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A 30% APA on a $500,000 charter week is $150,000 wired to the captain's APA account two weeks before the charter begins. On the standard MYBA Charter Agreement that governs most term charters in 2026, that $150,000 is the charter client's money. The captain spends it on operational costs during the week, documents the spend, and returns whatever is left within 7 to 14 days after the charter ends. If the spend exceeds the APA, the captain asks for a top-up mid-charter, usually around day four or five. This is standard practice. It is not a gotcha. It is also not always handled as cleanly as the contract implies, and that is the part of APA that first-time charter clients consistently misunderstand.
We have reviewed APA reconciliations for more than 60 charters in the last three Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons. This post is the full breakdown of what 30% APA covers in 2026, what it does not, where the variance shows up, and the four conversations to have with the broker before signing.
What APA is, exactly
APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance. It is the fund the charter client provides to the captain to cover the running costs of the charter week. It exists because, under the MYBA Charter Agreement (the contract standard for most term charters between $50K and $2M per week), the owner's flat charter fee includes the yacht, the crew, the insurance, and the maintenance. Everything else (fuel, food, dockage, fees) is paid separately, and APA is the mechanism for that payment.
APA is paid in addition to the charter fee. A $500,000 charter fee with 30% APA means the charter client pays $650,000 before the trip begins, plus VAT where applicable, plus gratuity at the end. The 30% sits in a separate account managed by the captain or by the yacht's central agent.
What 30% APA covers
In rough order by typical spend on a 45m to 60m motor yacht in peak Med season, as of May 2026:
Fuel. The single largest APA line on most charter weeks. A 50m motor yacht burns roughly 80 to 130 litres per hour at cruise speed (10 to 12 knots), 200 to 300 litres per hour at higher speeds. A week with five to six cruising days at modest speeds runs $8,000 to $18,000 of fuel. A week running long passages at speed can run double. Diesel prices in the Med were around €1.55 to €1.85 per litre at marina pumps in spring 2026. See our yacht fuel cost post for the burn-rate-by-class data.
Dockage. The second largest line in most Med weeks. Marina berthing for a 50m yacht in peak August runs $1,500 to $4,000 per night in Saint-Tropez, Porto Cervo, or Monaco. Lower in less premium harbours. A week with four marina nights and three anchorage nights typically costs $7,000 to $18,000 in dockage. Saint-Tropez and Capri are the outlier high-cost berths.
Food (provisioning). The chef's food spend for the guests, typically $7,000 to $14,000 per week for 10 to 12 guests. Higher if the chef is sourcing high-end proteins, lower if the menu is casual. Crew food is paid separately by the owner and is not in the APA.
Drinks (provisioning). Often run as a separate line within APA. A week of drinking on a charter yacht for 10 to 12 guests typically runs $3,000 to $9,000. Wine and spirits are sourced by the chief stew from a pre-charter brief and topped up during the week. High-end wine programs (multi-vintage Burgundies, vintage Champagne, rare Bordeaux) can run $10,000 to $20,000 by themselves. Most clients have an actual budget they will discuss. Many do not realise they should.
Tender fuel. The yacht's tenders run during the week. A typical week burns $500 to $1,500 of tender fuel. More on weeks with heavy ashore-dining patterns. Jet ski fuel goes here too.
Communications. Starlink is now the default on most charter yachts, and Starlink charter-grade subscriptions run roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per week, billed through APA. Cellular roaming for the captain and crew during port calls is also in APA.
Laundry and dry cleaning. Aboard the yacht for guest laundry and ashore where the yacht is med-moored. $400 to $1,200 per week.
Anchorage and permit fees. Most Mediterranean countries now charge for the right to anchor in protected zones. Croatia (the boravisna pristojba), Greece (the post-2025 charter tax), Italy (the Capri permit, the Cinque Terre no-anchor zones), and Sardinia (the Maddalena permit) all add line items. Combined, $200 to $1,500 per week depending on route.
Port fees and pilotage. Where pilots are required (Venice on the canals, certain Greek ports for foreign-flag charter, the Bosphorus). Most charter weeks do not incur pilotage. Where they do, $400 to $1,500 per pilot transit.
Miscellaneous. Florists for the guest pre-charter setup, special-occasion provisioning (birthday cakes, anniversary champagne setup), photographer ashore for one evening, ground transport coordinated by the captain, helicopter ground handling at the destination heliport. These add $500 to $5,000 to a typical APA. Special-event weeks (proposal aboard, milestone birthday) run higher.
What APA does not cover
The most common confusion. APA does not pay for:
The charter fee. Paid separately to the owner via the central agent. APA is in addition.
