About chartering
Chartering a motor yacht or a sailing vessel is nothing like being stuck on a
cruise ship with the same itinerary as 1,500 other people. Your personalized
charter lets you decide what beaches and sights to see and which activities you
want to do and when. It is all about personalized service that has been totally
tailored to your preferences and likes.
Personalized service
You chose your daily activities and the itinerary. Your captain and crew know the area well, whether at sea or ashore, and will
recommend the best places for activities such as fishing, scuba diving or
snorkeling. They can also suggest the best secluded beaches for sunbathing, the
best lively harbor town to shop, dine or even where to go night clubbing. The
crew will take total care of you by preparing your gourmet meals, mixing your
cocktails and assisting you with activities and equipment as you travel to and
from different islands – they will make sure that you have the best time possible.
Before the charter we will talk to you about your activity and food preferences. We will ask you to fill in a questionnaire that will help the crew plan your charter. You will also talk to the crew prior to the charter to discuss all the details.
Explanation of charter fees and other expenses
Sailing charters
The rates quoted on our website are All Inclusive rates. The rates are usually quoted according to the number of guests.
All Inclusive rates include meals, beverages including standard ship's Bar, fuel, ice, water sports.
Cruising taxes, dockage fees, communication fees are extra.
Motor yacht charters
The rates quoted for motor yacht charters are plus running expenses.
Running expenses:
All expenses related to the charter, food, bar, fuel, dockage, port taxes are for the Charterer’s expense. This cost usually averages out at 30% of the base charter rate. A 30% Advanced Provisioning Allowance (APA) is sent to the yacht ahead of time together with your preferences and the crew will use this to provision the yacht. The Captain will present a full accounting to you at the end of the charter. Any balance will be refunded. If the expenses run over the APA then you will need to take care of the balance before disembarkation.
Taxes:
Only BVI has cruising taxes which are usually added on top of charter fee.
Gratuity:
Keep in mind the gratuities (10 - 20% of the charter rate) are at the charters
discretion and are not mandatory but recommended. For crewed charters it is
customary to leave a 10-15% gratuity which is usually handed to the captain at
the end of the charter.
Payment policy
An initial reservation deposit of 50% is required to reserve the yacht of your choice and the balance is due forty-five days prior to departure. At that time you will also be asked to send funds to cover the APA (for a motor yacht charter). The payments are done by bank wire transfer and will be held by the yacht's main agent in an escrow account until just before the charter date.
Steps in booking a yacht
- once you decide on a yacht, we will put an "option" on the boat - the option secures the boat for 48 hours, which gives time to prepare all the paperwork.
- we will send you a contract to review and sign. The initial deposit of 50% of the charter fee is required at that point. If the charter is less then 30 days in advance, a full payment is required.
- then we will start working with you on personalizing your charter - we will send you food and activity preference questionnaire, we will arrange a call between you and the crew, we will help you arrange flights, limousine transfers etc. We will help arrange every aspect of your charter.
- the balance of the charter fee as well as the funds to cover the APA are due 45 days prior to your charter date.
