Chartering a Private Yacht? Safety Tips You Should Know
Have you recently made plans to charter a private yacht? If so, when is your trip coming? Is it quickly approaching? While the chartering of a private yacht can be fun and exciting, it is also important that you place a focus on safety. When on a privately chartered yacht, you are literally at the mercy of the waters and your yacht crew. Although it may seem like the situation is out of your hands, there are a number of different ways that you can go about protecting yourself. Just a few of those ways are touched on below.
Perhaps, the best thing that you can do is tour your yacht. Although you might want to start enjoying your vacation right away, you will also want to know the ins and outs of your yacht. Whether you choose to explore every inch of the yacht yourself or if you ask the crew to give you a quick tour, you are advised to do so. In the event of an emergency, this may come in handy.
In addition to getting a generalized tour of your privately chartered yacht, you will also want to know about safety, namely where the safety devices or supplies are. All privately chartered yachts should come equipped with items like lifejackets or floatable rafts. While these items may help you in an emergency, you must first know where they are. It may also be a good idea to learn to how send out a distress signal in the event that anything happens to your yacht crew. It is also important to know where all first aid items, like first aid kits, are.
As with any trip that you take, you are advised to know where you are going and when. This information should not only be used for yourself, but it should also be given to your family and friends. For instance, does your privately chartered yacht adventure involve docking in foreign ports? If so, you will definitely want to let your friends or family members know where you will be going. If you will not be given a copy of your itinerary, you are urged to create your own. Give a few copies of that itinerary to those that you know. Should you not return when you are supposed to, they may be able to contact the proper authorities.
Since you will, essentially, be vacationing on the open waters, it is advised that you know how to swim. Although many privately chartered yacht journeys go off without a hitch, you never really know. That is why it is advised that you know how to swim. If you do not consider yourself to be an experienced swimmer, you may want to think about taking a refresher training course. If you are traveling with children, it is also advised that they know how to swim. Many local community centers, like YMCAs, offer low-cost or affordably priced swimming lessons, for individuals of all ages. For your own safety and even a sense of security, you are advised to take one of these training courses or lessons.
While the above mentioned safety tips may be able to help you stay safe, it is also important to remember that there are some circumstances that may be out of your hands. For that reason, you are urged to look into travel insurance, especially if you are planning on chartering a private yacht for an extended period of time.