Important sailing holiday information: what’s included in the price, yacht insurance and security deposits, the qualifications you need, joining your yacht and more. Together with our booking conditions, it forms the basis of your contract with us.
Before you book
For flotilla holidays and bareboat charters. Your confirmation invoice shows exactly what your booking includes.
Note: mooring charges (except at the flotilla base), extra fuel or water, food, drink and items of a personal nature such as laundry are excluded.
*Fuel is not included on the Thailand or Turkey flotillas, or on certain charter yachts (as per the confirmation invoice).
Bareboat charter rates are quoted per boat per week and exclude flights and overseas transfers, which we can arrange at competitive rates. Required security deposits and damage waiver premiums are listed in our bareboat price list against each yacht type. Bareboat charters exclude fuel: you receive the yacht with a full tank of diesel and should return it full. End cleaning of your yacht is usually excluded and payable locally, unless stated otherwise on your confirmation.
Insurance
Although all yachts are comprehensively insured, a security deposit is required to cover the first part of any damage caused, also known as the excess on the yacht insurance policy. For flotilla holidays and most bareboat destinations, as an alternative to lodging a security deposit, an optional Liability Reduction Premium (LRP) or Yacht Damage Waiver (YDW) premium is offered, which covers the insurance excess in the event of accidental damage to the charter yacht, or loss of or damage to the equipment.
The typical premium for a standard 7-day holiday charter is shown in the table. Two-week charters attract a 50% supplement to the premium payable. This cover reduces your maximum liability to zero for the Ionian or Saronic Gulf in Greece, or €500 in other destinations, which will be taken as a reduced security deposit, usually as a pre-authorisation on a credit card on arrival in resort.
As an alternative to the LRP, you will be required to lodge a refundable security deposit (also shown in the table), collected either before departure or on arrival in resort. These deposit and YDW rates may vary in specific locations and for certain yacht types, especially catamarans, where the premium is often higher. These details will be confirmed to you at the time of booking.
Please note that the security deposit or Yacht Damage Waiver premium you pay covers you for the specific yacht and for one major event only. If you were to damage a yacht to the extent that it had to be withdrawn from service and you were provided with a replacement yacht, you would be required to pay a security deposit or yacht damage waiver again to cover the replacement vessel.
The yacht insurers vary in each destination, as do some of the finer details of the policy and the extent of cover. Should you wish to inspect the policy for your yacht, you can request it from us, or from the base team on arrival in resort. An insurance cover note and summary of cover are carried on board, together with the yacht registration certificates and other mandatory documentation. Furthermore, all yachts offered by Seafarer are licensed and registered professional charter yachts, and their equipment and specifications comply with the relevant local and EU legislation (where applicable) as a minimum.
Typical premium for a standard 7-day charter
| Yachts up to 34ft | £120 (or £20 per day) |
| Yachts of 35 to 40ft | £175 (or £20 to £26 per day) |
| Yachts of 40 to 45ft | £240 (or £26 to £30 per day) |
| Yachts of 46ft and over | £300 (or £35 per day) |
If you do not take the LRP or YDW
| Yachts up to 34ft | £1,000 |
| Yachts of 35 to 39ft | £1,500 |
| Yachts of 40 to 45ft | £2,000 |
| Yachts of 46ft and over | £2,500 to £3,000 |
Two-week charters: 50% supplement to the premium. Rates may vary by location and yacht type, especially catamarans, and are confirmed when you book.
Skippering your yacht
Skippering a flotilla yacht is immensely enjoyable and relatively easy, particularly during the summer months, when winds are steady and the weather reasonably predictable. On flotilla, the mostly short passages between anchorages mean that willing helpers on board will not become bored or restless.
Skipper qualification requirements vary between countries and, though not always required, we recommend that the skipper has an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) as a minimum, which is equivalent to the RYA Day Skipper practical qualification. The Saronic Gulf and the Ionian Isles in Greece are where conditions are generally more moderate. If you have only limited previous sailing experience, possibly gained by dinghy sailing at local club level or perhaps as an occasional crew member on a cruising or racing yacht, we recommend you enrol on a pre-flotilla or RYA training course, either before departure or in resort, by prior arrangement with us.
