What is a catamaran charter?
A catamaran charter offers a splendid sailing experience, combining comfort, luxurious accommodation, and plenty of space. Unlike a traditional single-hulled boat, a catamaran is ideal for group trips or big family holidays. It features spacious lounge areas, up to four cabins within its twin hulls, and extensive outdoor spaces for dining and relaxation. This makes it a top choice for those looking to enjoy the sea with all the comforts of home.
Embarking on a catamaran charter presents an unrivalled opportunity to explore the beautifull destinations with luxury, comfort, and a touch of adventure. High Point Yachting offers an extensive selection of catamaran charters, including family-friendly options that cater to all ages, ensuring that your time on the water is both enjoyable and memorable. For those celebrating their union, catamaran honeymoon charters provide a secluded and romantic backdrop. Additionally, our advice on choosing the perfect catamaran highlights the importance of selecting a vessel that meets your specific needs, whether it’s for a family holiday or a romantic getaway.
Crewed, skippered or bareboat catamaran charter
Catamaran charter is a great way of exploring the sailing destinations in different parts of the world. You can choose between sailing catamarans and motor catamarans, as well as between chartering a catamaran bareboat, with a skipper or with a crew. Catamarans allow guests to see different places at their own pace. They also provide a great platform for family time or friends time together as they have wide and spacious cockpits, decks and interiors.
Crewed catamaran charter
In the Caribbean, crewed catamaran charters are very popular, with their popularity also rising in the Mediterranean. Crewed catamarans mostly come with permanent crews, one of whom doubles as a chef. Crews are expert in the areas they sail and they make perfect hosts and great guides for guests. They will help tailor the charter to match guests’ expectations, but always thinking what they might add to make their crewed catamaran charter experience extra special.
Skippered catamaran charter
A skippered catamaran charter is an ideal experience for those who are looking for a sailing holiday where they can also be hands-on with sailing and preparing their own meals, but want to have a captain on board because they might not be able to sail the catamaran alone. They might also need some help in an area they are not familiar with. Alternatively, their idea of a great catamaran charter might be to have a skipper who will look after all aspects of sailing and mooring the boat and who will provide the best sailing routes possible, leaving them just to relax and enjoy the experience.
Bareboat catamaran charter
A bareboat catamaran charter is for sailors who have the right sailing licence and a VHF radio licence for the area they are chartering in. This type of catamaran charter will allow guests to explore the area at their own pace, with families and/or friends. A bareboat catamaran charter is a wonderful way of spending quality time with people you want to be with while at the same time enjoying catamaran sailing, visiting new destinations and doing different activities together.
Crewed vs Bareboat Catamaran Charter
A bareboat catamaran charter is not only simply for guests who can drive the boat and handle the sailing aspect of it. It is also for guests who need/want their privacy, want to spend quality time with their families, friends or other like-minded people. It is for people who love the adventure side of chartering a bareboat catamaran. The crewed charter too offers opportunities for great adventure, but it is more of a guided experience, where a certain load of activities is done by the crew: provisioning, route planning, cleaning, cooking, even sailing. The crewed catamaran charter offers the ultimate relaxing experience with a private guide, host and a chef.
Mediterranean Catamaran Charter
Croatia
Croatia is a great destination for chartering a catamaran. All along the Croatian coast there are many islands, mostly very close to each other. This means the area is well sheltered and it offers a great combination of charming ports and beautiful anchorages. Chartering a catamaran in Croatia provides a great platform for exploring the Croatian Adriatic. The best time for chartering in Croatia is between May and late October. July and August tend to be the busiest months. This is also when Croatia is at its hottest and the sea at its warmest.
Greece
Greece is a very well developed catamaran charter destination. Catamarans can be chartered in different areas of the country. The Ionian islands are popular between May and early November. The Saronic gulf too is popular from early May until early November. The Cyclades cover a large area and are in many ways the most popular catamaran charter destination. However, from mid-July to late-August, it can get extremely windy at which time the catamarans will choose to visit the Saronic Gulf. The Dodecanese islands have a slightly longer charter catamaran season, from late-April to mid-November.
Spain
In Spain, the Balearic islands are the most popular catamaran charter destination. Catamarans can be chartered out of Ibiza to sail the south side of Ibiza and Formentera. Charter catamarans for Palma de Mallorca are very popular, too. The charter season starts early May and ends in October.
