Journal

Notes from the broker’s desk

Practical guides for first-time charterers and seasoned sailors alike — written by the people who plan the trips.

Friends enjoying wine together on a yacht deck

Guide · 6 min read

Your first private charter: the 7 questions to ask before you book

Start with capacity, not length: a 50-footer that takes eight in comfort beats a 70-footer run by a skeleton crew. Ask what the hourly rate actually covers — fuel for which route, how many crew, which drinks — and get the answer in writing. Check the cancellation weather policy line by line; on reputable fleets a captain-cancelled trip is rebooked or refunded, never forfeited.

Then think about the day itself. Tell your broker who’s coming — toddlers, grandparents, a nervous swimmer — because the route should bend around them, not the other way round. Confirm boarding time versus departure time (the first coffee tastes better at the dock), and ask where you’ll swim: a good broker names the coves, not just “a swim stop.” Finally, agree how you’ll reach the crew on the day. If the answer is a named human with a phone number, you’ve found the right company.

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Sailboat silhouette against a vibrant sunset sky

Routes · 4 min read

Sunset cruise or full day? An honest comparison

A two-hour sunset sail is the best value on the water: golden light, calm seas, champagne included, and you’re back for dinner. It suits proposals, anniversaries and anyone short on time. What it can’t do is distance — you’ll hug the coast, not reach the islands.

A full day buys you the map: hidden coves, snorkel reefs, a beach lunch and the unhurried rhythm that makes a charter feel like a holiday rather than an outing. Our rule of thumb: if you’re celebrating something, take the sunset. If you’re escaping something, take the day.

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Group of friends celebrating on a yacht under clear skies

Occasions · 5 min read

The proposal playbook: how we stage the question at sea

We’ve staged over two hundred proposals, and the best share a pattern: the secret stays between you and one broker, the ring travels in the captain’s safe — never a pocket — and the question lands at anchor, engines off, phones away. Timing matters more than décor: twenty unhurried minutes at golden hour beat an hour of choreography.

Tell us the story and we’ll write the scene around it — a “wrong turn” into an empty cove, a musician who happens to be aboard, a photographer posing as a deckhand. After the yes, the crew appears with champagne like it was their idea all along.

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