We've included here some handy tips on things you might not have considered, which you might want to know about prior to chartering a yacht. We hope you find them of use - we feel forewarned is forearmed!

Additional Costs
You may need to add travel to your destination, holiday insurance, hotel costs for the night before and night after the charter. Food is usually additional to the cost of the boat.. You may need to refuel the yacht at your expense, or pay for pump-out charges. It is also worth asking what to allow for marina fees, if these are not included. Check with the charter company

Payment Terms and Cancellation
What are the payment terms? How soon does the company require your hard earnt money and what proportion. Do they accept credit cards and if so is there a surcharge? Once on your holiday are there any restrictions on how you pay the charter company for any extras or for any deposit? What are the cancellation terms - it's sensible to check this, although we hope you'll never need them

Back Up and Support
What back up support can you expect if something does go wrong with the boat?. A question to ask is whether they have the authority to act if something goes wrong. If, for example, the genoa gets damaged beyond use, how will the company resolve the problem - when you only have a week's holiday, even a day wasted, because they have to get permission to replace it, could have a major impact on your schedule.

Experience and Training
What experience do they require and how will they assess that experience?
Do they also provide training courses prior to your chartering and if they do, would they give you a discount if you booked both through them

Loyalty Schemes
Do they have a customer loyalty scheme if you choose to charter through them again? This might influence your decision if they are slightly more expensive but offer a significant discount next year.

Charter Start and End Dates
It's important to know not only what days, but what time you can pick up the boat and need to get it back by. You might also want to explore the cost of extra days, although this may be expensive as the charter company might be losing a potential week's charter.
Do you understand what would happen if you were late back for any reason?

One Way Charters
Although more expensive, It might be possible to take advantage of a one way charter rather than returning your boat to the same base. Depending where you charter this might be attractive, particularly if it is not possible to do a circular route.

Boat Layout
If you require a particular layout for a boat, check with the company. Whilst you might think you are familiar with a particular boat model, the same model can often come in different layouts.