Charter know-how · Aboard
Check-out: returning the yacht and getting your deposit back
The narrated video is being recorded
It will appear here shortly. The full guide is below.
Most charters return to base the evening before the last day and hand the boat over the next morning. A calm check-out comes down to three things: be back on time, return the boat as you received it, and report anything that broke during the week.
The day before
- Check your contract for the return time. In the Mediterranean the boat is usually due back in the base marina on Friday afternoon or evening, with check-out on Saturday morning.
- Refuel on the way back if the contract asks for a full tank. Fuel docks near busy bases have queues on Friday afternoon: go early.
- Empty the holding tanks where it is allowed, or at a pump-out station.
- Plan for the wind: a late Friday beat into a strong breeze is how boats get damaged on the last day.
The inspection
- Base staff check the boat against the check-in form: hull, deck, sails, dinghy, engine and inventory.
- Many bases send a diver to look at the keel, rudder and propeller. A grounding is easy to see from underwater, so report it yourself.
- Report anything that broke or went missing, honestly. Damage reported early is usually handled better than damage found later.
- Take your own photos of the boat as you leave it.
Cleaning and packing up
The deposit
If nothing is wrong, the base signs the check-out and releases the deposit. A deposit taken as a hold on a card can take several days to disappear from the statement, depending on the bank.
If there is damage, the base deducts the repair cost, up to the deposit, or claims it under the damage-waiver insurance if you bought it. Ask for the deduction in writing.
General guidance for charter crews. Your charter company's briefing, the boat's own manuals and local rules always come first.