Bareboat Charter - Italy

[StephanBer]

Hi Everyone,

I am planning on a bareboat charter this summer in Italy. I’ve chartered through moorings before, in Tahiti.

I’ve contacted moorings. What other reputable charter companies are there? Dreamyacht seems to offer more bang for the buck. I am more interested in a very smooth, issue free trip, and professionally run outfit than saving a few dollars or euros.

Also, I just completed ASA 104. Can anyone comment on any licensing issues? My research shows with that, I should be all set.

Many Thanks,

Stephan

[Kenomac]

Much depends on what you’d like to see. I recommend Northern Sardinia and a charter company out of Portisco. I’ve never used them myself, but the manager seems like a nice, honest fellow. Boomerang

[bensolomon]

Which part of Italy? Amalfi coast? The other med charter company is Kiriacoulis. I, too, have chartered extensively with the Moorings. Just came back from French Polynesia, ourselves. Used The Moorings in Greece. Your comment about an issue free charter is an important one. Every time I've had a problem on a Moorings boat it was remedied within hours. In fact, they had to wait for me to come into port. I think that level of service is priceless! It's why I have stayed with the Moorings. I have no firsthand knowledge of kyriakoulis and their customer service policy but they are huge in the Mediterranean. I am planning a bareboat along the Amalfi coast to Palermo. I intend on using the Moorings for the customer service.

As far as licensure, I think you're going to need an international certificate of competency. I haven't looked into the rules lately, but in anticipation of my trip to Italy and Croatia I got an ICC.

[mathiasben]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

Which part of Italy? Amalfi coast? The other med charter company is Kiriacoulis. I, too, have chartered extensively with the Moorings. Just came back from French Polynesia, ourselves. Used The Moorings in Greece. Your comment about an issue free charter is an important one. Every time I've had a problem on a Moorings boat it was remedied within hours. In fact, they had to wait for me to come into port. I think that level of service is priceless! It's why I have stayed with the Moorings. I have no firsthand knowledge of kyriakoulis and their customer service policy but they are huge in the Mediterranean. I am planning a bareboat along the Amalfi coast to Palermo. I intend on using the Moorings for the customer service.

As far as licensure, I think you're going to need an international certificate of competency. I haven't looked into the rules lately, but in anticipation of my trip to Italy and Croatia I got an ICC.

I see your location is Chesapeake, I'm curious where you obtained the ICC? I keep my boat in Maryland and also would like to obtain that certification for chartering abroad.

[bensolomon]

Originally Posted by mathiasben

I see your location is Chesapeake, I'm curious where you obtained the ICC? I keep my boat in Maryland and also would like to obtain that certification for chartering abroad.

I I was lucky enough to be able to work with Mark Thompson. He came to Annapolis and I tested with two other guys on my boat. I used nauticed.com and did the curriculum for the rya day Skipper certification. Mark is now out of Pensacola Florida. His website is www.yachting education.com. he is by far, the most knowledgeable sailor I have ever met. He is an absolute pleasure to work with. It would be worth a trip to Pensacola just to learn from him.

When I was booking my Italy charter, they were very specific about what was needed to take the boat out. As a side note, you have to really study for the ICC. It is not a test that you can pass just based on experience. The day Skipper curriculum was not only indispensable as I have become a much better sailor because of it, but I learned everything I was quizzed on during the ICC. The ICC is a two-day test and it's not only boat handling but it's fairly advanced navigation.

You should be able to Google a rubric of the ICC. It will tell you what you're going to be tested on. It's very standardized through the rya.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

I I was lucky enough to be able to work with Mark Thompson. He came to Annapolis and I tested with two other guys on my boat. I used nauticed.com and did the curriculum for the rya day Skipper certification. Mark is now out of Pensacola Florida. His website is www.yachting education.com. he is by far, the most knowledgeable sailor I have ever met. He is an absolute pleasure to work with. It would be worth a trip to Pensacola just to learn from him.

When I was booking my Italy charter, they were very specific about what was needed to take the boat out. As a side note, you have to really study for the ICC. It is not a test that you can pass just based on experience. The day Skipper curriculum was not only indispensable as I have become a much better sailor because of it, but I learned everything I was quizzed on during the ICC. The ICC is a two-day test and it's not only boat handling but it's fairly advanced navigation.

You should be able to Google a rubric of the ICC. It will tell you what you're going to be tested on. It's very standardized through the rya.

Link is broken. Is his course geared towards catamarans?

[bensolomon]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Link is broken. Is his course geared towards catamarans?

The site is:
www.yachtingeducation.com

He does both, but he prefers catamarans. His course in Pensacola is on a large catamaran. I'm telling you, Mark had instructed me a couple of times. He is absolutely fantastic!

Ben

[StephanBer]

First off - thanks for all the responses.

We’d like to sail out of Naples, first week of July. Unless that is a huge error, i think it is the “right” place for our krewe.

