Top Four Destinations for Beginner Bareboat Chartering
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Starting out in bareboat chartering can be overwhelming, even after you’ve combed our archives and read articles like Yacht Charter 101 and 10 Tips for Charter Planning. You may still have questions about where you should you go, and what skills will you’ll need. Important factors to consider when assessing a location are the ease of navigation, the severity of local weather, distances between destinations, difficulty of anchoring, and the availability of multiple bareboat yacht charter companies. Here are four destinations in the order it would be best to tackle them, for beginner bareboat charterers looking to build skills and confidence while having fun in various parts of the world.
Beginner bareboat charterers will build confidence while having fun in these four destinations. Photo: Neil Rabinowitz/neilrabinowitz.com
British Virgin Islands
The BVIs have been referred to as Chartering 101. The Leeward Islands of the Caribbean generally serve up smaller swells, consistent winds of 10 to 20 knots, temps in the 70s and 80s, and short distances between idyllic islands. You’ve most likely heard of many places already like Foxy’s bar on Jost Van Dyke, Pusser’s marina with the world-famous Pain Killer rum cocktails, and the incomparable Baths on Virgin Gorda.
Anchoring is easy in 20 to 40 feet of water with sandy bottoms and there are lots of bars and small shops to keep everyone entertained. The Moorings, Sunsail, MarineMax Vacations and several other charter companies have bases on Tortola, which is centrally located in this paradise playground.
These waters present a slightly larger challenge, for bareboat charters with a bit of experience.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Once you’ve graduated from novice status, consider going southeast into the Caribbean Windward Islands. As the name implies, the winds (15 to 25 knots) are a little higher and the waves (5 to 8 foot swells) are a little bigger, and you should have your sailing and reefing skills down pat. For the most part navigation is still line-of-sight, with short distances so you can island hop from Union Island at the southern end, all the way up to St. Vincent at the northern—although that will be a six hour slog if done non-stop, usually against the wind.
Anchoring is variable with some deep areas and a few shallow reefs, especially in the Tobago Cays Marine Park. Typically however, it is not hard to find a sandy anchorage in 15 to 30 feet of water. Sunsail, Barefoot Yacht Charters and TMM Yacht Charters all have bases at the Blue Lagoon at the southern tip of St. Vincent. To start in the middle of the island chain, choose The Moorings base in Charlestown on Canouan Island. The best thing about this part of the world is the diversity of the islands where no two are alike; there is something for everyone on your boat.
Tahiti waters are more demanding, but make for a serious adventure.
Tahiti
If you’re looking for something more exotic and challenging, consider Tahiti. This is an incredibly scenic destination but it can be more demanding for bareboat chartering. The islands are a bit farther apart (mostly 15 to 25 miles) in the Leeward Society Islands where most bareboats go. Navigation can be tricky because the islands are surrounded by fringing reefs that can only be exited via marked passes. There are plenty of shallows and you must get to know water colors to gauge depths and cardinal marks to avoid grounding. It’s also important to remember that the French Society Islands do not follow the rule Red, Right Returning.
Anchoring can be in over 100 feet or in shallow waters with coral heads that love to grab chain. The tradewinds are fairly consistent but can pipe up to over 25 knots and then, usually on the nose as you’re heading back from Bora Bora to the base. Oh, and it helps to know French, although you can get by without it.
All this scary talk aside, Tahiti is a must-see charter destination with amazing vistas, beautiful water, friendly people and great food. The Moorings, Sunsail and Tahiti Yacht Charters all have bases on the island of Raiatea.
The west coast offers a completely different atmosphere for bareboat chartering. Anacortes is the best base to begin your charter.
San Juan Islands, Pacific Northwest
And now for something completely different. If you’re sick of aquamarine water, warm breezes and rum punch (what?) try more northern latitudes chartering among pine-covered islands. The San Juan Archipelago in the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington state has 450 islands to explore, only one sixth of which are inhabited. The islands are easy to get to and are clumped together so distances are short. The cruising season is short, however, and the best time to charter is July to September. Things to watch for are strong currents, a large tidal range, fog any time of year, lots of boat traffic including shipping and military, and anchorages that include underwater rocks and branches.
The islands are picturesque and you’re likely to spot Minke whales, Dall’s porpoise and the very popular orcas that swim in Haro Strait between US and Canadian waters.
The people are very friendly and the seafood is as fresh as can be. The town of Anacortes is the logical jumping-off point and Anacortes Yacht Charters, preferred partner to The Moorings, is the main charter company in the area. This might even be the time to try your hand at chartering a powerboat.
By Zuzana Prochazka on YacthWorld
