Preparing for your Apostle Islands Sailboat Charter

So you have finally decided it is time to explore Bayfield and the Apostle Islands?! You want to come and see everything that this little slice of heaven has to offer, and you are ready to become one of the few travelers who have seen this beautiful area. There are still a few questions left to answer before you get here. How do you prepare? What kind of sailboat charter do you want to take? When do you want to visit? What do you want to do while you are here?  In an effort to help you prepare and plan, we have compiled some resources and ideas for how to plan a charter in the Apostle Islands and what to do when you get here!

1. What type of sailor are you? The most important thing to consider when booking a yacht charter vacation is to determine exactly what type of charter you want to experience. Here at Superior Charters, we offer “Bareboat” or “Captained” charters. As well as a variety of training courses such as our Bareboat Certification Course, Intermediate Sailing Course, Advanced Sailing Course and Cruising Catamaran Training Course. Think about what your goals are for your charter. Do you want to have a fun and carefree family vacation? Are you hoping to improve your sailing skills or skipper a larger boat? Are you hoping to share your love of sailing with friends and family? Taking your goals into consideration will help you to get the most out of your Superior Charters sailing vacation.
2. Who will you be traveling with? Is this a family vacation? A birthday celebration? Are there multiple couples traveling together? This step is really important because who you take with you will have a huge impact on your charter experience. Look for individuals who are ready to adventure, people who are eager to learn and explore. A yacht charter vacation is what you make it, and the people around you will play a huge role in this.
3. Choose your dates: This is an obvious step, but a critical one, nonetheless. The dates that you choose can have a big impact on pricing, yacht availability, and the type of experience you have while on charter. Superior Charters offers early season, prime season, and late season pricing. If you are looking at chartering in prime season, prices will be higher, and you should consider booking your trip farther in advance to ensure that you can reserve the yacht you want. If you are looking for an early season or late season charter you can expect to find some savings on the cost of the yacht itself but take into consideration things like weather that time of year. Cost savings are highest in the early season, but you can expect good winds, warm(er) water, and possibly even some changing colors in the late season.
4. Choose your yacht: Some Charterers may choose to start here, but in this case, once you have determined all the other details, you are ready to select your perfect yacht to act as your home away from home. This can be a traditional sailing monohull, or a sailing catamaran! When selecting your ideal yacht, one important factor to consider is the number of cabins on board, and ensuring there is sleeping accommodation for everyone in your party. Keep in mind if you have a Captained Charter or are receiving multi-day instruction, your Captain will be on board with you for the duration of the charter and they will occupy one of the cabins on your yacht! If you plan to Bareboat Charter, your boating resume and experience will affect your yacht choice. We’re happy to help set expectations and help you choose a yacht that fits your skills and needs perfectly.
5. How to get here: Bayfield and the Apostle Islands are remote and isolated – this is why we love it here! However, it can make traveling to Bayfield a bit more challenging. We are about a 1.5-hour drive from Duluth, MN (the closest airport) and about a 4-hour drive from Minneapolis, MN. Please keep this in mind when making your travel plans. Ride share services such as Lyft or Uber have not made it to our neck of the woods (yet) but renting a car is a great shuttle solution if you plan to fly into one of the surrounding airports.
6. Create your sailing itinerary: How many days is your charter? What do you want to see and do while you are here? To get the most out of your trip to the Apostle Islands we recommend planning ahead to ensure that you are able to fit everything in. We recommend checking out the book Sailing Adventures in the Apostle Islands, by Lawrence Newman. This book will illustrate the top ten recommended sailing routes in the Apostle Islands and includes pictures of anchoring spots. It also highlights various points of interest throughout the Islands to ensure you don’t miss a thing!  
7. Review and submit your paperwork: This step is a bit boring, but you will thank yourself for completing this in advance. Make sure that you review your confirmation email. Read over all of our important documents and forms to ensure that you are prepared. Review our Frequently Asked Questions page and if you can’t find the answer you are looking for, please ASK! We want to ensure that our charterers feel confident and prepared before leaving the dock. Your Boating Resume, Yacht Charter Agreement, and Crew list MUST be completed before you set sail. Take care of your paperwork and preparation before you get here to ensure a stress-free adventure!
8. Stay and play: If you are looking to experience more than just sailing while you are in Bayfield, book a house in town for the remainder of your vacation! Check out Graceland, located in downtown Bayfield and owned and operated by the Superior Charters Team. This house is the perfect home base for your sailing crew to stay and have a few extra days to explore beautiful Bayfield! Explore the orchards or catch a show at Big Top Chautauqua. Make sure you check out the Copper Crow Distillery and Adventure Club Brewing while you are here! Ask our team about bundling a sailboat charter with a stay at this beautiful home – there might be a deal in it for you!

– Superior Charters Crew