Sail Balearic Islands.

Four islands, close together, each with its own character. Mallorca gives you the tramuntana mountains dropping into deep-blue coves on the north-west coast, and a string of easy anchorages along the south. Ibiza and Formentera sit a day's sail south-west — clear water over sand that turns the surface a flat turquoise you'll recognise from every postcard, only warmer than it looks. Menorca, quieter and further north-east, keeps the crowds off. Distances are short. You can cover real ground in a week without long overnight passages, and you're rarely more than a couple of hours from a harbour with fuel, water and a decent lunch.

Bareboat means you skipper. You'll need a recognised licence (ICC + VHF, RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104+) and a confident hand aboard — if no one on the crew is qualified, take the same yacht skippered and our captain drives.

We brief you on the local navigation: the channels and headlands that funnel the wind, where to anchor versus take a mooring, provisioning ports, and the best first-timer route versus the longer run for experienced crews.