For many people, hiring their own private yacht represents the ultimate travel experience – and there’s no shortage of companies offering you that very opportunity.
A sailing charter boat cruises the Caribbean waters (Photo: dChris via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
With so much choice available, choosing the right charter yacht for your needs can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily there are a huge number of reputable online platforms that allow you to search for your ideal vessel all the way down to the smallest detail. If you’ve ever thought of chartering your own yacht but aren’t quite sure where to start, we’ve picked three of the best online resources to help you.
Ritzy
Our favourite choice for crewed yachts, Ritzy have built a vast network since their entry into the yacht charter market over a decade ago. Booking on the platform is straightforward, with users required to punch in a variety of details about their trip, including guest numbers, travel dates, preferred itinerary, and any special requests too. They’re then delivered a shortlist of yachts based on their customised criteria. When we searched for private yacht charters around the world, we found a large choice available for all of the most popular yachting destinations. For example, on the French and Italian Rivieras, there were 38 vessels available, with the most affordable a 52ft catamaran accommodating up to 12 guests and available from $9,800 per week. Ritzy do not offer bareboat yachts.
SamBoat
A market leader in peer-to-peer boat rentals, SamBoat make the rental process easy and intuitive. You simply search for your ideal boat according to price, size, dates of travel and other requirements, then when you’ve found an available vessel that fits the bill you send a booking request to the owner. If the request is accepted, you pay your rental online, with the amount deposited to the owner on the first day of your rental. When the day comes, you board the boat and make sure it corresponds to the descriptions before signing on the dotted line and embarking on your charter adventure. Availability was exceptional too: for example, in the Caribbean alone there were over 1,400 boats on offer when we searched, with options catering for every budget, taste and preference.
Windward Islands
Since the company’s creation in 1998, Windward have grown into a full service yachting company with a worldwide team of experts. They offer a variety of boats of different capacities and size for charter in destinations across the globe. They can advise you on the best kind of boat for the experience you’re seeking, and it’s this aspect of their service that they’re most proud of – offering bespoke solutions based on a client’s wishes and needs. Using the website search engine, you can pick vessels based on your preferred dates, with or without crew, group size, make and model, and boat spec. There’s also a special offers page with money-saving promos. Other notable features include a handy guide for each destination, including the best time of year to visit, favourite attractions, and events not to miss.