QUESTION:
I like to know who I am traveling with. Is it possible for us to bring our own crew, if any, on our yacht charter?
ANSWER:
Editorial Team
If you choose to charter a yacht without a crew, this is what is considered contractually as a bareboat charter. This means that the yacht will be chartered to you, but the captain and crew you hire will have to provide the necessary qualifications in order to steer the boat and tend to all the onboard duties. One such qualification is the ICC (International Certificate of Competence) but different countries have different requirements so it is worth checking this before embarking on a bareboat charter.
In regards to a charter yacht, for once the answer is mostly negative. You may bring your own physiotherapist, your personal trainer, your nurse or piano teacher ; anyone who is there for your comfort and will be counted as guests / passengers in your charter party. But you cannot have your own Captain and crew take over the team employed by the yacht owning company to operate their superyacht. This is the only limitation of what makes a charter yacht « yours » during your charter – and the reason why you are chartering a crewed superyacht rather than a bareboat.
The one exception there may be is for the presence of your Chef onboard, to help and work together with the yacht’s existing Chef. This special requirement would have to be agreed beforehand ; but your Chef would still need to be included in the list of your guests, and never as a crew member.
