More information is available at crewed Ocean Independence yacht management charter guide.
A first charter often starts with a guest's idea of a destination, and a consultant's job is to test that idea against the realities of season, vessel and group before an itinerary is set. That conversation, done properly, takes longer than picking a boat off a page.
The practical advice is straightforward: ask for a stage-by-stage timeline in writing before making an offer, and treat any estimate that skips survey or paperwork detail with some caution.
Route follows from there. In the Mediterranean, a consultant weighs distances between anchorages against the group's tolerance for time underway, checks likely sea conditions for the week booked, and builds in flexibility for wind direction, since a fixed plan rarely survives contact with real weather. In the Caribbean during the winter season, trade winds and island spacing shape the route differently again, and a consultant familiar with both regions will explain why a Mediterranean-style itinerary does not simply transfer across.
This level of service is reflected in how the week is priced and structured, distinct from more basic charter formats that put day-to-day running of the vessel in guests' own hands. A crewed week is designed around removing that responsibility entirely, rather than reducing it partially.
Put together, a EUR 100,000 base fee charter, for example, might involve an APA in the region of EUR 30,000, plus VAT calculated separately on the base fee. None of these figures are fixed across every booking, since they depend on the vessel, the region and the season.
A first charter often starts with a guest's idea of a destination, and a consultant's job is to test that idea against the realities of season, vessel and group before an itinerary is set. That conversation, done properly, takes longer than picking a boat off a page.
The practical advice is straightforward: ask for a stage-by-stage timeline in writing before making an offer, and treat any estimate that skips survey or paperwork detail with some caution.
Route follows from there. In the Mediterranean, a consultant weighs distances between anchorages against the group's tolerance for time underway, checks likely sea conditions for the week booked, and builds in flexibility for wind direction, since a fixed plan rarely survives contact with real weather. In the Caribbean during the winter season, trade winds and island spacing shape the route differently again, and a consultant familiar with both regions will explain why a Mediterranean-style itinerary does not simply transfer across.
This level of service is reflected in how the week is priced and structured, distinct from more basic charter formats that put day-to-day running of the vessel in guests' own hands. A crewed week is designed around removing that responsibility entirely, rather than reducing it partially.
Put together, a EUR 100,000 base fee charter, for example, might involve an APA in the region of EUR 30,000, plus VAT calculated separately on the base fee. None of these figures are fixed across every booking, since they depend on the vessel, the region and the season.