Nearly every crewed weekly charter in the Mediterranean is contracted on the MYBA agreement, a standard form the industry has refined for decades. That is good news for you: the terms are known, tested and broadly fair. Here is what you are actually signing.
The shape of the deal
The contract names the yacht, the dates, the cruising area, the charter fee, the APA and the VAT treatment. The operator delivers the yacht with its professional crew for the period; you get exclusive use within the agreed area and the captain's judgment on safety and navigation. The fee covers yacht and crew. Running costs go through the APA, and food ashore, spa days and shopping stay on your card.
The payment schedule
The Mediterranean standard, as published on our FAQ: 50% of the fee on contract signature, and the remaining 50% plus APA and VAT roughly a month before embarkation. You pay the operator directly under the contract's escrow terms. Charter funds never pass through Elite Rentals Europe and we do not hold a client account, which is exactly how you want it as a client.
Cancellation
The closer to the charter date, the less is refundable, and high season is stricter. The exact ladder is printed in your contract before you pay anything. If your plans have real uncertainty in them, tell us before we shortlist: flexible dates, a later start or an area with deeper availability all reduce the risk of ever meeting the cancellation clause. The weather side of this question has its own rules, covered in our cancellation and weather guide.
The clause people miss
The cruising area and the captain's authority. The contract defines where the yacht may go, and it gives the captain the final word when weather or safety is in question. A captain who refuses a crossing on a windy afternoon is not ruining your day, he is doing the thing you paid a professional crew for. Itineraries in the Mediterranean always carry a plan B, and the good ones are built so plan B is also a great day.
Where we stand in it
We arrange the charter and stay with you from first message to boarding; the contract for the yacht itself is between you and the operator that runs her, on these standard terms. Before you sign anything we walk you through every line of it on a call or in chat, in plain words. If a term is unusual for the market, we say so and we say why.