Skippered Yacht Charter - Some facts and advice

You can charter a yacht if you can satisfy the charter management company that you are a competent sailor, though some companies may also offer you the option of hiring a professional skipper.

For the leisure client, you may wish to arrange a skipper if you do not hold the neccessary qualifications/experience to charter bareboat, or if you just want to sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge someone else is responsible for the boat.

Skippered Charter - Hints and Tips

Choosing a Company
Charter companies vary from giants like Sunsail, with bases worldwide and huge fleets at every base, to single-yacht operations run by one person. When chartering abroad it is probably better to go with one of the large companies or on a personal recommendation from a friend. In the UK, a smaller company may offer better, more personal service, more flexibility in dates and cheaper prices. The large operators may, however, have newer boats and a more reliable back-up service should anything go wrong.

How big a boat do we need?
If you are party animals and have lots of friends, a 40ft eight or ten berth boat can be very affordable and will provide exhilarating sailing. If, however, you would like to get away for a romantic cruise with your significant other, then you will be looking at a much smaller yacht if you want to keep the price down. Small may mean fewer extras, but not less seaworthy - 25ft yachts have crossed the Atlantic and sailed round the world.

What facilities do we need?
Can you live without hot water? Cabin heating? Is a furling headsail essential, do you care if there is a spinnaker on board or not? Do you need an outboard for the tender, or are you prepared to row? Again, smaller companies with older boats may offer cheaper deals for those prepared to 'rough it' a bit. You should never compromise on essential equipment, however, and if the company does it may be breaking the law. (See below).

Safety Equipment and Coding
All yachts for charter in UK waters should be coded according to DTI regulations. These govern minimum safety provisions such as position and accessibility of seacocks, gas system, non-flammable upholstery, provision of liferaft, fire extinguishers and much more. Any reputable charterer will only operate coded boats. Each yacht is coded for a certain number of people, and should not be chartered to a larger group. The code also specifies usage. Category 2, for example, is up to 60 miles from a safe haven, while category 3 only permits operation up to 20 miles from a safe haven. If in doubt about the coding of your yacht, ask the charterer.

Deposit, Insurance, Accidental Damage, Breakdown etc.
You will usually be asked to put down a refundable deposit; make sure you understand what this covers. The boat should be insured for any accidental damage or total loss - you are advised to check the extent of the insurance cover before chartering - but the deposit may be covering an excess payable on any claim and will usually be retained if you damage the boat through your own negligence or if items from the inventory are missing. The deposit or part of it may also be retained to cover fuel used and not replaced, or to cover cleaning of the boat which was not satisfactorily carried out by the charterer before leaving the boat. You may also lose your deposit or be subject to other financial penalties if you fail to return the boat on time for any reason other than mechanical failure or to ensure the safety of the vessel (eg reluctance to endure a long beat to windward in bad weather). You might also want to check how long it will take for your deposit to be returned. Some companies will only take a signed credit card authorisation which will not be used if not required, others have been known to take a cheque and actually deposit it in their company bank account.

It is always worth asking your charterer what will happen in the event of mechanical failure in terms of rapidness of response, refund policy etc. Unless your name is Victor Meldrew there is no point in assuming that everything that can go wrong will - but a little reassurance from your charterer at the beginning can go a long way if things start to assume a pearlike disposition on some remote island.

The Handover
A charter yacht handover will usually take about an hour. You should be as familiar with the vessel as possible before putting to sea. As a minimum you and at least one other member of the crew should be shown:

The location and safe operation of all the safety equipment including liferaft location and deployment, fire extinguisher location and operation, lifejackets and safety harnesses, location of first aid kit(s), boltcroppers and emergency tiller
The safe operation of the cooking and heating systems
Correct operation of the heads
The location of all seacocks and emergency bungs
Engine operation and regular checks
Operation of the VHF system including mayday instructions. Location of backup VHS (if there is one)
The location and operation of all the instruments, including the GPS
The location of all charts and pilot books
The location and operation of all the halliards, winches, reefing lines and other sail controls
The anchoring system(s)
Any other systems peculiar to that vessel or not covered above
Don't be afraid to ask questions if there is anything you are not sure of or want to know more about. The charter company would prefer you to feel 100% confident before you take their boat out. You may, for example, want to ask about sail plan for various windspeeds and directions on that particular boat. If you are not familiar with the cruising ground, the charterer will probably have local knowledge about some of your intended destinations and will usually be delighted to share this with you.

A Few Useful Things to Take

• Wet weather jacket and trousers - always. Some companies will hire these to you if you don't have your own, but don't assume there will be any on board. Decent waterproofs are essential all year round in UK waters.
• Wellies - yachting wellies have tight tops to stop water getting in if you go overboard, and deck-gripping non-marking soles. Wellies come pretty near the top of a 'must get' list for people contemplating cruising in the UK.
• Deck shoes or non-slip, non-marking trainers.
• Handheld GPS if you have one. Virtually all charter yachts will have a fixed GPS, but a backup is handy if the electrics go down and can be used in the cockpit if there is no repeater. Spare batteries.
• Your own looseleaf log sheets or logbook so you have a record of your cruise. We use sheets photocopied from the Seafile, and prefer to keep a log on these and transfer it to the ships' log and our personal logbooks at the end of the voyage.
• Mobile phone - indispensible for a quick chat with the charter company if there is something you don't understand, or a slight problem. You can also use it to reserve a table at your favourite restaurant, enquire about berth availability at a busy marina or even - if you must - keep in touch with the folks back home. Keep it somewhere secure - nearly every yachtsman I have met has lost a mobile overboard from a shirt pocket.
• Don't underestimate the sun, even in the UK - take plenty of high-factor sun cream. A floppy hat is highly recommended, especially if you are balding. A woolly hat for colder days is also good.
• A waterproof bag for taking stuff ashore in the dinghy can be useful.
• Kitchen roll - indispensable for all sorts of mopping up operations.
• Newspaper - not so much to read as to use for drying the cabin sole after a wet passage to windward. Sunday papers are best for this.
• A roll of electrical tape. (There should be one on board, but you might not find it). Useful for all sorts of things including wrapping round noisy halliards when all else has failed.
• A few clothes pegs and a tea towel. (There is usually one on board, but you never know).