Bareboat Cruising Preparation

What does bareboat cruising mean? This is a popular phrase coined by the first sailboat charter companies around 1970. It's like renting your own car versus hiring a limousine with a chauffeur. Bareboating is chartering a sailboat you can live on, without professional captain or crew to help you sail the boat. If you're taking the Live Aboard course, the boat will come fully equipped with everything you need to comfortably live aboard including sheets, towels, all the sailing gear you need, even food and beverages. However, in the Bareboat Cruising Preparation course, you'll learn to cruise on a 36' Hunter while living ashore in a resort hotel or commuting from home. Your last two days are a practice cruise without the instructor aboard.

If you want to charter but don't think you're ready for a larger yacht, this is the experience you need. It's a terrific way to get ready for the best charter vacation you'll ever have.

Prerequisite for Course:
Basic Keelboat certification (our Learn to Sail course or equivalent training)

Certification (2 levels):
US SAILING Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising

Course Texts (3):
US SAILING Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising, plus Fast Track to Cruising by Steve and Doris Colgate

Check rates & availability or make a reservation

Textbooks are included with course tuition, or can be ordered here at the Online Bookstore

How Bareboat Cruising Works | What You Learn
Locations for Bareboat Cruising Preparation

How it Works
You learn on a 36 foot Hunter with no more than three other classmates and your instructor aboard. A careful blend of classroom and on-water instruction quickly builds the confidence and skills to handle larger sailboats. You sail in action-packed daily sessions filled with important drills and knowledge for taking charge when you charter later.

Evenings you stay ashore in the comfort of your own bed or a luxury resort, depending where you take the course. The course covers everything you need to know to start chartering in four days.

At commuter locations, each day starts with a 1-1/2 hour classroom session, followed by six hours of sailing with a break for lunch. Resort schedules include 1-1/2 hour classroom sessions and half-day on-water instruction the first four days, and practice cruises without the instructor aboard the last two days. Your graduation present is a mini-cruise without the instructor aboard when you take the course in Florida or a half-day on your own if you take it in New Jersey. Graduates receive charter discounts with The Moorings and Offshore will happily take care of your charter arrangements when you are ready to set sail.

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• Planning a cruise
• Boat layout and sail plan
• Operation of engine, stove and head
• Engine maintenance
• Fueling techniques
• Battery and charge systems
• Water/battery conservation
• Thru-hull systems
• Maneuvering under power and sail
• Log procedures
• Rules of the road
• Danger bearings
• Coast Guard requirements
• VHF use
• Proper handling of halyards and lines
• Proper use of winches
• Sail trim and shape

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• Apparent wind and sail selection
• Mainsail furling use
• Genoa roller furling use
• Overboard recovery procedures
• Heavy weather and reefing
• Heaving-to
• Sailing wing and wing
• Boom preventer use
• Docking and anchoring
• Knots and their applications
• Log procedures
• Piloting techniques including set, drift and leeway calculations
• Courtesy - lights and signals
• Use of safety harness
• Emergency tiller use
• Distress signals

Locations for Bareboat Cruising Preparation

Captiva Island, Florida
Ft. Myers Beach, Florida
The Florida Keys
Jersey City, New Jersey
St. Michaels, Maryland

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