Everyone’s safety
A bareboat charter entrusts a boat worth several hundred thousand euros, and the safety of your crew, to the skipper in charge. The sailing CV checks that you have experience of the boat and the area.
Bareboat charter
Sailing CV: charter a boat without a skipper in Marseille
Your sailing CV summarises your experience as a sailor. Fill it in once, in ten minutes: we approve it within 48 hours and it opens up bareboat charter of our boats and those of our partner owners.
- 10 minutes
- Reply within 48 hours
- Valid for your future charters
Bareboat charter
Why a sailing CV?
The sailing CV is not an exam: it is the conversation we would have on the pontoon before handing you the boat.
The right boat for you
An easy-to-handle 11-metre boat or a 12-metre catamaran: your experience guides our advice. We offer you the boat you will be comfortable on, not just the one that is available.
Owners’ trust
The owners who entrust their boats to us require qualified renters. Once approved, your sailing CV opens up their boats as well as ours.
What we look at in your sailing CV
Certificates and licences
The coastal licence is the minimum; the offshore extension is required for a cruise more than 6 miles from a shelter, towards Corsica or the Balearics. The radio certificate is a plus.
Experience as skipper
The number of cruises skippered as the person responsible for the boat counts more than years spent as crew.
Recent experience
A season without sailing is no problem; ten years without taking the helm calls for a refresher, which the skipper can provide on the first day.
Boat size and type
Handling a 12-metre catamaran in port cannot be improvised: we check that you have already manoeuvred a comparable boat.
The crew
A second-in-command able to take the helm, anchor or moor makes the cruise safer and more relaxed for everyone.
The area and the season
The mistral can blow hard within a few hours in the Gulf of Lion: we adapt our advice to the planned programme and the time of year.
Which boat for your sailing CV?
Your experience guides our advice: here is how we match profiles and boats.
First cruises as skipper
An 11-metre sailboat such as the Dufour 375 “Petite Lune”, simple to handle, with a coastal programme: Frioul, Côte Bleue, calanques. We recommend a skipper for the first half-day, while you get to know the boat.
Experienced monohull skipper
The 13 to 14-metre sailboats, Cyclades 43.4 or Oceanis 473 “Émeraude”, for a week towards La Ciotat, Bandol, Porquerolles and the Golden Isles, with legs of 20 to 30 miles.
Catamaran experience
The Lagoon 400 or the Lipari 41 “Enjoy”: two engines, a lot of windage, port manoeuvres different from a monohull. Prior catamaran experience is required, or a handover day with a skipper.
Offshore sailing
Corsica, Sardinia or the Balearics: offshore extension, night sailing experience and a crew able to keep watches. We study the weather for the crossing with you before departure, and can deliver the boat on the outward leg.
Regulations
The boating licence and the sailing CV
In France, a boating licence is compulsory to helm a boat whose engine exceeds 6 horsepower. The coastal option allows sailing up to 6 miles from a shelter; the offshore extension allows you to go further, by day and by night. Our sailboats and catamarans all have more powerful engines: the coastal licence is therefore the minimum for a bareboat charter, and the offshore extension is required for a cruise to Corsica, Sardinia or the Balearics.
Yet the licence says nothing about your practice: it can be obtained in a few days without ever having skippered a sailboat. That is why the sailing CV counts as much as the licence. Foreign sailors can present the ICC, the International Certificate of Competence, or the equivalent qualification from their country.
The short-range radio operator’s certificate (CRR) is recommended for using the on-board DSC VHF. It is not required to charter, but it is one of the skills we value in your sailing CV.
How it works
How to fill in your sailing CV properly
Your certificates. Tick all the licences and certificates you hold, even old ones. Give the year you obtained your licence: it places your background without being decisive. Training at a sailing school, a club or on cruising courses also counts: note it in the field provided, with the year and the level reached.
Your experience. This is the heart of the sailing CV. Distinguish clearly between voyages as crew and those where you were skipper, responsible for the boat and the crew. An estimate of the miles covered is enough: count about twenty miles per day of coastal cruising. For situations experienced, tick only what you have actually done at the helm: a night at sea as crew does not count as night sailing as skipper.
Your recent voyages. Describe the last two or three cruises: the boat, the area, the duration and your role. These few lines often tell us more than the boxes ticked, and allow us to suggest straight away the boat that matches your practice.
Your crew. Give the number of people on board and how many can helm, anchor or moor. A crew in which the skipper is the only one who can manoeuvre is still possible on a small sailboat, but we take it into account for the programme and the choice of boat.
Your plans. The boat you want, the area and the dates allow us to check availability at the same time as your sailing CV. If you are hesitating between two boats, leave “I don’t know yet”: we will advise you.
Ten minutes
Fill in my sailing CV
Fields marked * are required. You can complete your sailing CV by phone if you prefer.
After sending your sailing CV
- 1
Review within 48 hours
We read your sailing CV and call you if anything needs clarifying.
