Planning Your First Bareboat Charter: Boats, Destinations and What's Included

Our bareboat fleet spans Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Malta, France and the Caribbean, mostly production sailing yachts and sailing catamarans — familiar, well-supported models built for exactly this kind of self-skippered week. Once the license question is settled, the actual planning comes down to three decisions: where, what boat, and what your week's route realistically looks like.

Choosing a Destination for Your Experience Level

Greece's Ionian Sea and Turkey's sheltered gulf around Fethiye and Göcek are the most forgiving starting points — short hops between anchorages, generally calm conditions, and enough charter traffic that help is never far away if you need it. Croatia's Dalmatian coast and the Greek Aegean carry steadier, sometimes stronger summer winds and reward a bit more confidence. Further afield, the Caribbean offers reliable trade winds and short, line-of-sight passages between islands, which suits sailors who want open water without long overnight legs. If this is genuinely your first bareboat trip, choose the calmer ground over the more dramatic one — you can always come back once you know the boat and yourself better.

Picking the Right Boat

Our bareboat sailing yachts run mostly through well-known production ranges — Jeanneau's Sun Odyssey and Bénéteau's Oceanis among them — chosen because they are forgiving to handle, widely used across the charter industry, and easy to get spare parts or local support for if something needs attention mid-week. Sailing catamarans are also available across most of these destinations for guests who want the extra stability and separate-cabin privacy of a multihull, at a slightly higher charter rate than an equivalent-length monohull. Cabin count should match your group with at least one cabin to spare where possible — a boat that technically sleeps your number rarely feels comfortable at full capacity for a full week.

What's Usually Included, and What Isn't

A bareboat charter fee typically covers the yacht itself, its standard equipment (sails, winches, safety gear, dinghy and outboard where fitted), and a set of charts or chartplotter access for the region. Fuel, a final cleaning fee, a refundable security deposit, and any provisioning are charged separately and vary by charter base — always confirm these line items before you book rather than assuming they are bundled in. Most bases also expect the boat back with a full fuel tank and water tanks refilled, so budget a little time on the last day for that rather than heading straight to the airport.

Building a Realistic Route

The single most common mistake on a first bareboat charter is over-planning the itinerary — trying to reach six anchorages in seven days leaves no slack for weather, a slow morning, or simply wanting to stay an extra night somewhere that turns out to be worth it. A better approach is to plan three or four firm stops for the week and treat the rest as flexible, checking in with the base or a local weather forecast each morning before committing to the day's passage. Provisioning for the first two or three days before you leave the marina, then topping up at a harbour town partway through the week, avoids both an overloaded boat on day one and a last-minute scramble for supplies in a small island anchorage with limited shops.