Crewed charter contracts in the mainstream market run on well-tested standard forms, which is exactly why the risks hide in the details rather than the boilerplate. The document will set the base rate, the APA percentage, the delivery fees, the cancellation ladder and the security arrangements; your job before signing is to make each of those lines match the week you actually intend to have. Here are the ten questions that flush out the mismatches — bring them to the broker, and expect answers in writing.
This is general guidance on standard industry agreements as of the 2026 season; your broker and the contract's own terms govern.
The ten
1. What exactly cancels the week, and what comes back? Cancellation ladders return percentages by date; ask where the steps fall, whether the deposit is refundable at all, and what happens to the balance. 2. Whose insurance covers what? The yacht carries standing cover; you need charterer's liability and a travel policy that names the trip — confirm the interfaces rather than assuming them. 3. What are the delivery and redelivery fees? Repositioning charges move the yacht to your start point and can be substantial; know them before choosing an embarkation port. 4. Is the cruising area fixed? Contracts name waters; if you want Corsica from a Sardinia start, that line matters. 5. What is the security arrangement? A damage deposit held against the week, an insurance-backed waiver, or both — know the amount and the refund mechanics.
6. How is VAT computed and invoiced? By cruising country and yacht registration; ask for the figure for your route, in writing, before budgeting. 7. What happens in force majeure — both directions? Weather, breakdown, official restrictions: the clauses that say who may cancel, who pays, and what a substitute week looks like. 8. What is included in the APA on this yacht specifically? Tender fuel, toys, communications, special provisioning — the coverage edges differ. 9. What are the crew's limits? Hours, licensing areas, night passages — the professional rules that shape itineraries guests never see. 10. Who resolves a dispute, and where? The arbitration or jurisdiction line you hope never to read again.
Reading the answers
Red flags are vagueness, not expense. A yacht whose answers cost more but are specific is a yacht that runs on procedures; a yacht that answers every question with 'no problem' is handing you the problem later. The contract stage is also the moment to fix the soft terms — preferred itinerary shape, berth style, celebrations — into the preference-sheet machinery while changes are free. Ten questions, one afternoon, and the deposit goes where deposits should: toward the week, not the arguments.