1. The right certificate for your boat and route
Ask for the skipper’s certificate of competency and check that it fits the size of your boat and how far offshore the route goes. For most yacht deliveries owners and insurers expect at least a Yachtmaster Offshore or a national equivalent — an ocean passage calls for more. If the boat is used commercially, the skipper may also need a commercial endorsement, a seafarer medical and sea survival training.
Check the dates: certificates, medicals and first aid training expire.
2. Relevant experience and real references
Even when a skipper comes through a well-known company, check the references of the person who will actually be in charge of your boat.
- •Recent deliveries on similar boats — same type, similar size, similar distance
- •Night passages, heavy weather and the sea area of your route
- •Engine and systems know-how: a skipper often has to fix things with the spares on board
- •References from owners of recent deliveries — call at least one of them
3. Insurance — before anything else
Tell your insurer the dates, the route and who will skipper, and get written confirmation that a paid delivery crew is covered. Some insurers want to approve the skipper in advance. Ask the skipper whether they carry their own professional liability insurance.
4. Plan, communication and back-up
- •A passage plan with stops, weather limits and how departure decisions are made
- •How often you get position and ETA updates during the trip
- •Crew size and who the crew are
- •What happens if the skipper falls ill or cancels — is there a back-up?
5. Put it in writing
Agree the fee (day rate or fixed), which days count, who pays flights, food, fuel and marina fees, and what happens if weather or a breakdown causes delays. Record the boat’s condition at pickup and delivery with photos and signatures.
Red flags
- •A price far below everyone else’s
- •Vague answers about previous deliveries, or no references
- •Pressure to pay in cash or in full before anything is agreed
- •No interest in the boat’s condition, papers or insurance
On Maritime Delivery every crew member’s photo ID and certificates are checked before they can apply, you can read reviews from completed assignments and meet applicants in a video interview first. Your payment is held until both sides confirm the job is done, and the digital handover report records the boat’s condition at both ends.
Sources
Put it to work