1.
C B I T O B V I
F R O M D I N G H Y S A I L O R T O B A R E B O AT C H A RT E R S K I P P E R

2.
W H A T I S B A R E B O A T
C H A R T E R I N G ?
Bareboat chartering is chartering a
boat where you are responsible for
all aspects of that boat’s operation
W H Y B A R E B O A T
C H A R T E R I N G ?
An amazing and economical way
share sailing and a vacation with
your friends!

3.
O B J E C T I V E S
• Help you decide whether you’d like to pursue a bareboat charter
• Familiarize you with requirements, knowledge and skills required to
bareboat
• Introduce you to options for fulfilling the requirements and obtaining the
knowledge and skills

4.
P R E S U P P O S I T I O N S
• Bareboat in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)
• Great place to get your feet wet as a bareboat skipper
• 35’-42’ monohull
• At least one other capable sailor aboard; more is better
• Pick crew you can verify are capable
• It’s best if you’ve sailed together before
• Lots of time skippering Rhodes 19 and/or Sonar

5.
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A RY
• Charter Roadmap
• Big Boat Handling Under Power and Under Sail
• Tiny boat handling: Your Dinghy
• Big Boat Systems
• Provisioning
• Navigation
• Learning Options
• Learning Recommendations

6.
C H A R T E R
R O A D M A P
• “First” day
• Fly out
• UNPACK at the boat after noon
• Exchange USD for ECD
• Provisioning
• Second day
• AM: Chart and Boat Briefing
• PM: Departure
• Last day
• Back before noon
• Boat Check-in

7.
B O AT H A N D L I N G

8.
B O A T H A N D L I N G U N D E R S A I L
• Experience sail handling on a 35+ foot boat in 25+ knots
• Reefing and un-reefing under sail
• Never needed a reef on a Rhodes 19 or a Sonar
• Needed a reef on big boats more often than not
• Raise and lower sail underway with the aid of the engine
• Try to experience conditions where you need to put away an entire sail
• Reef on the mooring or in sheltered waters if you think you’ll need it
when you “get out there”

9.
T I M E S K I P P E R I N G
C B I K E E L B O A T S I S
R E L E VA N T
• Especially when it’s really really windy

10.
M A N E U V E R I N G U N D E R P O W E R
• Big boats drive like a car
• Big boats “park” like a car on an icy hill with no brakes.
• Parking without stopping

11.
M O O R I N G U N D E R
P O W E R
• If you can get on the moorings
and dock under sail you'll
manage
• Practice anyway
• Go slow: Icy hill, no brakes
• At least you have reverse
• Learn how to tie on

12.
A N C H O R I N G U N D E R P O W E R
• You might not have to anchor in the BVI but you need to know how in case
you do
• (Usually) More maneuvering room than mooring
• All chain in water where you can see the bottom is the easiest anchoring
there is
• Can still be difficult

13.
D O C K I N G U N D E R P O W E R
• Icy hill, no brakes
• In the BVI your charter company can handle this at the base
• Insist they do
• Plan your charter such that you don’t have to dock!
• If you must find a wide open spot on a light/no wind day

14.
D I N G H Y H A N D L I N G

15.
W H A T T O B R I N G
O N D I N G H Y T R I P S
• Paddles!
• Flashlight or headlamp if there is any
chance of darkness
• And a backup
• Small anchor
• Dinghy pump?

16.
D I N G H Y T R I P P R E P
• Check fuel level
• Review the charts and cruising guide before you dinghy anywhere
• Especially in the dark
• Bring a chartplotter!

17.
D I N G H Y T R A N S P O R T
• Ask the charter company how to transport your dinghy
• Whenever you’ll be sailing take the engine out
• So much easier to do this while still sheltered instead of underway
• Drain plug too!

18.
D I N G H Y
“ M E C H A N I C ”
• Learn to detach, attach and bleed
the fuel system
• Learn how and when to operate a
choke valve
• Make sure your outboard is
“tinkling”
• Make sure you always close the
fuel cap, fuel cutoff and air intake
before you tilt up the motor

19.
D I N G H Y T I P S
• Always wear foot protection when
you’re going ashore
• Make ABSOLUTELY SURE all your
crew can get aboard the dinghy from
the water before you leave the
vicinity of a boarding ladder
• Be very careful coming ashore in surf
zones
• Tie a decoration onto your dinghy so
you can identify it

20.
B O AT S Y S T E M S

21.
G E A R Y O U ’ L L
L E A R N T O T E A C H
• The Dinghy
• Winches
• Clutches
• Reefing Systems
• Put in a reef when there is no
reason to do so
• Furling Systems
• Marine Head
• Propane System & Stove

22.
S K I P P E R S Y S T E M S
• Battery Management
• Distribution Panel & Battery Switches
• Water Conservation
• Bilge Pumps
• Boat Instruments
• Tach, wind instruments, depth sounder
• Engine control panel
• oil pressure, engine temperature, ignition, fuel cutoff
• VHF Radio

