Yacht Charter and Sailing Resources
Island Spirit Yacht Charter
General Information and Resources
Chartering a yacht is a grand adventure but it can be nerve wracking to travel to a new place, especially when your destination is off the beaten path. Whether this is your first time chartering or you’re a bonafide world traveler, we’re here to help make sure your trip goes smoothly.
Here, you'll find a wealth of information about the cruising areas, chartering yachts in general and hopefully, just about everything you may want to know about each of our destinations. However, we love answering questions and are passionate about sailing in remote destinations, so we're here to help. If you've got a question, please get in touch.
We enter into our Yacht Charter Agreement when you confirm your booking by making your first payment. The Agreement defines what happens if things don’t go to plan once you have paid your money. It covers more than just what you can and cannot do on the yacht; for instance, it defines our cancellation terms, refunds and other things that can occur before you even start your holiday.
So please take the time to read the Agreement carefully or download a sample. Note: This version of our Yacht Charter Agreement is for your reference only; it may not be the latest version. You will receive your Yacht Charter Agreement when you confirm your booking.
Bareboat Yacht Charter Agreement located here
Island Spirit Yacht Charter maintain comprehensive insurance across its fleet of yachts with European Insurance Services (EIS).
In partnership with EIS, we can also offer third party insurance products such as Skipper Insurance, Security Deposit Insurance, Price & Travel insurance and much more.
Island Spirit Yacht Charters strongly recommends that all clients take out travel insurance when purchasing their Yacht Charter package.
For detailed information about our insurance policy and options, see the EIS website pages.
All about sailing qualifications
If you have concerns, discuss your qualifications with your charter coordinator when making your booking. When you sign your yacht charter agreement, you declare that you are qualified to sail the yacht you are renting. Island Spirit Yacht Charter is committed to due diligence in reviewing documentation that qualifies your declaration of competence. We take into consideration one or many of the following methods of demonstrating competence.
A qualification issued by a recognized Yacht Training organization
This is primarily International Yacht Training® (IYT), Royal Yachting Association® (RYA) & American Sailing Association® (ASA), to a minimum level of attainment of Bareboat Skipper or equivalent.
A boat license issued by a specific country, state or province
Being a holder of a boat license issued by your local port or harbor department may not be sufficient qualification in and of itself; however, coupled with a sailing resume and references (ref below), it is an excellent addition.
Merchant or Military Navy
A commercial ship qualification may not be sufficient in and of itself; however, coupled with a sailing resume and references (ref below), it is an excellent addition.
Sailing Resume
We understand that for many, the freedom to ply the oceans without regulation or license is sacrosanct, and a sailing yacht, to some extent, is the last frontier. To this end, you do not necessarily require a formal license to charter a yacht; however, you will need to provide a resume detailing your experience. Most preferably, provide a list of charter companies you have previously rented a boat from, along with the location and other relevant details we would require to corroborate the information. If you have not chartered a boat before, then list boats you’ve owned or skippered before, and any long passages you’ve made and the position you held on the voyage.
Practical demonstration
When you arrive at the base, your base manager will give you a comprehensive briefing on the yacht. During the briefing, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your practical skills and knowledge. The briefing is also our opportunity to evaluate and validate the sailing qualifications you have provided us.
How to book a yacht charter
If this is your first time booking a charter yacht, we understand it can all be a bit daunting. Please know that we are just a call or message away; sometimes, it’s best to get in touch. We are patient about our cruising grounds and love talking with clients about how to get out and explore them.
Selecting a boat and placing an option.
Peruse these pages, make a list of the yachts you’re interested in, and send us an email from our contacts page. We can be most helpful if we have all the information we need, so try to fill all the fields in the email form and add more detail in the notes area. After some back and forth with our charter coordinator, you’ll settle on a yacht and be able to place a booking option (ref below).
Booking online.
If you’ve found the yacht you’re looking for on our site, and it is available for the time frame you want, you can select “Book Now”. With that, you’ll place a booking option on that boat and receive an email confirmation (ref below).
Placing an option
When you place a booking option on a yacht, we hold that time slot for you, typically for three days. The option period gives you time to check flights and other details before making a firm booking and paying your booking fee. If you already know what toys or extras you need, it’s a good thing to add it to your charter order now; that way, you can pay for these things via the bank, rather than at the base with cash. It will also ensure availability when you arrive. Lastly, before making payment, you need to provide your charter coordinator with your skippers sailing qualification.
Confirming and paying for your booking
Along with your invoice, you will receive payment instructions and our Charter Agreement. You enter into our Charter Agreement when your make your first payment. The first payment is equal to 50% of your charter fee, and your booking will be confirmed when the receiving bank confirms the arrival of your funds. Once we receive your first payment, you will receive a Booking Confirmation email and an information pack. The second payment is equal to the remaining amount payable and is due six weeks before your charter departure date. If you are making a booking within six weeks of your departure date, the total amount of the invoice is due when you make your booking.
Information Pack
Between the time you confirm your booking and your departure date, feel free to discuss all and anything with your charter coordinator. We are happy to help with hotel transfers, provisioning, advice on possibles side trips, or whatever you need. Your charter coordinator will also be working with you to ensure we have your skippers sailing qualification, group details and arrival schedule. We find that the more information we have about your group and your travel schedule, the smoother everything goes! Please see other sections of this site for info about getting to the base, boarding and more.
