While millions of vacationers head for the beach, there’s a growing list who’d rather be on the open sea.

These versatile sailing opportunities help explain why.

In a well-known nautical verse from the last century, English poet laureate John Masefield voiced his desire to return to the sea: “And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,” he wrote in “Sea-Fever.”

To which today’s vacationers might add: “And also a GPS system, in case the stars aren’t out; a well-tuned motor, in case the wind dies down; a good set of navigational charts; a week’s provisions; maybe a half case of wine; and a couple of good resort hotels with marinas, in case I want to stay ashore sometime.”

Once the exclusive domain of the well-heeled yachting set, the sailing vacation has gone mainstream. You don’t have to be a crackerjack sailor-even if your experience under the mast is limited to summer camp, or you don’t know a jib from a spinnaker, you can still enjoy cruising the islands under billowing canvas. The advantages are clear: On most sailing vacations, you decide where to go, when to stop for swimming, beaching or snorkeling, what to eat and drink, and who gets to come along for the ride.
Scores of companies offer sailing trips all over the world. Probably the most popular destination-and home to hundreds of charter boats-are the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. The region offers calm seas, pristine and remote beaches, and islands nicely spaced for a day’s sail, as well as many shoreside hotels that cater to boaters. Beyond the Virgin Islands, rental boats can be found from the Gulf of Mexico to the Aegean to the Pacific.

There are basically two kinds of sailboat charters: bareboat and crewed. With the bareboat, you’re on your own: You hire the boat, but you and your “crew” (i.e., spouse, friends and fellow travelers) operate it yourselves. With a crewed charter, you hire the boat along with an experienced captain and his assistant (who also serves as chef, preparing all your meals). Most sailing charters are for one week, and the passenger capacity of the boats, based on two passengers per cabin, can range from four persons to 12.

The grand total

How much does it cost? That depends on which type of charter you select (it’s more with a professional crew), what time of year you go (winter is peak season in the Caribbean, summer in the Mediterranean), what size boat you need, and how many people share the cost. We checked one major charter firm, Sunsail (sunsail.com), and found a starting cost of $3,519 for a seven-day, four-passenger bareboat charter during February 2007 out of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, including damage waiver, tax and insurance.

For a crewed charter, “The price point starts at $1,300 (per person)” for a week-long trip, says David Rohr, crewed yacht brand manager at The Moorings, another leading charter firm (moorings.com). “So, a boat right now is about $7,000-8,000 for a week for six people. The price is definitely comparable with all-inclusive resorts. And the level of service is mind-blowing. You can do what you want at your own pace for seven days, and every day just gets more relaxing.”

In the captain’s seat

There are some exceptions to the bareboat/crewed options. If you have some sailing experience, but need a brief refresher, many charter firms will let you hire a captain just for the first couple of days. The Moorings will provide a “friendly captain” to bareboat customers at no charge for their first half day on the water. If you can handle the boat, but would like some company at sea, many charter companies offer “flotillas”: groups of bareboats that sail and anchor together, often accompanied by a professional crew in a lead boat. “They do it for security and safety in numbers,” says The Moorings’ Van Perry, bareboat brand manager. If there are just two of you-not enough to hire a whole boat-The Moorings also offers a “Stateroom Vacation,” starting at $3,000 per couple in the Caribbean, where customers can book a single cabin for two on a crewed trip, sharing the boat with two other couples.

What’s your sea level?

If you’re not sure whether your sailing skills are up to snuff for a bareboat charter on the open sea, don’t worry-the charter company will ask you to submit a résumé of your experience, detailing the size of boats you’ve sailed (the larger they are, the harder they are to handle); locations where you’ve sailed; whether you served as captain or a crew member; and what you know about anchoring, docking, navigation, etc. “We evaluate that, give them a grade, then let them know what size boat and which destinations we think they’re capable of safely sailing in,” says Perry. The charter company probably won’t try to verify the customers’ experience claims, but “Rarely do [clients] overstate how competent they are, because at the end of the day, it will come back to haunt them,” he adds.

The charter firm will also provide customers with navigational charts and destination information for their sailing region. Whether you hire a bareboat or a crewed boat, provisioning (stocking it with food and drink) will cost extra. You could arrive at your departure port a day early and go shopping at the local supermarket to save some money, but it’s a lot more convenient to select what you want from lists provided by the charter company, and let them take care of it.

As for onboard accommodations, don’t expect the Queen Mary 2. You may have to share a head (that’s a bathroom, you landlubber), and you won’t have room in your cabin to do much except sleep and change clothes. But most of your time will be spent out on deck, on the beach or in the water. (Tip: If you or members of your party tend toward seasickness, consider hiring a catamaran instead of a monohull boat. The twin hull on the “cat” provides more stability at sea.) Charter companies often rent recreational equipment for an additional charge, in case you want to go kayaking, windsurfing and so on. You should also ask if the charter rate includes a dinghy with an outboard for quick and easy trips ashore.

If you can’t sail well (or at all), but would like to hire a bareboat someday, consider a sailing school. There are plenty around the U.S., and many offer bareboat training classes that award certificates of competence. If you find one close by, you can probably take day classes. Otherwise, the larger operations offer full-week courses at popular sailing destinations. The Colgate Offshore Sailing School, for instance, has locations in Florida, the Virgin Islands and the northeastern U.S. (offshore.sailing.com).
When you call for information or to book a charter, be sure to ask what is included in the price quote, since this may vary from one company to another. Ask about fuel, taxes, snorkeling gear, marina fees, airport transfers and so on. And if you’re hiring a bareboat, ask about insurance. If it’s extra-as it usually is-consider buying it. At The Moorings, bareboat insurance costs about $30-33 a day. “It’s a cheap insurance policy, considering you’re operating a $250,000-400,000 boat,” says Perry.

The big ships

Sailing trips don’t have to be all vacation. Here’s a radical idea: For your next corporate or professional association meeting, consider booking a fleet of yachts.

At The Moorings, brand manager Van Perry notes that it is not unheard-of for corporate groups to book sailing flotillas, both bareboat and crewed. “We’ve handled some corporate incentive packages, we’ve done sales recognitions for companies like IBM out of Germany…we also worked with a doctor who put together a program where other doctors could earn continuing education credits through a week-long course on board our yachts in the BVI [British Virgin Islands],” he says.

“Every afternoon, they had their obligatory hour of instruction on the foredeck or at a beach; the rest of the day, they sailed, drank and ate.” Perry says the company can also arrange for meeting space at onshore resort hotels, if needed.

For more information

For a good understanding of the basics of chartering and sailing vacations, check out Sail Online (sailonline.com). The site has a ton of information, advice and useful links, and is especially valuable for people who have never chartered a sailing yacht.

To find a sailing school, check out the organizations that set professional standards for sail training and certification: US Sailing (ussailing.org) and the American Sailing Association (asa.com). Both offer lists of recommended schools.

Another good overall site--with advice and background, as well as the capability to search for charter companies and brokers by destination region--is Yacht Charter Guide.

_____________________________________

jim glab is a freelance writer based in Colorado. Email Jim at editor@executivetravelmag.com.