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This is a reconstruction of one family's 50m Mediterranean charter week in July 2025. We have changed the family's name and the yacht's name. The numbers, the itinerary, the broker decisions, and the post-charter debrief are accurate. The all-in delivered cost was $385K for 8 guests over 7 nights from Cannes to Portofino. The family has chartered four times in the past six years and this was their third Med week.
We reconstruct this case because the published rate for a 50m motor yacht in peak July ($280K weekly for this particular hull) is the smallest number a charter client should anchor on. The all-in number is what the wire transfer eventually totaled, and the gap between the two is where most charter regret lives.
The family
Two parents in their late 40s. Four children aged 5, 9, 13, and 16. Two grandparents in their 70s, the parents' parents, joining for the back half of the week. Total guest count: 8 adults and children for the full week. The yacht's cabin count was 5 (master, VIP, two doubles, one twin), which the family used as: parents in master, grandparents in VIP, the two oldest kids in the twin, the youngest two sharing a double. The fifth cabin was used as a nanny cabin for the first three days, after which the nanny disembarked and the cabin became a play room for the youngest.
The yacht
50m motor yacht, built. Five cabins, sleeps 10 in the published spec but the family deliberately undersold the cabin count to keep the yacht uncrowded. At-rest stabilizers, no underway stabilizers (a meaningful spec choice we address below). Tender garage with two tenders and a wakeboarding boat. Three jet skis. Beach club with opening transom. Captain with this yacht since 2021. Crew of 10 plus the chef.
The family's broker quoted three yachts in the 48m to 55m range. The family chose this hull for two reasons: the captain had a stable 4-year tenure with the yacht, and the chef had a reputation for accommodating dietary preferences (one of the children has a tree-nut allergy and the 16-year-old is vegetarian). The other two yachts had cheaper rates ($245K and $265K weekly) but newer crew. The family paid $280K weekly for crew tenure.
The week
Day 1 (Saturday): Cannes to Iles de Lerins The yacht boarded at Cannes Vieux Port at 16:00. Family flew Nice to Cannes by helicopter (a transfer the broker arranged through a third-party operator, $4,800 one-way for 4 guests, repeated three times to move 8 guests and luggage). The captain pulled off the dock at 18:00 and ran 4nm south to Iles de Lerins for the first night anchored off Ste-Marguerite. Dinner aboard. The chef delivered a fish-led tasting menu (loup de mer, langoustines), accommodating the allergy and vegetarian preferences. The family rated this dinner the best of the week in the post-charter debrief.
Day 2 (Sunday): Iles de Lerins to Cap d'Antibes to Villefranche Morning swim at Ste-Marguerite. 8nm to anchor off Plage de la Garoupe on Cap d'Antibes for lunch aboard. Tender to Plage Keller for the beach club afternoon. The family had pre-booked four sunbeds at €350 each for the day. Evening 12nm to Villefranche for the night. Yacht anchored in Villefranche bay, which holds 50m hulls in 12 to 18m sand reliably. The 16-year-old took the tender into Villefranche town for dinner with a friend who happened to be in Nice; this was a logistical complication the family had not anticipated and the bosun ran the tender after-hours, which became a gratuity factor at week-end.
Day 3 (Monday): Villefranche to Monaco to Beaulieu Morning at Villefranche. 4nm coast hop to Monaco for a marina day. The yacht did not Med-moor; it anchored outside the breakwater in 25m and tendered in. The family chose this over a $4,800-per-night Port Hercule berth (the broker's quote, peak July). Lunch ashore at Yacht Club de Monaco's pool, where the family had reciprocal access through a member friend. Afternoon back aboard. Evening to Beaulieu for dinner ashore at La Reserve. Yacht anchored off Beaulieu overnight.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Beaulieu to Saint-Tropez (the day the family would skip) 36nm leg west. The yacht left Beaulieu at 09:00 and arrived in Saint-Tropez at 14:00. The lack of underway stabilizers on this particular hull made the leg uncomfortable for the grandparents and the youngest child; the swell was 1 to 1.5m on the beam for the second half of the run. Family bought the saint-Tropez night in advance but the harbour at peak July was chaotic. Anchored off Pampelonne in 15m sand. Lunch ashore at Loulou for €620 for the adults' tasting menu and €280 for the kids. Dinner aboard. Yacht overnighted at Pampelonne.
