The role of the Central Agent is multiple. Firstly, we are the owner's representative - we ensure that charter contractual agreements are respected, we manage the charter funds in escrow accounts to ensure timely payment of charter monies to the yacht, and we are the crew's backup, to make sure they have all the information necessary to work professionally.  Secondly, we ensure the marketing of the boat - every charter broker worldwide needs to know the calendar and movements of the yacht, and all relevant details of the yacht and her crew.

Owner's Representative

As your designated representative, BCR Yachts handles the exchange of charter contracts (either on your behalf or sent to you without delay) with the booking broker, handles all bank exchanges and transfers and assure that all parties honour their contractual obligations. We act as stakeholder for the charter fee, holding the booking deposit and final payment from the booking broker in an escrow account. We pay the first half of the fee to your account (less broker commission) on the first day of the charter on your yacht. We then pay the balance (assuming the charter went well) into your account on the first working day after the end of the charter. Should there be a dispute between the client and the yacht (very rare!) we act as your representative to sort out the problem with the booking broker.

BCR Yachts is a member of MYBA, the World Wide Yachting Agency, and run our CA yachts under the guidelines of MYBA, use only MYBA charter agreements and undertake contracts in the same manner as all the major brokerage houses. This means that a commission of 20% of the charter fee is retained, the retail broker receives 15% of this and BCR Yachts 5%. If we have a direct booking, only the retail commission of 15% is retained. We do not collect commissions on any arrangement that you, as the owner, organise for family and friends, unless we are specifically asked to be involved for contractual or stakeholder purposes.

We can also handle (if required) the Advance Provisioning Allowance for the boat. This is the monies paid by the client for their food and victuals on the charter. We communicate to the crew the client's food and drink preferences, and ensure that they have the funds in time to provision at a port of call.

We also ensure that the yacht's booking calendar is maintained and kept to a realistic schedule. This ensures that the yacht is never double-booked and that windows of availability are communicated to booking brokers. We also ensure that the movements of the boat are achievable and that unreasonable demands are not placed on the yacht or crew.

We can also help to find crew if the need arises. Whilst we are not a dedicated crew agency, BCR yachts has an extensive network of contacts and any crew that we provide the boat will be reliable and hard-working.

The majority of the staff at BCR have, at some stage skippered yachts of their own and have been involved in various activities of the marine industry for many years. We know the kinds of problems that can arise on board and the general logistics in operating private and charter boats.
We are there for the crews to keep them informed of upcoming charters and to help when they need shore-based assistance. It is our aim to give your yacht the best service possible and we are available at your convenience to discuss any queries you may have.

Marketing

Secondly we manage the worldwide marketing of the yacht. It is our duty as CA to inform every charter broker worldwide about the yacht - the layout, condition and general physical aspects of the yacht, the crew, the chef's cooking skills, the bookings, availability and possibilities. Our marketing methods include: mailing out brochures to all agents (as soon as they are printed); presenting the yacht on the BCR website (interior/exterior photos, layouts, technical and any other relevant information - the site is still under construction and will be constantly upgraded); listing the yacht on the MYBA net website for access by brokers (this is instantly upgraded, so the brokers do not meet with delays in getting the information they require); listing in the CDI guide (this guide has a website and a monthly update that is highly referred to by brokers in the USA) and sending out a monthly update to all brokers. Our advertising strategy is to select the right yachting magazine depending on related articles and to diversify into magazines such as "Harper's & Queen", "Vogue" and some travel magazines. We have premises in Antibes that are extremely high profile and we have already had an excellent record of "walk-in" clients. BCR London is another retail charter office, so is very accessible for our UK based clients.

To successfully launch your yacht on the charter market, two things are imperative. The first, being the production of a brochure. This is the essential tool for any retail broker, clients ALWAYS want to see photos of the yacht, interior shots, layout and have all the technical information on hand. The second is the participation in at least one charter show a year. This allows the brokers to visit the yacht, meet the crew and make their own assessments to better discuss the yacht with their clients. You will find that most brokers are very reticent to charter a yacht to clients if they have not seen the boat and met the crew themselves. The most important charter shows are:-


Genoa (Italy) end of April/beginning of May
Marmaris (Turkey) beginning of May
Antigua (Caribbean) beginning of December
(please see our Events Calendar for exact dates)



These charter shows are specifically catered to charter brokers and are attended by any broker who is active on the charter market. They are not Boat Shows and are not open to the public. They allow the crews to also meet the brokers and to show-off their skills. We are here to optimise your plans for the boat. Some of the owners in our CA fleet only like to charter three or four times a year, others give charter full priority. In order to allow us to promote the boat successfully and to assure that charters do not conflict with your personal use of your yacht, we generally ask that you try and give us your preferred dates at the beginning of each season. This way we can organise the program around your schedule. Some owners do not like to be involved at all in the chartering and scheduling of their yacht. If this is the case, we ask that you sign the attached Central Agency Agreement, send us a copy of the yacht's registration and insurance policy and banking details for the transfer of funds. It is quite normal that there are two accounts, as we have to send APA (Advanced Provisioning Allowance) payments directly to the yacht and the balance of charter funds are normally paid to either a boat account or an account of your choice. We also ask that you advise us as to any special conditions that you want applied to contracts (eg. No Smoking below Decks, No children under 13 years) or other specifics not necessarily included in the contracts. We are here to protect your interests, so the more we know the better we can accomplish this.


If you would like any references from any of our current owners, please let us know. We look forward to welcoming your yacht into fleet and to a long and fruitful association. We look forward to meeting with you or your chosen representative in the near future.