Italy
In Italy, the most popular catamaran charter destinations are Sicily, the Amalfi coast and Sardinia. For each area we recommend at least a week long charter in order to experience the scenery, relaxing bays, beautiful ports and exceptionally good cuisine. The yacht charter season typically starts early May and ends in October.
Amalfi coast
The Amalfi costs is the busiest for yacht charters in July and August. For those looking for less busy catamaran charter period in this area, we recommend chartering a yacht in May, June or September. Charters will typically start from Naples, but other ports of embarkation/disembarkation can be organised too, such as Positano, Amalfi and Sorento. This area is particularly popular with foodies.
Sicily and Aeolian Islands
Sicily has the longest yacht charter season and late September and even October are a beautiful time of the year to sail the area. Most catamaran charters start from Milazzo, Portorosa or Palermo. The most popular sailing area around Sicily is the Aeolian islands. We highly recommend spending few more days on land, before or after the yacht charter to explore the incredible history of this island.
Sardinia and Corsica
Sardinia offers two main yacht charter sailing destinations: Costa Esmeralda in the north, and in the south of the island, starting from Cagliari. The area around Cagliari is quieter, mostly off-the-beaten track. Costa Esmeralda is, on the other hand, one of the most popular sailing areas of the Mediterranean. With Porto Cervo in the centre of it, Costa Esmeralda is also home to some of the best known luxury-yacht races as well as an important super yacht ground. North Sardinia is very close to Corsica which makes it easy to combine places such as Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio, Rondinara, to name the few, into the yacht charter itinerary.
Charter catamaran in the Caribbean
The Caribbean is one of the most beautiful sailing grounds in the world, an ideal yacht charters destination. Think: beautiful soft sandy beaches, warm temperatures, the sea the most incredible shades of turquoise, greens and blues, colourful marine life … The pace is slow and allows one to take in all the beauty. The islands come each with a unique setting, their own story and culture, different languages, wonderful music, interesting history. The diving is spectacular and kitesurfing is more and more popular. There is so much to explore, both on land and on the sea.
Amongst the crewed yacht charters organised in the Caribbean, crewed catamaran charters are by far the most popular. This type of charter is particularly popular in the British Virgin Islands, US Virgin islands, in the Grenadines and, to some extent, in the Bahamas, too. A crewed catamaran charter offers a tailor-made holiday on a spacious boat operated by a permanent crew, experts in the area. Those catamarans are full of character, decorated like a home by their owners. They offer a perfect way for exploring the Caribbean islands in full comfort and with great service.
BVI catamaran charter
The British Virgin Islands, with their perfect climate, sandy beaches and relaxed vibe, are one of the most beautiful sailing destinations in the world. The islands are picturesque, welcoming and offer a great combination of the authentically Caribbean and modern chic. Most of the crewed catamaran charters are based in the BVI. The charter season starts in November and ends late June.
French Polynesia catamaran charter
When you rent a catamaran in French Polinesia with its 118 islands forming numerous archipelagos, you will see one of the most beautiful catamaran charter destinations. The large islands and surrounding atolls provide extensive and beautiful anchorages in clear turquoise waters. French Polynesia provides a stunning natural back drop for sailing. It is one of the best places to go snorkelling and diving in the world, with a hugely varied sea life.
On shore there are tours of the islands and a variety of destinations to visit, including archeological sites and pearl farms. Cars and e-bikes are easy to rent, or you can hike. To relax there are many great restaurants and bars on shore offering exquisite French Polynesian cuisine.
Crewed catamaran charter resources
For further details on making the most of your crewed catamaran charter, explore the following resources:
Chartering a catamaran with High Point Yachting
At High Point Yachting, we have access to a large number of catamarans around the world. We regularly visit those areas to ensure the catamarans are up to the standard that we want for our clients. We also like to meet the crews who welcome our guests. With them, we plan yacht charters for our clients. Our networks within the industry and in local communities are great and we keep on expanding them.
Contact Catamaran Charter Experts at High Point Yachting
If you have an enquiry or would like to find out a bit more about where you could charter catamaran yachts with us, our team of yacht charter experts is ready to help. Contact our yachting industry specialists for more information.