How do I know whether a yacht is genuinely available?

Our recommended availability record should state:

• Yacht identity and the party controlling its calendar.
• Start and finish dates, times and locations.
• Whether the owner has approved the proposed charter.
• Whether another client has an option or priority.
• Any option deadline, including its time zone.
• Repositioning, maintenance or documentation dependencies.
• What must happen before the booking becomes binding.

Ask the broker to define “option,” “hold,” “confirmed” and “subject to owner approval” for this transaction. Do not assign a legal meaning to those words from ordinary usage.

Practical control: place the confirmation date beside the yacht’s name in the comparison sheet. Reconfirm the status before presenting a final recommendation and again before authorizing the contractual commitment.

A request for an urgent decision is not, on its own, a reason to waive documentary or payment checks.