23.
M O R E S K I P P E R S Y S T E M S
• Forget everything you learned from an ASA book about boat repair
• Call the charter company if something breaks
• Make sure you keep that phone they give you charged
• Place a test call before you leave
• Check for a 911 equivalent
• 911 works in the BVI

24.
P R O V I S I O N I N G

25.
P R O V I S I O N I N G I S J U S T G R O C E RY S H O P P I N G
• Review provisioning lists and suggestions just in case
• Water is the most important provision
• Dehydration is a real threat
• Make sure your crew drink enough water

26.
P L A N F O R
“ R O U G H W E A T H E R ”
D I N I N G
• Consider:
• Cooking
• Eating
• Seasickness

27.
S E A S I C K N E S S
• If you don’t suffer from seasickness you’ll need to know how to help your
crew get through it
• If you do suffer from seasickness and you’re prepared to skipper then you
probably know more about it than I do
• Scopolamine patches are the only thing sailors I know have used that work
• You can't recover from extended seasickness without food and water

28.
M E D I C A L
C O N S I D E R A T I O N S
• Emergencies
• Routine
• Seasickness and remoteness
exacerbate chronic conditions
• Ask your crew if they have any
critical medication or conditions
(diabetes). If they do have them
write down or print out what to
do if they can't

29.
N AV I G AT I O N

30.
TA K E A C L A S S R O O M N A V I G A T I O N C O U R S E
• Do the homework!
• Practice navigation when you’re sailing
• Even if you’re not tasked with navigation
• Come up with navigation plans for past and future trips

31.
E L E C T R O N I C N A V I G A T I O N
• Use your charter boat’s chartplotter
• BRING YOUR OWN
• Smartphone Apps are
• Easier to Use
• More Reliable
• More Up-to-Date
• Learn how to use it ahead of time
• Make sure everything is downloaded ahead of time

32.
V I S U A L N A V I G A T I O N
I N T H E B V I
• Buoys show you where not to
go and mark narrow channels
• Don't sail onto land
• Beware of Anegada

33.
C R U I S I N G G U I D E S
• Buy these ahead of time
• Review them beforehand
• Good ideas for things to do

34.
PA P E R C H A R T S
• These will be aboard
• You'll use them at the chart
briefing
• The boat probably won’t have
the tools needed to navigate
with the paper charts

35.
L E A R N I N G O P T I O N S

36.
U LT I M AT E LY Y O U ’ R E R E S P O N S I B L E F O R A C Q U I R I N G T H E K N O W L E D G E A N D
C R E AT I N G T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y T O P R A C T I C E
“Experience is knowledge plus practice”

37.
A S A L I V E A B O A R D C O U R S E
• Don't take this in the BVI
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Schools near Newport
• Narragansett Sailing School
• Some of the Harbor Sailing Clubs
• Get 104/Bareboat and you're done
• Consider the catamaran version of the course
• US Sailing offers similar courses

38.
A P P R E N T I C E S H I P !
• Find a skipper who lets you run the boat some days you're out cruising or
on the way to races
• (S)he won't let you break the boat
• Pay attention to what they do anyway
• Check out the crew meetups
• Let your sailing friends know that you’re interested

39.
O T H E R L O C A L
L E A R N I N G O P T I O N S
• Small Keelboats on the Harbor
• Courageous Sailing
• CBI partner!
• Boston Sailing Center
• Boston Harbor Sailing Club
• Some offer ASA ratings

40.
S U G G E S T E D R E A D I N G
• Annapolis Book of Seamanship
• The Complete Sailor
• Sailing a Serious Ocean
• The Cruiser’s Handbook
• What Now Skipper?

41.
L E A R N I N G R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

42.
F O R A L L S K I P P E R S
• As much hands on experience as you can get your hands on
• Sonar Mastery
• Time on big boats
• Navigation course
• Read some of the recommended books

43.
F O R S E L F S TA R T E R S
• Take a week long ASA bareboat
course
• Once you're comfortable
skippering a Sonar in 25kts
• I recommend Narragansett
Sailing School
• Then practice as skipper
• A membership on the harbor
• As “skipper for a day” aboard
other boats you crew on

44.
S T R U C T U R E D
L E A R N E R S
• Pick a local school and start
taking their classes
• Pick one with a progression
that lets you practice as
skipper when you're done
• ASA Ratings are a bonus not a
requirement
• Still try to sail as crew aboard
other boats
• When you feel you’re ready

45.
W R A P - U P

46.
TA K E A WA Y S
• There is a lot to learn
• Choose your own mix of structured
and unstructured education
• As you progress return to these slides
to make sure you don't omit anything
• You'll know when you're ready

47.
Y O U C A N D O I T !
A N D I T ’ S T O TA L LY W O RT H I T ! ! ! !