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One very savvy superyacht owner I know managed to charter his yacht for the St Barths Bucket and blag a cabin on board – earning both a charter fee and a free holiday, on his own yacht. It’s a head-scratcher, but speaks to the lengths some owners will go to get their very expensive assets working for them. John Caudwell, owner of 73-metre Titania, once told me he’d cancel a week on his yacht at the last minute if a serious charter enquiry came in. I’m not sure I’m entirely on board with this “charter comes first” philosophy, but then again I’ve never had to run an asset that burns cash quicker than a government IT project. The sweet spot for the perfect charter yacht seems to be around 60 metres, according to the experts, which gets you all the goodies – big cabins, beach club, pool, wellness area and water toys. But all these lovely things on your checklist pale in comparison with the single most important component of a successful charter: crew. “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” This quote has been attributed to everyone’s favourite billionaire hippy Sir Richard Branson, but whether he said it or not is irrelevant – it rings very true in the superyacht world. There’s nothing as reassuring to a charter client as being welcomed on board by the same team that served them the previous season. Whether you’re an experienced owner of a yacht for charter or someone getting into the game, we’ve got you covered this issue. Look out for a feast of charter insights and advice in this month's issue.

Stewart Campbell
Editor-in-chief

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