Once a privilege reserved for the elite, boat charter vacations have gone mainstream. Jill Culora reports on all you need to know to set sail in luxury—without being a millionaire

For years, Tom Fitzgerald and his family vacationed at a luxury resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he recalls sitting for hours on the beach watching the sailboats go by. "Seeing those boats pull in and tie up always made me feel like I was missing something," Fitzgerald says.

This year, Fitzgerald gave in to his curiosity and gave up his beach chair when he chartered a fully crewed, 66-foot sailing yacht. Instead of settling in at a resort, he, his wife, and their three children, ages 7, 8, and 14, spent a week sailing in the British Virgin Islands. "It was much easier than we thought it would be, and a great way for our family to spend time together," Fitzgerald says. By the fourth day of their trip, the Fitzgeralds were already planning their next sailing holiday.

Island hopping on a private yacht was once a pastime reserved for the monied set. Now, the growth in charters enables nearly 2.5 million Americans to take a sailing holiday each year, customizing their trips in a way that most travelers don't realize is possible on a vacation at sea. "A lot of people do this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a special occasion, but they enjoy it so much that it becomes an annual trip," says Michael Halstead, president of Yachtstore Ltd.

Business is booming, as demand is on the rise and as charter companies expand their offerings from traditional regions (including the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the Mediterranean) to new ports in Asia. The Moorings and Sunsail, the two largest bareboat (uncrewed) charter companies in the world, report steady fleet growth of at least five to ten percent a year. Sunsail, which has more than 1,100 bareboats at 22 locations around the world, opened its newest operation in Koh Chang, Thailand, in May, and last year the company added an outpost in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Meanwhile, The Moorings, which has a global fleet of more than 850 boats at 32 destinations, opened its newest bases at four locations in Italy in late 2005.

Similarly, the number of large crewed motor yachts available for charter worldwide has grown at least 50 percent in the past ten years, Halstead says. "More and more mega-yachts are being built, and private owners are making them available for charter to offset their operating costs."

The Draw
One of the biggest attractions of a yacht charter is the flexibility it allows. While passengers on big-ship cruises choose from itineraries set by the cruise company, people who charter yachts are at the helm of their own experience—setting the pace, following whatever itinerary they choose, and even selecting their fellow passengers.

Charter companies work closely with clients to help even the uninitiated design a personalized itinerary. "Each charter is a custom-built vacation based on the desires of the traveler," Halstead says. "We ask clients for a wish list and then work with them to build an itinerary."

The cost can be comparable to that of a cruise or resort holiday, though of course the experience couldn't be more different. But according to charter specialists, most people choose a yacht vacation for the quality time it allows with family and friends. Clients, they say, range from those with relatively modest incomes to CEOs and film stars.