Solent Yacht Charter

HURST POINT YACHT CHARTERS LIMITED

Lymington based uk yacht charter at the spectacular western end of the Solent

Tel 01590 623765 mob 07932 140878
or email info@hurstpointyachts.co.uk

• Location We are at the far western end of the Solent. From here the beautiful beaches of Studland Bay which is where the Jurassic coast starts and Poole harbour in Dorset are in range for a day return sail. For those heading across Channel, the Needles can be rounded in one hour. There are milebuilding trips to Alderney programmed for July 2008. This is in addition to other Solent destinations such as the Beaulieu River, Yarmouth Harbour, Newtown Creek, Cowes and Portsmouth which can all be reached in under 3 hours.

• Value for money We have low overheads and pass these savings on to our customers. Our prices are inclusive so no nasty surprises by identifying later costs which you could have imagined were included in the price. We often have special offers so please Bookmark this page where shown below and keep looking back.
• Customer Service We offer personal flexible and friendly service. We go out of our way to make sure your trip is special. As an example We are not constrained by set office hours and will welcome you on board at any time convenient to you if travelling long distance.
• Quality of yachts/yacht certification The low prices above do not come to the detriment of quality or safety. All our yachts have up to date certification which can be viewed in the yachts file on board. Maintenance is a top priority as we also use these yachts for family sailing including cross Channel. If you have time, at the bottom of this page is more information on yacht and skipper Department of Transport certification requirements and we hope this is of interest to you.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR QUALITY YACHTS WITH MCA CODING TO ADD TO OUR CHARTER FLEET FOR 2008. PLEASE CALL URGENTLY.

Payments We will look after your deposits and advance payments for your yacht charter. We are a limited liability company with all the reporting commitments that entails such as Annual Accounts and Companies House returns so we intend to be around for a while, in fact this is our fifth year of operation. We are also VAT registered which is of benefit to Corporate organisations booking with us.

Safety. We promise to ensure that we offer only charter yachts which we have the greatest confidence in. Regarding our flagship Dotty Dot, we go family sailing in her ourselves including cross channel so we are as keen as you to ensure that everything is in order. We promise to keep all the life jackets serviced, the life raft contents renewed every year, the engine well maintained and all the other things that need to be done.

Value for Money. Charter yachts are incredibly expensive to run and maintain. However we promise to charge fees that give only a moderate return and to ensure that ours are amongst the lowest prices if not THE lowest.

This involves not only keeping an eye on what our competitors are charging but also including things in the price that would normally be extra such as wet weather gear, cleaning of the yacht on return and diesel fuel. Other items such as marina parking, gas, mooring fees at the marina and shore supply electricity are also included.

Hand over We promise to hand the yacht over to you in a first class condition. This means that the deck holding tank will be empty (you would soon know about it on a port tack if not - phew!), that water and diesel tanks will be full and the yacht clean inside and out.

General It is not our style to attempt to make you responsible for defects that have arisen during a charter that we should take on board ourselves and never have we done so. In fact we are extremely loathe to ask you to put your hands in your pocket for things such as fenders and boat hooks that have gone overboard because we do not want to finish on a sour note and want you to come back as many do!

A charter yacht should carry the following certification, originals of which should be held in a file (or sometimes attached on the inside of a port light) kept on board the yacht. When booking seek confirmation that these are held and will be available for inspection when joining the yacht.

1) Certificate of Coding.
This is a Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)/Department of Transport(DoT) requirement for charter vessels in commercial use. Certificates are renewed annually and additionaly there is a disc (similar to a car tax disc) which must be attached to the inside of a port light. The coding category is shown on the certificate and disc. Make sure that the yacht which you are intending to charter has the Certificate of Coding relevant to the voyage you are planning as this will have a bearing on the safety features and equipment carried. The coding categories are:
Category 6 - Up to 3 nautical miles(nm) from a nominated departure point or land in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 5 - Up to 20 nm from a nominated departure point in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 4 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven in favourable weather and in daylight
Category 3 - Up to 20 nm from a safe haven
Category 2 - Up to 60 nm from a safe haven (ie across channel)
Category 1 - Up to 150 nm from a safe haven

2) Life raft Certificate of Servicing and Testing.
Charter yachts should carry life rafts conforming to SOLAS B requirements. This stipulates a greater degree of equipment and capability than a life raft for private pleasure yacht use. SOLAS B life rafts have to be serviced annually and a new certificate issued.

3) Ships Radio Licence
This is authority to use the VHF equipment on board,

usually a fixed installation and a hand held. The licence is issued by OFCOM and must be renewed annually. The licence is a car tax disc style which must be attached to the inside of a port light.

4) Certificate of Insurance
Issued annually, this must be endorsed for bareboat and skippered yacht charter with a 3rd party liability minimum of £3,000,000.

5) Certificate of British Registry
Issued every 5 years, this is the ships ownership document with details of the registered owners.Essential to carry on board if crossing the Channel as failure to produce if boarded by officials can result in the impounding of the vessel. The registration number is required to be shown on the coach roof port and starboard and on the stern.

6) Gas Installation Certificate
Gas being one of the biggest risks on board a yacht, an annual inspection should be carried out by a CORGI approved technician and a certificate issued.

7) Engine Service Record
A marine diesel engine requires regular service. One hours running equates approximately to 50 miles of a car engine, so 200 running hours are equivalent to 10,000 miles on the road. The oil needs to be changed every 100 hours approximately. Other important items are annual change of the coolant, sea water impeller and fan belt. The service record should be up to date.

8) Sea Start membership.
No statutory requirement for this for Solent yacht charter but a must nevertheless. Covers engine/transmission failure and fouling of the propeller up to 3 nautical miles offshore. Permit attaches to inside of port light.

The skipper must be commercially endorsed by the MCA. He should be able to show you his license which contains name, date of birth, photograph and expiry date (license lasts for 5 years). To qualify for a commercial endorsement a skipper must obtain:

• an RYA sailing qualification appropriate to the range of voyages planned

• a First Aid certificate
• a practical sea survival course certificate
• a VHF radio operators licence
• a Seafarers Medical Report Certificate (ML5) issued by the MCA

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