- 2
Proposal
We confirm the suitable boat and the dates, or suggest a skipper for the first day.
- 3
Booking
Contract, online deposit and security deposit: everything is done remotely, in a few minutes.
- 4
Handover
On the day of departure, our team introduces you to the boat and the area before you cast off.
Skipper’s tips
Preparing your bareboat charter
Check the weather
Check the Météo-France coastal forecast and our live marine weather page every morning. In the Gulf of Lion, the mistral rises quickly: always plan a fallback shelter.
Plan the route
Our port-to-port distance calculator gives the miles and passage time between 127 ports, keeping clear of exposed coasts and headlands.
Prepare the crew
Assign roles before departure: who anchors, who moors, who watches the tender. Show everyone the life jackets, the VHF and the liferaft.
Respect the seabed
Anchor on sand, away from Posidonia meadows: the DONIA app shows the areas to avoid. In the Calanques National Park, some areas are regulated.
Why owners require a sailing CV
Some of the boats in our catalogue belong to owners who entrust them to us, under charter management or direct charter. For them, the question is not only the charter price: it is the condition in which their boat will come back. The sailing CV guarantees them that every bareboat renter has been checked by a professional before boarding.
In return, a renter whose sailing CV is approved has access to well-maintained boats, prepared before each departure, with a real contact on shore.
This is also what sets a charter with LOCVOILIER apart from a simple matchmaking service: a contact who knows the boats, reads every sailing CV, carries out the check-in and check-out reports, and remains reachable throughout the cruise. Owners gain peace of mind, and renters gain support.
Good to know
Sailing CV: your questions
What is a sailing CV?
The sailing CV summarises your background as a sailor: certificates and licences, years of practice, cruises skippered, types of boats and areas sailed. Charter companies ask for it for any bareboat charter. At LOCVOILIER, it is compulsory and we check it before every booking.
Is the sailing CV compulsory for chartering without a skipper?
Yes, for all the boats in our catalogue chartered without a skipper, including those of our partner owners. With a skipper, no sailing CV is required: the professional skipper is in charge.
What licence do I need to charter a sailboat in Marseille?
For a sailboat, a licence is not legally required when the engine is under 6 hp, but all our boats exceed this power: the coastal licence is therefore required. To sail more than 6 miles from a shelter, the offshore extension is required. The sailing CV complements the licence: it shows your actual practice.
How long does it take to approve a sailing CV?
We reply within 48 hours. If anything needs clarifying, we call you. Once approved, your sailing CV is kept for your future charters: you will only need to update it.
What happens if my experience is judged insufficient?
We offer you a solution rather than a refusal: a smaller boat, a skipper for the first day who hands over the boat and the area to you, or a skippered charter during which you take part in the manoeuvres. Many of our customers start this way, then charter on their own the following season.
Is my information shared?
Your sailing CV is used solely to review your request. It is only passed on to the owner of the boat you choose, when the boat belongs to a partner. You can request its deletion at any time.
Do I need to provide supporting documents?
A copy of your licence is requested before departure, and sometimes a certificate from a previous charter or a logbook. On the day of boarding, the handover of the boat also lets us check the essential manoeuvres together.
I have never chartered a catamaran: can I do it without a skipper?
If you are an experienced monohull skipper, yes, after a handover with our team: a skipper accompanies you for a few hours for twin-engine port manoeuvres and anchoring. Mention it in your sailing CV and we will organise the day accordingly.
Can I sail to Corsica or the Balearics without a skipper?
Yes, with the offshore extension, night sailing experience and a crew able to keep watches. We prepare the crossing with you and can deliver the boat on the outward or return leg so that your cruise starts directly on site.
I am not French: which qualification should I present?
Foreign sailors present the ICC, the International Certificate of Competence for operators of pleasure craft, or the equivalent national qualification recognised in France, together with their sailing CV. British RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster qualifications, for example, are widely accepted. Write to us in English if you prefer: we reply in both languages.
Is my sailing CV valid for all my charters?
Yes. Once approved, it is kept and is valid for your subsequent charters with LOCVOILIER, on our boats and on those of our partner owners. You will only need to update it by adding your latest voyages. When your space opens, you will find it online, ready to be completed.
Can I update my sailing CV after a new cruise?
Yes, and it is even recommended: each new voyage enriches your sailing CV and can open up larger boats or more distant programmes. Simply resend the form stating that it is an update, or write to us with the details of your latest cruise: boat, area, duration, role on board and conditions encountered. We complete your file, and you will not have to re-enter everything for your next charter.
Does the sailing CV replace the security deposit?
No. The sailing CV checks your experience; the security deposit, paid online before boarding, covers any damage. Both are required for any bareboat charter.
Quick reply, no commitment
A question about your sailing CV?
Call us or write to us: we will help you fill it in and choose the right boat.
Set the right course from the start!
