FAQ’s

There are hundreds of charter yachts, catamarans, and sailing yachts to choose from, but how to choose? One looks just as nice as the next, but how accurate are the images?  And, what about the crew? Will they be a good fit for your fun-loving group? your young family? your grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration?

These are very important questions that cannot be answered by looking at an Internet website or browsing through brochures. You need the advice of someone who has actually seen that yacht along with many others and has met the crew so they can compare and help you find the best match. Such a person is called a Charter Yacht Broker and they can help you to navigate the waters to find your very best choice. But, just like boats, some brokers are better than others, so how do you choose the right one?

How to find a CYBA Broker? Look for the CYBA logo in the broker’s advertisement or on their website, and ask the person that you talk with if they are a CYBA member. Working with a CYBA member gives you the assurance that you are dealing with a real charter professional.

Requirements of a CYBA Active Member and Broker:  CYBA members work with you every step of the way to assure you of a fantastic vacation experience – probably the best you’ve ever had!

Of course you can helm! The captain will make all manoeuvres in and out of port & anchorages, but as soon as you’re out sailing, you are free to take the helm and you can hand it back over whenever you’re ready. Everyone is welcome to be involved as much as they like or to just take a backseat and just enjoy the ride.

Drop us an email or call us and we will discuss where you want to go, when you can go and what yachts are available. If you have a specific yacht that you would like, we can send you the available dates. We can hold dates from 3 – 7 days while you figure out flights, process the contract and make the first payment.

When you’ve decided on your dates, location & yacht, we’ll send you a contract to read and sign. The first payment is 50% of the charter fee and is due immediately to secure your booking. Two months before the start date, you will need to pay the final 50% of the charter fee, any VAT and the APA payment. The first payment is none refundable but if you cancel your charter before the second payment is due, you will not have to pay the second payment and we will try to resell the week. If we manage this, you will get some of your deposit back. Obviously some weeks & yachts are in higher demand so we can’t make any promises but we will try our best!

In 2020, EU laws changed and you now have to pay VAT on your charter in European waters. This isn’t always included in the yacht fee but we’ll made it clear when discussing prices. When you are sent an offer, the VAT rate will be explained and if necessary added to the yacht price.

The following rates were all correct in February 2023:

Greek VAT 13%

Croatian VAT 13%

Spanish VAT 21%

French VAT 20%

Italian VAT 22%

USA & Caribbean No VAT on charters

Bahamas VAT 10% (new in 2022)

After you have made your final payment, we will send you a preference sheet. We ask for everyone’s passport details, arrival times, if you would like us to organise transfers, what you would like to do and if there is anywhere in particular you would like to go. There is then a larger section on food and drink preference options so that your crew can provision and create menus based on your requests.

This is typically 25% – 35% of the charter fee (depending on location and/or sail or motor yacht) and is paid with your second payment 1-2 months before the start date. This money is then sent to the Captain and they keep it onboard. They will use this money to provision the boat with food and drink for your trip, pay for your mooring fees, national park fees, yacht & tender fuel and more. All of these expenses are passed on to you at cost and 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. Feel free to ask for an interim count up mid week or at any point if you want to see how you are doing and plan your cashflow for the end of the week.

This can be an embarrassing subject, especially if you have to ask the captain how much you should tip him. Although we recommend that you give the crew a gratuity at the end of the trip, the amount is completely at your discretion and depends on how you feel they have performed during your stay. As a guideline, we think between 10% & 20% of the charter fee is fair and is customary in the industry. Any tips should be handed to the Captain in cash before you depart. We would suggest that a good time to take care of this would be just after talking through the APA account with him. He will then distribute the tip amongst the crew as he sees fair. Or another option is that you wire this to us with your final payment and then at the end of the charter you can instruct us to send it to the crew if you don’t want to carry the cash.

Every itinerary is tailored for the individual client. Having cruised the Mediterranean & Caribbean extensively, Lizzie can make you an itinerary from your pick up and drop off ports and if needed will speak with the Captain for his opinion and any suggestions. All itineraries are only suggestions, you can take each day as it comes. Please remember we cannot book the weather so itineraries have to be flexible to ensure you have the best possible time onboard.

These vary depending on the yacht, but it will be made clear in your offer if they are a yacht that offers 7 full days from 12 noon to 12 noon starting any day of the week. Some of our yachts offer 7 nights with a 5pm start time and 9 or 10am departure.

Before your charter we’ll send you the captains details, confirm the location of the yacht, any transfers you’ve asked us to book, suggested things to bring & things that you can leave at home.

We recommend that everyone has cancellation and travel insurance for their charter.

As an example Pantaenius’ Super Yacht Charter Cancellation Insurance will cover eventualities that wouldn’t occur on a standard travel insurance policy.

Shoes, it’s a big no-no to wear your land shoes on the deck whatever they are, but especially heels. All land shoes should be taken off before you get on the gangway and will be put in a shoe basket while sailing. Most yachts will not allow any shoes that have been worn on land to be worn on board unless they are thoroughly cleaned first, so it’s a good idea to have a dedicated pair of shoes to wear just aboard or go barefoot.

Suncreams damage the teak, makes the deck slippery and potentially dangerous. For this reason, please be careful when applying it and don’t use sprays when it is windy as it is likely to cover the boat, those downwind of you and probably not very much of you! If you are sunbathing on the teak deck, please lie on a towel.

Smoking and Vaping are not usually encouraged on board, although if you have to, please ask the captain for his rules. It is usually ok to do it on deck only and when you do smoke, please choose a spot downwind so that the ash and smoke blow away from the yacht and others. Please dispose of your waste appropriately.

The crew are there to make sure the yacht is safe and to ensure your stay is as comfortable and luxurious as you dreamt of. Don’t be afraid to ask for a drink or snack at any time, or if you have any other requests just let them know. It’s really helpful to discuss your requirements for the day with the captain at breakfast time, he can then advise on suitable anchorages for lunch and the evening. It’s a good idea to tell him at this point if you want to have meals aboard or ashore, so that they have time to prepare. The crew are experienced at working out how much or little interaction you want with them, but don’t be afraid to ask if you want some privacy or if you want to share a drink with them and hear some stories. The majority of crews will not eat with you, they don’t mind as they will be busy preparing your meal, drinks, etc. However, if you would like them to join you for dinner then feel free to just ask. Likewise if you are eating out, they will assume that you will do this as a family/group and they will probably enjoy the peace for a few hours. But again, if you would like them to join you, please do ask. If you want to stay out and party then you should make a plan with the captain for getting you back aboard. He’ll be available to collect you in the tender at any time of night but you will need to warn him of what you plan to do. If you are on the dock and expect a late one, please let the crew know if they can go to bed before you return.