Bareboat Cruising

Bareboat Chartering is an ideal vacation. The term "bareboat" refers to the lack of hired captain and crew and allows you and your guests a great adventure sailing through the most beautiful locales of the world all on your own. Bareboat Chartering is not an activity that one can just hop right in to, but with the right training and a bit of experience, it can make for an amazing experience that you will want to repeat again and again.

Our Bareboat Cruising course is designed for sailors looking to develop skills on larger boats and to prepare themselves to charter vessels in the 35 - 50ft range throughout the world. Upon successful completion of our program you will receive Bareboat Chartering certification which can be presented to charter companies as proof of you skill level and ability to charter. Bareboat Cruising is intended for those with Coastal Cruising certification or equivalent skills.

2 Day Weekend Course

Our weekend lessons meet Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. There is a break in the middle of the day for lunch

Program Cost

$749
* Includes all equipment, taxes and docking fees

What You'll Learn

• Cruise planning: Proper provisioning techniques, planning destinations within a safe distance, choosing anchorages for their protection and holding ground, dealing with customs in foreign ports

• Wheel steering: Learning how to exploit the mechanical advantage of the wheel while learning to anticipate less feel than the rudder

• Advanced navigation: Piloting, chart-reading, dead reckoning, plotting

• Diesel engines: Operation, care, troubleshooting, diesel engine theory, fuel/air/compression partnership

• Electrical instruments: Depth sounder, knot meter, VHF radio and more

• Close quarters maneuvering: Operate in narrow slip ways with confidence and control in any wind conditions

• Prop walk: Learn what it is, how it complicates backing up and how to use it to your advantage

• Windage: Manage the increased profile a bigger yacht presents to the wind while maneuvering in close quarters

• Handling emergencies: Learn the additional emergencies that pop up in a long bareboat charter cruise and how to prevent, respond to and recover from them

• Current sailing: Plot courses and plan cruises factoring in the time, direction and strength of currents as well as the ‘safe water’ issues in tidal areas

• Weather forecasting: Ensure that you are prepared for your entire charter to keep your crew and yacht safe and comfortable regardless of what Mother Nature intends. Long term forecasts, reading the sky, anticipating wind and sea states and directions

• Spring and warp lines: Learn how to control larger yachts in and out of the dock when they are too big to simply push

• Dinghy handling: Dinghies are a great asset for cruising sailors as long as they know the secrets of towing, boarding and disembarking

• Roller furling: Learn how to benefit from one of the greatest conveniences in yachts in the last 50 years along with secrets on preventing a jam or working up a sweat furling it while in a big blow

• Emergency tiller use: All sailors will lose their steering someday. Learn how to use and how to manage the limitations of emergency tillers

• Preventative maintenance: Learn to keep the major equipment in good shape, protect sails from UV, check critical fluids in the engine and much more