Bareboats are mainly of interest to those of you who already know how to sail and do not wish to have a captain or crew. Boats are equipped with the basics required to operate the yacht. In the Caribbean all bareboats come with dinghy and small outboard motor, and snorkeling gear for everyone. Bedding and towels are also provided. You take care of everything else including the cooking and cleaning, and are fully responsible for the safe operation of the yacht.

You can hire a captain to sail the yacht for you, but this does not release you from responsibility for any damage, as he is considered to be your employee. Chartering a bareboat and then hiring a captain can cost less during the summer season but be aware that the cost of a bareboat is only the beginning. To that you need to add food, drinks, extra fuel and water, moorings, dinners out (because nobody's cooking for you!), the cost of the captain and his meals, and damage insurance. Bareboat companies jack their prices up during the busy winter season, and then you can often find a larger, better equipped fully-crewed yacht for less than the cost of a bareboat and captain! Sailing Vacations no longer arranges bareboat charters, but if this is the best choice for you, we would be happy to recommend the best broker to help you arrange this, depending on your needs. Just send us an email and let us know. (Link at the bottom of this page).

Crewed Yachts have a captain and one or more additional crew members that prepare gourmet meals for you and provide a high degree of personal service. Most crewed yachts are very well equipped and have lots of features not found on the usual bareboat including 110v AC power, TV/VCR, a large library of video and audio tapes or CDs, books games snorkeling and fishing gear, floating sun mats, a larger and more powerful dinghies that you can water-ski behind, and more. Often, crewed yachts are air conditioned and offer scuba diving, sailing instruction or other specialties. During high season the smaller crewed yachts may cost less than a bareboat with captain, all things considered.