Chartering a Private Yacht in the Mediterranean: What No One Tells You First

The first time a client asks us about a private yacht charter, the conversation almost always begins in the same place: the weekly rate. It is, in our experience, the least useful number in the entire enterprise. This is a guide to the numbers that actually matter, the weeks that actually deliver, and the questions to ask before you sign.

The weekly rate is roughly half of what you will spend

A 50-metre motor yacht in the Western Mediterranean is, in the high season, around €350,000 to €500,000 per week. To that you add APA — Advance Provisioning Allowance — of approximately 30 to 35 percent, which covers fuel, food, drink, dockage and incidentals. You will also tip the crew at the end of the charter, conventionally 10 to 15 percent of the base rate.

All in, the genuine cost of a 50-metre week in August is closer to €700,000 than to €400,000. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you the rate, not the holiday.

The week that actually delivers is not August

August in the Western Mediterranean is, frankly, no longer pleasant. The marinas are full, the anchorages are crowded, the staff at every restaurant on the coast is exhausted. The two windows we recommend, almost without exception, are the second half of June and the first three weeks of September.

September, in particular, is the curator's secret. The water is at its warmest, the wind is settled, the crowds have returned to their offices, and the Mediterranean returns, for three weeks, to being the sea it was in the photographs of the 1960s.

Which coast

The Amalfi Coast is the postcard. It is also the most crowded stretch of water in the Mediterranean, and the anchorages are limited and exposed. We book it often, but only for travellers who have not done it before.

Sardinia and Corsica, taken together, are our most-recommended itinerary for a first or second charter. The Costa Smeralda for the marinas and the dining, the Maddalena archipelago for the anchorages, the western coast of Corsica for the dramatic cliffs and the empty calanques. Seven nights covers it comfortably.

For travellers on a longer charter — ten nights or more — the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily remain the great undervalued cruising ground of the Mediterranean. Stromboli at night, Salina for the cooking, Panarea for the one good bar. Almost no megayachts; the few you see are usually the ones that know.

Choosing the boat

Below 40 metres, the experience is essentially that of a very nice sailing holiday. Between 40 and 55 metres is the sweet spot — large enough for a proper crew, small enough to enter every harbour. Above 60 metres, you trade flexibility for ballroom-scale interiors and a helicopter pad. We have arranged charters across the entire range; the 45-to-55-metre range is where, in our experience, the journey is most consistently happy.

What to ask before you sign

What is the captain's last three years' itinerary? (You want a captain who knows the cruising ground, not one who is learning it on your week.) Is the chef's tasting menu sample available? (The food is, after the captain, the second most important variable.) What is the crew's average tenure on this boat? (Above two years is a good sign; high turnover is a warning.) And, finally: which week was the last time the boat was hauled out for a full refit? (You do not want to be on a boat in its eleventh month of a season.)