Crews sailing from bases such as the Dodecanese or Sporades in Greece, the Dalmatian coast of Croatia or the Carian coast of Turkey, on flotilla or bareboat charter, can expect more challenging sailing. Therefore, formal qualifications plus a higher degree of sailing experience and navigational knowledge are usually required. In the absence of qualifications, a résumé of your sailing experience, backed up by a reference from a recognised sailing club, may be accepted in some areas in Turkey and the Caribbean (though generally not in Greece and Croatia).
The larger yachts require skippers with experience of handling yachts of a similar size, and an internationally recognised qualification such as Coastal Skipper or higher may be required, though in general an ICC qualification is widely recognised and accepted. In all cases, please check with us that you have appropriate qualifications and experience. Furthermore, original certificates must be taken with you.
Seafarer cannot accept responsibility for expenses incurred by you, or any liability, should a person in authority (flotilla skipper or port authorities) deem it necessary to provide a professional skipper for safety reasons, to assist you in sailing or motoring the chartered vessel during your holiday.
Embarkation and joining instructions
If you book transfers with us (not included), we will organise them for you. However, if you are making your own travel arrangements, the yacht’s location and our agents’ contact details will be provided to you with your travel documents.
You can usually embark your charter yacht at or shortly after 18:00. The yacht will have been cleaned and presented to you in a seaworthy condition, with a full inventory of equipment, a full tank of fuel, water, gas and bed linen on board. Towels are not generally provided. Further details on what to pack, check-in procedures and itinerary information will be provided with your travel documentation. Disembarkation is at 09:00.
Itineraries
The flotilla itineraries shown on this website are intended as a general guide. Our flotilla skippers are responsible for the safety of all persons, yachts and equipment on flotilla. They are permitted to vary the itinerary sailed if, in their opinion, the weather or operating conditions make this necessary.
On board
Our yachts are thoughtfully designed and comprehensively equipped, with an inventory specifically chosen for Mediterranean sailing holidays. On board each yacht you will find adult and child-size life jackets, life harnesses, an inflatable dinghy or RIB (depending on the size of the yacht), an outboard engine (included on all flotilla bookings, available as an extra on bareboat bookings), a pilot book, navigation charts and equipment, cooking utensils and a full set of bed linen. Fitted to each yacht are a shower with hot water, a deck shower, a bimini, a fridge, a radio or CD player, GPS and a VHF radio. All yachts are equipped with depth, log and wind instruments.
The inventory and specifications described on this website are given as a general guideline and a fair representation of the yachts and their equipment available from Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays and our suppliers or agents. Specifications may change from one supplier to another. If confirmation of specific equipment is required on a particular boat, we will be pleased to provide this in writing.
Note: whilst we endeavour to ensure that all flotilla yachts have holding tanks, this cannot be guaranteed on some bareboats or extra yachts hired in to our flotillas. This may especially apply in Croatia, whose approach is aimed at encouraging marina use, so yacht crews are encouraged to use marina or shore facilities wherever possible. Croatian marina charges range from £2.00 to £3.00 per foot per night, and most marinas provide hot showers, toilets, a reception with currency exchange, water, shore power, shops, bars and restaurants. In Greece and Turkey, marinas are less common, so away from marinas mooring charges are considerably lower, or often not charged at all.
Sustainability
At Seafarer, we endeavour to respect the natural environment in which we sail, as well as the laws, people and culture of our host countries. On this basis, our staff will advise on issues such as the use of appropriate eco-friendly detergents and soaps on board our yachts, the correct use of holding tanks, conserving water, disposing of rubbish responsibly and local regulations you should be aware of.
Additionally, we actively promote the history and culture of our host countries and endeavour to contribute to the local economy and communities. For example, we try to use local suppliers and materials wherever possible, and support local events and conservation initiatives. In this way, we are hopefully doing our bit towards the common goal of ensuring that these beautiful and largely unspoilt areas are there to be enjoyed by future generations. Read more about our initiatives.
See our terms and conditions for full details of our booking conditions, including payment and cancellation terms, our obligations to you, your responsibilities to us, and details of bonding and financial protection. For any additional information, please feel free to call us on 0208 324 3118, and one of our experienced and knowledgeable consultants will be happy to help.
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Peace of mind
Every payment you make to us is financially protected, from deposit to balance. Holidays with flights are covered by our ATOL licence, and holidays without flights by our ABTOT membership. Trading since 1995.
All flight-inclusive holidays are fully ATOL protected
Additional protection for bookings without flights