VAT. Where applicable (France 20%, Italy variable post-2025, Spain 21%, Greece 12% to 24%, Croatia 13%, Turkey variable), VAT is calculated on the charter fee, not the APA, and is paid separately. The MYBA contract specifies how. The total invoice price is charter fee plus VAT plus APA.
Gratuity. The end-of-charter crew gratuity is paid by the charter client to the captain in cash or bank transfer on the last evening or last morning. Industry standard is 10% of the charter fee, with variation by region and crew performance (5% to 15%). Not in APA. See our yacht crew tipping post.
Crew wages. The owner pays the crew salary. APA does not.
Yacht maintenance, insurance, depreciation, financing. All owner costs. APA does not touch them.
Helicopter time. If the charter client wants to fly the on-board helicopter for sightseeing or transport during the week, the flight cost (typically $4,000 to $9,000 per hour for an aboard EC135 or similar) is billed separately, not in APA.
Scuba certifications. PADI certification courses ashore for guests during the week. Paid separately to the operator.
Off-yacht restaurant tabs. When the guests dine ashore, they pay the restaurant directly. The captain may arrange the reservation and the ground transport, but the meal is on the client's card, not on APA.
Spa, hair, makeup ashore. Booked through the chief stew during marina nights. Paid separately by the client.
Private jet, helicopter charter to the yacht, or ground transport between airport and yacht. Outside the scope of APA.
How APA is set
The owner's central agent sets the APA percentage when the yacht is listed. The percentage is published with the yacht's listing on the central agent's database. The standard is 30%. The variations:
25% to 28%. Sailing yachts with low fuel burn. Short cruising-area itineraries (the Saronic, the Pakleni Islands). Some lower-fuel-burn explorer yachts.
30%. The default on most motor yachts 35m to 70m in Med and Caribbean charter.
32% to 35%. Yachts above 70m with higher fuel burn. Remote-cruising routes (Norway, Patagonia, Galapagos). Yachts with high water-toy fuel consumption (multiple jet skis, big tender).
35% to 40%. Older yachts with high fuel burn, fragile-condition yachts where the captain wants more provisioning buffer, or yachts running a long-passage itinerary across an ocean basin.
The published APA is not always the negotiated APA. Brokers can sometimes adjust the percentage for specific clients and itineraries. A skilled charter client will discuss this with the central agent at contracting. The owner and the central agent will only adjust APA downward if the itinerary justifies it.
When APA runs over
The captain monitors APA spend during the week. By day four, the captain has a running total. If the projected end-of-week spend exceeds the available APA, the captain notifies the charter client, usually through the broker. The client wires a top-up (typically 10% of the original APA) before the spend overruns. This is normal and frequent. We see top-ups on roughly one in three charter weeks.
The lines that typically drive an APA overrun:
Fuel. The most common cause. Overruns happen when the client wants to move more than the original itinerary contemplated, or wants higher cruising speeds. Adding a 100-mile detour to a remote anchorage burns $2,500 to $5,000 of fuel that was not in the captain's plan.
Drinks. Wine and Champagne are easy to overrun. A pre-charter brief that says "we like good wine" and then a guest who orders a $1,800 bottle of Cristal at dinner three nights running burns the APA wine line in two days.
Marina nights. Adding a night in Saint-Tropez when the original plan had it in Bonifacio adds $2,000 to $3,000.
Excursions. A helicopter sightseeing flight, a private boat tour ashore, a wine tasting at a vineyard with ground transport. None are large by themselves. The cumulative effect over seven days is material.
See /blog/apa-vs-actual-cost-data/ for the size-by-size data on overrun frequency.
How APA is reconciled
At the end of the charter, the captain prepares an APA reconciliation. The MYBA standard reconciliation includes:
- A summary by category (fuel, dockage, food, drinks, communications, laundry, anchorage fees, miscellaneous).
- Receipts for line items above a threshold, typically $500.
- A statement of the opening APA, the spend, and the closing balance.
Closing balance is returned to the charter client by bank transfer within 7 to 14 days. If the spend exceeded the APA, the captain has already collected the top-up mid-charter.
A few practical notes:
You can ask for itemised receipts. Most clients do not. They take the captain's summary and the closing balance. If you want the receipts, ask before the charter starts, not at the end. The captain will keep them.
Disputed line items are rare. They happen. Usually fuel (the client thinks the consumption was higher than expected) or drinks (the client thinks the cellar restock was excessive). The broker mediates. Most disputes resolve in favour of the captain because the captain has the receipts. Where a captain is consistently disputed on, the broker stops placing weeks on that yacht.
