Crewed charter yacht vacations in the British Virgin Islands are gaining popularity every year, and for good reason!
What started out as simply “The Sailing Mecca of The World” has evolved into a diverse and exciting vacation destination, perfect for making everlasting memories with the ones you love most. And while there are many boats out there, the crew is what makes the charter special!
Each crew has similar skills, but also diverse personalities that can be matched through your trained charter yacht broker, who interviews each crew personally every year at the Annual Crewed Charter Yacht Show.
One thing every crew has in common – their priority is providing an unforgettable, luxurious, relaxing vacation that will make you want to come back again and again.
A crewed charter yacht vacation is unique in that, with the trained charter yacht crew’s specific local knowledge, it is tailored to meet the wants and desires of each individual charter week, and then each guest within that group.
Charter yacht crews are trained to create flexible itineraries that accommodate many different activities in many different locations.
This means that not only can the group go scuba diving on Peter Island or Norman Island, but they can also have a lunch at Cooper Island; go kite boarding and Hobie cat sailing on Virgin Gorda; and dance the night away at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke. Whatever each guest might like to do – the charter yacht crew acts as a local guide with up-to-date knowledge on where the best places to go are.
This experiential wisdom is pure gold, as the British Virgin Islands are made up of more than fifty islands! You don’t have to miss out on any one thing – you can see it all, and your crew will help make that possible.
Of course, the boat itself is your floating palace for the week, making all the desired activities possible, but also creating a space of privacy and relaxation.
But the logistics of the charter are exactly what the charter yacht crew (and charter yacht brokers) don’t want guests to have to think about. Crewed charter yacht vacations are so unique in that they are worry-free, no-brainer kinds of vacations! Before guests step onboard, the charter yacht crew is already preparing for guests’ arrival, and for their perfect week.
Several weeks before a charter starts, guests are provided a preference sheet, giving them a chance to express the things they like most (or don’t like!).
Charter yacht crews take advantage of this preference sheet and learn how they can best stock the boat with everyone’s favorite items.
This also gives crew a chance to get to know each guest a little bit, including – very important – allergies or medical concerns. Even though crewed charter yacht vacations are full of magic and wonder, medical conditions and allergies continue to exist.
Charter yacht crews are trained to accommodate all types of requests and needs, again relieving guests from worry so they can focus on soaking up all the sunshine and ocean waves possible.
Throughout a charter week, the charter yacht crew cares completely for the wants, desires, and needs of each guests. Your personal chef provides gorgeous, gourmet meals, based on a personalized menu, created week by week.
The charter yacht crew provides cabin service daily, cleaning all the living areas, restocking necessary items, and making sure guests have ample clean linens – most charter yacht crew even change the sheets mid-week for the most relaxing, comfortable sleep.
Two final, yet overwhelmingly important, benefits to chartering a crewed charter yacht is the safety aspect and the legal requirements for a charter yacht vacation. Boating in general can be dangerous in and of itself, especially for the inexperienced.
Charter yacht crews are trained to know boating safety requirements, including how to navigate the boat safely around other boaters, and how to operate the charter yacht itself.
The systems and machinery onboard each charter yacht – generators, air conditioning, water makers, scuba diving compressors – are all different and often complicated – which is something guests never have to worry about with crew taking care of everything.
And speaking of diving – make charter yacht crew are certified to guide scuba diving safely, with specialized knowledge of the hundreds of dive sites available.
Finally, charter yacht crew take care of the legal requirements for each charter – yacht registration, cruising permits, customs, and immigration, to name just a few. Each piece of documentation requires multiple layers of knowledge, from which forms to fill out and where to submit them. Charter yacht crew stay up-to-date on current laws and make sure that everything is in order so a charter week can operate without any “bumps” or glitches.
There are only benefits to chartering a crewed yacht, not worry or concerns – and that is the unique joy of this particular type of vacation! The only thing guests have to focus on is how to get there; how to enjoy themselves the most; and how to come back and do it all again.
Megan Schlobohm, alongside her husband, owned and operated one of the busiest and most successful crewed charter yachts in the British Virgin Islands. She is an accomplished gourmet chef; an avid reader and writer; and loves the ocean and sailing. She now lives in the Southeastern United States, running a mini-farm and woodworking shop, and also helping others learn about and enjoy the islands she lovingly called “home” for so long.
You made a good point that Yacht charter crews are trained to know safety requirements. I’ve been planning a trip with a Caribbean yacht charter and wanted to know if it was the right choice. Maybe a yacht charter crew will be just what we need to make sure we have a safe vacation.