If you, like most people, do not possess a boating certificate, you are equally welcome at KaterBlue. You can easily find your ideal charter with an experienced captain included in the price. Just check the “captain” box while performing your search and you will be shown all charters on your preferred location that have a skipper or captain riding along. In many cases, the captain will be also the boat owner who takes his or her charterers aboard his own vessel, but in many other cases, the captain is a professional who is specifically hired to do what he or she is best at. While planning your trip, prior to departure, you decide your own level of involvement. This also depends heavily on the type of boat – those with a sail evidently requiring more work than those with only an engine. If you’re only chartering for the calm, the weather and the view, and you’ve chosen a boat or yacht accordingly, you can just sit back and relax. You do not have to worry about the technicalities, all the work will be done for you. But if rolling up your sleeves, running across the deck, tightening the ropes and raising the sails is for you the height of your trip, you are equally unlikely to be disappointed. If you are a trainee for any type of boating certificate, you can agree ahead of time of what type of responsibilities you will take on, even alternate with the captain behind the helm, thus using the trip as an opportunity to gather the necessary sea miles to partake in the exam. The captain or skipper will sign off your function on the boat, such as helming, navigation, night watch, mate, officer of the watch or deckhand etc, in your sea log.
Booking a charter with captain is not only meant for those people who do not have boating qualifications like a Yachtmaster certificate. Even for freshly qualified yacht masters, chartering with a captain might provide a perfect chance to gain more experience in a safe setting. Most new captains are absolutely eager to spend as much time as possible on the water, but some still do not feel accustomed enough to go about long or stormy journeys by themselves. Some feel they don’t want to take the responsibility during night passages by themselves. Having a veteran colleague come along, provides an excellent solution for these people and often makes long lasting friendships.