Expert Advice

The Practical Side, Please

by Sail Staff, Posted August 10, 2008

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT CHARTERING?Readers want to know: How to get there; when to go; what to pack. I'm not a travel agent—far from it—but I do have some practical experience to share, especially when it comes to the Caribbean.How to get there. San Juan, Puerto Rico, has long been the hub for travel from the U.S. mainland to the islands, and American

Charting a Charter

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 8, 2008

If you've done any sailing outside your home waters, you already know how invaluable a cruising guide can be. I suppose it's possible to tough it out with just the chart and the chart checkout, but at the very least this means you'd be reinventing the wheel when it comes to choosing an anchorage, figuring out what time you should arrive there, finding groceries, and much more.Chris

Charter Starter

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 8, 2008

Most North American sailors choose the Caribbean for a winter sailing vacation. There are good reasons: a well-developed chartering infrastructure; a variety of discrete cruising grounds to choose from; great sailing conditions; numerous flights to Caribbean locations; lots of charterboats.Here are essential considerations when planning your charter.1. The

Role Playing

by Sail Staff, Posted August 8, 2008

This month’s contributor is Tom Reinke, who sails a Flying Scot with his wife, Mary. They love leading bareboat charters and turning over the helm to the officer of the day. If you’re new to chartering—or if your friends are—you’ll find his organizational ideas helpful.The primary objective of a charter is to have a good time, and that means different things to different people.

One-Way Street

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

I was recently confronted with the not-unpleasant conundrum of how to make the best use of a one-week charter in a place (a) I’d never sailed before, (b) I am unlikely to return to, and (c) that is too big to sail and see it all in a week. What I consider to be “best use” involves a pleasant amount of sailing (but not dawn to dusk) and a reasonable amount of time to see the sights ashore and

Special Treats

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

Caribbean. Everyone likes to save money—and why not. If you must have some time in the tropics and can’t wait for the summer specials in the Caribbean and the Bahamas to kick in (see May SAIL for a rundown)—and if you’re flexible about dates—you’ll find that most bareboat companies in the Caribbean are offering last-minute online specials. The list on sailmagazine.com links to company Web

What if it Goes Wrong?

by Sail Staff, Posted July 10, 2008

The word is "most."Most bareboat-charter companies are able to hire a skipper for you at most or all of their bases and most can also find an instructional skipper, should you want to brush up your basic sailing skills or acquire cruising-specific knowledge. Most of the time it goes well. You not only pay the skipper, but are also expected to provide a cabin on your boat for him/her as

Have a Question about Longterm Charters?

by Sail Staff, Posted June 12, 2008

Edited by Amy UllrichA READER ASKSMenno Speyer, who lives in Qubec, wants to know about longer-term charters. "We currently own a boat," he writes, "but are considering selling it. We would still like to be out on the water for at least a month each year. We're thinking of warm-water locationsthe Caribbean, the South Pacific, Asia, and other warm places. How can we

Have a Question About Chartering Hawaii?

by Sail Staff, Posted May 15, 2008

ASK SAIL'S EXPERTS By Amy UllrichA reader wonders"I have been trying to find either a crewed or bareboat charter in Hawaii and have been unable to find a charter of the type I've experienced in the Caribbean. Does Hawaii prohibit or limit sailing charters?"It isn't the political entity of Hawaii that limits sailing charters and discourages

Is It Time for Boat Swapping?

by Sail Staff, Posted May 15, 2008

An online match-making service for boatowners interested in boat swapping, launched earlier this year at www.seemysea.com, is now claiming members from many corners of the world. The premise: To allow busy boatowners to travel in far-away spots without piling the cost of chartering on top of the cost of already owning a boat at home. A one-year