This day is the one the family flagged for change. The Saint-Tropez stop added 72nm of running for one beach lunch and one anchorage night, all because the parents wanted the kids to see Pampelonne. The kids did not particularly remember it. The grandparents were uncomfortable on the leg. The family told the broker at the debrief that they would have stayed east instead and run a Calanques day from Cassis or a longer Cap Ferrat anchorage.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Saint-Tropez to Cap d'Antibes to Iles de Lerins Long return leg. 38nm. Same weather pattern, slightly worse. The grandparents took anti-nausea medication and stayed in the salon. Family arrived at Iles de Lerins at 16:00. Anchored off Ste-Marguerite again. Dinner aboard. Family treated this as a re-set day before the Italian leg.
Day 6 (Thursday): Iles de Lerins to Genova approach (overnight repositioning) The yacht repositioned overnight from the Lerins anchorage to a daybreak anchorage off Portofino. 95nm. The family slept through it. The captain ran in a 1m beam swell that did not affect sleep in the master and VIP cabins; the twin cabin amidships, with the two oldest children, reported a noisy night. The family arrived at Portofino at 08:00 Friday morning.
Day 7 (Friday): Portofino Friday in Portofino. Yacht anchored outside the harbour, did not enter. Tender to the Portofino public dock. Lunch at Da Ö Batti for €890 for 8 guests, the most expensive lunch of the week. Afternoon at the Castello hike. Dinner aboard. Yacht anchored off Camogli for the final night.
Day 8 (Saturday): Camogli to Genova, disembark Short morning leg to Genova airport pickup point. Disembarkation at 11:00. Family flew home from Genova.
This is the 7-night, 200nm version. Eight stops. One repositioning overnight. The longest single daylight leg was 38nm (Tuesday and Wednesday). The captain's run distance was 200nm, which is at the low end for a Med week of this type.
The fully-loaded cost
| Line | $ (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Charter fee | $280,000 | 50m motor yacht, peak July 2025 rate |
| APA deposit (30%) | $84,000 | wired with final balance |
| APA actual reconciled | $91,200 | reconciled at week-end, $7,200 over deposit |
| French VAT offset | $11,300 | French commercial-flag offset structure, net VAT after reduction |
| Pre-charter helicopter transfer | $4,800 | Nice to Cannes, broker-arranged |
| Pre-charter dock fees Cannes | $0 | covered in APA |
| Crew gratuity (12%) | $33,600 | paid in cash to captain at disembarkation |
| Broker fee | $0 | paid by the central agent from charter fee |
| Total all-in delivered | $385,300 |
The headline weekly rate was $280K. The all-in cost was $385K. The gap of $105K is 37% of the headline rate, which is typical for a peak Med week. The family had budgeted $410K; they came in $25K under their internal budget. They considered this a successful charter financially.
Lines inside the APA they did not anticipate
The reconciled APA was $7,200 over the 30% deposit. The three line items that caused the overrun:
The first was a mid-week helicopter transfer of two guests from Villefranche to Nice and back ($4,200 round-trip for two pax). The grandfather had a medical appointment in Nice mid-week and the family chose helicopter over a 35-minute tender plus 25-minute car. The broker had flagged this possibility in pre-charter but the family had not booked ahead.
The second was the Loulou lunch at Pampelonne. The broker had estimated $400 per adult for restaurant ashore days. Loulou ran $620 per adult plus €280 per child. The overage was $1,800.
The third was the Da Ö Batti lunch in Portofino. Same pattern. Broker's estimate $400 per head, actual $890 for 8.
Across the three line items the family overran APA by approximately $7,200. The reconciliation came back from the captain on day 9 post-charter and the family wired the balance.
What the family would change
Three things, in priority order.
First, skip Saint-Tropez. The 72nm round-trip from Beaulieu plus the uncomfortable leg for the grandparents was not worth the one beach lunch. A second Cap Ferrat or Iles de Lerins day would have served the same purpose with less running.
