Charter Guide
What 'Plus Expenses' Means: The APA Explained
"Plus expenses" is the phrase behind the Advance Provisioning Allowance — a running float you place with the yacht so the crew can meet the week's costs on your behalf, with the unspent balance returned to you at the end.
In short
The Advance Provisioning Allowance, or APA, is a sum you pay before a charter, typically 25 to 35 per cent of the charter fee, from which the crew cover fuel, berthing, food, drink, and fees during your week. Spending is itemised and reconciled against receipts at the end, and any unspent balance is refunded. It is a float, not a charge.
On this page
What the APA is
When a charter is quoted as "fee plus expenses", the expenses are handled through the Advance Provisioning Allowance. It is a sum you transfer to the yacht ahead of embarkation, usually alongside the final balance of the charter fee, and it becomes the working fund from which the captain pays for everything the yacht consumes or incurs during your week. Think of it as a household float placed in trusted hands rather than a second fee.
The distinction matters. The charter fee is money spent — it buys the yacht and crew, as we set out in what is included in a charter rate. The APA is money advanced. It remains, in effect, yours: whatever the crew do not spend comes back to you at the end. This is the single most reassuring fact about the APA, and the one first-time charterers most often overlook.
Why it works this way
Running costs on a yacht are impossible to fix in advance because they depend entirely on how you choose to use the week. Two identical yachts on identical weeks can incur wildly different fuel bills depending on distance and speed, different berthing depending on which ports they visit, and different provisioning depending on taste and appetite. No single all-in figure could be fair to both the cautious cruiser and the exuberant one.
The APA resolves this elegantly. Rather than guess, the crew spend from a float against your actual choices, keep the receipts, and account for every euro. You pay for precisely what you use, no more and no less, and you see exactly where it went. It is the mechanism that makes the transparent, flexible MYBA basis work in practice. For the broader context, chartering explained sets the scene.
The charter fee is money spent; the APA is money advanced, and whatever is not used comes back to you.
How much it usually is
The APA is expressed as a percentage of the charter fee and is set by the yacht's central agent to reflect how the yacht runs. The customary range is 25 to 35 per cent, though it can be higher for yachts with thirsty engines or itineraries expected to cover long distances or visit expensive ports.
- Lower end (around 25%) — sailing yachts, gentle itineraries, modest fuel demands.
- Typical (around 30%) — the common default for many motor yachts on a standard week.
- Higher end (35% or more) — larger motor yachts, fast cruising, or costly berthing regions.
The figure is an estimate of likely spend, deliberately set with a margin so the crew are never left short mid-charter. If it looks generous, that is by design; the surplus returns to you. If the week proves unusually active and the float runs low, the captain will ask you to top it up, always in advance of spending, so the yacht never runs on credit.
What draws on it
The APA meets the variable, third-party costs of the charter. In practice these fall into a handful of categories.
| Category | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Engines, generators, tenders | Often the largest line; driven by distance and speed |
| Berthing | Marina and port fees, mooring | Varies sharply by port and season |
| Provisioning | Food for the galley, bar and cellar | Guided by your preference sheet |
| Fees | Cruising permits, port charges, agency fees | Third-party and location-specific |
| Incidentals | Laundry ashore, special requests, fuel for excursions | Minor but itemised |
Crew wages, the yacht's own insurance, and standard equipment do not draw on the APA — those sit within the charter fee. The gratuity, likewise, is separate and discretionary. The APA is strictly the running cost of your week, spent on your behalf.
How it is spent and reconciled
Once aboard, the captain manages the float and keeps a running account. Good practice, and the norm on a well-run yacht, is for the captain to share the position with you through the week so there are no surprises — where the fund stands, what has been spent, and what the remaining days are likely to require. You are entitled to ask at any point.
Every expenditure is supported by a receipt or invoice. The captain is accounting for your money, and the reconciliation at the end rests on that documentation. This is why the APA is transparent rather than opaque: it is not a fee absorbed into the yacht's accounts but a fund spent visibly and accounted for line by line.
