Sailing & yacht charter — Ibiza

• €95per person, the one shared sailing day
• 3.5–7 hfrom a private half-day to a full day at Formentera
• €450–1,090for the whole boat on the two private charters

Sailing charters in Ibiza: what to know

Smart Charter's Formentera day is €95 per person for six hours from Marina Ibiza, shared with up to 12 on board. The GOA catamaran is €1,090 for the whole boat for a seven-hour day with up to 11 people — one price, split however your group likes. Nomad's 35 ft sailboat is the short private option: €450 for the whole boat for three and a half hours with up to 7 aboard, morning or afternoon.

How does the day go?#

Smart Charter and GOA both head for Formentera: anchor off the turquoise shallows, swim, snorkel and stop in the coves at midday. Nomad's half-day stays with routes around Ibiza — the operator publishes two and you pick one with your skipper. On the private catamaran the route is set with your own skipper, the afternoon goes to the bow trampolines and the day ends with a sunset return; on the shared charter there is a crew, a swim platform and a SUP, with a beach stop in the afternoon.

Nomad’s half-day stays with routes around Ibiza — the operator publishes two and you pick one with your skipper.

Marina Ibiza (Botafoch)

the marina in Eivissa town on the east side of the island, where the shared Formentera day boards. It is not Sant Antoni, where the GOA catamaran lies.

Per boat

a price for the hull rather than for a place on it: €450 or €1,090 whether two people sail or seven.

Formentera

the neighbouring island to the south. The shared day anchors off its shallows to swim rather than touring it ashore.

What is included and what is not?#

GOA includes the private catamaran, skipper and crew, fuel, snorkel gear and a paddleboard; Smart Charter includes the day charter, crew, snorkel gear, swim platform and SUP; Nomad includes the skipper, the fuel surcharge, snorkel gear, two paddleboards, WiFi, final cleaning and passenger insurance, and leaves out food, drinks, towels and ice. Marina and entry fees, transfers and gratuities are extra on both, and food and drinks are optional — catering can be added on the catamaran.

How do the three charters compare?#

The three are not sold in the same unit: Smart Charter sells a seat, Nomad and GOA sell the whole boat.

The arithmetic is short. Nomad's €450 boat overtakes the shared seat from five people up: five seats at €95 come to €475. GOA goes the other way — it takes 11 people at most, and 11 seats at €95 come to €1,045, still under the €1,090 for the whole catamaran. What a private boat adds at any size is the route, the crew and a deck with nobody else on it. All three are starting rates, confirmed by the operator when you book.

What if a sailing day is not what you meant?#

Six or seven hours under sail is a long day. Shorter or cheaper ways onto the water:

• Boat trips — from €49 per person for three hours, or €80 for a three-and-a-half-hour catamaran sunset cruise.
• Boat rental — from €250 per boat for eight hours if you would rather steer than be crewed.
• Fishing charters — €900 per boat for four hours with all the tackle aboard, up to six anglers.
• Scuba diving — €95 per person for a try-dive of about three hours.