Yacht Security Deposit
You need to use a credit card to place a deposit with us to provide security against damage to the yacht, loss of its equipment or later return. This is done at the Charter Base during your boarding process. It is important to note that the method for providing your security deposit is by credit card.
We will not charge your card; instead, we will gain a pre-approval (or hold) from your credit card provider for the security deposit amount.
We will void the credit card pre-approval at the end of your charter; however, we may make deductions to pay for damage, loss or late return. Island Spirit Yacht Charter does not charge a fee to your credit card. However, some credit card companies may charge a small fee for providing this service.
Note* the credit card holder needs to be the same person who signs the charter contract
Yacht Damage Deposit Waiver
We now offers our own YDW Yacht damage deposit waiver (YDW)
This YDW reduces the security deposit to 50% of the normal amount required for each boat. However, you are still responsible for the first 50% of the security deposit.
The Damage deposit fee will be calculated at 1% of the full damage deposit amount per day. For example; if a boat has a 5000 EUR deposit required, the waiver fee will be 50 EUR per day, you will then be responsible for the first 2500 EUR of damages costs incurred and the remaining amount would be waived.
Please note this YDW DOES NOT negate the need for lodging a security deposit with us via credit card as noted in the previous section; you will still need to lodge the reduced deposit amount with us at the base at check in.
Our cancellation policy
If you choose to cancel your holiday booking, the following penalties may apply:
- More than 90 days before embarkation: 30% of total yacht rental amount
- Between 89 days and 60 days before embarkation: 50% of total yacht rental amount
- 59 days or less before embarkation: 100% of total yacht rental amount
Note, the Charter Company holds the discretion to offer substitute dates to the Charterer in place of financial penalties. Please refer to your Yacht Charter Agreement for more specific details.
Children on yachts
Just reading the above heading makes me smile because a yacht is a wonderful place for children to spend their holiday, if not the very best place! Children will spend all day jumping, swimming, snorkeling, singing, kayaking and when the sun sets, they’ll be out-with-the-lights for a full night sleep after an exhausting day filled with excitement and adventure.
For parents, safety is a primary concern, and with a bit of planning, we can help cover all the bases so that you and your family can enjoy your holiday on the water with peace of mind. It is very important that you let us know you have children on board when making your charter booking. Your charter coordinator will talk with you about your circumstances, age groups, swimming capability, likes and dislikes, and make suggestions about things you should bring with you, but here are some tips.
Children’s life jackets
Comfort is the key to having a child accept wearing their life jacket, and they don’t work if they don’t wear them. If you’re sailing with a child that cannot swim, we strongly suggest that you invest in a quality, fitted life jacket for them, and bring it with you. Island Spirit does have a selection of buoyancy vests suitable for some children but we can’t guarantee we’ll have a perfect fit for your child; please book in advance to ensure availability.
Safety nets
If you have very young children, we can install a safety net attached to the safety lines and stanchions around the yacht. Note, however, not all yachts have safety lines that go all the way around the yacht, particularly modern catamarans. So if having safety netting is essential to you, make sure you let your charter coordinator know when you make your booking and check that it is possible to put one on the yacht you plan to book.
Protecting your child from Sun and the Outdoors
You’re coming for the sunshine, yeah? And we have plenty of it. So don’t forget to bring sun protection.
Protective clothing and sunscreen
Having plenty of sunscreen is good, but it should be your last resort. Children are often in and out of the water all day long, and the sunscreen washes off , so some good quality UV protective clothing designed for swimming is a much better, longer-lasting option.
Hats
Hats are a crucial part of your arsenal against sunburn, but they are so easily lost; bring along a few spares for each child.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential for children yet are often seen as cute accessories. Glare from the sun is even more damaging for children than for adults (google it!). Like hats, children easily lose their sunglasses (unlike us responsible adults), so bring some spares. They don’t need expensive brand-name gear, just quality glasses that provide protection against UV and are polarized, so they can see the fish!
Footwear
Mostly, you and your children won’t need shoes! But on the beach and in the shallows where children often run, it’s a good idea to protect their little feet against shell, coral shards and anything else lying about. It’s best to have some shoes designed for both wet and dry conditions (open, so they drain). These are also good for children when they are snorkeling.
Medications
The availability of medication varies around the world. If your child needs specific medication, then you must bring it with you. If the medication you require cannot be imported, please discuss availability and local purchasing option with your charter coordinator.
Things to do indoors
On the off chance you get a rainy day or night falls before the energy dwindles, it’s good to have some books or old-fashioned board-games and a pack of cards with you to keep you going into the night! Mobile phone coverage is reasonably reliable across most of our cruising grounds; however, the internet speed is often insufficient to access streaming content and online games.
Educational experiences ashore
Many of the larger islands offer cooking schools, dive courses for kids, nature walks and so on. Life onboard is great for children, but getting ashore and doing something together is a nice way to break things up, and our destinations are soooo children-friendly, you can be sure your children will have a wonderful time.