Based in Mallorca?

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BiliousBilge

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Hello All,

New on the forum and not sure whether I may pose this question?

I live on Mallorca and having chartered here repeatedly I am weary of the endless and chaotic paperwork; brokers who pocket a large chunk of the payment in return for bad service; and dirty, poorly maintained boats. It occurs to me that there surely must be owners of well-looked-after boats out there who would be interested in engaging in an agreement with one trustworthy individual, directly, possibly for the longer term? Of course there would need to be a proper deposit, payment up front prior to every usage, insurance, etc. Holder of an ICC sail and power (log contains Sunseeker 44 Camarque, Lagoon 440, Bavaria 33 power, etc.), familiar with local area and weather, and interested in anything starting from a dayboat up to 45 foot.

I have had a similar setup running for many years in the southern hemisphere where I utilize a six-seat aircraft when on holiday, and could put you in touch with the owner for a character reference.

Regards

BB
 
Thanks for the answer, Jimmy. It's not that I'm cheapskate, I'm quite prepared to pay, but sadly the service side of things is often somewhat lacking. What really gets me is the endless paperwork, usually performed at snail's pace, with various issues forgotten and then remembered, all the while with us standing around on the quayside in the boiling sun. Times are utterly inflexible, when chartering a dayboat, for example, one is unable to enjoy a sunset in a quiet cove before returning to the marina, quite often the demand is to be back by 17:00 - which robs us of the best part of the day. I have considered a share, but my current schedule means that I can rarely plan ahead rigidly, something that would be a minimum requirement for a timeshare-type arrangement. My thought was that there might be somebody who is under-utilizing his boat, but is not prepared to give up his cherished yacht to the tender mercies of the legions of once-a-year skippers via the typical charter-broker. That someone could thoroughly check/investigate/vet me, we could sort out insurances etc., and come to an agreement which would give him a little side-earner to offset the costs of ownership, the engines a tick-over, the interior an airing, the exterior a good wash - and me a hassle-free day/weekend on the water.
 
Although your proposal may seem interesting to some owners, it really is unlikely to happen, the chartering rules in Spain are pretty draconian, firstly the owner would be risking huge fines or worse chartering without registering, coding etc and of course the insurance would be void, which in itself should put you off. Have an accident and you will wish you had spent days on the quay waiting for the paperwork to be completed. If you want to spend an evening at anchor, take a 2 day charter, if as you say you have deep pockets, shouldn't be a problem, and the short time you wait for the paperwork will not matter!
 
Hello Pan. It seems that in Spain the yachting scene is as prone to protectionism as the hotel-industry, then? A bit naive of me not to look into that aspect before asking my question here, I suppose. Ah well, all hail the Glorious State, and farewell the novel concept of two responsible individuals shaking hands over a mutually beneficial agreement, based on common sense. Thank you CaptainMike for the suggestion. I may look into that possibility, as the name of the outfit seems to suggest a more 'northern' approach to doing business.
 
BiliousBilge said:
Hello Pan. It seems that in Spain the yachting scene is as prone to protectionism as the hotel-industry, then? A bit naive of me not to look into that aspect before asking my question here, I suppose. Ah well, all hail the Glorious State, and farewell the novel concept of two responsible individuals shaking hands over a mutually beneficial agreement, based on common sense. Thank you CaptainMike for the suggestion. I may look into that possibility, as the name of the outfit seems to suggest a more 'northern' approach to doing business.
Click to expand...

How did you draw that conclusion? What you seem to be looking for is effectively an illegal charter ie paying for use of an uncoded vessel in order to get it on the cheap. Pan's just made some reasonable and territory-specific observations, and you've turned that into a lecture about business practices? Blimey. Welcome to the forum.
 
Dear me. It was not my intention to step on any toes. Again, as stated earlier, I am not looking for a way to 'get it on the cheap'. I wish to avoid the inefficiency, unfriendliness and inflexibility I have often encountered when chartering here, that is all. I do not wish to enter into any grey areas or illegal activities, instead I was hoping that I might find new ideas here on this forum, seeing as I cannot be the only one who has had multiple bad experiences when chartering. I suspect that I will need to look into ownership after all.
 
Strange I have not heard of anyone having problems or undue paperwork when chartering, there are plenty of very professional charter companies, who do a lot of business, I regularly see day bare boat charterers in our marina who arrive at 9.00 and leave by 9.30, returning at 18.00-19.00, they don't seem to be bogged down by excessive paperwork. I don't have the experience of chartering to compare with other countries, but I'm sure most try to ensure that the charter boat is safe (i.e. coded) & has paid the taxes due.

Do you really fly a 6 seater aircraft without insurance (insurance policies will have a restriction for commercial use, charter), frankly you must be crazy. Anyway no sensible boat owner is going to risk what you are suggesting, what happens if you sink it and no insurance! Suggest you find another charter company, as far as I am aware, all they will require is ICC, proof of identity and deposit, how hard is that.
 
Perhaps it is the anonymous nature of the internet which makes some feel free to dispense with derogatory comments? I do not appreciate your calling me 'crazy', and I very much doubt that you'd have the backbone to do so on the quayside should you meet me in person. That said, I really do not wish to have a slanging-match with you. You seem to be repeatedly discarding what I keep saying, namely that I am NOT interested in 'going cheap'; anything illegal; or attempting to wing it sans insurance.

Why not believe me when I state that I have had unfortunate experiences? Why on earth would I waste my valuable and limited free time by writing rubbish to strangers on an anonymous forum?

''Do you really fly a 6 seater aircraft without insurance (insurance policies will have a restriction for commercial use, charter)'' No, I do not, and would not. The Cessna 210 which I rent has me named on the insurance, and seeing as I hold an ATPL insurance has never been an issue.

If I have gotten up your nose somehow, apologies. Let's have another go at this, I would enjoy further discussion in a friendly tone, my field is aviation and I just dabble in boating in my spare time and would appreciate pointers from somebody such as yourself who probably has loads of experience on the water.

Best regards,

BB
 
If you have been having problems dealing with the large charter companys you could try dealing directly with the owner of the charter vessel. Have a look at yutu charters website. They are based in puerto portals and Are really easy to deal with.
 
aquatom said:
If you have been having problems dealing with the large charter companys you could try dealing directly with the owner of the charter vessel. Have a look at yutu charters website. They are based in puerto portals and Are really easy to deal with.
Click to expand...

That's what he's trying to do. Everyone seems to think he wants a cheap/illegal deal.

So far as I can see he's just looking for someone with a charter boat with while he can do a long term direct deal.
 
Thank you for your replies, Gents. I will have a look at Yutu Charters, perhaps there is a solution there. Yes, Whitelighter, a long-term agreement with an owner, within a legal construct, is exactly what I had in mind.
 
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