Yachting
Your First Yacht Charter: Everything You Should Know
A frank guide from someone who has made every mistake so you do not have to
Motor or sail, the Cyclades or the BVIs, a crew of four or fourteen. A frank guide to chartering a yacht for the first time — from someone who has made every mistake so you do not have to.
Chartering a yacht for the first time involves a set of decisions that most people have never had to make before and a vocabulary they have never encountered. This piece is an attempt to cut through that.
§ 01Motor or sail
Motor yachts offer more interior volume, deck space, stability, and faster passage times. The trade-off is cost: motor yachts burn significantly more fuel, and the weekly charter rate is usually 20 to 30 per cent higher.
Sailing yachts offer a different experience entirely — the heel of the boat under sail, the absence of engine noise, a closer relationship with the sea.
§ 02Size and destination
A 24-metre yacht is not a compromise; for a couple or a family of four, it is often the ideal size. The Cyclades reward a smaller vessel.
Worth Knowing
What to budget for your first charter
- Base charter (26m motor, Med)
- €50,000–€80,000 / week
- APA (provisioning allowance)
- 25–35% of charter fee
- Crew gratuity
- 10–15% of charter fee
- VAT (embarkation country)
- Varies by country
- Total budget rule
- 1.5–1.7× the headline fee
§ 03The crew and the preference sheet
The crew is the single most important factor. A captain who knows the cruising ground intimately, who can read the weather and adjust the itinerary accordingly — this is worth more than any amount of polished teak.
Take the preference sheet seriously. A good charter chef is a remarkable thing — cooking three meals a day for eight guests in a galley the size of a London bathroom.
