Understanding the Yacht Charter Seasons: Best Times and Destinations for Every Sailor
Regardless of whether you work on board a private superyacht or a charter yacht, your life is run by the yachting seasons. For the most part, it is the seasons that dictate where your boat is (and therefore where you are) and when. The seasons also determine when you are able to take time to relax, develop your professional skills or pursue other interests.
In this post, we’ll give you a practical guide to the charter seasons, the key destinations and how to plan your year so you are in sync with the important dates.
You’ll see that the yacht seasons are more than just blocks of months marked out on a calendar to help rich tourists plan their holidays. They are the single most important factor in the lives of yacht owners, managers, crewing agencies, suppliers and, of course, superyacht crew.
Understanding the two core seasons: Med vs Caribbean, the two halves of the year
While other destinations are becoming increasingly popular (we’ll get to those later), the superyacht calendar is still dominated by two regions: the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
The Med season runs roughly from May to October, though you’ll find activity starts to ramp up in the course of April and may go all the way into October before it fizzles out.
Then attention switches to the Caribbean. October and November are when many boats that spent the summer in the Med and their crews make the trip across the Atlantic. The Caribbean season itself runs from November to April, although you’ll see boats gravitating back towards the Med from March onwards.
| Season | Region | Typical Months | Key Destinations |
| Summer | Mediterranean | May – October | South of France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Turkey |
| Winter | Caribbean | November – April | Antigua, St Barts, British Virgin Islands, St Lucia |
For crews, the ‘shoulder’ seasons just before and after each main season can mean quieter times, because guests and owners are less likely to be on board. We’ll look at how you can make the best of these times later on. First, let’s take a closer look at each of the main seasons.
Why the Med still reigns supreme: glamour, crowds and culture
The Med is bustling in the summer due its unparalleled combination of glamour, culture, architecture, scenery, cuisine and more
Image: Pixabay
The world is a big place, and it’s not short of breathtaking destinations. So why is it that the superyacht industry clusters itself in the Mediterranean every summer?
The Med’s enduring appeal is down to one thing, and one thing only: it’s got everything. No other destination can offer the rich variety and combination of the things the rich crave: glamour, culture, art, events, cuisine, destinations and, above all, prestige. It is quite literally the playground of the rich. Anyone who is somebody wants to be, has to be, will be here.
Unsurprisingly, that means a big demand for boats at the peak of the season. After all, no point turning up before all the other rich somebodies have arrived, or after they have gone. If you’re ultra-rich, you want to play when everyone else is at the playground.
For all superyacht crew, but charter crew especially, the peak June to August months in the Med are fast-paced and exceptionally demanding. There is a high turnover of guests and the charters come relentlessly one after the other. Crew have to stay alert and deliver peak performances for months on end without a break.
For crew on board charter yachts, the rewards are there: big tips on top of already excellent pay. Crew on private yachts might find their bank balances boosted by bonuses from happy owners.
At the same time, the intensity of the mid-Med season makes it the most likely time for crew to burn out or wilt in the face of the unrelenting pressure.
Far from the madding crowd: the quieter Med
The Med also allows yachts to sail leisurely for weeks at a time, such as along the coast of Croatia
Image: Arno Senoner on Unsplash
Such is the variety of destinations in the Mediterranean that the ultra-rich can, if they wish, slip away from the bustling hotspots and find quieter, more remote areas.
A broader range of destinations to choose from also means more potential for longer itineraries, with more sailing days between lesser known islands. For instance, you can get lost for weeks on end in the Greek isles or meandering up and down the Croatian coast and visiting the islands.
The Caribbean winter: laid-back luxury at a different pace
The Caribbean is where the wealthy find luxury and relaxation
Image: Natasha on Unsplash
While the Med offers everything, the Caribbean has built its reputation mostly on a single attraction: relaxation. The Med season is bursting with glamour and excitement. The Caribbean season, on the other hand, is about taking it easy. At least, it is as far as the ultra-rich are concerned. It’s a different story for superyacht crew. The Caribbean season might not be the full-on white-knuckle ride the Med is, but it has its moments.
The peak of the Caribbean season is shorter than in the Med. It can be measured in weeks rather than months, and is concentrated around Christmas and New Year. Either side of that, the season is less intense and focuses on more easy-going cruising.
Nevertheless, there is one thing that makes the Caribbean season potentially more stressful for superyacht crew than the Mediterranean season: hurricanes. Not necessarily because the yachting and hurricane seasons overlap. They don’t. Or at least, not by much. The local hurricane season ends in November, but the last heavy weather is usually in October.
Where a hurricane can interfere with superyachts is when destinations are hit by a hurricane or when crew need to make diversions.
However, let’s be clear that the inconvenience to superyachts and the ultra-rich of a hurricane ripping through the Caribbean and interfering with their holiday plans is a minor thing. The impact on locals, on the other hand, can be devastating.
So while hurricanes are something superyachts and their crew have to be wary of at the very start of the season, for their own safety and that of the guests, it’s not something that would bring the season to a halt. At worst, they will need to be aware to where the yacht can and cannot go in the aftermath of a violent storm.
