The first decision in planning a charter is also the biggest: do you want a yacht with a professional crew, or would you rather take the helm yourselves? Both can make for a wonderful week in the Caribbean, but they suit different people, and the difference in cost and effort is larger than many first-time charterers expect.
What a crewed charter is
On a crewed charter the yacht comes with a professional captain and, on all but the smallest boats, a chef. Larger yachts add a stewardess, a deckhand or an engineer. The crew live aboard, sail the boat, cook every meal, look after the watersports and plan each day around what you’d like to do.
Before you arrive you’ll fill in a preference sheet: food you love and can’t eat, drinks, allergies, how active you want to be, and anything you’re celebrating. The chef provisions around it, so the first lunch is waiting for you when you step aboard.
In the Virgin Islands, crewed yachts are usually priced in one of two ways:
- All inclusive: the weekly rate covers the yacht, crew, food, standard drinks, fuel for normal cruising, and the usual fees. Most crewed catamarans in the Virgin Islands work this way.
- Plus expenses: larger motor and sailing yachts quote a rate for the yacht and crew, and you pay for food, drinks, fuel and berthing on top through an advance on expenses, usually 30 to 40 per cent of the rate, with anything unspent refunded.
On either basis, a gratuity for the crew is customary at the end of the week, typically 15 to 20 per cent of the charter fee.
What a bareboat charter is
A bareboat yacht comes without crew: you’re the skipper. You plan the route, sail the boat, anchor, buy and cook the food, and look after the boat for the week.
You’ll need at least one experienced, qualified skipper in your party, and ideally a competent second. Charter companies will ask for a sailing CV and may ask to see a qualification such as an RYA Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper certificate, or an ICC. They’ll also give you a full briefing at the base, and some areas, such as the reef approaches to Anegada, may be off limits.
If you have the skills but would like help settling in, many bases can provide a day skipper for the first day or two, or a cook for the week.
How the costs compare
Bareboat charters cost much less on paper. As a rough guide for a week in the Virgin Islands in the main season:
| Bareboat | Crewed | |
|---|---|---|
| 45 ft catamaran, up to 8 guests | around US$9,000 to US$12,500 | around US$25,000 to US$32,000 |
| What’s included | The yacht | Yacht, crew, food and standard drinks (all inclusive) |
| Also budget for | Food, drinks, fuel, mooring fees, cruising permits, any extra skipper | Crew gratuity of 15 to 20 per cent |
The gap narrows when you add provisioning, eating out every night, and the value of having your holiday cooked and sailed for you. For families with young children, or groups who simply want to switch off, the crewed rate often turns out to be good value.
These figures are examples only and vary by yacht, dates and season. We’ll always give you exact rates for the yachts on your shortlist.
Questions that decide it
Who in your party can skipper, and do they want to? A week of skippering is a week of responsibility: weather checks, anchoring, navigation and the safety of everyone aboard. If your skipper would rather be on holiday, a crewed charter is the kinder choice.
How do you want to spend your days? If you want long days of sailing, a bareboat lets you set every course. If you’d rather snorkel, read, swim and arrive somewhere lovely without thinking about it, a crew does the rest.
How much do you want to cook? On a bareboat, someone shops and cooks. On a crewed yacht, breakfast, lunch and a three-course dinner appear as if by magic, often with a beach barbecue along the way.
Who’s coming? Young children, older relatives and guests with mobility or dietary needs are all easier to look after with a crew who know the boat and the islands.
Do you want local knowledge? A good captain knows which anchorages empty after the day boats leave, where the turtles feed, and when to move to stay ahead of the weather. That knowledge is hard to replicate with a guidebook.
Somewhere in between
You don’t have to choose all or nothing. Popular middle-ground options include:
- Skippered charter: a bareboat yacht with a hired skipper. You cook, they sail.
- Bareboat with a cook: you sail, someone else looks after the galley.
- Crewed, but hands-on: many crewed captains are happy to let guests take the helm, trim the sails and learn as they go.
Our advice
For a first charter in the Caribbean, most people are happiest on a crewed yacht. They see more, worry less and come home rested. Experienced sailors who enjoy the challenge of skippering will love a bareboat week in the Virgin Islands, which are among the easiest and most rewarding cruising grounds in the world.
If you’re not sure, tell us about your party and how you like to spend a holiday. We’ll suggest the type of charter we think suits you, with a shortlist of yachts that are free on your dates. And if you’ve settled on the Virgin Islands, our BVI guide has a sample week to get you started.
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