Yacht charter in North America

01 · Overview

Yacht charter in North America

North America's fleet on our desk is mostly houseboats on Canada's inland waterways, which you can drive without a boating licence after the operator's training. There are also day charters and bareboat yachts on Chesapeake Bay in the USA.

02 · The sailing grounds

The sailing grounds

Smiths Falls is the base for the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that links Ottawa and Kingston through lakes, rivers and historic locks. Other boats start on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario. In the USA, Annapolis is the base for Chesapeake Bay.

Sailing areas on our desk:

The USA: 4 boats

03 · Season and weather

Season and weather

The canals are open from about May to October. Chesapeake Bay is best from May to October, with spring and autumn the most pleasant.

04 · The fleet on our desk

The fleet on our desk

We list about 40 boats in North America from 2 charter companies. The fleet is houseboats (89%) and catamarans (6%). Half the boats were built in 2018 or later, and the typical boat is about 38 ft long with 2 cabins. The most common models here are the Horizon 1, Horizon 2 and Horizon 3.

05 · Ways to charter

Ways to charter

Boats in North America offer these kinds of charter (a boat can offer more than one):

Bareboat (36 boats): you skipper the boat yourself. The skipper needs a licence the operator accepts, and usually a VHF radio certificate.

Day charter (4 boats): a single day on the water, usually with crew.

Houseboats on rivers and canals can usually be driven without a boating licence after the operator's briefing. Each boat page says whether a licence is needed.

06 · What a week costs

What a week costs

These prices are for the boat for seven nights, taken from the 2027 offers we hold in November 2026.

In May, the cheapest month for most boats here, a well-priced boat costs about €2,300 a week and the middle of the fleet about €2,600.

In July, the dearest month, the middle of the fleet costs about €4,000 a week.

The cheapest tenth of boats here start from about €2,100 a week, and the top tenth from about €3,400.

Fuel, marina fees, the final clean and any skipper are usually extra on bareboat yachts; crewed boats include their crew. Each boat page shows what its operator includes and the live price for your dates.

07 · Bases and start days

Bases and start days

Boats start from Smiths Falls (18 boats), Horseshoe Bay Marina (14 boats) and Annapolis (4 boats). Many boats can start on any day of the week, with Sunday the most common.

08 · Getting there

Getting there

Ottawa airport is about an hour from Smiths Falls. Baltimore/Washington airport is about 30 to 40 minutes from Annapolis.