That doesn’t matter. Fractional sailing can still be the answer for you. For a fraction of the cost of actually owning a sailboat, you can have almost all the benefits of sole ownership. But here are seven benefits owners don’t have.

1. Competitive Price – If you were to buy a new Catalina 350, the upfront expense would be around $34,500. By comparison, you can get a fractional sailing membership on the same boat for only $3,500.

2. Training – If you’ve never been trained to handle a sailboat, all the training you could need is available for no extra cost once you are a member of a fractional sailing team. This is a great benefit that other programs (even sailing clubs) simply don’t offer.

3. Seven Guaranteed Time Slots – Additionally, once you are a member of a fractional sailing partnership, you are guaranteed at least seven time slots per month. And you know that every time you go out on the water, it’s the same boat. You’ll feel like you own it.

4. Easy Scheduling – What about scheduling conflicts? To make your scheduling easier, fractional sailing services offer online scheduling. Through this, you can establish who gets the boat on what days. This makes the process easy, painless, and fair.

5. Quality Maintenance – You’re not only guaranteed access to the same boat, but you’re also guaranteed the same great quality. Maintenance is entirely handled by the fractional sailing company. In addition, all boats are fully loaded with everything you’ll need.

6. Insurance – Need insurance? What if there’s an accident out on the water? No problem. As a member of a fractional sailing program, you can rest assured knowing your boat is under A+ rated insurance. And there’s no extra cost!

7. Low Monthly Fee – So by now you’re probably wondering what the catch is. The catch is that there’s a monthly fee. But here’s the upside: monthly maintenance on your own boat can run about $2,000 versus a monthly membership fee of $579. Interested yet?

Caribbean yachting is different from other forms of Caribbean water sports because a yacht is far roomier and it offers you the chance to enjoy your vacation away from hotels and on a boat. People with sailing experience are especially going to enjoy the freedom of chartering their own yacht and sailing in the Caribbean. However, note that if you want to just sit back and not worry about the technicalities of sailing then you had better get some crew. If you have never tried a sailing vacation before then perhaps it is time to give Caribbean yachting a chance.

Probably the biggest advantage of Caribbean yachting is that you get to choose which islands you wish to visit. Though most charter companies will suggest an itinerary, you are not legally bound to follow it and if you feel like going left when the plan says right, there is nothing to stop you from doing so. During your sailing experience you also get to choose what kind of food you are going to eat. Beware that no crew means that you will be doing your own cooking so do not overlook that detail. A crewed Caribbean yachting option means you just sit back and relax.

For most people however the easiest option is to pay for the charter and leave the details to the captain. With experience you will learn how to plot your own courses and what places to visit. While you are in the Caribbean yachting, make sure you make a note of what all you can see and enjoy along the route so that you do not just end up taking a long boat ride and nothing more. If you are the type that gets bored easily then carry some books for the time when time begins to get heavy.

Note that if you wish to charter a yacht without a crew then you must carry documentation proving that you have sailing experience so that the charter companies can safely trust you with their boats. This is especially true if you are carrying passengers because the charter company is responsible for their safety.

Caribbean yachting is a good way to spend time with friends or family far away from the hotels and resorts full of strangers. The cruises are not too long and so you will not end up getting bored with each other or getting cramped in a small space with so many people.

Caribbean yachting is also one of the few ways in which you can actually experience the Caribbean for what it is instead of coming back like most tourist, with a few pictures and videos but no real conception of what you actually visited.