If the idea of sailing to the Bahamas for a vacation with just your family or a few close friends sounds like the perfect vacation getaway, you are not alone. Thousands of people enjoy this type of vacation every year in a variety of different manners. One of the more popular ways to do this is to be able to sail the boat yourself instead of having to deal with a crew and more often than not others that you do not know. Known as bareboat charters, you are simply renting a vessel for the time you are on vacation, no crew, no other people that you do not know, just you and those you have invited along. For many years the only people who could afford this type of vacation were those wealthy enough to own a seaworthy yacht that could carry them across the water to the Bahamas from Florida.

Today this is no longer the case and in fact many of these upper class boat owners are allowing their yachts to be used for bareboat charters as a way to pay for them. This helps them to keep their yachts for when they want to use them and helps you because you will be able to spend your vacation in style on a yacht you might otherwise not be able to afford. With this in mind you will of course be required to provide proof and demonstrate to the charter company that you have all of the necessary skills to handle one of the yachts they offer for their bareboat charters. To do this you will need to show that you have the appropriate certifications from the Coast Guard or have graduated from courses put on by US Sailing, the RYA or the ASA. The charter company may also take you out and require you to demonstrate your skills in action.

You have to realize that many of the yachts used for bareboat charters can cost upwards of $1 million and the last thing they or the owners want to do is put this type of yacht in the hands of someone who does not know what they are doing. Not only can this lead to the yacht being damaged or lost, it can put you in a position where you or a member of your crew can become injured or killed as a direct result of your taking out a yacht you are not qualified to operate. If you are planning to take one of the many bareboat charters that are available in Florida, you need to look for a company that has been in business for several years. This way you will be assured of getting a yacht that is in superb condition instead of a rundown vessel that should be in dry dock being overhauled. When you charter a boat from 360 Yachting you will be chartering a yacht that is in premier condition, the majority of these boats are privately owned and kept perfectly maintained for your sailing vacation pleasure.