So you have decided you want to go on the perfect vacation you have always dreamt of ? chartering a yacht. Before you go ahead and consult a specialist, you should read carefully the following tips, and then right them down on a piece of paper along with the things you really want to experience during your charter and what you want to do.



The tips

Tip. 1

You should see chartering a yacht just as a classroom, and in order to understand what the teacher is talking about, you must be correctly informed. In this case the charter agent is the teacher.

WMT ? this means Western Mediterranean Terms. It includes chartering equipment and the yacht, insurance for the yacht and the crew, wages and food for the crew. All other commodities such as consumable stores, harbor charges, food and beverages, pilotage fee and any charge made on-land such as electricity or water, communications and laundry, will be supported by the charterer.

SEMT ? it means Standard Eastern Mediterranean Terms. The fee includes: the obvious chartering of the entire yacht and equipment, crew wages and food, insurances for the yacht, fuel for a set course or a specified numbers of hours/day, electricity or water taken form shore and harbor taxes. Other cost will be charged to the charterer as follows: consumable stores, beverages and food, harbor expenses besides the preset ones, communications, laundry and fuel for tenders such as ski-boats.

SCT ? it means Standard Caribbean Terms. every expense listed in the WMT and SMET paragraphs are included in the fee, as well as every piece of food served on the yacht. Also, there are extra charges you should be aware of, such as the wines and anything found in the bar, special activities equipment such as scuba-diving equipment and marina berthing.

GT ? it means Greek Terms. They include chartering of the yacht and equipment, crew food and wages, third party claims insurance for the yacht, harbor taxes while in Greece, and ship's laundry. Food, beverages communications and fuel will be charged as well.

Now, that you know the terms and specifications, when you will go and see your chartering operator, you will know what is he talking about, but, to be even further informed you should know the following.

Tip. 2

Before you decide what kind of yacht to hire, ask yourself what do you expect from the holiday. First, and foremost, if you want to hire a yacht, you should be a man who like sumptuous surroundings. Then, do you want to host parties for your friends while you are docked at some of the most fashionable marinas? Or maybe you just want to relax in a private cove while reading your favorite book. Maybe, you want to learn exciting water sports? These are the type of questions to ask yourself, before anyone else.

Tip. 3

Depending on the type of person you are (and only you know this), you should decide on what will you be chartering ? a motor yacht or a sailboat. While sailboats are slower and perfect for the romantic type, and for the one who is really in love with the sea, the motor boats give you the luxury and incredible yacht lifestyle.

Tip. 4

Friends. Think ahead of the number of friends you will be having with you, and to the size of the parties you will throw in order to anticipate the size and configuration of what you will be chartering.

Tip. 5

Calculate the time you want to spend on your yacht, because this will be critical when you will want to go to the many places the sea has to offer, no matter where you are.

Tip. 6

Make reservations early before going, since during the holidays the yacht are booked up to a year in advance, and in some cases even more.

These tips come to aid you in your perfect holiday quest. They are not meant to replace the information given by an agent, but to complete it. I hope you have fun.