Questions
The things people ask
before they book.
Answered plainly. If yours is not here, the charter desk answers email faster than this page loads.
01 — 3 questions
Charter
The charter fee covers the yacht and her crew for the period booked, together with the use of everything carried aboard — tenders, water toys, dive equipment where fitted, linen and insurance for the vessel.
It does not cover what the yacht consumes on your behalf. Fuel, food, drink, berthing, port fees and shore bookings are drawn from the Advance Provisioning Allowance, which is settled at the end of the charter with any balance returned.
For July and August in the Mediterranean, six to nine months. The better yachts in the 80–120 foot range are committed by February for the following summer.
June and September are more forgiving — three to four months is usually enough. Out of season, and in the Indian Ocean, we can often place a charter inside a month.
Yes, and most charters do. The itinerary we agree beforehand is a plan for the captain, not a contract with you.
The two constraints are weather and clearance: some cruising grounds require the captain to file a route in advance, and crossing a national border mid-charter needs paperwork. Both are handled for you; both need a few hours’ notice rather than a few minutes.
02 — 4 questions
Pricing
In our fleet, from €7,400 per week for a six-guest motor yacht in Greece to €62,000 per week for a 148-foot superyacht in the Balearics. Most charters we arrange fall between €12,000 and €30,000.
Budget roughly a third again on top of the weekly rate to cover APA, VAT and gratuity. All prices shown on this site are indicative demonstration figures.
The Advance Provisioning Allowance is a running account held by the captain to pay for everything the yacht buys during your charter: fuel, food, wine, berthing, port dues, laundry and any shore arrangements.
It is normally 25–35 per cent of the charter fee, paid before departure. The captain accounts for it as it is spent, shows you the statement at the end, and returns whatever is left.
Value Added Tax is charged on the charter fee according to where the charter begins and which waters it uses. As a rule of thumb: 22 per cent in Italy, 20 per cent in France, 24 per cent in Greece, with reductions available in some jurisdictions for time spent outside territorial waters.
Charters based outside the EU — the Seychelles and the Maldives among them — are generally not subject to EU VAT. Your charter agreement states the exact rate before you sign anything.
It is customary rather than compulsory. The convention in the Mediterranean is 5 to 15 per cent of the charter fee, given to the captain at the end and shared among the crew.
We will tell you honestly what a particular crew is worth, and nobody aboard will ever raise the subject with you.
03 — 4 questions
Onboard
Every yacht in our fleet is chartered fully crewed. The smallest carries two — a skipper and a chef-host — and the largest carries eleven.
We do not offer bareboat charter. If you want to sail the yacht yourself, several of our skippers will teach you and hand over the helm for whole passages.
Every yacht over 62 feet carries one as standard. On the smaller yachts the role is combined with the host position, which in practice means the same food and one fewer person aboard.
Send dietary requirements, allergies and anything you particularly love or refuse to eat with your preference sheet. The chef will build the week around it.
Very. Roughly a third of our summer charters include children, and the crew are used to it — lifejackets in every size, netting on the guardrails where it is wanted, and a water toys programme that keeps eight-year-olds occupied for a fortnight.
Catamarans are the easiest platform for young families: flat decks, no heel, and a shallow draught that puts you close to the beach.
It is much less common than people expect, because charter itineraries are planned around sheltered water and short morning passages.
Every yacht carries medication, and the captain will change the plan rather than press on. On a stabilised motor yacht at anchor the movement is very close to nothing.
04 — 3 questions
Destinations
We operate across the western and eastern Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and the Indian Ocean — ten destinations are detailed on this site, and we place charters in seventeen more.
If you want somewhere we do not list, ask. Much of our work is finding the right yacht in a cruising ground we do not keep boats in.
In the Mediterranean, June and September. The water is warm, the light is better than in high summer, and the anchorages are not full.
July and August are reliable and busy. May and October are quiet and beautiful, with a real chance of a cold day.
The Seychelles and the Maldives run year-round; the trade winds change direction rather than stopping.
Often, yes — Italy to France, Croatia to Montenegro, and Greece to Türkiye are all routinely done.
One-way charters attract a repositioning fee, and border crossings need the crew list and passports lodged in advance. Tell us at the enquiry stage and we will price it properly rather than discovering it later.