Coding for Charter in the Med (& Further)

[MBullock]

Hi,
I'm going to ask the RYA for an opinion but again experience would be welcomed I'm wondering what the coding requirements are for chartering/commercial operation in the med. I presumed that if the vessel was UK flagged/registered then the requirements would be under the MCA rules that we comply with in the UK (Cat0,1,2 etc). However, reading a book on the Med it implies that each country has it's own requirements and that unless one is checking out to another country that one would be expected to comply with each countries regulations and more importantly to me pay for each countries compliance.

Does anyone know how this works? e.g. if I left the UK on a cat0 coded boat, carried passengers to place X, then did some charter work from place X, would I have to get re-coded to comply with place X? And is it true in the same scenerio that I check in on same boat/crew into place X and check-out for place Y that I would not need anything extra? In fact in the second scenario does it matter that my MCA coding is still up to date?

I'm sure the word 'insurance' will come into play here too....

many thanks in advance

 

[CharlesSwallow]

Hi!

NO you only need local licensing. I would suggest contacting Robert Queen on this website :- http://www.yachting.org/website.asp?i=16201&s=37 I know Rob well.

Or this couple (who, although they were our neighbours in Gouvia for a year and a half, I hope they will forgive me for forgetting their names) :- http://www.firefly-boats.com/bayanblue/tour/

They have both done it and will be your competitors. I'm not sure that either crew, had they had their time over again would have embarked on the venture but that's only a personal view. far be it from me to ever wish to discourage enterprise.

Chas

 

[westernman]

There is a chap down in my marina who takes punters out for a 1 hour cruise on his classic yacht.

During July and August he does this 4 times a day with from 20 to 30 people on board at 28 euros a throw for adults.

 

[MBullock]

Excellent many thanks CharlesSwallow. We currently do charter from the West Coast of Scotland (www.offshoreadventures.co.uk), mainly aboard our Beneteau 473 and again mainly for corporate clients. One option we have is to change to something slightly larger, e.g. Beneteau 57, and conduct skippered cruises for a part of the summer to supplement income. Therefore, I appreciate the contacts and will follow-up with them.

 

[Tranona]

In general there is huge over capacity in the charter market in the Med, so unless you have something really different to offer it is probably not worth the hassle. The problem is not so much meeting regulatory requirements (although that can be difficult and time consuming) but finding clients. Most business is done through agents who like to have lots of choice on their books but are not necessarily interested in any particular owner.

It is really difficult for a single boat operation to compete with agencies, but some do get well established in one location - for example there are several skippered boats in the Ionian, but they tend to be linked up with more broad based charter operators. Many bareboat operators offer optional skipper and crew services with their larger boats.

The concept of "doing a bit of chartering" really is not sustainable for most owners.

 

[Steve Clayton]

In Spain Med (Alicante/Valencia region) then as well as MCA coding (for UK flagged) you should be Spanish inspected which will generate a licence for the yacht to be chartered. For skipper charter then the skipper requires a licence as well:

 

[Cariadco]

Interesting!!

NO you only need local licensing. I would suggest contacting Robert Queen on this website :- http://www.yachting.org/website.asp?i=16201&s=37 I know Rob well.

Or this couple (who, although they were our neighbours in Gouvia for a year and a half, I hope they will forgive me for forgetting their names) :- http://www.firefly-boats.com/bayanblue/tour/

They have both done it and will be your competitors. I'm not sure that either crew, had they had their time over again would have embarked on the venture but that's only a personal view. far be it from me to ever wish to discourage enterprise.

Chas

Hi Charles, thanks for the links, and as I'm sure you'll imagine, I found it very interesting. It doesn't seem like Bayanblue are still operating, and I did meet Rob, briefly last year, but he was moving on.
Hopefully we can have a beer and a chat, real soon? Ahem, 10 days to go 'till we start the 'New' life.

Regards,

Will

 

[Melody]

I don't know about other parts of the Mediterranean but we have operated in Greece for 10 years so I know a bit about what is required here. We started doing skippered charter then opened a sailing school, alhough we still do a few skippered sailing holidays.

We use Greek flagged yachts but it is possible to get a UK flagged boat approved by the Hellenic Registry also (although not easy I understand).

It is illegal to take fare-paying passengers on any boat in Greece that is not commercially registered - what is termed a 'professional' yacht here. Several people do it but their insurance is probably invalidated by doing so. The port police don't normally bother if it is just a week or so but you could end up in big trouble if you do it regularly.

There's a bit of paperwork in Greek and English to get to grips with. You must submit crew lists and charter documents before sailing for instance, but it is straightforward once you get the hang of it.

It may be worth becoming a Greek professional boat if you are seriously running a business here - much cheaper prices in marinas, boatyards, can buy some stuff VAT free, and the rate of VAT is low on charters too.

The guys at the Hellenic Registry are pretty helpful if you want to know what is required to operate legallty here.