What to expect when you charter a boat with professional skipper (captain) provided by a charter company? Below you may find brief information that will help you during your next sailing vacation.
Skippered vs Crewed charter. What is the difference?
When you are renting a boat offered for a bareboat charter but with service of a professional captain - that is skippered charter. In most cases this will be one of local freelance skipper’s that charter company has been working with before. Usually, skippers are hired only several weeks prior to the charter. Thus, if you have some specific requests, it is better to inform your charter broker in advance. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to choose a skipper by profile. On crewed charters (mainly luxury yachts) captain has a long-term contract and assigned to the boat for at least one year.
The skipper’s time is usually booked from 12pm the first day of charter. If your boarding is at 6pm, you will meet skipper at 8am the following day of the same day if you agreed on early check-in and will leave the marina the same day.
The skipper is responsible for the safety of the yacht at all times. The skipper is not allowed to dive with you, nor to leave the vessel overnight and must have his/her cabin. In some cases, skipper may take small forepeak cabin (if the boat or catamaran have these type of cabins) separated from the main saloon, but this should be agreed in advance.
Safety briefing.
Right after you get on board skipper will conduct safety briefing regardless of the duration of his/her contract with you. If you hired a skipper for less than a full charter even for just one day, he/she is still required to give you a thorough briefing on all aspects of the yacht and dinghy in addition to assisting you with planning your itinerary for the entire trip. Skipper will also advise you how to contact the base, return to the base procedures as well as emergency assistance procedures. If some part of this information is missing and skipper can’t provide it to you pls contact base manager for the clarification.
Provisioning.
It is a good idea to talk to you skipper before you go to the grocery store or order provisioning. Even though skipper will not be cooking for you he, may give you some good advice on the quantities and types of products to buy for the first several days of your vacation. Food for the skipper is not included in the price of his service, thus you may consider the following options: Share your meals with skipper Provide skipper certain budget so he could buy his own food
Itinerary.
We recommend to plan your itinerary beforehand. Share with skipper your ideas of what you would like to cover during your sailing vacation or what places you would like to visit. Professional skipper will be able to give you better idea of navigation area, limits and places you’ll be able to visit without exhausting passages or risk of being late back to the base. Do not ignore skippers’ recommendations.
Skipper’s authority.
Skipper must give you as much information about the boat and its systems, safety equipment and navigation in general as you require. Skipper will do his best to comply with the initial itinerary, but may adjust it any time considering weather, navigation restrictions or other circumstances. Please bear in mind that if you are travelling with kids their safety will be your full responsibility. Don’t hesitate to ask the skipper for advise when and where children can or should be during passages, moorings or anchorages of the boat.
Price for skipper services
Price for skippers vary from 150 to 350 USD or Euro, and very much depend on a boat and location. In most cases skipper services should be paid in advance same time as payment for the boat. Tips for skipper are not mandatory but if you satisfied with his / her work it is always nice to leave 10%-15% gratuity.
