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Short hops, steady trade winds and mooring balls in almost every anchorage. The BVI is the classic first bareboat trip.

For trips beyond the BVI: St. Martin is the jumping-off point for Anguilla and St. Barth, and the Grenadines go south from St. Vincent to the Tobago Cays.

Europe's busiest charter coast: Split, Hvar, Brač and Vis are short day sails apart, and Saturday turnovers fill the marinas in summer.

Four very different sailing areas: the sheltered Ionian, the windy Cyclades, the Saronic Gulf right next to Athens, and the remote Dodecanese.

Shallow, very clear water and long cays, sailed out of Nassau. It suits catamarans especially well.

A US territory next door to the BVI, which makes it the simplest Caribbean trip for US travellers. Charters start from St. Thomas.

The La Maddalena archipelago and the Costa Smeralda. Yachtic says Italy is generally 10–20% more expensive than Croatia or Greece, mostly because of marina fees and VAT, and that Sardinia is one of its priciest areas.

Limestone islands, and flat water in the Andaman Sea in season. Expect mostly catamarans: on the day we checked, 36 of the 57 discounted boats Yochting tracks in Phuket were catamarans.

Spain's biggest charter island: most boats leave from Palma, 15 minutes from the airport, and a week can take in the Cabrera national park, the calas of the south-east and the cliffs of the Tramuntana coast. Summer sea breezes are reliable, but July and August are crowded and berths are expensive.

Positano, Amalfi and Capri all sit within about 25 nautical miles of each other, so legs are short. The catches are heavy ferry traffic, a marine reserve where you can't anchor overnight, and small harbours where a booked berth matters more than the wind. It's one of Italy's most expensive charter areas.

Clear water over the shallow Caicos Bank, empty sand anchorages and steady trade winds. We'll be upfront: bareboat chartering here is thin. None of the big charter companies has a base here, and most visitors book a skippered or crewed catamaran out of Providenciales.