The ultimate guide to chartering a luxury yacht in 2023: from understanding pricing to choosing the right destination and finding a broker, a Google executive shares his top tips
- From spending US$20,000 for a 14-metre-long, four-passenger catamaran with a small crew, to US$3 million for a week on the 136-metre Flying Fox and its 55-person crew, the options are endless
- But fuel, meal and dockage costs can escalate quickly, not to mention taxes – and choosing the right destination at the right time of year can help avoid tourists and sea traffic
When Allen Ware, 62, a California-based Google executive, decided it was time to satisfy his holiday wish list goal of chartering a “big yacht” in Italy, he soon learned that the process was far more complicated than searching online and booking a boat.
Ware was no stranger to sailing: he had previously booked sailing boats and catamarans in the British Virgin Islands, some of which he’d captained himself. But with superyachts, he felt over his head.
All-in, with tips, Ware and his friends spent US$50,000 per couple – roughly US$3,500 per person, per day – for their one-week charter yacht experience
All-in, with tips, Ware and his friends spent US$50,000 per couple – roughly US$3,500 per person, per day – for their one-week charter yacht experience
Like anything else, researching online and scouring reviews is the first step. But then, Ware advises, you have to trust the broker with everything else. “That trust is important,” he explains. “It’s nerve-racking when you have to wire over US$50,000.”
Ware set a budget of US$120,000 to US$160,000, shared among four couples, to sail around the Amalfi Coast for a week last September. He clicked a link to a broker on the website of one of the world’s leading yachting companies, IYC, reviewed her profile on LinkedIn, and proceeded from there, booking his dream holiday on a 35-metre yacht with a crew of six.
But as Ware quickly learned, booking a yacht is unlike booking any other kind of travel. It requires a vision of where you want to go, as routes are individualised; the ability to parse the differences between types of yachts (sailing vs motor); and some knowledge of pricing, since provisioning and fees can add dramatically to the base prices listed online.
The good news is that this is a great time to get on board. More yachts are available to charter than at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when owners took their boats off the rental market in order to use them with their social bubbles.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to what you should know before booking a yachting trip – and whom to call and where.