Bareboat FAQs

You can tailor your yacht charter to make the most of your budget. We’ve listed some considerations that will make a difference to your bareboat charter cost.

• Choose an older yacht – Our newest yachts are more expensive to charter than others in our fleet. As yachts get older they move to our economy fleet and offer the best value. You can sail wonderful older yachts and that will lower your charter price.
• Sail in low season – Peak seasons are popular for good reason, yet the shoulder seasons can also provide pleasant climates and fewer crowds. Low season also has the advantage of being less expensive with more yachts available and cheaper flights.
• Charter for longer – Most charters are for one or two weeks, but it is possible to secure additional discounts if you sail for more than three weeks.
• Combine discounts – You can combine discounts to get up to 20% off if you book 180 days before departure, have booked with us before and book during a boat show. Take a look at our bareboat yacht charter special offers.
• Mooring and marina fees – Your choice of destination makes a big difference to your overall bareboat charter cost. Some locations offer free or very low mooring fees if you buy a meal at the local restaurant. In others, you may need to pay marina fees, as well as fees for landing on islands, entering national parks or marine reserves.
• Add-ons for your charter – Water toys enable you to explore mangrove creeks, blue caves and lagoons, or to simply exercise and have fun. It is easy to add kayaks or paddle boards to your charter.
• Early boarding – Check in and depart on the same day.
• Delivery sailing – Experienced sailors can help us get our fleet ready for the season by sailing boats to our network of bases. If you’re flexible and have the right resume, this could suit you.

You will need to pay a 30% deposit to confirm the booking and the balance is due 60 days prior to embarkation.

You can find our special offers on our website or sign up to our newsletter to hear about them first!

There are no restrictions.

We highly recommend you arrange travel insurance in case you need to cancel for an unexpected reason to cover non-refundable deposits. Please make sure you have personal travel insurance that covers sailing.

We will insure the vessel throughout the charter with first-class insurers against all risks, to provide permission to charter as under contract terms and to cover third-party liability.

The following options are available in limited locations:

• Security Deposit: This varies on the size of the boat and when the boat is returned without damage it is refunded.
• Damage Waiver: The charterer agrees to pay a non-refundable damage waiver at the time of booking, as well as a reduced damage deposit on embarkation that is refundable upon completion of the charter should no damage occur.

If you cancel your charter, cancellation fees will apply:

• If the Charterer cancels more than 60 days before the original charter start, Charterer will lose their 30% deposit. If Charterer has already paid for add-on options, DYC will reimburse Charterer for these expenses.
• If Charterer cancels 59 days or less before the original charter start, Charterer will lose the entire charter fee paid to date. If Charterer has already paid for add-on options, DYC will reimburse Charterer for these expenses, unless cancellation occurs within seven days of departure. If within seven days, payment for add-on options will not be refunded.

We accept payment by credit/debit card, cheque and bank transfers.

When you make a deposit and/or payment in full, you acknowledge that you have read and consented to the terms and conditions.

If we accept your booking, we will issue a confirmation invoice. A contract will exist between us from the date we issue the confirmation invoice or, if you book within seven days of departure, the contract will exist when we take payment. When you receive the confirmation invoice, please check the details carefully and inform us immediately if anything is incorrect.

Offers and discounts cannot be applied retrospectively once a booking has been confirmed.

You will be expected to pay a deposit at the time of booking of 30% of the charter cost. If you book a charter within 30 days of departure, we require payment in full. Availability, discounts and pricing may change and cannot be guaranteed until your charter is confirmed with a deposit of 30%.

We understand there is a lot to think about before confirmation and we can provisionally hold a yacht for a couple of days if there are more than eight weeks before departure.

You can check our fleet availability on our website. If you wish to add a skipper or need help and advice, you can contact us.

Dream Yacht Charter is now the world’s leading yacht charter company and offers you:

• A diverse fleet of yachts with a wide variety of models and manufacturers to suit every type of sailor.
• We have 40+ exciting destinations and we’re a pioneer in finding new sailing grounds.
• You can be assured of our commitment to customer service excellence.
• You’ll receive a warm and friendly welcome from our base teams who will share regional tips, recommendations and advice.
• We’re a trusted seller of new and used boats and an innovator in charter management options – sailing is our business.

