When to Go

Many of our first time charter clients need a “101” on the best times of year to charter a yacht in different destinations and when the best time is for a boating trip.

In addition there is sometimes confusion regarding the high season and low season charter rates shown on our website. Truthfully, there is little rhyme but good reason for the rate structures. They vary with the type of charter and the climate at the destination.

The Caribbean is great any time of year. Summer, of course, is warmer with temperatures ranging from the high 80’s to the 90’s. There is no seasonal rate i.e. winter/summer. There is however a holiday season rate with a premium of between 10 – 20% for Christmas and New Year charters.

The rest of the year is at the same rate. This is because Caribbean rates are generally “inclusive” of meals and beverages and the yacht’s costs vary with the number of guests. Therefore, the published rates that are shown as “High” or “Low” refer to the number of guests on board with the lowest being for 2 guests or whatever minimum has been established, and the high rate for the max number of guests: 6, 8, 10, 12, etc.

Because it is essentially a summer time vacation period, the high season is July and August which are the warmest and most popular months and command a premium rate. The middle season, is generally June and September, and the low season is everything else. Med rates are generally “non-inclusive” of meals and beverages and are quoted with a base rate for the boat plus expenses.

The complete Mediterranean rate structure is explained in a separate section of this website. In the Med, there are either two or three seasons. Most yachts use only a two season rate structure with July and August as high and everything else as low.

Because of the short sailing season from May to September (sometimes mid-October), the bareboat rates tend to follow the same pattern as the crewed yacht rates. July and August are the highest and there is a mid season that includes May, June and September, the lowest rates would be from October to April. I wouldn’t recommend winter charters in the Med anyway…!!

Most bareboat companies use a tiered rate structure with 4 “quadrants or pricing quartiles” with different pricing for each. The Holiday Season during December and part of January has the highest rate and the Summertime, usually between July and October, has the lowest. There are two more intermediate or “shoulder” rates, one that spans the popular time of Spring Break and Easter, and the other that starts in November and ends before the Christmas season.

The Bahamas bareboat rate structure is the reverse of the Caribbean proper. The highest rates are in the summer and the Lowest in winter. This is because the Bahamas are

much further North, and it gets quite chilly (relatively… in the 60’s and 70’s) in winter, more or less like Florida. In spite of the hurricane season that starts in June, Bahamas rates are highest in July, August and September

All this get even more complicated because individual boat owners and bareboat companies can set their own months and dates within months for moving from one season to another.

Remember we are here to help and if you have any questions, we are happy to give you a quick response.