Bareboat, Skippered or Crewed Catamaran: What Actually Changes

At Sailoe, you can charter a catamaran in three ways: bareboat (you sail it yourself), skippered (a qualified professional sails, you enjoy the trip), or as an organised crewed cruise (skipper, hostess and full board). The difference goes well beyond “who holds the helm”: it affects your freedom over the itinerary, the experience level required, comfort on board, and the mental load of the trip. The right choice depends less on what you’d like than on your actual profile: sailing experience, the make-up of your group, and what you expect from the week. Here is how to work out which case applies to you.

Bareboat, Skippered or Crewed Cruise: Sailoe’s Three Charter Formulas

Sailoe offers three ways to set off on a catamaran: fully independent (bareboat), with a professional skipper on board (skippered), or as an all-inclusive formula with skipper, hostess and full board (organised cruise). Each formula suits a different type of sailor.

The three formulas run from the most independent to the most fully supported:

Criteria	Bareboat	Skippered	Organised Cruise
Who sails	You and your crew	A qualified professional skipper	A qualified professional skipper + a hostess
Level required	Sailing résumé approved by Sailoe	No level required	No level required
Route freedom	Total, you decide everything	Shared: the skipper advises and suggests	Itinerary built together in advance
What’s included	The boat, full handover briefing	The boat + the skipper, advice and technical briefings while sailing	The boat + skipper + hostess + full board
Workload on board	You manage sailing, safety, manoeuvres	You enjoy the trip, the skipper handles sailing	You manage nothing, everything is organised
Relative budget	The most economical	Mid-range	The most complete

What Does a Skipper Actually Bring on Board?

A professional skipper does more than just hold the helm: they manage safety, adjust the itinerary to the day’s weather, know the local anchorages, and take charge of the technical manoeuvres. This is a qualified sailor, not an improvised crew member. In France, a professional skipper must hold a professional maritime qualification, such as the French brevet de capitaine 200 voile professional sailing certificate, or an equivalent suited to the size of the vessel, awarded after training certified by an accredited maritime school (source: network of French maritime training schools).

On the water, this expertise translates into concrete decisions. The skipper reads the weather in real time and adjusts the route if conditions deteriorate. At each of Sailoe’s five bases, in Brittany, the Seychelles, the Caribbean, Corsica and French Polynesia, they know the anchorages, coves and spots suited to the destination. They also take charge of the technical manoeuvres: entering a harbour, anchoring, handling the catamaran in rough weather. Their role remains one of advice, never an imposed programme.

Who Decides the Itinerary and the Programme?

Bareboat, you decide everything: the itinerary, the stops, the pace of each day. Both with a skipper and on an organised cruise, the programme is built together with you in advance, before you even step on board, then adjusted as the week goes on.

Fully independent, weather, safety and logistics all rest on the crew. With a skipper, your freedom to choose what you want stays intact, but they are the one who adjusts what is technically feasible. In both supported formulas, the itinerary is co-built with our booking advisors from the time you reserve, then fine-tuned on board with the skipper according to the day’s weather.

Comfort and Safety: What Changes Depending on the Formula

Comfort and safety increase with the level of support: bareboat, you take on weather watch and manoeuvres yourself; skippered, a professional absorbs that load; on an organised cruise, day-to-day logistics (meals, tidying) are also handled by the hostess.

Bareboat, comfort mostly depends on the crew’s level: a demanding area with an inexperienced crew quickly wears down the trip, even on a smaller budget. With a professional skipper, a decision made under stress becomes the exception. On an organised cruise, the hostess takes care of meals and housekeeping: nobody on board has any task to manage.

Budget: Which Formula Costs the Most?

Bareboat remains the most economical formula since it only covers the boat rental. Skippered, the rate includes the professional skipper’s fee. On an organised cruise, the price covers the boat, the skipper, the hostess and full board: it is the most expensive formula, but also the one that includes the most services.

This relative order (economical, mid-range, complete) appears in the table above. The detailed rates by destination are covered in a dedicated article on the cost of a catamaran charter.

How Do You Know Which Case Applies to You?

The right choice doesn’t depend on what you’d like, but on your actual profile: sailing experience, the make-up of your group, and what you expect from the week. Here are the three most common situations our advisors encounter, and what happens when the choice doesn’t match the profile.

First case: an inexperienced crew booking a demanding area (strong currents, technical anchorages, offshore passages). A professional skipper then becomes strongly recommended, sometimes necessary. Without that support, a crew that overestimates itself loses comfort and peace of mind from the very first manoeuvres: the area becomes a source of stress rather than pleasure.

Second case: a family with young children. The skippered formula or the organised cruise frees the parents from sailing duties. Without that support, they end up sailing instead of enjoying the trip, and watching the children collides with managing the boat.

Third case: a group that above all wants to rest rather than sail. The organised cruise matches that expectation. A group that chooses full independence to save money often ends up managing shopping, meals and sailing all at once: the trip starts to feel more like logistics than a holiday.

The factor that should settle it isn’t the budget, but what the group wants to experience during the week. Our advisors guide every request toward the most suitable formula after discussing the project with you. An introduction to the teams at each base is available on our website.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bareboat and Skippered Catamaran Charters

How Much Does a Skipper Cost for a Catamaran?

The extra cost of a skipper depends on the destination, the duration and the boat: it’s added on top of the catamaran’s own rate. The skippered formula remains more expensive than full independence, and the organised cruise is the most complete in both price and services. The detailed rates are covered in our dedicated article on the cost of a charter.

Do You Need a Licence to Charter a Catamaran Without a Skipper?

Not in the strict legal sense: French law does not require any licence for a sailing catamaran. What Sailoe asks for on the bareboat formula is a sailing résumé, meaning the details of your past sailing experience, which our teams review and approve before handing over the boat. The exact requirements vary by destination and local insurer: they are confirmed with an advisor at the time of booking. Skippered or on an organised cruise, no level is required since a qualified professional does the sailing. The details by destination are covered in our dedicated article.

What Does a Professional Skipper Bring That I Don’t Have Sailing Solo?

A professional skipper handles active safety (weather, itinerary decisions), knows the anchorages and spots at each destination, and takes charge of the technical manoeuvres (harbours, anchoring, difficult conditions). You keep your say on the programme, but the safety of the sailing rests on a professional rather than on your own experience.

How Do You Choose Between Sailoe’s Three Charter Formulas?

The choice depends on your profile: your crew’s sailing experience, whether young children are on board, and what you expect from the week (active sailing or genuinely resting). Our advisors guide every request toward the most suitable formula after discussing your project with you, rather than leaving you to guess on your own.