Just under a month ago, we asked YACHT online which defects crews found on board during their last cruise. The result should help to take a closer look at the vulnerable systems at the next check-in, so that you can save yourself trouble and lost time for repairs later on. It also minimises the risk of perhaps picking up a fault that the skipper will then be held responsible for when returning the boat and possibly charged dearly for.
Almost 700 readers took part in the survey and reported an astonishing number of charter companies who wanted to hand over defective yachts and first had to be made aware of the problems by the skipper. This uncharitable and probably also very short-sighted way of passing on quality management to the customer is likely to backfire for some companies in the long term. Word of such practices always gets around among agencies and yachtsmen and ultimately leads to agencies booking these partners less and then simply losing customers. It is then not uncommon for the fleet operator to have to fill the gaps by cutting prices, which often triggers a spiral towards ever poorer quality.
Surprisingly, the toilets and the faeces tank system on board were the most frequently cited problems. Naturally, crews are annoyed by defects in this area, even if the causes are usually rather marginal from a technical point of view. If foul odours or sewage running back into the bowl are the problem, the base is often just sloppy in regularly replacing the wearing parts of the toilet and changing the pipes every few years. If this is taken to heart, there will be far, far fewer problems. This area should therefore be the main focus of attention for bases and skippers.
Problems with the sails follow directly in second place. However, it is often not about obvious damage such as tears or defective cleats for mooring lines, but rather the poor condition of the wardrobe that is criticised. This problem is as old as the charter industry: a set of furling sails often no longer looks good in windy waters by the middle of the second season: Profiles that are far too low and have "wandered", leeching, chafe marks on the spreaders. Admittedly, this also has a lot to do with mishandling by customers, but just as often with the inferior cloths that some shipyards supply as standard. It's very surprising that crews don't tend more towards fully battened mainsails, which usually still have an acceptable shape even in their second or third year and, thanks to good lazyjack systems, are not much more complicated to handle than furling sails. Maybe crews should just give it a try.
Surprisingly, the fourth place was also taken by leaking or poorly closing hatches and windows. You would think that it would be in the interests of the charter company to prevent salt water from dripping onto the berth cushions or, even worse, running into the saloon or kitchen behind the fittings and panelling. The problem is that such defects are often only noticed when it is too late, i.e. at the first downpour or when there is a lot of spray on deck. The only thing a skipper can do is to check the windows and hatches for leaks when these conditions first occur - so as not to be surprised by a wet bunk in the evening.
Another classic problem is certainly the poor condition of the on-board batteries, which, after only a short use of the refrigerator or on-board electronics while sailing, go so low that it takes hours of engine running or a night on shore power. It is incomprehensible why acoustic battery monitors that warn crews of deep discharge are still not standard on some charter yachts. One possible solution for the skipper is to ask whether the fleet installs solar panels above the bimini as standard before signing the contract. Good fleet operators now do this quite often. This allows the cooler to run almost non-stop, at least it doesn't mind the few hours of sailing.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
