Bareboat, flotilla, crewed or gulet charter
A bareboat charter – without hired captain or crew – will give you total privacy and independence, yet besides you as skipper, a second member of your group should be able to sail. With more than 12 persons it is best to rent a second yacht.
If you feel rusty, you can always hire an instructor for just the first day, and study the first 5 chapters of my navigation course.
If you need more guidance a flotilla still offers a lot of privacy, while safely sailing along in a fleet of yachts towards the next port. You will skipper your own yacht, but a flotilla leader will keep a close eye on you. An added bonus for children is the possibility to make friends on the other yachts.
However, if you find a flotilla too restrictive, yet a regular bareboat too much responsibility, you should consider the assisted bareboat charters, the golden mean.
You will get full assistance with a crewed charter. Options are a skipper, hostess, cook as well as an instructor from a RYA sailing school.
A gulet cruise is perhaps one of the most luxurious crewed charters around.
Type of yacht
Only a small fraction of yachts in the east Mediterranean are motor yachts. Moreover, a lot of these motor yachts and motor sailers come fully crewed. For bareboat chartering you can choose between smaller motor yachts (~10%), catamarans (~10%) and a huge fleet of sailing monohulls
Finding a reputable company
Many members of the sailing community have shared their charter experiences with me. Advice on reliable yacht charter companies or reputable gulet companies.
