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Charter Companies | Charter Brokers
Our other articles in the section "First Time Charterers" have
convinced you and you have decided to go on your first charter cruise.
Now you are scanning all the offerings from all those charter companies
and charter brokers in your favorite sailing magazine, and you are
getting dizzy. There are so many of them, with so many different
offers — how are you going to find out what is best suited for
you? Well, let's try to sort out all this information.
1. The Charter Companies
There are 2 types of Charter Companies:
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First tier (or first level) companies operate boats that are new
to 4/5 year-old. Those companies offer, on the most recent part of
their fleet, boats equipped with the latest hardware and gadgetry
(Auto Pilot, GPS or Chart plotter, CD player, cellular phone, etc.)
Obviously this goes with the highest prices, but if you are assigned
a boat age 0-2, you are almost guaranteed to sail with a boat in as-new
condition or close to it. Some companies let you specifically request
a newer boat, at a slight premium.
-
Second tier companies operate older boats,
which usually have come out of first tier companies' fleets.
The fleets' age vary greatly, and some companies operate boats
up to 15 years old. It does not necessarily mean that those
boats are in bad condition; they're just older, with less modern
equipment. Prices are in accordance, of course, and if you are
very budget-conscious, this is for you.
Among those 2 categories, as in any industry, you'll find small and large
companies. One is no better than the other. A small operation does not
mean poor service. In fact, some small companies want to remain
small to focus on giving the best customer service. In the end, as in
any other business, what really counts is management's and employees'
dedication to customer's satisfaction. Use Internet forums (like the
one on this web site) newsgroups and boating magazines (Cruising World,
or Sail for example) to find out charter companies score cards and charterers'
impressions.
Make no mistake: there are some horror charter stories. Although
rare, most bad charters are caused by things like non-working refrigeration,
faulty windlass, bad smells in the boat, etc. Large companies have
more standardized fleets and maintenance programs, and they can
replace a malfunctioning boat very quickly. Moreover, in case you
get stranded during your cruise, they will send you a chase/service
boat to help you. Check if this a service offered by the company.
The Moorings Company has a "4-hour Service Guarantee", and if they
can't fix the problem in 4 hours, they will give you an extra charter
day.
Thus, because your choice for your first cruise is crucial, and
until you get more experienced in chartering, we recommend you select
a large fleet for your first experience. You are less likely to
encounter bad surprises.
There are presently 2 large charter companies (actually they both now
belong to a large German travel conglomerate): Moorings
(about 700 boats, 38 years in business and about 25 bases worldwide)
and
Sunsail/Stardust
(1,200 boats, 30 years in business and about 40 bases worldwide.)
 TIP:
Some astute and well-informed charterers know they can buy "Owner's
time" at a significant discount, directly from boat owners
whose boats are managed by some charter companies. Without getting into
the details of the boats' Management Contract, just know that you can
do this too. It is very simple to do and presents exactly the same guaranties
as if you were booking a cruise directly with a charter company. (Learn
more about Chartering through Owner's Time.)
2. Should you use the services of a Charter Broker?
The first thing to understand is that whether you use
a broker or not, your cost will be the same: the Charter Company,
not you, pays the broker's commission so it won't make any difference
to you.
-
If you intend to charter a bareboat and you plan to go with one
of the big two (Moorings, Sunsail/Stardust) you probably won't need
a broker because you are at no risk of having a bad surprise in terms
of quality and service.
-
If you feel more comfortable with a smaller charter company, and
especially if you plan to use a Second tier company, then you're
probably
better off with a broker, at least the first time. In effect, some
smaller companies are highly reputable, and precisely because they
are small, they have somewhat a closer attention to details and to
customers. We particularly like TMM (Tortola
Marine Management), Horizon
Charters, and BVI
Yacht Charters, all in the Virgin Islands,
and VIP
Yacht Charters for the US Virgin Islands. Some other small
companies can be less well managed or be financially struggling,
etc. A knowledgeable
broker knows all the industry's insights and will steer you in the
right direction. A good broker will do everything he can to
have you
come back satisfied from your vacation.
-
If you are going for a Crewed Yacht cruise,
then definitely you want to hire a broker. As we explained before,
knowing the specifics of the crews is essential. That is the
broker's primary job. Charter brokers supposedly know each individual
boat and crew on their listings. Therefore, reputable charter
brokers should make matching your party to a suitable crew an
important part of their service.
A frequent example is cruising with kids: Some boats/crews are friendlier
to, and better equipped for kids than others. Other examples are:
nude charters and gay charters. The broker will know how to book you
adequately. He/she will send you an initial selection of recommended
yachts, based on the specifics you indicated. This package will contain
the broker's independent, detailed description of the boat and crew,
as well as each boat's brochure. The broker will then discuss the
features that you like in both boats and crews, sending you more selections
as necessary, until your final selection.
Note: If you are booking a Sunsail or a Moorings crewed yacht,
you will not need a broker. They both have a standard crewed yachts
fleet which offers exactly the same features all across the fleet.
Therefore, no possible surprise here.
-
Where to find them: Again, buy magazines like Cruising World
and Sail and they are all advertising there, in the charter
ads.
Like it so far? Go to the next section: Choose your charter area »
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