The 5 ‘Ws’ of Choosing A Yacht Charter Broker

Why Use a Yacht Charter Broker?

For the ultimate escape, a luxury yacht charter offers an experience like no other.  Today with the ease of internet access, anyone can source endless information about yacht charters online easily. So why is it necessary to use a yacht charter broker?

212 Yachts discusses what makes a reputable charter broker and how to plan for your next yacht charter. We explain the 5 main reasons showing the advantages of using professional advice:  The Who, Why, Where, When and Which of choosing a yacht charter broker. The goal of your yacht charter broker should be – to protect you and your best interests, and of course to assist you have an incredible time on the water, with every last detail of your yacht charter carefully organised.

Which is the best yacht charter company to book through?

Choosing a yacht charter broker can be overwhelming, but with a bit of guidance you can find a company (and an individual yacht charter broker within that company) who will ensure that you have up-to-date information to book your ideal yachting holiday, and that they guide you from the selection process, right through to after the charter.

More importantly when something goes wrong (and they do) your broker is ready to solve! Here are some hard rules to follow in your initial inquiries to yacht brokers:

MYBA MEMBERSHIP

MYBA is an Association for confirmed, established yacht charter brokers, yacht sales brokers and yacht managers for large professionally-crewed yachts

There are many yacht associations around the world. MYBA (Worldwide Yacht Brokers Association) is the most recognized, and the hardest to get into. If your broker is a MYBA member, there is a very high chance you are dealing with best in class company.

• 212 Yachts is a MYBA Member

Ensure your yacht broker uses the Yachtfolio system (managed and secured by MYBA the Med Yacht Brokers Association);

The most trusted and accurate source of luxury yacht charter booking data available, this platform adheres to the highest industry standards. Subscription to YachtFolio infers a company proves they are: 1) insured to a minimum of 1 million Euros, 2) that the company proves that have been providing yacht charter services for a minimum of two years, 3) the applying company must submit references (which are checked) and 10 charter contracts on different yachts, with different clients. Every year many companies are refused access because they do not meet the required criteria. Knowing your yacht charter broker has access to YachtFolio adds a strong layer of security for you, a level of trustworthiness, confidence and quality unmatched by any other systems, and unmatched by companies claiming to be ‘yacht charter brokers’ but who don’t have access to YachtFolio.

WATCH OUT – if you receive yachtfolio links to yachts, with NO CORPORATE BRANDING, this signals that the company you are working with is using another firm (who can use YachtFolio) to select options for you. In this case, there are two middle men, and in most cases this is NOT in your best interests.

MYBA Contracts

Ensure your charter broker will be using a MYBA contract, and that their company is named on that contract as the StakeHolder. If the person/company you are booking with is not named on the contract, then what responsibility do they have to represent you? * Examples of when this may happen include, luxury travel companies, middlemen, jet companies, agents, impressive yacht websites (marketing that they offer yacht charters…)who have contacts with clients who charter yachts, but they cannot actually use YachtFolio, nor MYBA contracts, and in turn they reach out to a yacht charter brokerage firm. This infers the person you are working with, is taking a large cut of the earnings/commission of the ‘qualified charter broker’ and in turn, this can mean you wont get the high level of service you deserve, and should get.

Reputation

It’s always important to use a yacht charter broker who has a well-established reputation and can provide honest advice about yachts and every aspect of the yacht charter process, hence ensuring you are best looked after. Check out their references! Ask them have they been to the Antigua or Barcelona MYBA charter broker shows this year? Attendance at these industry specific yacht shows is closed to wana-be charter agents, and only open to those who are true movers and shakers in the industry (representing professional yachting companies)

Relationships And Feeling

Do you ‘fit’ with the charter broker who is sending you proposal / options of yachts? Do you have the sense they are interested in you and your requirements? Do they listen to you? Will they answer the phone in unsociable hours? All these factors play a key role in ensuring you have a yacht charter agent you can reply on. Often, it is not until something goes wrong, that a client realizes the true importance and value of a charter broker who is knowledgeable and cares about your yachting experience.

