What is Bareboating?
For the uninitiated, it's not (necessarily) a bunch of naked people sailing a boat together! "Bareboating" refers to a chartering a yacht that you sail yourself, though you can also hire a captain to help you sail it.
Most bareboats are from 30 to 50 feet in length and you can charter a conventional single hulled yacht (monohull), a catamaran or a powerboat. Sailing yachts are far more popular, and common, than powerboats.
Bareboats come equipped with everything needed to operate them from kitchen utensils to towels, sheets and bedding. Almost all bareboat companies in the Caribbean provide you with a dinghy with outboard at no charge. In other areas this may be an optional extra. Some bareboats have generators, air conditioning, microwave ovens and TVs but most do not. Nor do they have extra gadgets and "toys" such as kayaks, windsurfers (unless rented separately) or outboards powerful enough to pull a water-skier. Such amenities are only found on crewed yachts.
When you rent a car, you must produce a valid driver's license. While you don't need a license or certificate to charter most bareboats in the Caribbean or USA, you do need to show a considerable amount of skill and experience in order to be allowed to operate the yacht by yourself. Otherwise you'll need a captain to help you. In some other areas of the world including some European countries, you do need a sailing license in order to charter. See the next section, charter qualifications for additional details.
Unless you have a good friend who owns a boat, eBare strongly recommends that you work with a reputable bareboat company rather than an individual when chartering a yacht for your vacation. Dealing with a stranger you've never met and chartering a boat you've never seen can be somewhat risky, particularly when you'll be asked for payment in advance!
Readers should note that eBare.com does not screen bareboat companies from entering their information on this website. Particularly if you haven't chartered before, you may wish to consider using a charter agent to help you select a suitable company. We have prepared a list of bareboat agents as well as bareboat companies. The expertise of a good agent can be helpful to you and this service doesn't cost you anything extra, as the agent receives a commission from the Bareboat Company for booking your charter.
