A Charter Agreement is a legal document between the customer, owner and crew that outlines the key terms of your yacht charter. It will specify among other things your yacht’s technical specifications, cruise date, intended destinations, yacht pickup and dropoff details, insurance and cancellation terms.
Many years ago in the United States and other major yachting destinations there were several laws passed in order to protect local boat manufacturers. One such law was the Jones Act, which among other things deemed that unless a vessel is a US Coast Guard Inspected Vessel, it may not carry more than 6 or 12 passengers during a paid charter. There’s a long list of factors used to determine if a boat may qualify for either a 6 or 12 persons maximum capacity while under hire, but most major yachting destinations do have a 12 guest limit unless the vessel is coast guard certified to hold more passengers.
All the essentials will be waiting for you once you step foot on your yacht. If you have something specific you’d like to bring, feel free. However, we recommend packing light. Most people will want to pack bathing suits, sunglasses, flip flops or boating shoes, and reef-safe sunscreen. Soft sided luggage is recommended as it usually fits in cabin compartments and is gentle on woodwork and paint. If you are not an American citizen, please remember to bring your passport with you. It is required by law and in the event you encounter the US Coast Guard, they will ask you to show it immediately. If you are an American citizen, then you’ll need to have a valid driver's license or any other government issued ID.
If anyone in your party is prone to seasickness, over the counter medications or prescriptions may be a good idea.
Chartering a yacht can make for an excellent family vacation, with activities to entertain both children and adults. In general the crew are not responsible for their safety. We recommend that you bring childcare if you want to truly relax and have a carefree time while ensuring your children are being looked after.
Typically pets are not allowed aboard for health and safety reasons, and sea travel can be extremely uncomfortable for animals. If you need to be accompanied by your pet for any reason, we ask that you check with us prior to scheduling.
You will have your choice of captains from our list of insurance approved captains. All our Captains have been vetted and trained through the U.S Coast Guard requirements.
All captains have been chosen based on their experience with boating and knowledge of the area.
Bookings are non-refundable. We reserve the right to cancel any tour at any time due to weather, safety, mechanical or behavioral issues. If your tour is canceled, you will be given a rain check to re-book at another time (this excludes behavioral, along with alcohol related cancellations - these circumstances will never be rescheduled or refunded). For weather related issues, we may "wait out" a brief shower, reschedule for another day during your stay, or refund if unable to reschedule. "NO SHOWS" will NEVER be refunded or rescheduled!
Although not mandatory, it is customary to leave a gratuity for the work of the crew and the captain at the end of a charter. We recommend a tip of at least 20% of the charter fee.
3 - 5 Hours depending on the cruise selected. Longer and overnight excursions may also be chartered.
Besides relaxing with a cold drink we can plan anything you can imagine. From bachelorette and bachelor parties, corporate meetings, birthday party’s, weddings...
We do provide ice, cups, water and sodas. We do not serve any alcoholic beverages.
In almost all cases, you are allowed to bring your own food and beverages for your yacht charter. Or you can work with us and coordinate to have beverages delivered to your boat prior to embarkation. If you would like to have a chef onboard, we would be able to assist with this request.
In general, smoking is not permitted inside most yachts, and is strictly forbidden in any cabins or staterooms. If necessary we will assign a designated smoking area on the deck or flybridge, but please ask your captain and crew before lighting up.