Yacht Charter Guest Course

BlueFoot Travel’s cabin charters give guests the opportunity to get hands-on sailing experience. As such we welcome many different levels of sailor – from experienced to first-timers.

Over the last four years of running yacht charters in the Caribbean, those guests with little sailing experience suggested it would be great to get some insights into being a guest or ‘crew’ on a yacht before joining us on board Nemo.

During lockdown in 2020, we finally had the time to respond to their feedback and write a sailing course for anyone going on a yacht for the first time!

NauticEd Sailing Education

NauticEd provides over a dozen multimedia online and mobile device sailing courses for complete beginners through to advanced training. Given our focus on practical sailing and as Neil is a certified RYA Cruising Instructor, BlueFoot Travel has been a NauticEd practical sailing partner for the last few years.

And after recording our first ever podcast as part of the NauticEd Podcast Series we were delighted when Grant Headifen, Global Director of Education at NauticEd, asked us to write a mini sailing course about how to be a great yacht charter guest!

In essence, the course prepares anyone who has never been on a yacht to be more comfortable about the ‘yacht experience’ before jumping on board. It has been written so that it is relevant to monohulls and catamarans. It also provides some foundational skills and knowledge so that you, the crew, can contribute to the running of the boat under guidance from the skipper in charge.

Who is the Yacht Charter Crew Course For?

Neil and Sam love teaching people how to feel comfortable on a boat at sea, and there are some basics that will help anyone that hasn’t been on a yacht before.  The Yacht Charter Crew Course is aimed at anyone:

• going on a bareboat charter who wants to help their skipper,
• joining a family or friends’ boat for a sailing trip who wants to get actively involved,
• booked on a crewed yacht charter for the first time,
• who is interested in getting an insight into what it is like to go on a yacht charter.

Yacht Charter Crew Course Modules

The Yacht Charter Crew Course has six modules which will take approximately 4-6 hours to complete.

An outline of the course is as follows:

• Boating basics including nautical terminology and parts of a boat.
• Getting hands-on and helping your skipper. Here you will learn amongst other things, how to tie some basic knots, helm, use a winch and clutch safely, help with mooring and anchoring etc.  

• Safety on board with details on standard safety equipment you will find on a boat, what to do in case of an emergency etc..
• Insights into living on a boat such as how to help provision (recipes included!), how to use a head and manage power and water on board.
• Health on board including staying hydrated and sun protection.
• Preparing for your charter with packing and other tips.

The cost of the Yacht Charter Crew Course is only US $24.95.

We had a great time writing and filming lots of videos for the course. We hope you find the Yacht Charter Crew Course informative and useful in getting you prepared for your sailing holiday.

Wishing you fair winds and following seas for your sailing trip!

Neil & Sam
The BlueFoot Travel Team
#SailingInStyle

About BlueFoot Travel

We offer sailing holidays in the Caribbean. Join us on board a shared yacht and experience an unforgettable crewed cabin charter. Book a cabin for your sailing vacation – ideal for solo and single travellers, couples and small groups. Relax and recharge. Enjoy delicious healthy food. Get hands-on sailing experience with an RYA sailing instructor. And, have lots of fun as we sail from one beautiful island to the next. Sail in style with BlueFoot Travel.