This was exactly my worry going into this deal. I love being the captaining/sailing. We gained the trust of our crew during the first trip and expressed our desire to do the sailing. Our captain lets us sail the boat, anchor, dock, the works. We have become good mates. I think most crews do not allow this. We are fortunate. The other BIG plus is having someone else to do all the provisioning and cooking. Wonderful meals! We eat ashore 2-3 meals a week to give the chef well deserved time off. We figured the cost of food and beverages is a push (self provisioning + eating ashore vs the per diem charge). The nut cost wise is the crew gratuity....~$4000+ per week....but split between 3 or 4 couples its not too bad and is well worth it....none of us like to cook and clean on vacation. That said, I love bare boating and if it was just my decision, that would be my choice.