FAQ
Yacht Charter Queries
We can usually “pencil in” a booking for you for up to a week while you confirm the details with your crew or other participants. We do appreciate you letting us know if you decide not to retain the booking.
Please contact us for up to the minute availability for any of our yachts, training or events, to make a booking, or for more information about any of our services.If you would like availability information then it will greatly help us if you can let us know
- your preferred dates
- the maximum number of people who will be on board
- preferred yacht length, type and number of cabins or preferred layout
- the skipper and crew’s level of experience
- any other particular requirements that you may have
Your booking will be confirmed when we receive a 25% deposit of the charter fee from you, along with proof of acceptable sailing qualifications for a bareboat charter and a signed copy of the charter agreement. The balance of the payment is due two weeks prior to the commencement of your charter.
We will require to have a signed and completed booking form and a signed charter agreement from you. For your first charter we will also ask for a copy of your sailing certificates or proof of experience, passport and driving licence.
For a bareboat charter our normal requirement is for the skipper to hold a Coastal Skipper Tidal qualification or equivalent experience, and for at least one other person on board to have the equivalent of Competant Crew level of experience. However, we can accept a skipper for our smaller yachts with the equivalent experience of Day Skipper Tidal if there are at least two people on board at that level and after we have had a chat with you to confirm that we are confident that your charter will be successful.If you do not have any formal qualifications but you have plenty of experience then our Fleet Manager will have a chat with you and determine whether he is happy for you to take one of our yachts.If there is any doubt about whether you are ready to skipper one of our yachts then we may suggest that you take one of our skippers with you for a day, and if all goes well he will then leave you to continue and complete your charter on your own.
Yacht Management Queries
Yachts in charter management must comply with the MCA Code of Practice for Small Commercial Vessels, otherwise known as the “Code”. A “Coded” vessel is inspected annually by the MCA and the managing agent to ensure that the yacht’s structural integrity and equipment continue to conform to the high standards required. The amount of equipment needed to bring a yacht up to coding level will vary depending upon what equipment the yacht already has, however, for a bare yacht with minimum equipment the cost could be as high as £6,000. A comprehensive inventory is essential, but we will be pleased to offer full assistance with preparation for the registration of your boat.
We will consider most yachts, but the ideal length is generally between 32 and 47 feet. A layout with three or more cabins allows for a much greater flexibility in chartering. Whilst new boats are preferred, we will certainly also consider slightly older, well-cared for yachts.
You can expect chartering your yacht to cover the majority of costs arising from yacht ownership and in some years may find that chartering provides you with an additional income. We do not make inflated claims and will happily show you the accounts of yachts on our current fleet most closely resembling the yacht that you are considering placing with us.
We thoroughly vet all prospective charterers to ensure that they are capable of handling your boat. If the charterer is responsible for any loss or damage then this is immediately rectified and the cost is deducted from the charterer’s security deposit.We pride ourselves on the standard of our maintenance. Yachts under our management follow a rigorous maintenance and cleaning schedule. Charterers are often surprised by the good condition of even the older boats on our fleet, which despite the additional usage, therefore tend to retain their value better than similar yachts of the same age that have not been chartered.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
We can recommend Hamble Point Yacht Charters on all points. Marvelous service, good price, great boats. An absolute winner!!
Just finished a fabulous week in the Solent with two friends. The chartered boat was in very good condition, considering she was quite elderly. Being the end of the season there were a few scratches on her hull, which were pointed out by the staff. However, the interior and engine were in first class condition, everything was ship shaped and worked. Bembridge then Yarmouth back to Buckler's Hard, finally returning to the Hamble. Winds mainly from either S or N of F3/6, just perfect sailing. Certainly, in the future, hope to repeat this experience with a very well run organised Charter.
Thank you for everything, certainly hope in the near future to charter again, and pleased to recommend the efficient way your organisation works
We charter regularly from HPYC and always find the boats are clean, well maintained and properly equipped. The handover and breifing process is always efficeint and thorough so we get away quickly and we know support is available if there are any difficulties. The marina locatioin is also a great plus, giving easy and quick access to the Solent with optoins ot go east or west depending on the tides. All of the team at HPYC are very friendly and helpful and we really appreciate the great service they provide.
