Mate on board for bareboat charters

Many licensed customers ask us for bareboat charters in Ibiza. However, even for the most experienced customers, we strongly recommend having if not a skipper, at least a mate, on board.

Catamaran-Mister-Binguel
Our beautiful catamaran Lagoon 380 full sail.

What is a Mate exactly?

A mate is a professional skipper, who is happy to act as only a mate on board when customers are experienced sailors.

What are the advantages of having a mate on board?

The good thing about having a mate on board is that you will remain in charge. You have the absolute freedom of sailing the catamaran and planning the journey, but you won’t have to be on watch 24/7. For most skippers, this makes their tour more enjoyable. They have all the pleasures of sailing and the liberty to take a break, so they get the best of both worlds.

captain of boat hire ibiza san antonio
Sailing with the luxury of being able to take a break.

Exploring the island, going for a drink, or a lovely meal is a lot of fun. Whenever you decide to anchor and disembark, you can join your guests without having to worry about leaving the catamaran unattended. The mate can bring you and your guests to shore and pick you up when you are ready to go back to the boat. This way you won’t be stuck on board and you won’t have to rush back to the dinghy that is left behind unattended on the shore. Just have some carefree time to enjoy a delicious meal with good company.

speed boat rental in ibiza and formentera
Get some time off to enjoy the island.

Furthermore, a mate can help you with small annoying tasks like letting the anchor down in the right place, docking at the port, and cleaning up the ropes and the dinghy, leaving you with more time to do the things you like!

embossa ibiza
Time to enjoy the fun!

What are the tasks of a mate on board?

The tasks of the mate are:

1. Help you sail the catamaran.
2. Tidy up all ropes, sails, the dinghy, etc.
3. Put the dinghy down and up whenever you are going to use it.
4. Use the dinghy to disembark customers to the shore whenever you want.
5. Use the dinghy to pick up customers from the shore at all times.
6. Always stay on board while customers are on land and the vessel is anchored, so he is on duty in case the wind picks up and your anchor drags or, even worse, your neighbour’s anchor drags.
7. Help you with the docking and undocking maneuver at the port.
8. He will be your local guide: He can advise you on which restaurants are good and which are pricy, and also guide you to the best-secluded bays, far from where everyone is anchored.
9. The mate will not cook or clean inside the catamaran. If you want someone to cook or clean inside, we can offer you a hostess, usually, a girl who will carry out these tasks.

going up to the mast
Going up to the mast to fix a problem.

Where does the mate sleep?

Most catamarans have really small individual cabins at the bows. These cabins are separate from the rest of the catamaran and have a top external hatch to access the cabin. This is where the mate will sleep.

Cabin sailing boat Sun Odyssey 34-2
The mate’s cabin.

By José Navas, author, founder, manager and especially skipper at Charteralia, boat hire Ibiza.

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