Getting into Boat Chartering

[storm]

Hi Everyone, I am looking for advice on the best way to get into bareboat chartering.

Background:
I have a group of monhaul sailors with various sailing experiences - rail meat to 300-mile racers with no ocean experience.
We want to start bareboat catamaran chartering so I believe our first step is to get our ICC designation - correct?
To achieve this I am thinking of a 1-week liveaboard training course in the Caribbean, and based on the number of people probably 2 /3 boats.

Questions:
1) Is this 1-wk liveaboard training the best approach?
2) What are your recommendations on:
a) Chartering company recommendations ( nautilu, Go Sail Virgin Is, TheMoorings, etc)
b) Which location? I hear a lot of people recommend BVI but it is not the easiest location to get to.

Looking forward to your thoughts....

 

[Michael Davis]

Why not take the coarse in Toronto and do the practical on your own boat? I did mine in Comox B.C. at a charter company then the practical on my boat.

 

[tfox2069]

Hi Everyone, I am looking for advice on the best way to get into bareboat chartering.

Background:
I have a group of monhaul sailors with various sailing experiences - rail meat to 300-mile racers with no ocean experience.
We want to start bareboat catamaran chartering so I believe our first step is to get our ICC designation - correct?
To achieve this I am thinking of a 1-week liveaboard training course in the Caribbean, and based on the number of people probably 2 /3 boats.

Questions:
1) Is this 1-wk liveaboard training the best approach?
2) What are your recommendations on:
a) Chartering company recommendations ( nautilu, Go Sail Virgin Is, TheMoorings, etc)
b) Which location? I hear a lot of people recommend BVI but it is not the easiest location to get to.

Looking forward to your thoughts....

Depending on your sailing resume, and that of your crew, you might not need a certification depending on where you're going. I didn't require a certification to rent a 42 foot catamaran from Moorings in 2022 and I had zero catamaran time. They did require me to get a checkout from a Moorings captain before departing, but that ended up being no more than a conversation with a guy on the dock and away we went for a week. Am guessing they look at sailing resumes fairly closely to make a determination, and certifications definitely make you better, and more confident. So definitely not discouraging you from doing that before renting. But for the easy destination(s) you might be just fine. For the more difficult destinations (and they have a rating system) they appear to require more stringent experience/certs.

 

[storm]

Depending on your sailing resume, and that of your crew, you might not need a certification depending on where you're going. I didn't require a certification to rent a 42 foot catamaran from Moorings in 2022 and I had zero catamaran time. They did require me to get a checkout from a Moorings captain before departing, but that ended up being no more than a conversation with a guy on the dock and away we went for a week. Am guessing they look at sailing resumes fairly closely to make a determination, and certifications definitely make you better, and more confident. So definitely not discouraging you from doing that before renting. But for the easy destination(s) you might be just fine. For the more difficult destinations (and they have a rating system) they appear to require more stringent experience/certs.

Interesting, I thought you need your ICC. Good to know that there are places you don't.

 

[storm]

Depending on your sailing resume, and that of your crew, you might not need a certification depending on where you're going. I didn't require a certification to rent a 42 foot catamaran from Moorings in 2022 and I had zero catamaran time. They did require me to get a checkout from a Moorings captain before departing, but that ended up being no more than a conversation with a guy on the dock and away we went for a week. Am guessing they look at sailing resumes fairly closely to make a determination, and certifications definitely make you better, and more confident. So definitely not discouraging you from doing that before renting. But for the easy destination(s) you might be just fine. For the more difficult destinations (and they have a rating system) they appear to require more stringent experience/certs.

Thanks, for your response - I thought you need to get your ICC on the type of boat you were chartering ie mon-haul vs cat. Go to know that is not the case.

 

[dlochner]

Your best bet to contact the charter company directly. They will tell you what you require. My experience, although it was decades ago before the ASA courses was sending in a sailing resume and a conversation on the dock and the boat. It is pretty easy to size a sailor, listen to their questions, watch how they look at the boat and move around.

