Many of our first time charter clients get confused with the High Season and Low season charter rates shown on our websites. Truthfully there is little rhyme but good reason for the rate structures. They vary with the type of charter and the climate at the destination.
CREWED YACHTS / CATS CARIBBEAN
There is no seasonal rate i.e. winter / summer. There is however a holiday season rate with a premium of between 10 – 20% for Christmas and New Year charters. The rest of the year is at the same rate. This is because Caribbean rates are generally “inclusive” of meals and beverages and the yacht’s costs vary with the number of guests. Therefore, the published rates that are shown as “High” or “Low” refer to the number of guests on board with the lowest being for 2 guests or whatever minimum has been established, and the high rate for the max number of guests: 6, 8, 10, 12, etc.
CREWED YACHTS / CATS MEDITERRANEAN
Med rates are generally “non-inclusive” of meals and beverages and are quoted with a base rate for the boat plus expenses. The complete Mediterranean rate structure is explained in a separate section. In the Med, there are either two or three seasons. Because it is essentially a summer time vacation, the high season is July and August which are the warmest and most popular months. The middle season, is generally June and September, and the low season is everything else. Some yachts use only a two season rate structure with July and August as high and everything else as low.
BAREBOATS / MEDITERRANEAN
Because of the short sailing season from May to September (sometimes mid-October), the bareboat rates tend to follow the same pattern as the crewed yacht rates. July and August are the highest and there is a mid season that includes May, June and September, the lowest rates would be from October to April. I wouldn’t recommend winter charters in the Med anyway…!!
BAREBOATS / CARIBBEAN
Most bareboat companies offering Caribbean charters use a tiered rate structure with 4 “quadrants” and different pricing for each of the four quadrants. The Holiday Season during December and part of January has the highest rate and the Summertime, usually between June and October, has the lowest. There are two more intermediate rates, one that spans the popular time of Spring Break and Easter, and the other that starts in November and ends before the Christmas season.
BAREBOATS / BAHAMAS
The Bahamas bareboat rate structure is the reverse of the Caribbean proper. The highest rates are in the Summer and the Lowest in winter. This is because the Bahamas are much further North, and it gets quite chilly in winter, more or less like Florida. In spite of the hurricane season that starts in June, Bahamas rates are highest in July August and September
All this get even more complicated because individual boat owners and bareboat companies can set their own months and dates within months for moving from one season to another.
Yes, all this sounds a little confusing, but all will become clear with a little help from your favorite friendly charter broker or booking agent. For assistance with Med charters please talk with us here and we can give you insider information to unadvertised yachts and special pricing options.
