TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Shared Crewed Catamaran Charter

Looking for a shared Crewed Catamaran Charter. We are a party of two and we are looking for any companies that offer shared charters. Looking for Catamarans of 6-8 people that we could just rent a cabin vs. the entire Catamaran. Is anyone aware of any companies that pair groups up? Cheers.

I don't know if any sponsor here does, but festiva charters offers what you are looking for,

Awesome! Thank you!

You might want to do a search here on the Festiva Charters - there are mixed reviews on them for sure.

Might be better/safer to try to find a group of friends to go with you and just find a boat with a captain and split the cost? Taking the chance of being on a boat for a week with people you don't know from a hole in the wall is a bit risky.

Blue Moon (a sponsor here) sometimes does this time of charter so you could check them out too - great boat, GREAT captain!

Thanks for the great information. I did a search and I wish we had had a few friends to go with! I'm not sure what that says about us! that we don't. LOL.

Well we are two women 39 and 42, single with no children and are looking to share a Cat in the BVI this winter if anyone is looking. 7 nights preferred. We are very laid back and love to travel, just not always easy finding people with the time and $$ to do the same. We are willing to help out where we can or do a fully crewed charter. We are willing to start a compatibility conversation! I feel like I'm on a dating website! LOL! Thanks!

Yolo ...... good start with your post above.

You might find some takers here but be patient. This sort of thing takes a long time to work itself out. Bridgett's comments are spot on.

I hired a "crew" (a 2nd set of hands because in our group of 4 only two had sailing experience and one not much at all) for my recent charter in July. Signed him on 9 months before the charter and after I booked the boat (a mono). I posted in this forum to find one. I had 9 responses from around the world, narrowed it to 3, got references from all of them, narrowed it to two, spoke on the phone with both of them and with their references and ended up hiring one ...... Russell Bertrand who is a Licensed Captain, runs his own charter boat (letsgosailingbvi.com) and turned out to be terrific. He had never hired himself out as "crew" or, if I've got this right, to sail on another boat, captain or crew although he has but a couple of race teams together using Sunsail boats for various races in these parts.

I'm an avid sailor, small to big boats but I learned more about running a charter boat in the BVI from him than I learned in 50+ years of sailing. He WAS the Captian. I'm a good skipper but being a good Captain is an entirely different job. Thanks again Russell.

Do your homework, it will pay off. One thought, you might try booking your boat and then shopping for "crew." That's what I did; it got a little scary but it worked out perfectly in the end.

^^^^^Great idea -- if you are not set on chartering a cat, you might be able to manage a mono by yourselves with a hired captain - you could get a very nice mono for less.

We've shared charters over the years, and it has worked out great!
It's best to be patient.
Join in on Traveltalk, become a regular, contribute meaningfully, and soon you will get "plugged in."
There are no shortcuts to earning trust, but putting in the effort pays dividends in the end.

We offer Sail Away Staterooms allowing you to indulge in the luxury of an all-inclusive Crewed yacht charter for the price of a single cabin. More details:
http://www.moorings.com/vacation-options/luxury-crewed-yacht-charter/sail-away-stateroom

Happy to answer any questions.

The Moorings Team

I sent you a private message

Thank you everyone! I have received some great information and recommendations! I definitely think we are going to revisit our options after all this discussion! I am not sure if we are confident enough to get a boat and hire our own crew yet, key word yet, but it is definitely a consideration! We are are think we would like to find something less commercial and a privately owned boat. We think the service seems to be all around better and the people are generally better, it is their passion vs. a job. Thanks again and I will keep you all posted! Cheers!

Did you consider live aboard sailing lessons?

Confidence shouldn't play much of a role if you hire a captain - they can do all the boat handling for the most part.

Definitely not a vacation....if they are looking for a vacation, sailing school isn't one. I had fun for sure....but it was definitely not vacation. If they are actually looking to learn how to sail? A great way to go! But not if they're looking to just relax and chill out for a week....

But with the skills, they will have freedom. It's an investment in their future.
For some people that would be a vacation.

As Matryx points out, you don't have to have the sailing and boat handling skills if you're hiring a Captain.

I'd recommend Russell Bertrand. Not only will you have a great and relaxing vacation but he'll teach you important skills whether your a beginner or experienced sailor. PM me and I'll put you in touch with him if you're interested.

We used Cabin Charter Sailing a couple of years ago
with great results. We were a little unsure about sharing a boat with people we didn't know, but figured most who would try it would be pretty easy going. We ended up meeting some great people (including one couple that lives near us that we still sail with). Bob's website is cabinchartersailing.com. People were able to pretty much do as little or as much as sailing as they wanted.

Honestly live aboard sailing lessons would be a dream of mine, but not of my friend, so not for this trip, but definitely is a bucket list item for myself! I always said if I had unlimited funds I would buy a Cat hire a crew for 1 year and say "teach me everything"! I turn 40 this year it may be a birthday gift to myself! (the lessons, not the boat!) LOL!

I guess when I say I don't have the confidence to do my own boat and hire a Captain, it is because I know nothing! I don't even know how i would interview a crew, to ensure I get the right fit! But it for sure sounds like that a great way to go and I will remember that after we get this trip under our belt!

All this information is so helpful and is getting me so excited to get this dream started! I have started a list of all our options and I know with all this great advise we will chose a great option! I will keep you posted and I am sure I will have more questions!

You wouldn't interview a crew typically. Charter the boat, charter company can provide a captain. Or you can also request a captain from recommendations here.

That is what I was looking for info on Moorings..Thanks~

You may want to contact a crewed charter yacht broker re: possibilities for private yachts.