Plan it: How to Book a Yacht Charter in Croatia – Step-by-Step Guide
Most common terminology
Bareboat charter is a scheme in which you charter a yacht and are responsible for navigation and safety on board without the assistance of a licensed skipper, assuming you have navigation expertise. A valid certificate of navigational competence and a VHF radio operator’s certificate are required for bareboat charter.
Cabin charter allows you to reserve a berth or cabin on a pre-arranged sailing trip while sharing a vessel with other passengers. This choice generally refers to chartering a motorsailer.
A competent captain and a crew, which normally consists of a cook, hostess, mechanic, or even more members, are included in a crewed charter. During your voyage, the captain and crew are in charge of all duties on board, including navigation, cooking, cleaning, provisioning, protection, and all other information.
A one-way charter starts in one port and ends in another. It is only possible where the charter company allows it, and that company sets any fee for bringing the boat back.
The balance due upon making a reservation and signing the contract is known as an advance payment (also known as a deposit). The amount follows the charter company’s payment plan – typically 50 % of the charter fee, or all of it when the charter is close.
The balance is the rest of the charter fee, paid before the charter starts on the date the payment plan sets – typically the other 50 %.
Check-in is expected prior to departure which typically takes no longer than one hour. A competent skipper oversees check-in and gives guests tips and guidance on all aspects of navigation and facilities.
Since disembarking, you must check out. The boat must be examined for any potential damage. The security deposit will be refunded to the client if there is no harm.
The cost of operating a yacht varies depending on where you sail and which yacht you pick. If fuel economy is important to you, talk to your broker about it at the start of your quest. If your charter entails meeting or leaving the yacht anywhere other than its home port, there might be certain harbor fees and positioning (delivery) costs.
In Europe, harbor fees are known as dues, and they differ from port to port. This is usually a minor line item in the charter budget.
The charter fee in Western Mediterranean Terms (WMT) covers the use of the yacht and facilities, as well as the salaries and insurance of the crew. Many other expenditures, such as petrol, food and drinks for the charter party, berthing charges and port fees, charges for water and electricity taken from shore, washing, telecommunications, and SatCom bills, will be paid at cost to the charterer. WMT is used by a host of big yachts sailing in the Adriatic, Aegean, and Caribbean.
Eastern Mediterranean Terminology (Greek & Turkish) (EMT) signifies that the charter fee covers the use of the yacht and facilities, as well as the salaries and food of the passengers, insurance, breakfast and lunch, and fuel for a fixed amount of hours of sailing each day, averaged over the length of the charter. Berthing fees and harbor fees are typically included as well. Power for the tenders, dinner on board, drinks, washing, and phone calls will all be credited to the charterer.
The client pays an APA (Advanced Provisioning Allowance) to cover additional costs while on board, such as food, electricity, correspondence, onshore arrangements, and so on. APA is typically 30–40% of the charter fee. At the close of the charter, all funds that were not used would be transferred to the customer. If the costs surpass the APA, the customer is responsible for the difference.
A refundable security deposit is paid at the base at check-in – by card pre-authorisation or in cash – and covers damage up to the insurance excess. It is released after check-out if the boat comes back undamaged. Deposit insurance, where offered, is a non-refundable charge that lowers it, in some cases to nothing.
Glossary of Terms for Yachting and Boating
The yachting world is full of nicknames and jargon – it can be hard to understand some of the technical language used. Scroll down for some of the most popular sailing terms.
Aft deck Aft cabin Alee Aloft Amidships Anti-fouling paint APA Apparent wind Astern Athwartships Aweigh
Backstay Bareboat Base charter rate Beam Bearing Bear off Beating Berth Bow Bowline Buoy (normally pronounced “boowie”, but sometimes “boy”)
Captain-only charter Charter yacht broker Charter terms Charter yacht Cockpit Commission Crew Crewed charter CYBA
Dinghy Displacement Double cabin Draft
Fathom Fleet Flotilla Flying bridge (or Flybridge) Furling
Galley Gulet Gunwale (Gun-ul) Gybe
Halyard Harbour Harbor fees Harbormaster Head Heel Hull
‘Inclusive” charter rate Itinerary Idle In Irons Inboard Inshore Iron wind
Jib Jibe Jury rig (jerry-rig)
Knot Kedge Ketch Kicking strap
Lee Leeward Lee helm LOA – Length Over All Luxury Yacht – a crewed charter yacht the strives to provide 5-star service to its charterers including cuisine, water sports, housekeeping, and navigation Lazy jack Leech Luff Luffing up
Mainsail Main salon Make fast Marina Mast Master cabin Megayacht Midships Monohull Motorsailor Motoryacht Multihull MYBA – The Worldwide Yachting Association – originally the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (pronounced ‘Mee ba”) MYBA Contract
Nautical mile Navigation Nautical Narrows Nautical chart
Owner-operator
Passarelle Personal flotation device (PFD) Pitch Planing hull Port (direction) Port (place) Port (drink) Power catamaran Power cruiser Preference sheet Private yacht Provisioning sheet Pullman berth Pump toilet
Reach RIB (rigid inflatable boat) Runabout
Sailing yacht Sedan cruiser Semi-displacement hull Schooner Skippered bareboat Sky lounge Starboard Stabilizers Stem Stern Swim platform
Tack (sail) Tack (sailing) Tandem charter Tender Transom True wind Twin cabin
V-berth VAT VHF VICL VIP cabin
Waterline Waypoint Weigh Windlass Wet head
Yacht Yachting Yaw
Zero-speed stabilizers