Many sailors prefer to charter a boat rather
than own one. The sailor who does not own a boat, but only charters, is
free of the time and responsibility of boat upkeep and is free to sail at
different locations. Another benefit is if you are thinking of
buying a certain type of boat, chartering can be compared to test driving
a car.
There are many
charter companies and most can be located on internet sites. The
sailing location and the type and condition of the boats and are all
factors in your choosing a company.
Factors in
choosing a sailing location are as follows:
#1.
Is the wind good? Coastal areas often have dependable land and sea
breezes. Some locations have high mountains which shield the
wind, and some months more commonly have better winds than others.
#2. Is the bottom soft or made of rock? Soft bottoms
are better anchorages and if a grounding occurs will do far less damage
to the boat.
#3. How long is the fetch or the distance the wind can blow
over the water? A longer fetch will produce larger waves in high
wind situations. An inexperienced sailor will have a harder time
maneuvering a boat in large waves and may knock-down a boat if it is
handled inappropriately.
#4. Are there currents? Currents will affect the direction the
boat needs to be steered to maintain a proper heading and will reduce or
increase the speed of your approach.
#5. Are there tides? Tides will vary water depth and produce
currents. Changes in water depth have to be considered when docking
and to prevent groundings.
#6. Are there inherent dangers such as shoals, shipwrecks and
hidden rocks?
#7. Is there heavy commercial traffic and are there traffic lanes?
#8. Is there a security zone?
Factors in
choosing a marina are as follows :
#1 Is the
water depth adequate for the draft of your boat?
#2 What is the VHF frequencies the marina monitors?
#3. When does the office close and when are staff available to help, if
needed, in docking?
#4. Can you obtain fuel and fresh water for the boat.
#5. What onshore facilities are present? (Washrooms, showers,
restaurants, pool, jacuzzi, laundry services, store for provisions,
etc.)
#6. What type of shore power? Do you have an adaptor or
power cord which will plug into their outlets?
#7. How large are the lanes between the slips and are the slips
easy to get into. Many marinas will have a website with an aerial
photograph showing their slips and lane configuration. By calling
ahead and making a reservation, you can reserve a specific slip for you
boat (as with hotels sometimes it is best to call months ahead of time
to make a reservation during busy time periods.).
The type of boat
the charter company has for rent is very important. You should be
familiar with the type of boat and its size. If not, have the
charter company staff take you on the boat for an hour and practice
docking and maneuvering the boat, until you have a good feel of the boat's
turning radius, pivot point and glide zone.
To find the owner
of the boat go to
USCG Documented Vessel List
For insurance
purposes, the company is supposed to check the sailing skills of all
sailors before chartering a boat. Some companies will check your finances to make sure you
can pay for a damaged boat, but care little about your true experience.
Other companies watch how you check out a boat, can you properly rig the
jib's sheets through the fairleads and if present, the stern blocks, can
you identify and find the main's halyard and attach it to the top of the
sail. By properly checking the engine, batteries and head lets the
charter company know you are familiar with sailboats. Asking
the charter company's staff to show you all the through-hulls and
sea-cocks often will often result in the admission that they do not know
where they are. You along with the staff must then consult the
ship's manual.
The condition of
the boat is often not known until the day of check out. Sometimes
the charter company will allow you to check on the boat the evening before
which will give you plenty of time to go over the boat. The
charter company will give you a checklist, but this is not for boat
safety but to document the equipment on board. The following
is a log of problems that one sailor has encountered in five years of
chartering sailboats:
#1.
Dead battery.
#2. Dead batteries that were charging and producing Sulfuric
Acid gas.
#3. No water in the water tanks.
#4. No sail ties. The mainsail was tied with extra
line from the boom vang.
#5. Stuck floater switch on the bilge pump. The pump
would thus not go off. This is both a drain on the battery and may
burn out the pump.
#6. Broken cable which secured the jib's tack (front lower
corner of the sail ).
#7. Not enough furling line wrapped around the base of the
jib's roller-furler so it could not be completely rolled in.
#8 Punctured fender.
#9. Throttle would slip back to neutral.
#10. Jammed water intake sea-cock for the head.
#11. Exhaust system fell off engine. This resulted in the
use of towing insurance.
#12. Broken fuel line on an outboard engine.
#13. Jammed halyard between the block's sheave and cheeks.
#14. Oversized bimini ( canvas tent to block sun and rain over
the cockpit ), which prevented the lowering of the boom to obtain the
correct level for proper shape of the mainsail.
Items you
should check before your first departure:
#1. Both
batteries will hold a charge.
#2. Water tanks are full.
#3. Make sure the head works properly and the holding tank has been emptied.
Repairs of the boats sewage system is both expensive and miserable to
undertake. You do not want to be on a sail with a
non-functional head and you do not want to be blamed for a broken head
left by the last charterer.
If present, make sure the "Y" valve from the head to the
holding tank and discharge through hull is set so the sewage flows into
the holding tank. If not a USCG inspection may result in a fine.
If present, make sure the "Y" valve from the holding tank to
the deck sewage plate and macerator is set so the sewage can be
discharged though the deck sewage plate. If not a USCG inspection
may result in a fine..
#4. Does the bilge pump work
even if the battery switch is turned in the off position?
#5. Check the amount and type of fuel for cooking and make sure the fuel line and stove is
turned off.
#6. All emergency equipment is on board including fire
extinguishers, flares, bells and whistles.
#7. The VHF radio is working and the frequency monitored by
the charter company.
#8. Document all damage and scrapes to the hull and deck.
Make sure the lines are in good condition.
#9. Turn the ship's wheel to port and starboard, until the wheel
stops, to make sure it is connected to the rudder cables.
#10. Make sure you have an emergency tiller and a handle for the
manual bilge pump.
#11. Make sure you have two winch handles.
#12. Make sure you have a dock line that is long enough to be used
as a spring line.
#13. Make sure you have the proper charts on board.
#14. Know where every through- hull and sea-cock is and what system
they serve.
#15. That you have a written float plan filed with the charter
company.
Items you
should check before every departure:
#1. Amount of
fuel.
#2. No leaking oil below the engine.
#3. No excess water in the bilge.
#4. The sea strainer is clear of debris.
#5. The engine's sea water intake sea cock is open.
#6. The engine has enough oil.
#7. Check coolant level.
#8. Check the engine's belts and hoses.
#9. Check the holding tank level.
#10. Check the weather.
#11. Start engine and make sure it is discharging water.
Always have
sailboat towing insurance. This is the best investment you will ever
make. The cost for premium insurance is about $100 and the cost of
an un-grounding or towing may be several thousand dollars depending upon
the distance traveled.
