Crewed, captain-only or bareboat: what is the difference?

Chris de Kock
Yacht charter broker, DMA Yachting

Crewed means a captain plus at least a chef or a hostess, and on bigger yachts a full team. You do nothing. Captain-only means one professional who sails and looks after the boat while you cook, clean and provision yourselves. Bareboat means no crew: you skipper it, and you need the licence and the experience to prove it.

We book crewed charters. For most first-timers and every family holiday, a chef on board is the difference between a boat trip and a holiday.

Related: Motor yacht, catamaran or sailing yacht, Does the crew stay on board.

Full guide: Yacht charter glossary.

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