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Dear readers,

The average seamanship of charter crews has left a lot to be desired for years. At least that's what more and more charter agencies, fleet operators and reinsurers have been saying in discussions with YACHT. For years.

However, a charter sailor has to find his way around every new boat. I know what I'm talking about, I was an owner, then chartered for 15 years and have been an owner again for a few years now. And I enjoy already knowing the manoeuvring behaviour of the boat in the harbour, knowing when it makes sense to reef and not having any questions about the operation of equipment on board.

But unfortunately, more and more of us are encountering strange situations that make us wonder and sometimes just make us feel ashamed. The other day in a bay in the Ionian Sea, for example: after two days of a cow storm with gusts of 50 metres, we get ready to set sail for a crossing. The forecast is still predicting gusts of 30, with cap and jet effects on top. The sky is still cloudy, the air has cooled noticeably. You can see whitecaps outside. We cast off, the first reef is tied in, the crew in oilskins, everything stowed. A large Beneteau overtakes us. Rock music is blaring in the cockpit, the mainsail is already fully hoisted, but despite the aft wind, it's tight amidships. We motor out of the bay into the open sea in shorts and T-shirts. All eight fenders dangle happily back and forth on the ship. A giant pink inflatable flamingo lies in front of the mast. Towels, swimming trunks, SUP boards on the railing wires. And the dinghy, which is only secured to the foredeck with a line. No exaggeration: we see boats with fenders out almost every day in ten days of sailing.

Section. A bay with a pier. We are moored at the pier, a charter yacht with berth guests is motoring into the bay. Circling the pier. The skipper calls over to ask if the space next to us is "safe". I reply truthfully that there are large rocks right next to us and that he shouldn't just moor with the stern - which, incidentally, is also noted in nautical charts and sailing guides. He then continues to circle around, tries several attempts, then cancels them. No-one makes any effort to deploy a longer stern line for more distance from the pier, as we did because of the stones. Then the skipper tries to anchor in the bay. At a depth of about ten metres, poorly holding ground, as the area guide says. He throws very little chain, so the iron doesn't hold. He tries again.

At some point we leave the scene because we want to go to dinner. From there, we see the skipper abort the manoeuvre and chug the boat, a 50-footer, into the tiny bay and tie up to a fisherman's mooring ring with an old 5-litre detergent canister as buoyancy at a depth of around three metres. We estimate the Beneteau's draught to be around 2 to 2.20 metres. By now it's getting dark. It's impossible for him to see what's attached to the mooring ring down there. I know the bay, there are usually smaller rowing boats and motorboats moored at the buoys. The light wind is blowing slightly onshore, the beach starts about 40 metres behind his boat. Engine off. The crew, about twelve very young charter guests, move to our restaurant. Nobody stays on board. Back there later, the group blasts the entire bay with booming loud music until two in the morning. Occasionally, fellow sailors from there go ashore to have a chat. With plenty of alcohol in their luggage, right at the stern of our boat on the pier.

Cut. We meet a German couple with a very pretty new Solaris yacht in a taverna. They tell us that they have the boat permanently moored in Greece, but hardly ever sail in summer because it's too crowded and too dangerous for them. I ask what is dangerous about it. They say that various charter crews always come into the crowded bays, sail into non-existent gaps, throw grotesquely little chain, don't retract the iron, deploy fenders (or conveniently already have them out) and then head off to the restaurant. When the wind shifts or picks up, often at night, they immediately drive off and sail to the other yachts or rake their chains and irons out of the bottom. For them as owners, this is pure stress.

Cut again. A YACHT colleague told the story last summer of how he had to go to great lengths to prevent a charter crew from completely shaving off one side of his railing in the harbour. When asked whether the manoeuvre could not have been better thought through and prepared, the answer was a snotty: "Don't be like that, there's insurance for that!"

And here we get to the heart of the problem, in my opinion. Almost two thirds of charter fleet customers now go sailing with deposit insurance. This is also due to the fact that charter companies report that there are more and more customers who see sailing as a kind of "holiday on the water", but have little interest in the sporting aspect and seamanship. For them, deposits of 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 euros are difficult to arrange. So the deposit insurance is simply integrated into the charter price, which has been a trend for a few years now. Fleet operators are simply no longer interested in arguing with customers about damages - after all, they are supposed to come back.

That the charter can quickly become 300 to 500 euros more expensive as a result? Who cares if four, five people or even couples share the costs? No money deposited, no inhibitions - this is apparently the conclusion unfortunately drawn by some skippers. But what many people don't realise is that if the charter yacht is returned with damage, the base has to repair it. This can often prolong the waiting time of the next crew if too much damage occurs to too many boats at the same time. Anyone who has ever had to wait so long on handover day that they were unable to set sail and experienced a sweaty base employee covering the entire saloon with dirty tools and parts knows what I'm talking about.

Some may say that the manoeuvres described above are due to a lack of experience or sometimes simply a lack of manners. But quite honestly, if you don't expect any tangible consequences for your actions, you won't learn from your mistakes as much as someone whose 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 euro deposit has been wiped out. I have no objection at all to this deposit being insured, but if it is, then please use the real insurance model. So: first the deposit is gone once the damage occurs. Then report the damage, fill in the reports, claim reimbursement and wait a few weeks for the money. It has to hurt a little. This is how interest in skipper training is awakened or a specialised book is bought or, if you like, just read. And you will certainly think about some manoeuvres a little better in advance next time.

Yours sincerely

Andreas Fritsch

YACHT editor

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