Second, do not Med-moor or harbour-berth in peak-July hot stops. The family did not Med-moor in Monaco, did not Med-moor in Portofino, and did not stay overnight in Saint-Tropez harbour. Each of those decisions saved $3,000 to $5,000 in dockage and made the yacht a quieter base. The pattern works: anchor outside, tender in.
Third, hire the nanny for the full week. The family economized by hiring the nanny for only three days. The post-charter debrief noted that the parents had wanted a quiet dinner aboard on day 5, day 6, and day 7 and did not get one. The marginal cost of a full-week nanny was approximately $3,500. The family would pay it next time.
What the family was right about
Three things they did right.
First, paying for the crew tenure rather than the lower-rate alternative. The chef accommodated the food preferences without complaint, including a last-minute switch to dairy-free for one dinner the family flagged on day 3. The 13-year-old's birthday on Tuesday got a chef-baked cake without the family asking. The crew's familiarity with the yacht showed in the tender operations, the water-toy turnover, and the daily reset of the beach club.
Second, choosing a hull with at-rest stabilizers and accepting the no-underway-stabilizer trade-off. The family rarely had legs over 35nm and the at-rest stabilizers were running every night at anchor. They did not need underway. The trade-off saved approximately $30K on the weekly rate for an equivalent yacht with underway stabilizers.
Third, the repositioning overnight from Lerins to Portofino. Running the 95nm leg overnight rather than during the day delivered Portofino on Friday morning without burning a daylight day. The 5-year-old slept through the night without noticing the run. The captain charged the family two extra fuel hours, which came out of APA.
Passed on at the inquiry stage
The family was offered three yachts. They passed on:
A 52m motor yacht built 2022 with the lower headline rate ($245K weekly). The crew was newer (captain 14 months on the yacht). The family's broker noted that two prior charter parties had filed minor service complaints. The family read the broker's note and passed.
A 48m sailing yacht. The family is not a sailing family. The 16-year-old wanted to sail; the 5-year-old would have been uncomfortable. The family kept it motor.
The broker's role and what they got right
The family's broker is a London-based central agent who has placed them on four charters over six years. The broker's three contributions to this charter, in priority order:
First, recommending against the lower-rate hull on crew-tenure grounds.
Second, flagging the helicopter transfer possibility in pre-charter and pre-quoting it.
Third, building the itinerary anchored on Cannes pickup and Genova drop-off, which saved a day on the Italian arrival flight.
The family's broker fee was zero. The central agent's commission was paid out of the charter fee by the yacht's management company. The family knows this and considers the broker's incentives clean.
FAQ
How much does a 50m Mediterranean charter week actually cost? A 50m motor yacht in peak Mediterranean season runs $250K to $350K weekly charter fee, plus 30% APA, plus VAT depending on flag and itinerary. The all-in delivered cost for the family in this case study was $385K for 8 guests over 7 nights in July 2025.
Did the family's APA run over the 30% deposit? Yes, by approximately 8%. They put down 30% APA at $84K and the final reconciled APA came in at $91K. The overrun was driven by an unplanned helicopter transfer mid-week and two restaurant nights ashore that ran higher than the broker's estimate.
What would the family change about the week? Three things. They would skip the Saint-Tropez night and add a Calanques day instead. They would not Med-moor in Portofino harbour at peak July rates. And they would have hired a dedicated nanny for the two youngest children, which the broker had suggested but the family declined.
How much was crew gratuity? Twelve percent of charter fee, or $33,600. The family paid in cash to the captain at disembarkation in five envelopes (captain, chief stew, chef, bosun, the rest of the deck and interior crew). The MYBA recommendation in the Mediterranean is 5 to 15%. The family chose the upper-middle of the band based on the crew's performance.
Would the family rebook this yacht? Yes, for the Caribbean season but not the Med. The yacht's homeport-managed Caribbean program (BVI and St Barths) is the same captain and most of the same crew. The family is on the broker's list for a 10-day Christmas charter on this hull for 2026 or 2027.