I believe the requirements for chartering in Europe are more stringent and they may require a RYC certificate.

 

[jssailem]

I didn't require a certification to rent a 42 foot catamaran from Moorings in 2022 and I had zero catamaran time. They did require me to get a checkout from a Moorings captain before departing, but that ended up being no more than a conversation with a guy on the dock and away we went for a week

We had a similar experience in 2019. It is noted, that Moorings had our credit cards. We had purchased insurance. We sat in a 90 minute meeting regarding the area permitting sailing and access to the Moorings support.

In our case there were two boat owners of mono-hulls with multiple years of coastal and open water experience. With the financial (credit card) possession, acceptance of the sailing resume, and the desire to make a deal to get the boat out on the water all played out in our charter experience.

I believe our first step is to get our ICC designation - correct?

As indicated above, in Belize not a requirement. The limit of sailing area (inside the barrier reef) may have been in play.

Questions:
1) Is this 1-wk liveaboard training the best approach?
2) What are your recommendations on:
a) Chartering company recommendations ( nautilu, Go Sail Virgin Is, TheMoorings, etc)
b) Which location? I hear a lot of people recommend BVI but it is not the easiest location to get to.

1)… Is this training (a qualified Instructor, a curriculum, a recognized certification) or is this experience based activities recorded by the individuals on a sailing resume? Not sure if there is a “best” approach. My experience appears to support (as far as Moorings goes) that a resume of experience is acceptable.
2).. My positive experience was with Moorings.
3).. This depends on what you are attempting to accomplish. If sailing open ocean in the Atlantic experience is the goal, I feel you will receive a more open ocean experience in the 200nm’s of the waters of the Lesser Antilles St Lucia to Antigua as each island is separated by 25 to 40 nm of open ocean. Weather and sea state are dependent on the weather of the Trade winds. On my sail during January 2024, we saw 15-20kn average winds with gusts to 35kn. Sea states were from 1.5 to 3.5 meters with east to west currents of 2 knots. These conditions appear normal for the Trades. As you move north the conditions will change with a different influence. The conditions of the North Atlantic are influenced by a whole different set of conditions.

 

[shemandr]

My first reaction to the OP was to learn how to bare boat you should take a captain led charter in the area you want to charter. Taking a training course on a charter would be even better. But even if you just hire a captain (Not a friend) for the first few days you will be ahead. Additionally a captain can be the bad guy and make unpopular decisions when necessary and mitigate hard feelings between friends.
Knowing the ropes includes a weather eye, knowing where to be in adverse weather, more importantly knowing where not to be, knowing the anchoring or mooring practices, knowing where to fuel, water and pumpout. And if crossing borders a captain can prep the crew for the red tape. Imagine a captain saying "No don't enter there they make it difficult. Go to .... because it is easier." What is that worth?

 

[jssailem]

AS a resource… check out Noonsite.com.

 

[capta]

As a retired American charterboat captain, I have no knowledge of Canadian laws about chartering.
However, if you are positive you want to give it a try, I'll send a few of the important things to consider of being successful at chartering.
Lately, we had found a great successful niche chartering in the Grenadines, but Covid put us out of business in literally one day! They closed the borders and even restricted travel between each island in the country, for a while.
Of course, getting passengers and getting a good reputation for pleasing your passengers is 100% necessary, especially the reputation bit. Being in a northern city with very cold water, I would not do term chartering. Day charters off a city waterfront dock with many people walking around looking at all the boats, is a pretty easy way, if not perhaps the most expensive, to get customers. Again, I don't know your area, so I'll just use one of my experiences as a guide.
You must have all the necessary permits and licensing in place before you can really do anything. As a day boat, a liquor license is a pretty big draw for customers, and adds hugely to your profit, but is not necessary. Once your business going, then you can apply? Your day boat will do 3 trips a day and private charters after the last day charter. Trips should be 2.5 hours long, as that's enough for most people and you are working for the number of customers, not the expensive term charters that few can afford. We are allowed 49 passengers here on most smaller boats, so running 3 trips full @ $25.00 a day would be more than $3k gross a day That's a lot more money than you are going to net on a term charter, considering that you must feed them, house them, and entertain them for a week. And, you get to go home every night.
But you aren't going to get 49 every trip. I've not run the numbers but I'd doubt that you will do better than 50 percent average on customers, just as you won't have a term charter every week, and believe me, from personal experience, a season of back to back term charters is extremely exhausting..
I could go on and on, but I hope I've given you something to think about. You can PM me if you want.
Good luck.