Currency. APA is typically paid in the operator's currency (euros in Europe, US dollars in the Caribbean and elsewhere). Reconciliation is in the same currency. Currency conversion losses on the way in and out of the APA account are not usually material.
What to ask the broker before signing
Five questions worth asking before the MYBA Charter Agreement is signed.
- What is the APA percentage, and is it negotiable for our itinerary.
- What was the average APA-vs-spend ratio for this yacht in 2024 and 2025. (A central agent who tracks this can answer. Many cannot.)
- Does the captain have a standard pre-charter brief on wine, water-toy fuel, and helicopter time, or do we initiate.
- What happens with the captain's top-up call if we are unreachable mid-charter. (The captain has discretion to continue the standard operations and reconcile later. Confirm in writing.)
- Receipts threshold. $500 is standard. If you want $100, say so at contracting.
A broker who answers all five without checking has run charter weeks before. A broker who has to come back to you is fine but slower. A broker who deflects on the second question is hiding something.
Things first-time charter clients always get wrong
Treating APA as a fee. APA is a deposit. The unused portion comes back. Most clients budget the full 30% as cost and are mildly surprised when 5 to 15% returns. We have also seen clients budget zero return and exceed APA. Both miss the central point: APA is variable and the captain manages it.
Not pre-briefing the chef on dietary preferences. The chef will provision generically without a brief. A pre-charter call between the chief stew and the booking party (45 minutes, usually two weeks before embarkation) substantially reduces APA grocery waste.
Not pre-briefing on wine. A wine budget is worth discussing at contracting. Specify by tier ("we drink in the $80 to $150 range on dinner whites, will request specific bottles for special occasions"). Without a budget, the chief stew defaults to mid-market and the spend creeps up.
Asking for itinerary changes without discussing APA implications. Adding a 60-mile detour to a remote anchorage costs $2,500 to $4,000 in fuel. The captain will do it. The client should know in advance.
Tipping in addition to expecting unspent APA returned. APA and gratuity are unrelated. The gratuity is paid out of the client's own funds, not from the APA balance. We have seen first-time charter clients try to use the unspent APA balance as the gratuity. The broker corrects this, awkwardly.
Passed on: yachts where we would push back on APA
- Yachts where the published APA is above 35% for a Med charter and the broker cannot justify the percentage. Push back.
- Yachts with a recent history of APA overruns (more than 50% of recent charters going over). The central agent should be able to tell you. If they will not, ask why.
- Yachts where the captain does not have a published APA-reconciliation policy. Most do. The few that do not are a flag.
- Yachts whose central agent will not provide an APA-vs-spend record for the most recent two seasons. The data is theirs to share or not. Reluctance is a signal.
FAQ
What does APA cover on a yacht charter?
APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) covers fuel, food, drinks, dockage, port fees, anchorage permits, tender fuel, communications, laundry, and miscellaneous running costs incurred during the charter. It does not cover the charter fee itself, VAT, gratuity, or extras like helicopter time or scuba certifications. APA is held by the captain in a separate account and reconciled at the end of the charter.
Is APA refundable?
Yes. Unused APA is returned to the charter client at the end of the charter, usually within 7 to 14 days after the captain submits the reconciliation. If APA overruns, the captain notifies the client mid-charter and asks for a top-up. The reconciliation is documented, with receipts for line items above a threshold (typically $500).
Why is APA 30%? Can it be higher or lower?
30% APA is the standard for most Mediterranean and Caribbean charter routes on yachts up to 70m. APA is higher (32 to 35%) on yachts above 70m, on remote-cruising itineraries (Norway, Galapagos, Patagonia), and on yachts with high fuel consumption (older-hull motor yachts, ice-class explorers). APA can be lower (25 to 28%) on sailing yachts with low fuel burn or on short cruising-area itineraries. The percentage is set by the central agent at contracting and is sometimes negotiable.
Can I pay APA on a credit card?
Most central agents accept wire transfer only. A few will accept large credit-card payments with a 2 to 3% surcharge to cover processing. Not standard. Expect to wire.
What if I do not use the helicopter, water sports, or marina nights I expected to?
The unspent portion returns to you. The captain books on demand, not in advance. If you do not use the helicopter, you do not pay for it.
Who actually holds APA mid-charter, the captain or a broker?
Depends on the yacht. Most central agents run an APA escrow account that funds the captain's account at the start of the charter. The captain spends from the account. The central agent reconciles at the end. A few smaller-fleet yachts run a captain-direct APA where the captain takes the wire directly. Both are MYBA-compliant. The central agent's escrow approach is cleaner and more common.