Our vast management experience of yachts and commercial vessels enables us to provide accurate consultation to our clients as regards:
Pro Deck Management considers safety and security a culture, both onboard our yachts and ashore. We have a perfect history of compliance to the world’s most stringent maritime audits in the offshore oil and gas and renewables industries. We ensure:
Pro Deck Management considers safety and security a culture, both onboard our yachts and ashore. We have a perfect history of compliance to the world’s most stringent maritime audits in the offshore oil and gas and renewables industries. We ensure:
You can hire a skipper who will handle the boat for you so that you do not need moor and manoeuvre the boat yourself. You can select this option during booking or write a message to us – Pro Deck Management maintains a database of qualified and professional yacht skippers for all types of craft and with all necessary visas. The rate for hiring a pro-skipper can be as little as 25% of the boat hire amount and can be split between your vacation pals without a substantial increase to the overall expense.
There is a variety of sailing schools in each country, each providing sailing and boat handling skills training. Sailing schools either issue a certificate accredited as part of worldwide-known training scheme (IYT, RYA, ISSA etc), or prepare students for the national pleasure craft operator exam, typically in the transport or maritime administration of your country.
You can normally hire a boat for a week, two or even three weeks. As a rule, all charters begin and end on Saturday and you need to return the boat to the same marina. There are also occasions when charter companies propose taking the boat from one marina and check-out in some other location, but within the same country.
Pro Deck Management operates as a broker, and we gain our revenue from commissions paid to us by charter companies for finding clients for them. Which means you will not need to pay us.
The boat owner – charter company, pays us a commission out of the charter fee for finding the customer. They will not reduce these prices for individuals. So, the price that we propose to you is the best price you'll receive.
A bareboat is a boat that is rented without crew. You are required to navigate it yourself. You should provide certification and previous boating experience. You can also add a skipper to your bareboat charter if you don't have the necessary qualifications but still want to do a bareboat charter. However, most reputable bareboat charter companies will be happy to provide crew (typically skipper and steward/-ess), provisioning, water toys and re-fuelling services at an additional cost.
A cabin charter is a charter deal that allows you to charter only a cabin (usually on a gulet or a sailing yacht) and not the entire yacht.
A crewed charter is a charter on a luxury yacht where a permanent crew takes care of the yacht and the passengers.
Crewed yachts can either be a) ‘all inclusive’ or b) ‘plus expenses’.
a) All-Inclusive:
‘All Inclusive’ means the charter rate includes the use of the yacht, the crew (a Captain and at least one crew member), and all of the running expenses of the yacht, including the use of all the water toys as well as food and beverage. The food and beverage will be determined through the submittal of your guest preference sheet. Most yachts will have a standard ’ship’s bar’ that will include premium spirits, but ultra-premium spirits and select wines may be available but at an additional cost. This will all be discussed during your call with the crew to review your guest preference sheet.
What isn’t included?
Pretty much everything consumed onboard…food, drinks and fuel…are included. Each yacht may have a different list of exclusions. Common items not included would be satellite phone usage, shore excursions, diving or fishing off the yacht, taxi/rental car, marina dockage, meals ashore and crew gratuities.
b) Plus Expenses:
Plus expenses mean that the client will pay a base rental fee for the yacht and then an APA on top of that. An APA is an abbreviation for Advanced Provisioning Allowance. This fee is normally 20-30% of the charter fee.
The APA is sent to the crew prior to their arrival. The crew will take note of their preferences and stock up on all the food and beverages requested. The APA is also used to cover fuel any taxes or customs fees incurred during the charter. The client will be presented with an invoice and receipts at the end of the charter and any unspent funds will be returned and any over spend can be settled up at that point.
Plus Expenses is this type of pricing, the basic charter fee covers the yacht (equipment and amenities), its crew (plus their meals), and insurance coverage for the aforementioned. Additional costs will include the running expenses for the yacht during the charter which will include fuel (for the yacht, generators, tenders, water toys), dockage, port fees, and all other consumables like food and drinks. These are all considered charter expenses. These other costs incurred are charged “at cost” with no markups. This provides fair pricing for all clients. A charter where the charterer wishes to cover large distances and wants to consume the very finest wines will obviously incur higher expense costs than a charterer who travels short distances and has more modest tastes in food and wine. It is hard to predict such expenses in advance so this system has proven very popular for the majority of the larger yachts. The charterers themselves control the costs, and the captain updates them as frequently as desired during the charter. A typical rule of thumb is to add approximately 25-30% of the charter fee.
NB: Crew Gratuities
The crew gratuity is another additional expense to consider when booking a crewed yacht charter. The standard charter fee never includes the gratuity. If you’ve enjoyed the service of your crew and would like to extend a gratuity, you can either deduce the tip from the balance of the APA or - if there is little or no APA left - give an envelope to the Captain before disembarking from the vessel. The gratuity is left at the Charterer’s discretion but usually represents between 5 and 15% of the charter fee.
The charter fee generally covers the boat, a full tank of petrol and water. The major extra costs are fuel, provisioning, mooring fees, charge for linens, and a mandatory final cleaning fee.
Peak Mediterranean yacht charter season runs from April to October, with July and August being the busiest months. These are also the hottest months, so if you are not used to heat, you can consider chartering in May or September, as marinas are less crowded, but air and sea temperatures are still comfortable.
The Caribbean yacht charter season is good all-year-round, except the hurricane season (June-November). Consider chartering around November then, the best time for a Caribbean cruise is from December to April
All charter companies and charter boat owners must comply with local and international maritime laws and regulations. All operators also must carry insurance by law. You have every right to see these papers prior to embarkation. In addition, our Brokers go to many charter shows and visiting days to inspect the boats and meet the crew. We can provide previous guest feedback information about their experience.
