Yachts in Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, chosen one by one.

What the day rate covers

• 01

  Skipper and crew

  Skipper always included. From 20 metres, a deckhand; from 25, hostess and cook depending on the boat. Crew on proper contracts with papers in order, not handshake arrangements on the pontoon.

• 02

  Fuel and destination berth, quoted separately

  This is the small print of the whole industry and we say it up front: fuel is billed on actual consumption and the destination berth is not included. On a typical coastal day charter fuel runs 10-15% of the day; Ibiza and back pushes it higher. You get a written estimate before you book.

• 03

  Towels, ice, water and shade

  Onboard towels, stocked fridges, a bimini over the cockpit, and swimming kit — paddleboard, snorkelling gear, and on most boats a jet ski or a towable. Anything that is not standard is requested and written down.

• 04

  A planned itinerary, not an improvised one

  Before you board you have a route with timings, fallback coves if the wind backs, and a table booked ashore if the day ends with dinner. The skipper adjusts it in the morning with the real forecast.

Routes that fit in a day

All of these fit an eight-hour day if you leave before ten. The distances are real, not brochure numbers.

• Cabrera

  A national park with regulated anchoring and a legally capped number of buoys. Permits have to be applied for in advance — we handle it — and July and August sell out. Two and a half hours from Palma.

• Sa Calobra and Torrent de Pareis

  The north coast only reads properly from the water: the cliff drops sheer and the land route is thirteen kilometres of hairpins. A long day with an early start.

• Ibiza and Formentera

  Formentera in a day works with a fast boat out of Andratx or Portals; Ibiza needs an overnight if you want dinner there. It is the route most often paired with a helicopter back.

• The southeast coves

  Es Trenc, Mondragó, Cala Llombards and Caló des Moro without the queue on land. Half a day, good for groups with children or a first day without an early alarm.