in arranging self-skippered charters in destinations around the world; for example, Bahamas, Florida Keys, Greece, Corsica, Sardinia, France, Cote d’azur, Tortola, Tortolla, St. Thomas, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Tonga, Miami and South Florida.
GLOBAL FLEETS
Customers can choose from a global network of monohull sailboats with brands like Beneteau, Sun Odyssey, Dufour, or Jeanneau – and multihull catamarans with brands like Fountaine Pajot, Lagoon, and Sunreef.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Basic rental prices tend to be less much expensive than those of luxury crewed yacht charter vessels, but customers need to remember they are responsible to purchase and prepare their own meals. The cost to provision the yacht must be considered when comparing this bare bones charter option to the price of a crewed yacht.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN BAREBOATING?
Another important factor – the customer’s qualification to operate a boat.
Just as it takes skill and normally a license to operate a motor vehicle, similar rules apply to bareboats. While formal licenses are not usually necessary, a solid level of competency is necessary. The ability to read basic charts, navigate, and to set the anchor are the most important skills required to rent a bareboat.
HOW CAN I GET QUALIFIED TO BAREBOAT?
Luckily, these skills can easily be mastered, either through formal boating courses, or simply by garnering casual boating experience with your own boat or the boat of a friend or neighbor.
Popular ideas for bareboat yacht charter vacations are anniversary celebrations, family reunions (with boats sailing in tandem), couples getaways, and snorkeling adventures.
WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE CREW OR SAIL YOURSELF?
So before you plan your next tropical odyssey, give some thought and compare bareboat vacations to crewed charters – one of them will surely be the right choice for you, your family, and friends!
We first profiled motor yacht EXUMA, and we were skeptical of a builder known for launching luxury sailing charter vessels. Other yachts built by this manufacturer are MELEK and PANTHALASSA.
MOTORYACHT EXUMA
All doubts were erased about designer once the project was completed. Firstly, motor yacht EXUMA is award-winning. She earned the Motoryacht of the Year at the World Superyacht Awards 2011. Secondly, the 50 meter poweryacht was also named Best Displacement Motoryacht under 500 gross tons. Her builder? The Perini Navi Group, typically known for sailing yachts.
The yacht accommodates 8 to 9 guests, and she is currently in Tahiti. She is available for charter until early August. After some use by her owner, she will again be available from mid September to late October in Fiji.
WHAT MAKES YACHT EXUMA SPECIAL?
Exuma has a very low draft. She can access anchorages too shallow for most large yachts. Moreover, her shallow draft enables her to explore the reefs of French Polynesia.
Unique onboard toys include a Hovercraft, underwater Seabob scooter, an electric moped, and Amphibious jeep. Unique, indeed!
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