Charter boat fishing captains reported that they generally receive tips of 10 to 20% of the trip cost. A tip of 15% is generally expected. The tip is divided between the captain and the partner on most ships. First, let's clarify a couple of things.
A tip is not mandatory, it is not a salary and there are no definite rules. A tip is a customer-driven act that generally demonstrates an appreciation of the level of service. The “rates for how much to tip a ship captain vary from 5 to 20%, but there is a certain label. The tip is always given to the captain, in cash, who then distributes the tip to the crew equally.
If there is a crew, of course, the thing to keep in mind here is that charters are not like restaurants. People who work charters would compare it more to a lifestyle because their shifts tend to be longer. In some countries, seasons are only good for 12 to 16 weeks and they have to work every day. Even when the captain owns the boat, most of the money goes to maintaining the boat and the expenses of owning a business.
In general, brokers recommend tipping between 5 and 20 percent of the base rate, depending on the yacht and location. It's usually toward the lower end of that scale in the Mediterranean and higher in the U.S. UU and the Caribbean. Because tips felt so ambiguous on this private yacht vacation, some travelers gave a 5% tip, while other charterers gave more than 25% tips for yachts regulated by the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association.
According to the MYBA, tips for yachts should cost between 5% and 15%. You'll tip the captain directly, either in cash, check or even via bank transfer if you don't want to carry a substantial amount of cash during your vacation. Often, you can turn to your charter agent to transfer the tip to the captain. Brokers generally suggest to charterers that a tip calculated between five percent and fifteen percent of the contracted gross fare is only appropriate if the crew has provided excellent service.
The current template of the MYBA Charter Agreement, widely used in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, has sections dedicated to financial matters such as charter fee, VAT (if applicable), APA, security deposit and broker fee, but not gratuity. Nicci Perides of Burgess in London quotes his firm's charter team as saying it's not uncommon for customers to tip crew less than 10 percent of the charter rate. If you have further questions about how to tip the captain of your charter boat, consult your charter agent, who should be able to advise you.
