The real benefits of a yacht charter are the freedom to go where you want, within the cruising area of the yacht, and do what you want and when you want.

Yachts offered for bareboat charter are more than likely to be older yachts that have been used as instructional yachts as well as hired by less than accomplished sailors. They are unlikely to be in pristine condition as they have been used and have aquired bumps and scratches from contact with jetties and inside galley spills leaving their mark. However you will still have lots of fun with good value for money a the charter rate will be lower for this type of yacht.

What ever the yacht the following terms are the same. The largest and nicest cabin on board is the master cabin, and in most cases has an attached en suite bathroom and will have the largest bed and fittings such as closets and drawers. On larger yachts that might well be a VIP cabin which would be the next nicest cabin.

The Caribbean is the truely the king of yacht charter locations. It is an ocean laden with history and treasures, from tiny beach ridden coral atolls to substantial mountainous islands exuding rich and colorful cultures. You will be sailing over waters once sailed by pirates, buccaneers and Spanish treasure fleets which now offer wonderful locations offering so much choice to sailors and vacationers.

The sun, sights and sounds you’ll experience on a Bahamas yacht charter will leave you feeling refreshed and renewed for years to come. A simple Google search of ‘yacht charter Bahamas’ is all that’s needed to prove the popularity of this kind of vacation as the number of search results is simply astounding.

Florida and more specifically Fort Lauderdale is the yachting capital of the USA. All the international charter brokers, yacht brokers and crewing agencies have an office in Fort Lauderdale which also has the infrastructure to support the yachting industry. The annual boat show in October is the largest in the USA. Not all the charter yachts are based in Fort Lauderdale, there are many available for charter on the Gulf coast.

The Cruising World magazine has recently rated the Gulf Coast of Florida the top yacht chartering destination in the whole of the US and for good reason. The immensely popular Fort Myers is a wonderful place to start your yacht charter in Florida. As relaxing as it is beautiful, Fort Myers offers the convenience of several top-notch marinas and is home to the City Yacht basin.

In many locations that you might sail during your yacht charter vacation, such as the Bahamas, some places are out of reach as there isn’t enough depth of water for a monohull yacht to safely float. But with a catamaran you only typically need a quarter of the depth of water so many more shallow anchorages, harbours and cays are available.