Thoroughly enjoyed the week. Four days sailing with Leigh as skipper; made up the itinerary as we went along - across to Cowes then down to Lulworth Cove and back. Several of us have sailing experience but did not have the experience to navigate the tides and currents of the south coast. Leigh was brilliant - quickly got us doing all the work within our own abilities and his knowledge and experience was exceptional. Knew his stuff. Great fun and pretty good value for money all once you divided it up between the seven of us. Not quite enough storage for all the beer however...
Very efficient and friendly service, quick and slick handover and return. Communication with Alex was very good, both by telephone and emails. I’d never sailed a Gib Sea 37 before but Viola is quick under sail and motor, very noisy in tick over as was pointed out at the handover but equally quiet with a few revs, in fact almost ‘electric’ quiet one crew member remarked. The heavy kick to port in astern can be used to good effect when close quarter manoeuvring. Plenty of electronics ( I brought charts with me but didn’t need them, the plotter at the helm was great ) All in all, Viola was a credit to you and I wouldn’t hesitate to charter her again... Although I do like the look of the Halberg Rassey on the next berth ! Perhaps next year? Many thanks Alex and the team.
We had an excellent weekend on board a 36 ft yacht, Aeolus, chartered from HPYC. The boat was in great condition, fully equipped with no problems at all, Booking, collection and returning the boat all went very smoothly and the staff were all super friendly and efficient. Hamble Point Marina is also a really nice spot and a great place to start out from. HPYC will definitely be our first choice for our next charter.
Had another amazing week sailing thanks to HPYC. The team here are so friendly; Alex, Josh and Dave are a really credit to the business - nothing seems to much trouble and we shall definitely be visiting again next year. Here’s to hoping we have another mid 20’s heatwave.....please.
When asked what do HPYC do really well... 'Presentation and quality of yachts on offer together with friendly and helpful staff, willing to be flexible and to accommodate client's wishes.'
We were let down extremely last minute by a chartering company for a hen do. With just 3 days till the big day I started getting a little panicked! I had no need to! I spoke to Karen in the office who was extremely helpful! She went away to see what she could do, not only did she come back with a skipper and a boat, she was also able to provide everything and more, that we were due to have on the original booking. She also beat the price! We went out on the southern comfort with josh who had given up his afternoon off to take us out. Josh was amazing. Very funny and a great sport when it came to a bunch of crazy hen women! Thank you so much for all of your effort and going above and beyond for us. This was the best hen do I have been on due to all of your help
We chartered a boat with Karen, at very ,very short notice after a previous company informed us that they had doubled booked and were cancelling us. Karen was amazing & did everything that she could to get us booked in and keeping us informed all the way. Well what a blessing the cancellation turned out to be. Our skipper Josh was open ,friendly, informative and fun! The weather was extremely hot and he had 7 (well behaved)women to contend with. The trip was for my little sisters hen day, as we all love a boat trip this was a 'must' for part of her day. the boat was beautiful, clean and stocked with drinks and a lovely buffet, we were allowed to 'take the wheel' for a while and Josh didn't mind the constant questions that we bombarded him with. (if he did he was a gentleman and didn't show it). Everyone had a wonderful trip over to the Isle of Wight and back and I cannot ever say thank you enough for the smile on my sister face for the whole trip , when she kept saying 'I feel like a Wag & this is so much better than a pottery painting class. hahaha! Well we will definitely be back (if they will have us).
We chartered 2 boats which were both fantastic - skippers were relaxed and friendly and encouraged some of the more inexperienced among our group to have a go on helm, which resulted in a fantastic and participative day for all on board. We were blessed with perfect conditions for sailing, a truly amazing day on the water.
Dealing with Hamble Point Yacht Charters has been a great experience. The whole team are very professional. We took 2 boats out onto the Solent with 24 clients to experience a day’s sailing. They had an exhilarating time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The offices are conveniently located with ample parking. They are also situated very close to a restaurant who provide excellent crew meeting facilities with great tea, coffee and bacon rolls – I will be using Hamble Point Charters again
Just an email to say thank you very much to the whole team for all their hard work on our corporate event last week. Another fabulous event on Seafin this year and we were very spoilt with the weather! We always receive so many compliments about the day from our guests. The food was fantastic and the staff are always great year on year. Looking forward to next year already!
