While tackling the high seas in a small boat remains the ultimate dream of many mariners, you needn`t cross an ocean to experience the exuberance of traveling under sail.
Hundreds of companies can help you chart a yachting vacation, at prices and at levels of comfort that compare favorably with resorts. Among your options:
– Crewed charters: A private yacht that includes the services of a live-aboard captain and cook is a popular choice among inexperienced or non-sailors, particularly friends or families traveling together. But it also holds a strong allure for seasoned boat owners who`d rather spend their vacations hoisting a gin and tonic than washing dishes or grappling with a recalcitrant anchor.
The best way to secure a boat and crew is through a professional charter broker. These combination real estate agents and matchmakers-many of whom advertise in Cruising World, SAIL and Yachting-represent dozens or even hundreds of yachts.
It`s their job to ascertain your needs and preferences (anything from an on-board fax to a king-size berth to a vegetarian chef), and line up suitable candidates. Once the match is made, brokers handle the paperwork, help with travel arrangements, and supply information on your intended cruising ground. A common misconception about crewed charters is that the captain and chef (who often doubles as first mate) will intrude on charterers` privacy. In reality, virtually all charter crews have their own access to private sleeping quarters and head (toilet) and are almost as skilled at psychology as seamanship. They`re eager to help you perfect a bowline knot or identify that fluorescent blue fish, but they`ll be glad to fade into the bilge when you crave a moonlit tete-a-tete on deck.
Prices for crewed charters vary widely, depending on boat size, number of passengers, location, season and on-board amenities. In the Caribbean, expect to pay at least $175 a person, a day, plus a 10 percent tip and a dinner ashore for the crew.
– Joining a group: Singles and couples who`d prefer not to hire their own boat and crew can book passage on anything from a high-tech, six-passenger catamaran to a vintage clipper ship carrying 125 people.
On many sailing vessels that accept individual bookings, narrow bunk beds are the rule and hot showers a luxury. On a few others, such as the new cruise-ships-with-sails operated by Windstar Cruises, Club Med and
Starclippers, computers handle the always-level helm, and a frosty pina colada is as close as the poolside bar.
Most book-your-own-cabin yachts are based in the Caribbean, which has become the world`s most popular cruising ground for charter boats. But group specialists such as Sausalito, Calif.-based Ocean Voyages and San Francisco-based Oceanic Society Expeditions can steer you to yachts in such exotic alternatives as the Galapagos Islands or Australia`s Great Barrier Reef.
Just as locations and types of boats run the gamut, so do on-board lifestyles and prices.
On some group charters, you`ll have the opportunity to polish your sailing techniques and help decide each day`s itinerary. But many larger ships set their own schedules-and may attract passengers whose interest in the sport extends no further than their Topsiders.
If you`re interested in a week`s sail on a Tall Ship in the Caribbean, expect to pay $200 to $250 a person, a day, all-inclusive. A berth on a smaller yacht will cost $100 to $140 a person, a day.
– Bareboat charters: For all the appeal of having someone else orchestrate that al fresco, candlelit dinner, many sailors prefer the flexibility and lower cost of captaining their own boats. And while anyone considering a bareboat-”bare” of crew-charter should have more experience than a few day-sails on a 15-footer, you don`t need to be Magellan to ensure a successful vacation.
If you`re a bit shaky about your ability to glide a 45-foot sloop into a narrow slip or to drop anchor without sparking winces from neighboring boats, you have several options.
Most bareboat companies can supply a ”guest skipper” for a day or more. He will answer questions and help you find your way around the boat, and the charge for peace of mind is $65 to $100 a day.
Another alternative is a ”learn-to-sail” charter that includes several days of intensive on-the-water instruction, after which you`re free to head out on your own.
Flotilla charters, particularly popular in the Mediterranean, offer the privacy of your own boat and the security of a crewed ”mother ship” boat that leads the group from port to port.
For your protection and their own, bareboat charter companies ask prospective charterers to fill out a sailing resume that helps gauge your ability to handle a strange boat in unfamiliar waters. Don`t cheat; bluffing will become obvious once you arrive at the dock and could necessitate the services of a hired skipper whether you want them or not.
Bareboat charters are available from Scandinavia to New Zealand, but most first-timers head for the Virgin Islands (U.S. and British). The closely spaced islands offer easy ”eyeball navigation,” calm seas, predictable winds and plenty of facilities for charterers.
As they do for crewed charters, rates for bareboat charters depend on several factors. An added variable is the type of provisioning you choose-anything from mushroom pate for snacks and lobster tails for dinner to a bare-bones ”starter pack” that doesn`t include much more than toilet paper. In general, however, you can expect to pay at least 25 percent less for a comparable bareboat than you would for a crewed charter.
No matter which type of sailing experience you choose, pick up a copy of Dale Ward and Dusty Davidson`s new guidebook, ”Deck With a View: Vacation Sailing in the Caribbean” ($18.95, Link International). It`s packed with useful information on what to expect during a sailing vacation, who to contact to book such a trip, and what kinds of questions to ask before you do. It`s available at many book and marine stores, or direct from the publisher, Link International, by calling 800-866-9291.
More experienced sailors will be interested in Brian Fagan`s 1987 book,
”Bareboating,” a guide to bareboat charters around the world. It`s $17.95 at major bookstores or can be ordered by calling Tab Books at 800-822-8138.
Other valuable planning resources are the annual chartering issues published by Cruising World (March and August), SAIL (March and August) and Yachting (March and September). –