 

[marcham]

I just showed my Canadian Power Squadron Boating and Coastal Navigation certs, ROC(M), and my sailing log book over the previous 10 years and didn't have any issues with my first bareboat charter in the Caribbean. That being said, I had done a 3 day skippered charter on a similar sized boat previously. Maybe things have changed?

Other than just sailing, how's your understanding of plumbing systems, electrical systems, battery management, anchor scope, weather prediction? The jump between crew and skipper is all understanding and management of all the stuff that doesn't have anything to do with sailing.

If you want to brush up your skills locally, the Sail Canada Intermediate Cruising Standard with the Catamaran endorsement would serve you well. Over the winter, take a CPS course!

A week long charter /course is a good option but results/learning/international recognition of the provided certification varies. I'd speak to a charter broker.
Luxury Yacht Charter Vacation | Private Bareboat & Crewed Charters Their prices are as good or better than what you would get direct.

 

[David in Sandusky]

I have chartered in the US, Canada, France, Sweden, and New Zealand without certification. I second Shemander’s idea of hiring a captain for the first few days of your charter. Mooring has them in the Virgins, and their pricing was very reasonable when I checked some years ago. And their big catamarans often have a single berth a captain could use.

 

[tfox2069]

I'm realizing that there's two takes on the OP's question:

1. What qualifications do I need to charter a boat somewhere? (that's how I took the question)
2. What qualifications do I need to start a charter BUSINESS? (how @capta read/responded)

If #2 above, then I totally misread the OP and I apologize.

 

[Tally Ho]

I'm realizing that there's two takes on the OP's question:

1. What qualifications do I need to charter a boat somewhere? (that's how I took the question)
2. What qualifications do I need to start a charter BUSINESS? (how @capta read/responded)

If #2 above, then I totally misread the OP and I apologize.

I was wondering the same thing…he wants to charter a boat for his use and enjoyment? Or he wants to charter a boat to others as a business?

Unclear to me…

Greg

 

[storm]

I was wondering the same thing…he wants to charter a boat for his use and enjoyment? Or he wants to charter a boat to others as a business?

Unclear to me…

Greg

Number 1 was the question Greg, thanks

 

[storm]

We had a similar experience in 2019. It is noted, that Moorings had our credit cards. We had purchased insurance. We sat in a 90 minute meeting regarding the area permitting sailing and access to the Moorings support.

In our case there were two boat owners of mono-hulls with multiple years of coastal and open water experience. With the financial (credit card) possession, acceptance of the sailing resume, and the desire to make a deal to get the boat out on the water all played out in our charter experience.

As indicated above, in Belize not a requirement. The limit of sailing area (inside the barrier reef) may have been in play.


1)… Is this training (a qualified Instructor, a curriculum, a recognized certification) or is this experience based activities recorded by the individuals on a sailing resume? Not sure if there is a “best” approach. My experience appears to support (as far as Moorings goes) that a resume of experience is acceptable.
2).. My positive experience was with Moorings.
3).. This depends on what you are attempting to accomplish. If sailing open ocean in the Atlantic experience is the goal, I feel you will receive a more open ocean experience in the 200nm’s of the waters of the Lesser Antilles St Lucia to Antigua as each island is separated by 25 to 40 nm of open ocean. Weather and sea state are dependent on the weather of the Trade winds. On my sail during January 2024, we saw 15-20kn average winds with gusts to 35kn. Sea states were from 1.5 to 3.5 meters with east to west currents of 2 knots. These conditions appear normal for the Trades. As you move north the conditions will change with a different influence. The conditions of the North Atlantic are influenced by a whole different set of conditions.