Here at 212 Yachts, our yacht charter brokers are available before, during and after your charter to answer any questions you have and offer support for your charter.  We strive for that extra degree of customer satisfaction and look forward to welcoming you for your next yacht charter! And yes, we use MYBA charter contracts, we have access to YachtFolio, we attend yacht charter shows, and we care about our clients.

Who uses the services of a yacht charter broker?

Yacht charter brokers are used by first-time charterers, repeat charter guests and yacht owners.  The benefits of using a yacht charter broker are incomparable to researching and finding all the information about an ideal yacht for your needs by yourself, such as professional crew, the quality and reliability of the yacht itself.

Booking through an established yacht charter company saves you time! They have strong relationships with yachts, Captains and owners. This is especially true if you’re planning to charter in a foreign country where you may not know local regulations or even be able to speak the local language.

Some yacht charter brokers also offer additional support and advice to yacht owners and their Captains to ensure that their yacht is being maintained, administered and operated to the highest standards.

Why use a yacht charter broker?

A yacht charter broker’s main objective is to compare available charter yachts and offer their client appropriate selections based on their needs.  This expert advice comes at no additional cost to the charterer, and therefore great charter brokers can present fair and subjective advice about the differences between modern and classic sailboats, motor yachts, catamarans and luxury day tenders.

The advantage of using an experienced yacht charter broker is their immense knowledge base that covers the entire spectrum of the yacht charter business.  They know about the availability of yachts, crew, the yacht’s features, destinations and industry contacts like the back of their hand.

Their livelihood depends on helping to make your luxury yacht charter an amazing experience where you will return again and/or tell your friends, family and colleagues!  Their service includes offering you suggestions that are aligned with your budget and preferences, as well as advice about optimum times of the year to charter or shoulder/off-season discounts.  Charter brokers are well informed about marine law jurisdictions of different charter destinations and yacht flag states, contracts and insurance.

A yacht charter broker works for you. They learn about your wants and needs, and then provide you with personalized options that fit exactly what you desire.

They will help you navigate the yacht charter process and explain terminology such as the base charter fee, the rate of VAT that applies in your chosen cruising area (as applicable rates vary worldwide) and Advanced Provisioning Allowance (APA).

Where are the main yachting destinations that yacht charter brokers specialise in?

Most yacht charter brokers specialize in a certain region – for example, they are yacht charter experts for the Mediterranean or Caribbean.

212 Yachts facilitate luxury yacht charter for crewed superyachts on the French Riviera, sailing yachts in the Adriatic and more with a definitive proven knowledge for yacht charters in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean.

We have a comprehensive database of luxury yachts for charter:

• In popular French Riviera charter destinations – Cannes, Monaco, St Tropez and Antibes
• Spain including the beautiful Balearic Islands
• Italy including the stunning Amalfi Coast and Italian Riviera
• Sardinia
• Corsica
• Croatia
• Montenegro
• Greece
• Turkey
• The Caribbean including Bahamas
• In other cruising areas such as North America, Northern Europe, South East Asia, the South Pacific and Antartica

Not sure where you’d like to go next or you’re in need of some inspiration, take a look at our travel destination pages to find your dream charter location!

When do people use yacht charter brokers?

It’s advisable to use a yacht charter broker if you plan to rent a yacht and are looking for the security and comfort of using a company who has organised many yacht charters before. Whether you want to arrange a summer yacht rental in the Mediterranean for you and your family, a honeymoon yacht charter in Greece or a corporate yacht charter in Cannes, an expert yacht charter broker can offer you the knowledge and expertise in finding you the perfect yacht to match your wishes.

Yacht charter brokers excel when clients are unsure of varying specifications such as number of guests allowed onboard, the size of the Suites onboard, the type of amenities for each yacht or whether the crew would be best suited for a certain type of guests, for example a family group.

Here at 212 Yachts, our yacht charter brokers are available before, during and after your charter to answer any questions you have and offer support for your charter.  We strive for that extra degree of customer satisfaction and look forward to welcoming you for your next yacht charter! And yes, we use MYBA charter contracts, we have access to YachtFolio, we attend yacht charter shows, and we care about our clients.

Let our team of experts turn your yacht charter dreams into a reality! Contact 212 Yachts Today!