Table of Contents

Terminology used in yacht charter

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.

One-way charter requires you to charter a boat to depart from one port and return to another. A one-way charter can include an extra fee for the boat’s relocation.

The balance due upon making a reservation and signing the contract is known as an advance payment (also known as a deposit). The amount of the advance payment is typically 50%, but it may also be 30% of the overall charter fee.

The balance contribution is the amount that must be paid at least one month prior to the charter’s start date. Depending on the amount of upfront deposit, the balance payment is normally 50 percent to 70% of the gross charter fee.

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 normally 25% 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 security fee must be paid prior to embarkation in the event that the boat is damaged on the sailing voyage. It compensates for any injury or harm not compensated by the boat’s insurance. If there is no risk, the security deposit is fully refundable.

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 to read through some of the most popular sailing terms and what they mean!

Aft deck
Aft cabin
Alee
Aloft
Amidships
Anti-fouling paint
APA
Apparent wind
Astern
Athwartships
Aweigh
Antigua
Anguilla

Backstay
Bareboat
Base charter rate
Beam
Bearing
Bear off
Beating
Berth
Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda
Bow
Bowline
Buoy (normally pronounced “boowie”, but sometimes “boy”)
BVI

Captain-only charter
Charter yacht broker
Charter terms
Charter yacht
Cockpit
Commission
Crew
Crewed charter
CYBA
Corsica
Cuba

Dinghy
Displacement
Dodecanese
Double cabin
Draft

Fathom
Fethiye
Fleet
Flotilla
Flying bridge (or Flybridge)
Furling
French Riviera

Galley
Gulet
Gunwale (Gun-ul)
Gybe
Gocek
Gulf

Halyard
Harbour
Harbor fees
Harbormaster
Head
Heel
Hull

‘Inclusive” charter rate
Itinerary
Idle
In Irons
Ischia
Inboard
Inshore
Iron wind

Jib
Jibe
Jackeline’s
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
Nun

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
Very happy
VHF
VICL
VIP cabin

Waterline
Waypoint
Weigh
Windlass
Windward Islands
Wet head

Yacht
Yachting
Yaw

Zero-speed stabilizers

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