What our contract actually says
If the owner cancels, you are compensated — not just refunded
This is the part worth reading twice, because it is unusual. If the owner cancels more than 30 days before your charter starts, you receive a full refund of everything paid plus compensation of 25% of the charter fee. Inside 30 days, that compensation rises to 50%. Most charter contracts return your money and stop there; ours treats a cancellation by the owner as something you should be made better than whole for.
If a cause genuinely outside anyone's control intervenes
Our contract calls these Permitted Causes and defines them tightly: war, fire, explosion, sabotage, collision, civil unrest, strikes, riots, pandemics and the quarantine or travel restrictions that follow them, weather severe enough to interfere with navigation, grounding, and mechanical failure not caused by poor maintenance or negligence. In that event you receive a full refund, without the additional compensation above. Notably, crew changes and periods of repair do not count as Permitted Causes unless a Permitted Cause is what caused them.
If you cancel
You are not entitled to a refund of money already paid unless the owner agrees otherwise at their discretion. That is the standard position across the industry and it exists because the yacht has been held exclusively for your dates and taken off the market. It is the single strongest argument for looking at cancellation insurance at the point you sign, rather than later.
If the charter starts late or is interrupted
Your first entitlement is time: an equivalent extension of the charter period where that does not conflict with the yacht's onward commitments. Beyond that it depends on scale and cause. An interruption of 20% or less of the charter from a Permitted Cause gives you a pro-rata refund. More than 20% from a Permitted Cause lets you terminate and take a full refund. A delay of 10% or more that is not from a Permitted Cause lets you either terminate with a full refund plus reasonable damages capped at 50% of the charter fee, or take a pro-rata refund instead.
The yacht is insured. You are not.
Throughout your charter the owner maintains insurance for the yacht with A-rated insurers, including protection and indemnity cover, pollution and third-party liabilities, use of the tenders and water sports equipment by you and your guests, and cover for the captain and crew. What it does not insure is you. Our contract says so plainly and recommends you arrange your own cover for yourself, your guests, your personal effects and medical expenses — and states that the owner is under no obligation to provide charterer's liability or curtailment insurance.
Your deposit and your APA come back
The security deposit is held without interest and returned within seven days of redelivery if it has not been drawn on, or once any outstanding claims are settled if it has. Any unspent balance of the Advance Provisioning Allowance is returned to you at the end of the charter. About 24 hours before you disembark the captain runs a provisional settle-up with you, so the final position is agreed before you leave rather than discovered afterwards.
Weather is handled by the captain, not by cancellation
Bad weather rarely cancels a charter. The captain reshapes the itinerary — different anchorages, a different stretch of coast, days reordered — to keep you comfortable and safe. Our contract gives the captain that discretion deliberately, and it is one of the clearest practical arguments for a crewed charter: the plan flexes around the conditions without you having to make the call.
Common questions
What happens if Ahoy Club or the owner cancels my charter?
You receive a full refund of everything you have paid, plus compensation. If the cancellation happens more than 30 days before your charter start date, that compensation is 25% of the charter fee. If it happens 30 days or less before, it is 50% of the charter fee. The exception is a cancellation caused by something genuinely outside anyone's control — war, civil unrest, a pandemic, severe weather, mechanical failure not caused by negligence — where you receive a full refund without the additional compensation.
What happens if I cancel my yacht charter?
You are not entitled to a refund of money already paid unless the owner agrees otherwise at their discretion. The yacht has been held exclusively for your dates and taken off the market, which is why this is the standard position across the industry. It is also the reason charter cancellation insurance is worth pricing at the point you sign rather than later.
Is a yacht charter deposit refundable?
Two different payments are often both called a deposit. The initial charter payment commits the yacht to your dates and is generally not refundable if you cancel. The security deposit is separate: it is held without interest during your charter and returned within seven days of redelivery if it has not been drawn on, or once any outstanding claims are settled if it has.
What if my charter starts late or is cut short?
Your first entitlement is an equivalent extension of the charter period where that does not conflict with the yacht's onward commitments. Otherwise: an interruption of 20% or less of the charter caused by something outside anyone's control gives you a pro-rata refund; more than 20% lets you terminate and take a full refund; and a delay of 10% or more that is not outside anyone's control lets you either terminate with a full refund plus reasonable damages capped at 50% of the charter fee, or take a pro-rata refund.
Is insurance included in a yacht charter?
The yacht's insurance is, and the owner maintains it throughout your charter with A-rated insurers — protection and indemnity cover, pollution and third-party liabilities, use of the tenders and water sports equipment by you and your guests, and cover for the captain and crew. Your own position is not insured by it. Our contract recommends you arrange cover for yourself, your guests, your personal effects and medical expenses, and states that the owner has no obligation to provide charterer's liability or curtailment insurance.
Should I take out charter cancellation insurance?
It is worth pricing, and our own contract recommends you arrange your own cover. Because you are generally not entitled to a refund if you cancel, and because the sums involved in a crewed charter are substantial, cancellation and curtailment cover is the specific gap most worth closing. Cover normally has to be in place before the event you are insuring against, so the moment to look at it is when you sign, not later.
How do I cancel a charter?
Through your broker. Our contract requires cancellations to be made via the retail agent, and a cancellation attempted by any other route has no contractual effect — so telling the captain or the owner directly does not cancel anything. Speak to the person who arranged your charter.