There are so many luxury yachts available for charter that it might seem hard to choose the right one. When there are so many great vessels to choose from, it can be hard to pick the right charter yacht.
Choosing a superyacht doesn’t have to be hard, whether it’s your first time or you’ve been doing it for years. Think of it as making a reservation for a hotel, apartment, or villa. There are many things to think about, like the size, location, cost, and style. If you hire an experienced yacht charter broker, they will be able to help you find the perfect boat for your needs.
What is a yacht charter?
Even the language can be strange if you are new to the world of yacht chartering. A yacht charter is when you rent out a luxury yacht charter just for yourself and your guests.
Most charters are for fun with friends or family, but some people and businesses choose to hire a yacht for business reasons. Since boats offer full service and complete privacy, they are great places to hold meetings and conferences.
The length of a yacht charter depends on your needs. Some people choose to book for a long weekend or even just a few hours if they are hosting a meeting or conference, while others choose a longer vacation and may charter a yacht for several weeks or even months. No matter how long or why you rent a yacht privately, this is always called a charter.
Where & When – Choosing your Destination
Before you choose a yacht, it makes sense to think about where you want to go. Think about the kind of experience you want and the time of year you and your guests want to travel. You’ll have a hard time deciding where to go because there are so many great places to visit. Whether you want to cruise along the glamorous French Riviera or scuba dive the beautiful island reefs of the Caribbean, the sky’s the limit.
Here are twelve steps that will point you in the right direction:
1. Budget
As you would with a real estate agent, you should tell your charter broker how much you can spend on your superyacht vacation. Be completely honest about how much you want to spend, and set a number that is reasonable. With this kind of information, your broker can help you figure out how much things like fuel, berthing, and dockage will cost. Don’t forget to include the cost of your flights or getting to and from the yacht. If you know how much you want to spend, the number of yachts you can choose from will be smaller.
It’s important to remember that the cheapest yacht might not be enough for your needs, nor might the most expensive option be better. A bigger, older boat may cost the same as a smaller, newer boat because of its age, condition, and the amenities it has on board. That is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get everything you need. If you compare your budget options before you leave, you’ll know exactly how much it will cost.
2. Location
3. Pick Your Look
4. How many guests
Accommodation is the key to figuring out how many people can come to your yacht charter party. If you have kids, you’ll need more cabins, most of which will have twin beds or bunk beds. Getting a yacht for a group of couples? Larger yachts have more room for sleeping, so everyone on board is happy. By law, many charter yachts can only have a maximum of 12 guests. When going over that number, the vessel must be registered under the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS, regulations for cruise ships. Don’t worry, there are a lot of big superyachts that meet the SOLAS standards and can hold more than 12 people.
The cabin layout is another important requirement for a yacht. When looking at yachts to charter, think about the layout you want. If you have kids, pay close attention to how the room is set up. Choose a yacht with smaller cabins close to yours or with cabins that have doors that open into each other. Are there enough handrails on the stairs and around the pools to keep people safe? Did you know that there are also yachts that can get rid of breakable things to avoid accidents that cost a lot of money? Just tell your charter broker that you want a yacht that is good for kids, and they will take care of everything else.
Yacht Charter Vacation
On a yacht charter vacation with a partner, it’s nice to have some space between you. Let’s put it this way: the bulkheads, which are the walls on a yacht, don’t keep out noise nearly as well as walls in a house do. When you’re on a cruise, having suites that don’t share a bulkhead means you can watch TV and spend time alone without bothering your neighbors.
Disabled charter guests can also be easily taken care of. There are yachts with elevators between decks and wide passageways that can be used by people in wheelchairs or walkers. The staff is well-trained to handle guests with special needs. You also need to think about how to get to and from your charter yacht. Your yacht will probably stay in a marina or at a quay. This is called “Med mooring,” and it means that the back of the boat is facing the dock and you can just walk down a solid and safe gangway.
5. Amenities
6. Food
For some guests, this is the most important part of their charter, especially if they are going somewhere remote where there aren’t many places to eat. The chef on board will always be very skilled and passionate about food, and he or she will be able to serve you the food of the highest quality throughout your charter.
You will be asked to fill out a preference sheet ahead of time with all of your and your guests’ food preferences and any special needs. This will let the chef shop for food based on what you want and make sure you get fine dining that fits your needs during your yacht charter.
7. Exercise
8. Wellbeing
Many yachts come with some kind of gym equipment, whether it’s a room full of the latest exercise machines or just a simple setup on deck. This is a great way for charter guests to stay in shape, especially after all that fine dining and wine.
Yachts often have spas with saunas and areas just for massages, which are great for relaxing and unwinding while on charter. There is also often a member of the crew who is trained to give massages and other treatments to guests.
9. Watersports & Diving
10. Tenders
A small boat called a tender is usually used to get to a charter yacht that is anchored away from shore. Most tenders are made in a way that keeps guests safe from wind and spray. A lot of big yachts have more than one tender for different tasks. These can include waterskiing or fishing, depending on what the passengers want to do.
The helicopter is one of the newer versions of the traditional tender. Many superyachts built today have helipads that make it easy for helicopters to land. Okay, this won’t get you to shore for lunch like a tender, but it will get you to and from the airport when you arrive and leave. Also, helicopters are great for trips away from the yacht.
11. Choice of style
12. Sailing or motor
If you like sailing, you should think about taking a sailing charter yacht. This will give you the pleasures of an afternoon breeze and tall sails, as well as all the luxuries you can find on a motor yacht.
Why not rent a sailboat so you can take part in one of the many fun regattas that happen all over the world? What could be better than big boats racing while people do different things on land? Remember that you don’t have to turn the winches or trim the sails on a sailing charter yacht. Your friendly crew will take care of everything for you. They will use modern electric winches and complex furling systems to do this.