We had a similar experience in 2019. It is noted, that Moorings had our credit cards. We had purchased insurance. We sat in a 90 minute meeting regarding the area permitting sailing and access to the Moorings support.

In our case there were two boat owners of mono-hulls with multiple years of coastal and open water experience. With the financial (credit card) possession, acceptance of the sailing resume, and the desire to make a deal to get the boat out on the water all played out in our charter experience.

As indicated above, in Belize not a requirement. The limit of sailing area (inside the barrier reef) may have been in play.


1)… Is this training (a qualified Instructor, a curriculum, a recognized certification) or is this experience based activities recorded by the individuals on a sailing resume? Not sure if there is a “best” approach. My experience appears to support (as far as Moorings goes) that a resume of experience is acceptable.
2).. My positive experience was with Moorings.
3).. This depends on what you are attempting to accomplish. If sailing open ocean in the Atlantic experience is the goal, I feel you will receive a more open ocean experience in the 200nm’s of the waters of the Lesser Antilles St Lucia to Antigua as each island is separated by 25 to 40 nm of open ocean. Weather and sea state are dependent on the weather of the Trade winds. On my sail during January 2024, we saw 15-20kn average winds with gusts to 35kn. Sea states were from 1.5 to 3.5 meters with east to west currents of 2 knots. These conditions appear normal for the Trades. As you move north the conditions will change with a different influence. The conditions of the North Atlantic are influenced by a whole different set of conditions.

john what company did you charter from in Bélize?

 

[jssailem]

We arranged our charter in Annapolis at the boat show with the folks in the Moorings booth. The Catamaran we chartered was registered under the name Sunsail. In English Harbor, Antigua the two companies operate out of the same building. Your boat may have either of the companies names on them. They are next door to a great hotel the Admirals Inn, in which I enjoyed a 3 night stay.

The history of the charter companies is here:

The two biggest names in the Yacht Chartering Industry have always been Sunsail and The Moorings. And for years they were in serious competition with one another. But what always remained consistent was that these two brands were always on top. That was until 2005, when The Moorings was scooped up by First Choice Holidays-- a London based company that owned Sunsail. At this time, Sunsail and The Moorings became sister companies.​

 

[capta]

Hi Everyone, I am looking for advice on the best way to get into bareboat chartering.

Background:
I have a group of monhaul sailors with various sailing experiences - rail meat to 300-mile racers with no ocean experience.
We want to start bareboat catamaran chartering so I believe our first step is to get our ICC designation - correct?
To achieve this I am thinking of a 1-week liveaboard training course in the Caribbean, and based on the number of people probably 2 /3 boats.

Questions:
1) Is this 1-wk liveaboard training the best approach?
2) What are your recommendations on:
a) Chartering company recommendations ( nautilu, Go Sail Virgin Is, TheMoorings, etc)
b) Which location? I hear a lot of people recommend BVI but it is not the easiest location to get to.

Looking forward to your thoughts....

I'm sorry, I guess I misread your post. My bad.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I’ve never found bare boat chartering a difficult thing to do on this side of the pond if one is already a seasoned boater, or at least a competent one. Contact a company where you wish to charter, look over the fleet, pick your boat, schedule your time, then respond to the questionnaire they will send you. If you are a boat owner w/ sailing experience, you’ll be given a contract for the charter boat and period and asked for a deposit. Eventually, pay in full in advance of the charter. Arrive on time, get the boat, then go and return on time. Clean up the boat, then go home. The rest is just cruising as you might in your local waters.

I would not hire a captain. The charter company will give you pointers and tips on weather and destinations of the local areas. Your “dos and don’ts.” There’s usually a chase boat to come fetch you back if there are problems, etc. If you hire a captain you’re not bareboat chartering, IMO. More like a taking a guided tour on a rented boat.