Where the Caribbean matches the Med
Caribbean holidays for the ultra-rich aren’t just about drinking rum while watching the sun set over a perfect desert island. Taken as a whole, the region offers many things the Med does, just on a smaller and less concentrated scale.
Caribbean cuisine is exciting and, in places, phenomenal. And you can get the same regatta buzz in Antigua as you’ll find in many Mediterranean ports. Looking for luxury and a bit of exclusivity? Look no further than St Barts.
Looking for some regatta buzz in the Caribbean? Antigua fits the bill
Image: Shinzan Murray on Unsplash
Where next? Alternative and emerging destinations
The joy of owning or operating a superyacht is that you can sail it anywhere in the world. If it’s properly robust and equipped, even to the Antarctic. And there is a growing class of more adventurous owners and guests who want to experience something different.
Broadly speaking, ‘something different’ falls into four categories:
- easy sailing and hospitable (think the Seychelles or Maldives as a winter alternative to the Caribbean)
- easy sailing and inhospitable (northern Atlantic destinations in the summer months like the Norwegian fjords, Svalbard, Iceland, the Faroes)
- quite a voyage and hospitable (far-flung destinations in the Pacific, like Fiji and French Polynesia, a voyage and a half to get to, but breathtaking)
- quite a voyage and inhospitable (think challenging destinations like Patagonia, Alaska, Antarctica even — once-in-a-lifetime experiences)
By inhospitable, we mean the environment, not the locals. Because in some destinations, there are no locals. Not human ones, anyway.
Some destinations are only suitable for dedicated expedition ships and explorer-type superyachts, and it’s interesting that we’re seeing more of this class of yacht being purpose-built for adventurous owners. Gone are the days when ‘superyacht’ meant a boat that was only designed to bob about on the serene waters of the Caribbean or Med.
The increasing range of destinations has an impact on crew too. For at start, more complex voyages require more experienced crew, likely at higher than average wages.
But the appeal of working on board an explorer-style yacht, or a yacht that ventures away from the traditional hotspots, isn’t simply one of pay. These yachts offer a richer exposure to the world’s more stunning locations.
Some might say that if you’re bored of the Mediterranean, you’re bored of life. The truth, though, is there is more to see in the world than the Amalfi coast.
Alternative charter destinations for superyachts, such as the Norwegian fjords, are becoming popular among owners and guests looking for something different
Image: Robert Bye on Unsplash
Aligning your career with the seasons
Not only do the main yachting seasons determine when you work, they also influence when you’ll be able to take time off, spend time on other interests, take training courses and (importantly) put plans in place for your career after yachting.
That last one, planning for life after yachting, is the thing nearly everyone forgets about. Your career in yachting has an end date. You yourself have a ‘best before date’, as far as the industry is concerned. Actually, it’s a ‘use by’ date. And it’s sooner than you think. So it makes sense to spend some of your downtime planning your exit — one on your terms, not the superyacht industry’s. Yachting Financial Solutions can help you with that.
Clever crew set aside time during the quieter periods of the year, the so-called ‘shoulder seasons’ we referred to earlier, to make plans and get things in place to support those plans. For example, financial planning.
Yacht crew need to sort their finances for both for the short term (while they are in yachting) and long term (life after yachting).
In the short term, clever crew make sensible decisions about what to do with their money. The temptation between seasons is to spend all the money you’ve made during the busy period on R&R. Luxury holidays, expensive restaurants, pricey presents to yourself…
Look, don’t get us wrong, you deserve some of that. You worked bloody hard for it, so you should treat yourself.
Just don’t miss your unique opportunity to build worthwhile savings and investments that you will reap massive benefits from once you’ve left the industry.
Yachting isn’t always continuous employment
Another thing to be aware of is that many crew contracts only run for a season. And employment on board the same yacht or another one for the next season isn’t guaranteed. You might find yourself having to skip a season, and along with it, the big pay cheque.
Suddenly, spending all the money you made last season isn’t such a hot idea. You need it to help bridge the gap to the next season and the next superyacht job. Our advice is to build up a buffer of three or, even better, six months’ salary. It’s liberating to have that kind of financial fallback position.
From there, you can start investing in a savings plan or build an investment portfolio. That’s when the money you worked so hard to earn will start working on your behalf.
If you’d like to look at putting a financial plan in place, start here and, when you’re ready, drop us a line. We’ve made it our life’s work to help superyacht crew like you build the best financial platform to support your dream life.
Quick view: when to go where
The seasons are a map, if you use them well
Because the superyacht industry hinges on two well-defined seasons, it’s easier for crew to make plans. You know when and where to be to make the most of your earnings potential, and you know when you’ll have time for self-development, rest and future planning.
You can maximise your opportunities for career advancement and progression, and build in decompression time when the pace of the industry slows down.
In life, timing is everything. Fortunately for you, you don’t have to rely on coincidence to time things right for your yachting career. Even better, you can use the timing of the industry to your own advantage so that you get the most out of your time in yachting, and set yourself up properly for your next step in life.
If you want to build a lifestyle and financial plan around the seasons that shape your career, talk to us. We understand the rhythm of yacht life.