Does anyone have any experience with DYC? Are they as “professional” as moorings?

In Tahiti, the cat came with a generator and AC on demand. We really enjoyed being able to be “cool” for a while whenever and wherever needed. The Italian moorings boat (that we are looking at) only has shore power AC, whereas the DYC Oceanis 48 might not have any at all. How necessary is AC in the med?

Stephan

[bensolomon]

Originally Posted by StephanBer

First off - thanks for all the responses.

We’d like to sail out of Naples, first week of July. Unless that is a huge error, i think it is the “right” place for our krewe.

Does anyone have any experience with DYC? Are they as “professional” as moorings?

In Tahiti, the cat came with a generator and AC on demand. We really enjoyed being able to be “cool” for a while whenever and wherever needed. The Italian moorings boat (that we are looking at) only has shore power AC, whereas the DYC Oceanis 48 might not have any at all. How necessary is AC in the med?

Stephan

Unless I missed when you're going to go on vacation, it obviously depends on the season. When you're in a marina you can roast. if you have the option of taking air conditioning, then I would take it. oddly enough, electricity wasn't terribly expensive, but water was. I don't know what the rates for electricity would be now, but spoil yourself. When we were in Greece at the marina, almost everyone slept on deck due to the heat. That was in July, and even then, it was quite uncomfortable.

At anchor, they're typically was plenty of breeze and there was no need to have any type of air conditioning. For what it's worth, it wasn't even an option on the boat we took.

I have found that chartering both Monos and cats, the monos have much better air circulation down below than a charter catamaran with each cabin tucked into the end of a pontoon and only one small hatch above the bed.

[CriO61]

There is a new law that requires certain licensing to charter in the Med. I highly recommend going to the NauticEd site and reading up on this! You may find that you cannot charter without the SLC (Sailing License Credential). Here is the link: https://www.nauticed.org/SLC

That will give you an explanation. We chartered in Italy last summer and my husband had to have that license to charter (and he has his 100 ton Captain's license!)

Not sure where you are located, but if you need to get a one day training, or one day prep, there is an excellent sailing school in Long Beach, CA that can credential you. Go to www.santanasailing.com -
Highly recommend them - many people fly there to do a one day prep and then the assessment day.

Wishing you all the best! BTW, you will find anchorages quite rolly on the West Coast of Italy - we did Amalfi area. The marinas are expensive, but way more comfortable and you'll want to have easy access to towns.
Be sure to reserve in advance any marinas you plan to stay at!!!! Very important!
Cheers!

[amanoni]

Re: Licensing
If you have completed the ASA courses, they issue a IPC which can be used in most of the Med.
Is an IPC required for chartering? If so, where?
ASA strongly recommends you apply for an International Proficiency Certificate if you are chartering in the Mediterranean as well as the inland waterways of Europe and northern Europe. Most charter companies accept this certificate as adequate proof of bareboat skipper proficiency including Kiriakoulis Charters which has 300+ locations in the Mediterranean. As countries differ in their requirements, travelers should always check with their destination prior to attempting to charter.

[DavidMRea]

I've chartered twice with Kiriacoulis, in Greece. And I've also chartered with Sunsail - which is the same company as Moorings. Kiriacoulis are cheaper but that's the only advantage. They're more like an agent for individual owners who want to charter. Sunsail maintain the boats on behalf of owners who don't get their boat until after five years or so of chartering. Like the Moorings, they offer a replacement boat within 3/4 hours if you have a problem and if you haven't strayed from designated areas. You won't get that from Kiriacoulis.

[aguenther]

Hi,
you will hardly find better charter companies than Moorings or sunsail. Cheaper yes. As I know at least sunsail charters out of Procida, a perfect start point for the Golf of Naples and the Amalfi coast but also for the Pontine Island noth, which are worth a visit.

Enjoy your trip

[kirklkjb]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

I I was lucky enough to be able to work with Mark Thompson. He came to Annapolis and I tested with two other guys on my boat. I used nauticed.com and did the curriculum for the rya day Skipper certification. Mark is now out of Pensacola Florida. His website is www.yachting education.com. he is by far, the most knowledgeable sailor I have ever met. He is an absolute pleasure to work with. It would be worth a trip to Pensacola just to learn from him.

When I was booking my Italy charter, they were very specific about what was needed to take the boat out. As a side note, you have to really study for the ICC. It is not a test that you can pass just based on experience. The day Skipper curriculum was not only indispensable as I have become a much better sailor because of it, but I learned everything I was quizzed on during the ICC. The ICC is a two-day test and it's not only boat handling but it's fairly advanced navigation.

You should be able to Google a rubric of the ICC. It will tell you what you're going to be tested on. It's very standardized through the rya.

My wife and I both got our ICC from Mark.
Excellent instruction! He is now in the Miami/ Ft Lauderdale area.

Well worth the time and effort. The NauticEd RYA course is great preparation for the on the water training.