Owner services
Yacht management.
Day-to-day yacht management: crew, accounts, technical oversight and ISM/MLC compliance.
The relationship
The year-round programme.
Yacht management runs the yacht between the owner's weeks aboard: the crew, the maintenance, the compliance, the accounts and the logistics that keep her ready to sail. Done well, it is invisible to the owner, who finds the yacht prepared, the budget respected and the paperwork in order.
Crew comes first: the captain's appointment, crew contracts and payroll, rotation and leave, training and certification, and the standard of service aboard. A yacht keeps good crew when the employment behind them is properly run.
Technical management covers the planned maintenance programme, the class surveys and the refit cycle, the yard periods and the suppliers, with the captain and the chief engineer. Compliance follows the yacht's size, flag and use: flag-state rules, class requirements and, for larger yachts in commercial use, the ISM and ISPS codes and the Maritime Labour Convention.
Accounts and budgets close the loop: an annual budget agreed with the owner, monthly reporting against it, and every invoice itemised. A common rule of thumb puts a yacht's annual running costs at around 10 percent of her value; good management keeps the real figure close to the planned one.
We coordinate yacht management through established management firms chosen for the yacht's size, flag and cruising area, and remain the owner's point of contact for the decisions that matter.
What we cover
What the brief covers.
01Step 01
Review
Current crew, contracts, maintenance records, compliance and budgets, read before anything changes.
02Step 02
Programme
An annual plan: crew, maintenance and yard periods, the compliance calendar, cruising and charter weeks.
03Step 03
Budget
An annual budget agreed with the owner, reported monthly against actual spend, line by line.
04Step 04
Operation
Day-to-day management within the owner's limits, with significant decisions prepared and costed in advance.
Related services
Related owner services.
Charter management
Positioning a private yacht into the charter market: itinerary, pricing, central agency and the season calendar.
New build & refit advisory
Owner-side advisory across new-build briefs, shipyard selection and refit programmes.
Private owner support
On-the-day, owner-ready support during cruising weeks and major events.
Field notes
Related reading.
Events
Dubai International Boat Show.
In 2026 the Dubai International Boat Show opens the Dubai season: five days at Dubai Harbour, and how an advisor prepares a client to buy, sell or host during the week.
Sep 2026
Events
Monaco Yacht Show.
The Monaco Yacht Show is the one week of the year when Port Hercule is the exhibition: where owners, charterers, shipyards and brokers meet, and how an advisor prepares a client for it.
Jun 2026
Frequently asked
Practical questions.
- What does yacht management cover?
- Crew employment, technical maintenance, insurance, flag-state interface, budget management, and the operational programme of the yacht. The owner is freed from the daily operational decisions. The management agreement is signed between the owner, or the owning company, and the management company, which then runs the yacht on the owner's behalf and reports to the owner or their representative.
- How is yacht management priced?
- Usually as an annual fee set against the yacht's size, flag, use and the scope of services, separate from the running costs themselves, which are paid from the yacht's own budget. The fee and the scope are agreed in writing with the owner before the programme starts.
- How does yacht management differ from charter management?
- Yacht management covers the yacht’s operational integrity year-round. Charter management is the more specific sub-discipline focused on placing the yacht into commercial charter, marketing, and managing the charter calendar. The two are often combined under one management contract.
- What does it cost to run a yacht each year?
- A common rule of thumb is around 10 percent of the yacht's value per year, varying with her age, size, use and cruising area. Crew salaries are usually the largest line, followed by maintenance and refit, berthing, insurance and fuel. We set a realistic budget before the season, not after it.
- Who employs the crew?
- The crew are employed under contracts that follow the yacht's flag and, where it applies, the Maritime Labour Convention, often through a dedicated crew employment company arranged within the management programme. Payroll, insurance, leave and certification are handled there, with the captain leading the crew aboard.
- Does management differ for private and commercial yachts?
- Yes. A yacht registered for commercial use, in order to charter, must meet stricter safety, manning and compliance rules, with audits and certificates to maintain. A private yacht carries lighter obligations but the same need for maintenance and crew management. The programme is built for the yacht's actual status.
- Can management change during the season?
- It can, but it is best timed between seasons or during a yard period, so that crew contracts, suppliers and compliance files pass over cleanly. We prepare the handover with the outgoing manager and the captain, so that the yacht is never without cover.
Plan
Brief yacht management.
A private advisor returns a short, considered reply within the hour.