All
yachts are different; they offer widely differing facilities and cabin layouts, while factors such as their suitability for your preferred holiday activities can vary widely. Your broker will have up to date and detailed knowledge of a huge range of yachts, all gained from personal visits to the yachts to check facilities, meet the crew and sample the cuisine. This will ensure you are matched with the best yacht to suit your requirements from the start, so please provide your broker with as much information as possible.
Choose your yacht
Once your broker has established the type of
yacht you wish to charter, your preferred
destination, your budget and the style of holiday you are looking for, they will send you an initial selection of suitable yachts with online brochures. You will then work together to narrow these down until a final choice is made.
Contracts
Once a suitable yacht has been agreed upon, your broker will prepare a charter contract. Most large yachts are chartered in the Mediterranean under a standard agreement put together by MYBA, The Worldwide Yachting Association. The conditions of this agreement, commonly known as Western Mediterranean Terms (WMT) will usually be signed by four people; the head of the charter party, the owner, a stakeholder (usually the yacht’s Central Agent), and the broker.
Preference sheets
Once the charter has been agreed and the contract has been signed, your broker will ask you to complete a guest preference sheet so that the yacht can offer you the best service and stock up on all your favourite products.
This detailed form covers topics such as special dietary requirements and allergies, any guest medical conditions that the crew should be aware of, water sports preferences, sizes for fins and wetsuits, any special events or anniversaries that might occur during the charter, the magazines and newspapers that you require and your taste in drinks.
In order to ensure a successful charter experience it is essential that the broker and crew have as much detail as possible regarding all aspects covered in the preference sheet, and any other details you think are important to share with them.
Your charter broker can also help you organise shoreside trips such as restaurant and club bookings, guided tours, and family days out. All such requests should be noted on the preference sheet.
Costs
It is important to note that the quoted charter fee is only a part of the final cost that you could end up paying. Other costs that will need to be factored in are included in the Advanced Provisioning Allowance (food & drinks, marina fees and fuel) and possible delivery costs if the yacht is not positioned in the marina where you will be boarding.
Insurance
We strongly recommend that charterers take out Cancellation and Curtailment Insurance to protect their investment if unforeseen circumstances prevent or curtail their charter. Additionally, all members of the charter party should be covered by Personal Accident and Medical Insurance, and their personal effects should be insured against theft, loss or damage. Other forms of insurance, such as Charterer's Liability may also be prudent. Our brokers will be pleased to assist with arranging any policy not covered by the basic Charter Agreement.
And finally…Step on board and enjoy your charter experience!
If you would like more information on chartering a yacht, feel free to contact a charter specialist at
bluewater.