It depends on location. Charter in the Mediterranean usually run Saturday to Saturday. Our charters usually run Saturday to Saturday in peak season, although if you want to sail for longer we can sometimes accommodate depending on the time of year and destination. Pricing is based on a 7-day charter and, shorter durations are available but a premium applies. You can check pricing and availability on our website or contact us for help.

You can download our provisioning lists in the destination download section of the website and we can do this for you, or some supermarkets near bases have online pre-ordering for base delivery. Contact our team for advice and our base team will also brief you on arrival on provisioning in the local area.

Before you leave base you will have an overview of the cruising area, safety inspection on board and yacht familiarization briefing from our base team, including:

• All of the safety equipment
• Cooking and refrigeration systems
• Heads and showers
• Engine and check in procedures
• VHF radio and mayday instructions
• All instruments including GPS
• Charts and pilot books
• Halyards, winches, reefing lines, rigging and controls
• Anchor system
• Dinghy and engine
• Other systems

Our super premier yachts are less than 12 months old from their first charter date, while premier yachts are less than three years old from their first charter date. Our yachts are well maintained and undergo regular, scheduled technical inspection.

In case of emergency, you can rely on our hotline, at any time, seven days a week. If you experience a technical failure affecting major and important parts of the yacht, we will repair the failure within four hours of receiving your call during working hours (8am to 5pm). If you lose more than four hours (during working hours), we will compensate you for one full day. If the repair takes more than one day, we will provide you with a similar boat or compensate you on a pro-rata basis. If restrictions to this guarantee apply in specific areas, this will be detailed during the charter check-in at the base.

• Skipper payment: If you book a skipper, you can pay in cash at your destination or pay in advance for most destinations
• Fees: Harbour and mooring fees, provisions, cruising taxes, clearance and customs fees
• Optional extras: Provisioning, cancellation insurance, fuel and water refills, skipper, cook/hostess, kayaks/paddleboards, full board and a la carte provisioning, fishing gear, child safety net, boat phone, Wi-Fi and airport transfers. These extras are not available at every base, talk to us for more information.

• Yacht, dinghy & outboard
• Marina mooring: First and last night at our base
• Fuel and water: All of our yachts are delivered to you with full tanks of fuel (yacht & dinghy), full tank of water, one bottle of cooking gas + one spare. You have to return the yacht with full tanks of fuel and water
• Watersports: snorkelling equipment
• Mandatory extras: End cleaning and starter pack, which includes four 1.5L bottles of water, one small bottle of dish-washing liquid, one dishcloth, one sponge, trash bags, one roll of paper towels, one box of matches and one roll of toilet paper in each head. Please note that contents vary by destination
• Essentials pack: What is the Essentials pack? Designed for our bareboat charters, it includes our previous damage waiver extra, end cleaning & starter pack which will not be shown in new quotes & bookings. Only handling fees will remain as other mandatory extra (+ taxes in some destinations). All bookings with the Essentials charter pack will have 0 € security deposit. Essential pack is mandatory in most destinations with few exceptions. Contact us for more details.
• Damage waiver: Insurance with a lower excess has been added to your quote and is mandatory in some destinations. You can pay a higher damage waiver deposit at the base, which is fully refundable if there is not any damage or loss to the boat, dinghy and equipment. The damage waiver, or refundable security deposit, is designed to cover one incident of a substantial nature at any one time. In the case of loss or damage to equipment of significant value, such as the outboard engine or dinghy, you have the right to an immediate replacement while on the charter.

The skipper of a yacht has primary responsibility for the safety of the crew and yacht at all times. Many destinations require just relevant experience demonstrated by a sailing resume.

To charter in the Mediterranean, it is mandatory that you hold a sailing license recognized by the local port authorities for bareboat charters in Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Malta, Montenegro and Turkey. Other destinations that require a license include Madagascar, Seychelles, Thailand, Brazil and Sweden. For Belize, the port authority will issue a certificate of competency and an application is made on arrival.

You must take your proof of competency and original certificate with you on your charter. We advise you to contact our team about your qualifications and the destination requirements before booking.

By accepting the yacht contract you are confirming that you and/or members of your crew are capable and competent to sail the yacht in the conditions and cruising area of charter. We reserve the right not to hand over the yacht if, after inspection, it is the opinion that the charterer is not, or may not be competent to be in charge of the vessel.

We have +50 destinations worldwide and a wide range of yachts, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Asia and the Americas.

A bareboat yacht charter is where you hire the boat for you and your guests and intend to sail yourself or hire one of our skippers to sail it for you