Charter Terms and Conditions

General Bareboat Terms and Conditions

Boatbookings acts as a broker between you, the client, and the Owner  ('the Owner”) of the yacht. This means that your contract is always entered into directly with the Owner and not with Boatbookings. All specifications and other information given by us are provided in good faith and with the authority of the Owner or their duly authorised representative. On the charter of a yacht the specifications and pictures provided by us are supplied in good faith and with the knowledge of the Owner or the Owner’s duly authorised representative. We give no warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy of any information supplied or as to the physical or mechanical condition of any yacht chartered or as to the competence of our principals or their representatives abroad.

The Booking Process

When you notify your broker that you would like to charter a yacht, you will be asked to sign the Charter Agreement (either on paper or on our secure online site) and make the requested payment (normally 50% of the total charter fee) to Boatbookings. The balance of the price is normally payable 6 weeks before embarkation, and the person signing the Charter Agreement guarantees payment on behalf of all those for whom the booking has been made.  If the total payment is not received by then, we shall be entitled to cancel the charter. Should you book less than 6 weeks before departure then the full price of the charter is payable upon booking.

Changes to your Booking

Boatbookings will always try to arrange alterations, such as extensions or date changes, that you may request after the Charter Agreement is formed but may have to charge an administration fee. If no alternative can be arranged the original Agreement is legally binding and will stand.

Pricing, Exchange Rate and Government Fee Changes

We reserve the right to vary the price of any charter should we consider it necessary through a fluctuation in exchange rates or changes in taxes or other government fees, although no changes will be made within 30 days of departure. Only increased costs caused by government action will be passed on after this time.

Cancellation

All cancellations must be made in writing and received prior to the departure date and will be effective on the date it is received by us. The cancellation charges are payable as follows:

We will also charge a cancellation admin fee of €50.

Insurance

We don't offer travel or cancellation insurance, but we recommend that you take out a policy to help protect you in case circumstances change. You may want to read more about insurance here.

Bareboat Qualifications

In order to charter a bareboat yacht, most countries require a licence permit, certificate of competence or a letter from a recognised Yacht Club certifying the competence of at least the Skipper and sometimes one other member of the crew. Your broker will be let you know the specific requirements in your charter area. The Yacht Owner reserves the right to place a skipper on the Charter Yacht, at the cost of the client, if they deem your qualifications to be insufficient and that there is a risk of damage to the yacht or endangerment of the passengers.

Our Responsibility

We do not accept responsibility for any loss or damages caused to you as a result of the negligence or default of ourselves or any persons directly employed by us. The provision of this charter involves independent parties who are neither employed by us or under our direct control such as airlines, yacht owners, travel operators and handling agents. Moreover, the charter may unfortunately be disrupted by 'force majeure” events such as fire, floods, storms or political unrest.

The agreement is entered into on the mutual understanding that we will not be responsible for loss or damage including inconvenience or disruptions caused by the acts or defaults of independent parties, or by 'force majeure” events including the following:

Reserved Rights

The Owner reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the yacht at any time prior to departure for reasons of serious damage to yachts, hostilities, civil strife, strikes, threats of war, closure of airports, terrorist activities or any other reasons amounting to "force majeure”. Should the boat or yacht be sold prior to departure the following stands. In these eventualities, Boatbookings will endeavour to give as much notice as possible and refund all monies paid less 15% of the charter fee. We reserve the right on behalf of the Owner to make alterations to a booking and to substitute services or yachts if required. In the event of such alterations, we will endeavour to give the client as much notice as possible and to arrange for comparable services or yachts. Any alterations do not entitle clients to cancel the charter.

Complaints

In the rare case that you have a complaint about your charter, you must submit a written complaint to us as soon as possible and no later than the end of the charter, after which no claim can be accepted. The Charterer hereby acknowledges that any dispute or claim arising out of this Yacht Charter is between the Charterer and the Owner and not with or against Boatbookings. Please note that final jurisdiction will depend on the detailed provisions set out in the formal Yacht Charter Agreement which is the principal Contract between you, the client, and the Owner.

Damage / Security Deposit

When chartering a bareboat yacht, you are liable for any damage to the yacht, its equipment or third party damage. Assessment of the damage will be made and deducted from the security deposit paid at the beginning of the charter. We will take reasonable steps on your behalf to arrange for the balance of the deposit to be returned to you as soon as possible after the charter and usually within 28 days. However, should damage be caused as a result of wilful negligence by a client or as a result of not obeying the instructions of ourselves or the yacht owner, then you will be liable for the full amount or replacement. Adults will at all times be responsible for the actions of minors in their charge.

Credit Cards

While we normally ask you to pay via bank transfer or deposit directly to our branch account, in exceptional circumstances we accept Visa and MasterCard. Customers choosing to use credit cards may be subject to a credit card handling fee, depending on the card type and currency. You accept financial responsibility for all transactions made under your name or account.

If you use a credit card to pay for any part of your charter, you agree that in the event of a dispute, the claim will be under UK jurisdiction using the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process. As per our Terms and Conditions, you revoke your right to reverse or cancel the payment made using your credit card, you also revoke your right to issue a charge back through your credit card for any part of the payment.

More about credit cards

Failure to supply the correct credit or debit card billing address information and/or cardholder details may result in delays to the completion of your charter reservation and risks losing the yacht charter agreement. Please ensure that the details you give match those on your credit card billing statement. We also reserve the right to cancel a booking after issue if payment is declined or incorrect cardholder details and billing information have been supplied. Further, in an effort to minimise the effects of credit card fraud, we reserve the right to carry out random checks, including checks of the electoral roll, and may request you to either fax or post to us proof of your address and a copy of the credit card and recent statement before issuing any documents.

Repeat Charter Discounts

If you've chartered a bareboat sailing yacht or catamaran before through Boatbookings, we want to reward you for your loyalty! As part of our loyalty program, when you charter with the same company a 5% repeat charter discount is negotiated on your behalf. The 5% discount is on the net charter value (not including any mandatory fees, starter packs, cleaning, etc.) of your next charter. To benefit from the Repeat Charter Discount, the following conditions apply: you charter with the same owner as the previous charter, the charter must take place within 12 months of your previous charter end date and it must be of a minimum of 7 day charter duration. The deposit must be paid upon signing of the charter agreement.

Either call the broker that you worked with before and tell them the type of boat you want, or just make an enquiry here. Everything will be tracked for you automatically (as long as you use the same email address).

The repeat charter disount offer does not apply to yacht brokers or other partners or affiliates of Boatbookings.

See our General and Website Terms and Conditions

These terms are subject to change at Boatbookings discretion and updated regularly. The most current terms apply to your charter.