Sailing Navigation Tips for Your First Charter

Sailing Navigation Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful or Difficult. Check Out Our Top Tips

Sailing Navigation Tips for Your First Charter

So, you’ve been sailing for a while, you’ve got your Day Skipper and you’re ready to go it alone with your family and friends, fantastic! Chartering a boat for the first time can be both exciting and daunting. The thrill of skippering your own yacht, in waters you’ve never sailed before and being responsible for your boat and crew, without the safety blanket of an instructor, can add some pressure. You’ll be glad to know there really is no need to worry, the key is preparation, know your stuff, and you’ll be fine. With plenty of planning, you’ll be on your way to a fantastically relaxing sailing holiday.

Here are our top sailing navigation preparation tips for your charter holiday.

Top 7 Best Sailing Navigation Tips For Your First Charter

1. Skills Assessment

Assess your skills and those of your crew. This is no time to be shy or arrogant if you’re good or bad at something you need to own it, be honest and assess first and foremost whether chartering a boat on your own is something you can handle.

So you’ve scratched your head, thought about it and the answer is yes, you’re ready! The next consideration is deciding which boat suits the skills of you and your crew best. My advice would be to send us an inquiry and have a chat; we will be adept at getting you the right match with our professional advice. You will be an expert at sailing navigation in on time at all.

What You Need To Know Before You Go

Basic sailing navigation knowledge you’ll need includes:

  • Using a chart plotter
  • Reading paper and electronic charts
  • How to get a hand compass bearing
  • Dead reckoning and blind navigation
  • VHF handling and emergency codes of conduct
  • Collision regulations
  • Understanding marker buoys, depth, tide, exclusions zones and hazards
  • Plotting a course and knowing the difference between true and magnetic

Research And Prepare Your Itinerary In Advance

Once you’ve decided where you want to go sailing create an itinerary of the places you’d like to go day-by-day, review nautical charts for the areas where you’ll be sailing. Plot a route for each section of your itinerary and note down distances, sailing times, navigational hazards and other considerations.

It’s a good idea to create a passage plan for this first few sections of your itinerary before you arrive, ensuring there’s no last-minute planning once you’re there. If tides are a factor, ensure you have all your tide tables to hand.

Once you’ve got your itinerary use your Almanac and read up on local marinas to familiarise yourself with each port of entry. Create pilotage plans and read local cruising guides, noting down questions for your charter manager at your briefing.

Tip: It’s a good idea to go easy on yourself and your crew for the first day whilst you get used to the boat, so try to plan an easy day sail for your departure day.

On Arrival, Get To Know Your Boat

Okay so you’ve done all this preparation and your holiday is finally here! The key now is to take the time to get to know your boat. When you meet your charter manager listen carefully during hand-over, have questions prepared and ensure you know where everything is, especially safety equipment. This is important even for experienced sailors, as no boat is the same.

Local Knowledge

Your charter company will hold a chart briefing before you leave, ensure you go to this. Chart briefings give you vital local information about the area, key VHF channels, hazards that may not be on charts and local weather forecast information. Attend this meeting armed with questions from your prior planning so you can get all the information you need before you leave.

Navigation Equipment On-board

Charter yachts are generally well equipped with the latest sailing navigation technology. You should expect to find:

  • VHF
  • Log book
  • Almanac
  • Chart plotter and GPS
  • Paper charts, parallel rulers, pencils, dividers
  • Handheld compasses and binoculars

Tip: Sailing navigation aids, such as radar, are less likely to be found on charter yachts and items like binoculars and handheld compasses can be worn-out. It’s worth bringing spares of anything that could be old and overused.

Useful Navigation Apps

Every sailor should know how to navigate properly; once you do there are ways to make the process quicker and easier. Advances in technology now mean there are apps and websites dedicated to providing you with vital information at the touch of a button, making sailing navigation much easier than it used to be.

Apps, such as savvy navvy, now provide an all-in-one sailing navigation solution, combining real-time weather and chart data for a comprehensive passage plan suited to your boat specifications. Handy boat accessories like this give you peace of mind and help keep you safe out on the water.

Remember.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”

Benjamin Franklin

Sailing Navigation Tips for Your First Charter

Happy Sailing, Written by Hannah Cotterell Community Manager, Savvy Navvy

Amazing Sailing Experiences

Our Amazing Customers


  • Great family vacation.

    I didn't think sailing with my family would be so much fun...

    Sailing for the first time.

    Alex
    Alex USA

  • I recommendate them !

    Everything went smooth, the paper processing, special requests and the specs of tht check-in procedure. Boat was also in good shape, so no complaints and a worry free holiday...

    We had a great experience with booking through sailchecker.

    <read more>

    Dick USA

  • Great service from Kate.

    Informative and looked for the best value for our family. Very good customer service on this side and in Greece. Great boat and skipper...

    Fantastic holiday from start to finish.

    <read more>

    Angela United Kingdom

  • Very professional outfit!

    They were very responsive and very quick to answer questions via email and instant chat. They had extensive knowledge of the area...

    We will most definitely use their services for our next bareboat sailing vacation.

    <read more>

    Kirsten W.
    Kirsten W. USA

  • Sail checker were professional from start to finish - we wouldn’t book through anyone else!

    Sailchecker were professional from start to finish - and were awesome dealing with a problem! Our first Yacht had serious issues and sail checker helped us to resolve it...

    They are easy to deal with, straightforward and honest and I would recommend them to anyone planning a charter holiday.

    <read more>

    Kat, H.
    Kat, H. UK

  • Coronavirus pandemic support has been brilliant!

    During the Coronavirus pandemic, Kate and her colleagues at Sailchecker have performed brilliantly. They have been considerate and highly efficient in re-organising our Turkey charter and also provided lots of assistance in getting our Yacht Security Deposit insurance policy transferred to match our revised charter dates.

    Truly worthy of a 5 star rating!

    <read more>

    Alan, R.
    Alan, R. UK

  • Sailing is the perfect family holiday.

    Would I go sailing again? OMG yes! Sailing is the perfect family holiday. Boys loved the activities, I enjoy relaxing as well...

    Sailchecker.com arranged a sailing cruise her family of 2 sons, daughter & hubby in the BVI with their own.

    Anne
    Anne USA

  •  Thank you sooo much! It was sail in the day… party at night. We couldn't have wanted a better skipper or a Spring Break!  Good times...

    Arranged for 6 friends to sail Spring Break in the British Virgin Islands for under $500 each.

    Tim
    Tim USA

  • We had an absolute blast !!

    All bookings and confirmations was always accurate with no delays. Our boat was also fabulously maintained and the Skipper new the area extremely well...

    Everything was down to the tee.

    <read more>

    Pieter Van R.
    Pieter Van R. Netherlands
SailChecker Yacht Charter and Sailing Worldwide Logo TrustPilot 4.9/5 Stars

Rated 4.9 out of 5 based on 215 reviews on Trustpilot

Got a Burning Question About Sailing Navigation?

We’re Happy to Answer Any Yacht Charter & Sailing Question

Leave us a quick question here, or call your local office, the numbers are located in the footer below. When not arrange a call back?

girl at desk at yacht charter show
Recent Posts

Leave a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search

The Fastest Way to Our Award Winning Charter Service Starts Here >>>
Get Started
close-image
What qualification do I need to charter a yacht a table of general comparison of the global awarding bodies