How To Charter

Chartering and skippering a yacht can seem intimidating, but we’ve made it our mission to help boaters of all skill levels safely enjoy the experience of custom cruising the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands.

We have helped thousands of boaters over the last 45 years and will:

1. Match you with a yacht that fits your boating skills and vacation dreams.
2. Ensure you have the skills to safely operate the yacht and navigate in our tidal waters.
3. Provide a Cruising Guarantee to reduce your worries about breakdowns.

Charter Fleet

Our fleet includes power yachts and sailing yachts in a variety of sizes to suit nearly any small group of family and friends. We have entry level boats that are great for first timers plus larger yachts for more experienced yachtsman. Please review the boat information on this website to narrow the choice of boats that you prefer.

Charter Dates

The availability of each vessel is determined by factors such as personal use by the owner, maintenance periods, and other charter use. Because of these many variables, it is best if you contact us to confirm the specific dates that any vessel is available.

Charter Length

For many of us, a vacation is not always a full week spanning two weekends. Many of our charterers book a vessel for two weeks or more to fully explore the Northwest waters as far north as Desolation Sound. You may book a charter for any duration you want, based on vessel availability. See Short Charters details on our How to Book page.

Boating Qualification

Our duty to you and the boat owner is to ensure that each skipper is qualified to safely operate the yacht. Some of our first-time skippers have sufficient experience to immediately qualify to charter even the largest yacht, others are more familiar with smaller, lake-style boats and need additional training or skill-building to qualify. Regardless of your specific skills, we have the resources to qualify you to charter a boat for your vacation.
To do this, we will:

1. Assess your skills and experience with a review of your Boating Resume and have a conversation to better understand your abilities.
2. Suggest or require that you successfully complete a Boating Class, Pre-Qualification or arrange for a Cruise-and-Learn.

Boating Classes

If you are fairly new to boating and need a Boating Class or are an experienced skipper wanting a refresher, we have several options to help grow your boating skills. Take our certified Boating Classes for a structured, hands-on course, or schedule a Cruise-and-Learn Course for a private, custom training on all, or part of your charter.