Charter suggestions

[Captcore]

I am getting married at the end of August 2023. We are looking to honeymoon on a bareboat charter sometime after the wedding, but are flexible on dates (especially considering that the wedding is the beginning of hurricane season, so we won’t go right after the wedding.)

I’ve chartered in BVI before, which was really nice. I’ve had a suggestion for Guadeloupe, too. I have a USCG Master’s license with sailing endorsements and have been sailing my entire life (inshore and offshore.) My fiancé has been on boats but never been sailing. We are looking to spend a week or so, with decent sailing conditions, and will also check out some of the sights on land. We aren’t opposed to cooking aboard but would also like to enjoy at least one nice meal ashore (it is our honeymoon, after all). Good snorkeling is a huge plus!

We do have a somewhat limited budget, and prefer to stay around $4k or less for the boat.

I’m looking for recommendations from the group here for charter recommendations- companies, time of year, and destinations. I know there are so many options, but I want to hear from people who have done it!

Thanks in advance.

Capt Corey

[ChrisJHC]

September is the best time to charter in the Whitsundays (Australia).
I understand that the yachts are almost fully booked for next year but you might get lucky.

[AnsleyS]

September is beautiful on the coast of Maine.

[YachtBoyRMK]

For Caribbean bareboat charter, St Martin/St Barts/Anguilla would be my second choice. St Martin is too built up for me (like St Thomas), so I hire boat from there and spend all my time sailing around St Barts and Anguilla. Really nice sailing for a couple.

If you want/can fly further afield, I’d suggest sailing the Northern Ionian from Corfu, Greece. Sailing base is just 15min taxi from Corfu Airport and (aside from stern-to mooring) is the most similar Caribbean equivalent to BVI sailing (steady gentle winds and lots of places to explore).

[Kinkircating]

Great idea to go on a bareboat charter as one of the first things you do as a married couple, you figure out really quick how well you work together lol! (My wife and I did exactly this : )

I'd throw in since it is sort of a honeymoon type thing, go to Raetia in French Polynesia and do a 2-week charter, (10 days would be absolute minimum). It's hands down the best chartering experience we've had and inspired us to go ahead and make this our full-time retirement plan. Plenty of anchoring, stunning scenery, great sailing, nice people, and the experience of a lifetime. It sort of makes our more recent sails in the Caribbean seem lackluster by comparison (which they were still great).

[Flagman101]

On a budget. Barfoot charters in St-Vincent.
I love the Grenadines

[ChrisJHC]

No matter where you go, I strongly recommend talking about what you each want to get out of the charter.
For example, one of you might want to be on the water sailing from dawn to dusk, whereas the other just wants to use the boat to get from one island/beach to another as quickly as possible.
Both are valid but lead to very different styles of sailing.