Sailing Charters

Find a Great Captain

One of the first things to keep in mind when trying to find a great sailboat is the captain. You want to make sure that you find a captain that is experienced and comfortable with captaining a boat. The best captains will find the best views, sailing winds guide you in and out of the best ports. He should be friendly and be able to give you any helpful advice you may need. Before you step foot in a charter sailboat, find the captain and make sure you feel comfortable with him or her before you leave dry land.

What Services are Provided?

Another thing to look for when trying to find a great charter boat is know exactly what you are getting. Are meals provided? Will you stop in other ports? How long will the trip last? While some companies may ask you to pay extra for some services, the best charter fishing boats will offer them for free. If none of this is spelled out, then you probably want to look elsewhere for a sailing charter.

Consider the Boat Size

Another important consideration when trying to find a good sailing charter boat is the size of the boat. This is especially important for those who are not used to being on the water or for those who tend to get seasick easily. If you tend to get seasick or are not used to being on the water, you are usually better off going on a bigger boat, which will have less motion than a smaller vessel.

Get Recommendations

If you want a great sailing trip, you may want to consider asking around for recommendations. Check with your family and friends and see if they have any suggestions. Many times you can find a good boat just by taking the time to ask around.

If you keep these simple tips in mind, no doubt you will be able to find a sailing charter for your day on the water. Hopefully after a day on the water you will arrive back on land with a great experience to remember.

There are many types of sailboats, some types carry a single person and others carry more than one person. Sailboats are mostly classified by their sail configuration, type of hull, keel and masts. Sailboats, which are classified by sail configuration are as follows:

Sloop

Sloop designs are is the most common variety of sailboat , The term sloop originates from the Dutch word slope. This design utilizes a mainsail and foresail with one mast. Sloops usually bend only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive. Unlike cutters, sloops usually have only one headsail, though some sloops such as the Friendship Sloop have more than one sail. Sloops are popular with sport sailors and yachtsmen, and for racing

Cutter

The cutter is very similar to a sloop with a single mast and a mainsail. The cutter generally carries the mast further aft to allow for the use of two headsails attached towing forestays, the head stay and the inner stay carry the jib and staysail respectively. This is rarely considered a racing configuration; however, it gives much versatility to cruising boats, especially when there are high wind conditions.

Catboat

Catboat configurations are characterized by a single mast. Catboats today are used as a pleasure craft for day sailing. 19th century catboats were also used for racing.

Ketch

Ketch designs are sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. Ketch boats are very popular among long distance cruisers. The additional sail allows for a better balance.

Schooner

Another popular sailboat configuration is the schooner. A schooner can have two or more masts. The second mast is at least as tall as the first mast.

Skipjack

Skipjacks are specialized sailboats of the Chespeake Bay. They were used for commercial oyster harvesting and moving supplies in the waters of the bay. A few of these single masted sailing vessels still exist and have a strong following of sailing enthusiasts.

Sailboats are also classified by hull type. Most sailboats are built with a mono or a single hull. However, some boats are built as multi hull boats. These include catamaran (twin hulls) and tri-maran (triple hull) vessels. When comparing a mono hull boat to multi-hull boat acceleration is much different. In a multi-hull boat acceleration to a top speed is very quick and almost instantaneous.

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