I was talking recently with Lyn Hippert, captain of the 65-foot charter motoryacht Julianne. He said the yacht had some availability this summer in New England, and I asked him whether the boat’s owner was going to take those dates for himself instead of leaving them open for charter guests.

“On this boat, charter takes precedence over owner dates,” Hippert replied. “That’s not something you find all too often.”

While I’m not sure that I would agree this arrangement is rare, there certainly are situations when yacht owners put their own wishes before those of charter clients. Sometimes, this means a client who has booked a yacht gets “bumped” to different dates because the yacht’s owner decides he wants to use his boat.

There are two ways to protect yourself from having this happen to your next charter booking. First, work with a reputable charter broker who uses enforceable contracts that contain penalties for yacht owners who change your vacation dates without your consent. Second, when you’re talking with your broker before booking, ask her about the owner’s history of changing charter dates. In many cases, brokers will know which yacht owners have a tendency to put their own wishes before those of charter clients.

Obviously, you should look to book yachts like Julianne, yachts where the owner takes charter clients seriously and gives them precedence. Better to book a charter with an owner of good faith all along than to have to argue over contractual obligations at the last minute.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at 6:19 am and is filed under Yacht crew, Charter Yachts, charter tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.