Choosing Where to Begin
A day charter starts simply: a boat, a skipper and a stretch of open water, with none of the planning a longer charter usually asks for. Most days begin from St Tropez itself, slipping out of the harbour while the town is still waking up, though several of our boats are based a little further round the gulf and can collect guests from a nearby jetty or beach club on request. There is no vessel to manage and no route to fix weeks in advance. You choose a boat, a skipper arrives with it, and the day is yours to shape from there, whether that means an early start or a lazy midday departure once the sun has properly settled in.
Choosing Your Boat for the Day
The right boat depends more on mood than on size. The Vanquish 40 Sports Line is quick and nimble, built for guests who want a spontaneous afternoon rather than a fixed itinerary, carrying up to eleven for the day with real pace in reserve and a stepped hull that holds a confident line through the chop. The Pardo 38 takes a gentler approach: a proper day boat with sunbathing space at bow and stern and a table that appears when lunch does, suited to families who would rather linger in one cove than cover ground. For something sportier, the Anvera 55s RIB carries ten guests in comfort, rugged enough for an afternoon of watersports with a sound system that keeps the mood up between swims. Guests who want more shade and a little extra room often choose the Sunseeker Manhattan 60, a flybridge yacht recently refitted top to bottom, which reaches Porquerolles or Cannes as easily as the beaches of Pampelonne. For larger groups, Moby-Dick, a twenty metre catamaran fresh from a full 2024 refit, spreads across more than 180 square metres of deck and carries up to twenty guests for the day without ever feeling crowded. And for those drawn to speed, the Vanquish 58 “Eleven” and the brand new Sunseeker 74 XPS both cover the coast at close to forty knots, turning the journey itself into part of the appeal rather than simply the means to an end.
A Route Shaped Around the Coast
Pampelonne remains the obvious first stop, close enough to reach within minutes and lined with beach clubs for a long lunch at anchor. Guests who prefer something quieter often ask for Les Salins or the coves around Cap Camarat, where the water turns an improbable turquoise and the crowds thin out considerably. On a faster boat, the whole Riviera opens up for the day: Cannes and its own stretch of coastline, or even Monaco, sit well within reach while still leaving time to swim before heading home. A charter to La Guérite, the small island restaurant off Cannes that has become something of an institution among boating guests, is a particular favourite for those who want lunch with a view rather than a destination in itself, and one our skippers know well.
What the Day Includes
Every boat here, from the smallest day boat to the largest catamaran, comes with a skipper and crew as standard. It is not an upgrade worth asking for, it is simply how a day charter works, and for good reason. Cover is built around a skipper being aboard, which means nobody in your party needs to stay sober to bring the boat home at the end of the day, and the boat is never left moored and unattended while you step ashore for lunch or an afternoon on the beach. Snorkelling gear and paddleboards are generally included as standard, and a private chef or additional catering can be arranged through Concierge for anyone who would rather not stop at all.
Planning Your Day
A day charter can often be arranged on short notice, though the most popular boats and the height of summer are best booked a few days ahead where possible. Pricing is set per day rather than per person and varies with the boat and the season, from a nimble day boat through to the fastest yachts in the fleet. Our Day Charter page sets out the practicalities in full, from typical start times to what to bring, and our Rentals pages cover the rest of the fleet for anyone whose day on the water turns into something longer.
One Day, Well Spent
There is something freeing about a day with no fixed plan beyond the coastline ahead of you. Choose a boat, choose a direction, and let a skipper who knows these waters do the rest. Some of the best days in St Tropez are the ones nobody planned too carefully.
