Many sailors dream of spending their vacation on a sailing ship, but they often lack the necessary vessel. To avoid having to buy their own ship right away, many take the option of chartering a sailing yacht. Below you will learn the most important points to watch out for when chartering a sailing yacht.

Chartering a sailing yacht - the key points

For your hard-earned sailing vacation to go well, besides the right weather and the right crew, the right sailing yacht naturally matters too. To avoid any nasty surprises, keep the following in mind when chartering a sailing yacht:

charter a sailing yacht
  • Ideal charter location
  • Choosing a trustworthy charter company
  • The right yacht size
  • The right equipment
  • Up-to-date inspections of the safety equipment
  • Sufficient insurance coverage

Especially with your first charters, uncertainty is usually quite high. That makes it all the more important to follow the points listed above. It is also often a great help to talk to experienced sailors so you can benefit from their experience. If some points are still unclear, I can warmly recommend talking to the charter company directly. Normally, all uncertainties can be cleared up quickly this way. Once everything is settled, nothing stands in the way of starting your vacation.

Once the contract for chartering a sailing yacht has been signed successfully, you should, to be safe, get in touch with the charter company again 2-3 days before the start of your vacation. It is a good idea to ask whether everything can go according to plan and to confirm the pick-up time once more.

Chartering a sailing yacht - arriving at the charter company

charter a sailing yacht

Once you have arrived at the departure port, it is best to check in with the charter company briefly right away. Even if you arrive earlier, it is often possible to leave your luggage with the charter company so you can, for example, explore the area a little. When handover time comes, you should report to the charter company. Normally, the first thing that happens is that the security deposit is paid, which is usually possible by credit card as well as in cash. Once that is done, most charter companies hand you a checklist you can use to get a first overview of the yacht and its equipment on your own.

After you have checked the yacht and its equipment yourself, an employee of the charter office usually comes aboard and gives you a briefing. This briefing is also the right time to ask about anything unclear or to point out any deviations of the yacht from the checklist. My tip here is to really raise every unclear point and have it explained thoroughly. This is very important, because most damage to yachts happens needlessly through incorrect operation and can sometimes lead to considerable damage. If you have taken all these points into account, nothing stands in the way of successfully chartering a sailing yacht. With that, I wish you a wonderful vacation and always fair winds and plenty of water under your keel.