Vacations can become a “time of your life” experience when you get aboard a boat. Even a day trip on a boat can quickly become a day to remember for the rest of your life and, while cruises may well be too expensive for some, they certainly offer luxury and comfort unavailable elswhere.

When chartering a boat, or going on a cruise, it is incredibly important that you plan well ahead to avoid disaster. Below are a few simple basic tips to get you started on your trouble free trip.

Always be aware that a “bareboat” charter is a boat that has been chartered without an onboard crew. It will be necessary for you to hire a suitably qualified skipper for your vessel. If you do not have the necessary paper work the boat charter company will help get this organized.

If you have chartered a power boat they you will need to factor, into your budget, the expense of fuel as the price charged often does not include this. Also be aware that this type of boat uses a great deal of fuel.

Be prepared for all weathers. Pack for poor weather as well as good. One of the most important things often overlooked on boat charters and cruises is sun lotion. Even though more and more people become aware of the risks of skin cancer it is amazing how few actually protect themselves with a high factor lotion.

When you are at sea it is often easy to misjudge the power of the sun to complicate this matter further you can, at sea, actually tan at three times the speed than during the same period on land. Furthermore the effects of overexposure to the sun are often not noticed until a while after the damage has been done.

This may sound obvious but if you plan to go swimming in the sea while on vacation try to find out if the area is prone to sharks or jellyfish. Furthermore, if this is true, before you get into the sea pay special attention to inspect the area for the presence of these creatures to ensure safety.

Although it is not necessary to wear life jackets (or life preservers) during a cruise it is highly advised that you do so when chartering a boat. Children should wear them at all times and they should certainly be worn by all during periods of bad weather.

The above few tips about boat charters and cruises are just a starter. To make sure that your boat trip or cruise goes without a hitch you will need to keep a check list and take other measures. This article is only meant to get you started so we wish you well and hope that you have a most pleasant vacation.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 11th, 2008 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Boat Charter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.