How do you charter a crewed yacht?
Ever wondered how to charter a yacht – whether you’re a sailor, super yacht enthusiast or simply yacht curious we’re here to answer your questions.
Now that Below Deck has become mainstream and shone a light on a previously less documented industry; more people are asking us how they go about chartering a crewed yacht. We hope to be able to answer some of your burning questions like:
- What type of yacht is right for my group: family /friends/ business colleagues?
- Where is the best place to go sailing?
- How much does it cost to charter a yacht?
1)What type of yacht is right for my group: family /friends/ business colleagues?
Sailing Yacht (SY)– for keen sailors, these boats heel (lean) over when under sail. Cabins on monohulls are typically smaller as the boats are narrower. Streamlined so can cruise around 6-10 knots.
For adventure seekers who want to enjoy the journey.
NB.When under sail everyone is racing – even if they don’t know it!
Sailing Catamarans (S/Cats) – for those that enjoy the romance of sailing but want the extra interior cabin space. Catamarans feature two hulls so are double the width of a monohull. Speed wise they can be quite slow.
Power Cats (P/Cats)/ motor yachts – typically diesel powered and can go at faster speeds. No sails so these boats are for those that want to travel faster and make the most of the water-toys on board. Catamaran or monohull versions available, they are typically wider than sailing monohulls.
We specialise in crewed charters which means the yacht suggestions here will not include flotilla, gullet or bareboat holidays; we will put sample ranges for different sized boats.
2) Where is the best place to go sailing?
Truthfully, we’re spoilt for choice, you probably have an idea about where you would like to go so here are some links to itineraries/blogs we have written to help bring that dream to life. We have also worked in and travelled to many popular yachting locations so will be more than happy to advise.
Greece- Cyclades, Greece- Ionian, Croatia, South of France, Amalfi, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca
Grenadines, Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, BVIs
French Polynesia, Seychelles, Whitsundays
3) How much will it cost?
How long is a piece of string? I joke, of course, but the variability in price is huge and likely unfathomable to those that aren’t in the 0.000000000000001% who can afford the most expensive charter yachts.
In the Med most yachts will have a low season rate (typically May and October, mid-season rate (June and September) and a high-season rate (July and August). Many are offered + VAT* and + APA**.
In the Caribbean boats are offered at the high Med rate with an extra 10% for Christmas/New Year. Many Caribbean charters are offered all inclusive. For the purpose of this blog we will use price ranges based on low season rates for one week exclusive of VAT and APA.
*How much is the VAT?
This varies from country to country and your charter broker will be able to guide you on this.
**What is APA?
APA, Advance Provisioning Allowance, this is typically 20-35% of the charter fee and is paid with your second payment 1 month before the start date. This money is sent to the Captain, they have it onboard and uses this money to provision the boat with food and drink for your trip, pay for mooring fees, national park fees, yacht & tender fuel, all are passed on to you at cost, at the end of the week the Captain will run through your account with you and give any remaining money back to you or if you have overspent (normally only if you’ve been drinking lots of expensive wines and in exclusive marinas every night) you’ll need to make it up in cash before you depart.
How about crew tip? Is crew tipping really as much as in Below Deck? What is the crewing etiquette?
A gratuity for the crew is customary but also at your discretion, we recommend 10 – 20% of the charter fee depending on how you think the crew performed, normally you’d give this to the captain in cash and they will distribute it equally amongst the crew or if you prefer you can send it to your broker with your final payment and instruct us to send it to them when the charter finishes. It’s completely up to you.
Weekly Rates Table
The table below shows lowest low season rates and the highest high season rate for each size range and type of yacht- exclusive of VAT and APA for one week charter.
