What is a nautical charter and how does it work?

If you would like to sail and are considering doing so during your vacation, you should know that it is much easier than you think. Hiring a nautical charter service will allow you to spend a few hours, days or weeks on board a boat, regardless of whether you are the one who handles it or you need the help of a pleasure boat skipper.

What is a nautical charter and what does the service consist of?

Nautical charter is a service for renting a vessel, such as a yacht, a sailboat or a small boat., as long as it is for recreational use. It is an opportunity to be able to sail without owning a boat, renting the ship that best suits the needs of the group for a period that can range from a few hours to even a few months.

These types of services, especially when contracted for short periods of time, usually include a skipper - sometimes also a crew -. When we talk about longer periods, it is more common for at least one of the clients to have some navigation title that allows you to handle it, because otherwise the nautical charter service without a captain would not be possible.

How a nautical charter works exactly

To understand how nautical charter works we must talk about the characteristics of the service stipulated in the signing of the rental contract, to which we will have to adapt at all times. We are referring to issues such as the route to be traveled and the possible destinations it includes, the duration of the period and the type of vessel to be rented.

Some issues must also be determined, such as the number of passengers, the possibility of including or not including crew members, the payment and reservation method or the conditions for returning the boat.

Finally, specific details are included such as parallel services, excursions, nautical activities on the high seas and a long list of options that can be experienced in a nautical charter.

Types of nautical charter

As we say, there are different possibilities when hiring a nautical charter depending on the chosen vessel. It is important to know all the possible alternatives to choose the one that best meets what we are looking for as clients, since we are making an investment.

So, these are the main types of ships that are usually rented in this service, and we must bear in mind that in all cases they can be rented with or without a skipper:

• Sailing catamarans, a recurring option due to its stability and the possibility of proximity to the shore.
• motor yachts, whose length usually varies depending on whether it is rented by the hour for an excursion - between 5 and 10 meters - or for several days - between 10 and 20 meters -.
• Monohull sailboats, surely the most contracted nautical charter, which usually does not exceed 15 meters in length and, depending on its size, can accommodate a maximum of 10 passengers.
• Luxury charter, known as 5-star vessels that exceed 20 meters in length and with crews taller than the number of passengers.

The legality surrounding the nautical charter service

As is normal, nautical charter services are legally regulated in Spain, specifically through the Law 14/2014, of July 24, on Maritime Navigation, where determinations as relevant as the requirements of the vessels and their crew, the necessary documentation and how to obtain authorization to offer this contract.

What should you take into account when renting a nautical charter?

If you are considering renting a nautical charter, the main recommendation that you should follow lies in choosing the service provider.. To avoid possible setbacks or incidents that can always happen, it is vitally important to hire it from an official company, which scrupulously complies with current legislation and whose main activity is this.

On the other hand, it is also very important, especially when we decide on a nautical charter without a skipper, to have the navigation title that allows you to operate the chosen boat. In fact, if this is not the case, the organization should not provide the service. With Anclademia, Obtaining a certificate to sail is much easier and faster than you think.