If you are a regular charterer, you’ll know that the number of charter companies is vast, and the sailing areas range from the Caribbean to the Whitsunday’s. You’ll also know that going on a charter holiday is the essence of freedom. A different port each night, a fabulous sail (or high speed blast in a motor boat) each day, some white stretches of sand, secluded coves, sparkling coral and wind in your hair.

For those that have never chartered before, it is just fantastic. If you are experienced, you can take a bareboat charter and be your own captain. If you are not yet confident, or you want a ready made social life, then a Flotilla is just right for you.

It’s important to note there are some differences in requirements between the Caribbean and Mediterranean. While in the Caribbean it is experience that is most important to a charter company, in the Med it is likely they will want to see at least an RYA Day Skipper qualification (or similar).

If you don’t know what a ‘Day Skipper’ is, then you ought to think about getting some training before you go. Doing the training is great fun and will give you loads of confidence and you’ll learn how to be a competent crew (there’s a Competent Crew course you can take if you have zero experience) and how to skipper a boat safely during the day in familiar waters (Day Skipper). A typical course is 5 days and can be done at any time of year. Clearly it’s warmer during the summer months but it is also more costly and the competition for places is stiffer. The best time to take a course is in the early spring, so you are nice and ready to build on your learning on your charter holiday later in the summer.

A great way to keep track of your training courses, miles and certificates is by using the ‘Sailing CV‘ section on this site. The Sailing CV section enables you to log the qualifications you have taken (like Competent Crew, Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper), upload the certificates and then log each and every voyage you take. You can log the boat’s name, wind speed, capacity in which you have sailed, how many miles, night hours or whether the voyage was in tidal or non-tidal water. (You’ll need to get a free account and log in to use the Sailing CV – register here.)

It’s then really easy to print off the CV and provide this as evidence of your experience AND your qualifications to the charter company. It is likely that you’ll have to pay a security deposit for taking the boat, so ensuring you demonstrate you have a great deal of experience as well as ‘pieces of paper’ is a great way to see if you can reduce the excess on any insurance policy.

Once you have your ‘Skipper’s ticket’ you can charter boats abroad or in the UK. The world will be your oyster.

The next step is to find the right location and charter company. In future articles we’ll be looking at different charter destinations, so keep watching this space.

As for finding a charter company, you need look no further than on Harbour Exchange as you can now browse boats to charter right here.

Or, use the form below to make an enquiry straight away.

Related posts:

1. Harbour Exchange Club House
2. MyBoatingInfo.com – Sailing CV & Boat Register
3. Yacht crushed by whale back on the water