Escape with confidence
Skipper yourself bareboat charter company
Escape with confidence
No formal boating licence is required to charter with Whitsunday Escape. You only need basic boating knowledge and a minimum crew of two. This keeps your charter safe and straightforward.
You should have:
• Basic coastal navigation skills using a chart and compass.
• Basic boat handling experience with a similar size vessel and knowledge of Queensland boating rules.
• Basic sailing skills if you plan to use sails on a sailing boat.
A recreational boat licence alone does not qualify someone to operate a bareboat.
We’ll take your boat out of the marina and re berth it in on return.
If you intend to berth at Hamilton Island, you must be able to park the boat confidently, and will need to demonstrate this at the time of your safety briefing.
Before you depart, you’ll receive a full safety briefing covering the cruising area, weather, tides, charts, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park rules, radio use, and boat systems. You’ll also demonstrate your navigation and handling skills.
The safety briefing takes about 3 – 4 hours, depending on experience, and is included in your charter fee. The skipper and one crew member must attend.
You can hire a training guide for half a day, a few days or your full trip. This helps you build confidence in boat handling and navigation before you head out.
A guide gives you focused training on your first day on the water. You learn on the exact boat you are using, which keeps the information clear and relevant. This option suits guests with basic boating knowledge who want extra support to ensure a safe and relaxed charter.
It also suits experienced skippers who have new or inexperienced crew. A guide can explain key tasks to your crew during the briefing so everyone knows how to help on the water.
Most guests book a guide for half a day. The training happens during your Airlie Beach briefing. After the session, the guide returns to the marina and will advise the best anchorage for the night based on the weather.
Contact Whitsunday Escape for guide rates. Book in advance to avoid delays at the start of your charter.
If you are taking a sailing boat or any boat for that matter but you don’t have enough experience or are a little rusty we suggest you do some pre-charter training, many facilities offer a ‘prepare to bareboat’ course.
A ‘pre-charter kit’ is useful in gaining general boating information and planning your cruise around the Whitsundays. Contact our office to purchase a kit, it includes: