Bareboating means chartering a yacht without crew and sailing it yourself. It is the cheapest way to a week on the water by a wide margin and the only one where what you do with the boat is entirely your decision. What it asks in return is a demonstrable ability to handle it, which different countries define very differently.
What a bareboat costs
Read on 11 September 2026, Croatia Yachting publishes weeks from 600 EUR at Trogir and Dubrovnik and 752 at Sibenik. The Moorings starts a seven day charter for two at 1,885 USD in Croatia, 2,464 in St Lucia, 2,634 in Greece and 3,284 in the British Virgin Islands. Conch Charters publishes BVI monohulls from 2,599 USD a week. Against those, a crewed week in the same water starts at four times the money.
What the base asks for
Greece is the strictest in this record: a recognized certificate of competence for the named skipper, a VHF short range certificate and a declared co skipper, enforced by port police. Croatia is similar. The Caribbean asks for none of that legally and every fleet asks for a sailing resume instead, with recent experience on a comparable boat, and will put a skipper aboard for the first day or the week if the resume is thin.
What is not in the price
Fuel: Istion prices it at 200 to 400 EUR a week for a monohull and 500 to 700 for a catamaran. Marina and port fees: Sailing Holidays in Croatia averages 450 EUR a week. Tourist tax, at 1.35 EUR per person per day in Croatia. End cleaning, a transit log where one applies, and the security deposit or its waiver. The Moorings states Caribbean extras separately at 1,200 to 1,800 USD for two people.
Where to take a first one
The British Virgin Islands, the Greek Ionian or the Bahamian Abacos. All three have sheltered water, hops of five to twenty miles, and a mooring ball or a town quay at the end of each day. What they do not have is an open passage, a tidal gate or an anchorage you have to get right first time, and those three things are what spoil a first bareboat week.
Questions people ask about bareboating
What does bareboating cost?
Croatia Yachting publishes weeks from 600 EUR and The Moorings from 1,885 USD for seven days and two people in Croatia, 2,464 in St Lucia and 3,284 in the BVI, read on 11 September 2026.
What qualifications do you need?
In Greece, a recognized certificate, a VHF license and a declared co skipper, enforced by port police. In the Caribbean, none legally, but every fleet wants a sailing resume with recent comparable experience.
What is on top of the charter fee?
Fuel at 200 to 700 EUR a week depending on the boat, marina and port fees averaging 450 a week in Croatia, tourist tax, end cleaning and a deposit. The Moorings states Caribbean extras at 1,200 to 1,800 USD for two.
Where should a first bareboat go?
The British Virgin Islands, the Greek Ionian or the Bahamian Abacos: sheltered water, short hops and somewhere to tie up every evening, with no open passage or tidal gate to get right.