All boat hire in Ibiza through us comes with a skipper included, so nobody in your group needs a licence or any experience. Most people booking a private boat for the first time worry about the wrong things; this page deals with the questions that actually come up.
You are met on the pontoon rather than at a desk. The skipper takes bags aboard, runs through where things are, and asks two questions: what time you would like to be back, and whether the day is about swimming or about lunch. Nothing is signed at the boat, and the safety brief takes about four minutes. Most groups are off the berth within twenty minutes of arriving, and the first anchorage is usually reached before anyone has finished a drink.
The route is a conversation, not a timetable. If the wind is up on the south coast the skipper will suggest the west, and if you want to stay out near Formentera rather than push on he will say what that costs you in time. He knows where the water is calm at four in the afternoon, which is a thing worth more than any itinerary written the night before.
Two boats of the same length can give completely different days. An open speedboat such as the Pardo 39 is quick, low to the water and best when the group wants to move between coves. A flybridge yacht of similar price sits higher, carries more shade and suits a group that will spend most of the day anchored in one place. Neither is better; they answer different questions.
Shade is the specification people forget. In July an unshaded deck is unusable between one and four, so a bimini or a flybridge changes the day more than two extra knots ever will. Ask us which boats in your budget carry real shade for the number of people you are bringing, and compare the full fleet on guests and cover rather than on length alone.
Ibiza is sheltered somewhere on almost every day of the season, which is why a charter rarely needs to be abandoned outright. A north wind pushes everyone to the south coast and Formentera; a southerly does the opposite. The skipper reads the forecast the evening before and again at first light, and if the sea will make the day unpleasant rather than merely different, he will say so before you leave the berth rather than an hour into it.
If you are travelling specifically for the boat, book earlier in the week rather than on your last day. It leaves room to move the charter by twenty-four hours if the forecast turns, and in high season that flexibility is worth more than any discount.
Couples and pairs of couples usually take a day boat and spend the whole time between Cala Jondal and Es Vedra. Families with small children ask for shade, a swim platform and a shorter run, which points at the mid-size motor yachts. Groups of ten to twelve celebrating something take the larger crewed boats, because deck space matters more than speed once there are twelve of you. If you recognise your group in one of those, say so when you enquire and we will shortlist three boats rather than twenty-one.
Two boats suit first-time charterers particularly well: the Aura 44, which is slow, quiet and gentle, and the Chiara 37, which takes a larger group for very little money. Both are in the boat rental range.
When you are ready, read the Ibiza yacht charter guide for the pricing detail, check the rental FAQs for anything still open, then send your dates to our team. Two posts worth reading first: what to wear on board and sailing while pregnant.
None at all. A professional skipper is on every charter, included in the price, and your only job is to say where you would like to swim.
The skipper, from the moment you leave the berth until you are tied up again. Guests are welcome at the helm to look, not to steer.
Swimwear, a towel if you want your own, sun cream, a hat and a light layer for the return leg. Towels and snorkels are already on board, so there is no need to duplicate them.
Tell the crew early rather than late. Most of the day is spent at anchor, and the skipper can pick sheltered water and a slower passage once he knows.
Snacks and drinks are, from forty feet up. A proper lunch is not — most groups eat ashore at a beach restaurant or ask us to arrange catering in advance.
It is metered against what you used and settled at the end of the charter, so a slow day in nearby coves costs considerably less than a fast run to Formentera and back.
A message gets a real answer, usually within the hour. No forms, no obligation.
