Bad Wolf

Perhaps it might be worthwhile for me to actually go back a few steps and explain a little about chartering in general, before you read about the APA information that I have listed below.  Chartering is possible for everyone, yep, everyone.  You might just want to gather together a few buddies and just have a cool time out sailing on a yacht that you can’t afford and in a place that you have never been before.  Sound scary, exciting, ludicrous?  If you don’t have yachting experience, there are still plenty of alternatives - a bareboat yacht with captain (either sail or motor), a fully-crewed fleet style yacht and yachts with their permanent crews.

Let’s start with bareboating …. this is where you go to a charter base and jump on a yacht that has been fully prepared for your arrival - well … cleaned, fueled up, water tanks full, sails checked and all equipment in running order (plan A).  Sort of like renting a car really.  Then you and your intrepid buddies and buddyesses, get to go out and do the shopping and try and store it all on board. This will take far longer than you think and most bases will give you the option to provision the yacht for you - my advice … take the option!  It gives you the chance to get our sailing early and you will need to stock up on fresh goodies in a couple of days anyway.  Sunsail and The Moorings are the most well known companies that operate bases worldwide.  However, there are plenty of local companies in Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Thailand, Corsica and Italy and generally anywhere that is a good place to sail.

You then set off and have a great time learning the area, the idiosyncracies of local authorities, all those little habits about your friends that you never realised before and lots more, over the week or 10 days that your temporary new possession is in your hands.  Enjoy, enjoy and I will be back soon to fill you in on some of the other options ….

 So, assuming you have decided to take the a chance and want to charter …. (still more to come on the diversity of the goodies awaiting you) …. one of the things to keep in mind is the exchange of information.

When I have a client that comes to me and wants a yacht and is going to spend a week, 10 days or maybe even a month for the really lucky ones, it is soooooooo important for me to know what is important for them.

As we now do so much of our communicating by email, it is hard for the charter broker to ascertain the real requirements of a charterer unless the info is forthcoming …. like the story of the gentleman who chartered a beautiful sailing yacht - unfortunately, somebody failed to mention that the gentleman in question was seriously overweight. The first incident arose just trying to get him on board the yacht, then it was discovered that he couldn’t fit through any of the doorways …. the end result - a cancelled charter!

Physcial attributes, phobias, allergies, all these little details are really important.  Your charter broker is working in your interest, so if you don’t have that feeling …. change your broker!!