The end-of-charter statement
At redelivery, the captain prepares a full statement of account. It lists the APA received, itemises the expenditure against receipts, and shows the balance. One of two things then happens:
- If the crew have spent less than the APA, the unspent balance is refunded to you — commonly in cash aboard at the end, or returned by the same route it was paid.
- If the week has cost more than the APA — unusual, since the float is set with a margin — the shortfall is settled before you disembark, having been flagged during the charter.
The statement is yours to review, and any line you do not understand is a fair question to put to the captain. A clear, itemised account is a mark of a well-run yacht and one of the quiet reassurances of chartering on MYBA terms. Terms you encounter are defined in the glossary.
Controlling the spend
You have more influence over the APA than the fixed percentage suggests, chiefly through the choices you make before and during the week.
- The preference sheet shapes provisioning directly. Being clear about wines, spirits, and the style of dining you enjoy lets the crew provision to your taste rather than over-cater.
- The itinerary governs fuel and berthing. More time at anchor and less high-speed transit keeps both in check; a week of long, fast passages and marina nights in premium ports will not.
- Talking to the captain keeps you informed. A quiet word about your appetite for spending lets the crew calibrate, without any awkwardness.
None of this is about frugality for its own sake; it is about spending on what you value. Our first-charter guide covers the preference sheet in more detail, and a good broker will happily talk through the likely running costs of a particular yacht when you make an enquiry.
A worked example
The following is illustrative only, chosen to show how the APA is set, spent, and settled rather than to quote any yacht.
| Line | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Charter fee | One week | €120,000 |
| APA placed | 30% of fee | €36,000 |
| Fuel | Moderate cruising | €14,000 |
| Berthing and fees | Three marina nights | €6,500 |
| Food, bar, and cellar | Per preference sheet | €9,000 |
| Incidentals | Laundry, permits, sundries | €1,500 |
| Total spent | Against receipts | €31,000 |
| Refunded to you | APA less spend | €5,000 |
Here the €36,000 float was set with room to spare; the actual €31,000 of running costs is documented against receipts, and the €5,000 balance returns to you at redelivery. Had the week involved longer passages or dearer ports, the figures would shift, and the captain would have kept you informed throughout. Budget for the full APA, treat the refund as a likely bonus rather than a certainty, and the mechanism holds no surprises. Our journal revisits these questions across the seasons.
Common questions
Is the APA an extra charge on top of the charter fee?
No. The APA is a float, not a fee. You advance it before the charter, the crew spend from it on fuel, food, berthing, and fees during your week, and whatever remains unspent is refunded to you at the end. Only the money actually used, documented against receipts, is a genuine cost. Any surplus comes back.
How much is the APA, typically?
Usually 25 to 35 per cent of the charter fee, set by the yacht's central agent to reflect how it runs. Sailing yachts and gentle itineraries sit at the lower end; large, fast motor yachts or costly cruising regions at the higher. The figure is a deliberate estimate with a margin, so the crew are never left short mid-charter.
What happens to the money I do not spend?
It is returned to you. At redelivery the captain provides a full statement itemising expenditure against receipts and showing the balance of the APA. Any unspent amount is refunded, commonly in cash aboard at the end of the charter or by the route you paid it. The APA remains, in effect, your money throughout.
What if the APA runs out during the charter?
The captain will ask you to top it up before further spending, so the yacht never runs on credit. This is uncommon, because the float is set with a margin, but an unusually active week of long passages or expensive ports can call for it. A well-run yacht keeps you informed of the position throughout, so a top-up is never a surprise.
Can I see how the APA is being spent?
Yes. The captain keeps a running account supported by receipts and, on a well-run yacht, shares the position with you through the week. You are entitled to ask where the fund stands at any point, and the end-of-charter statement itemises every category. This transparency is central to how the APA works and to chartering on MYBA terms.
How can I keep the running costs down?
Chiefly through your preference sheet and your itinerary. Being clear about food and drink lets the crew provision to taste rather than over-cater, while more time at anchor and less high-speed transit keeps fuel and berthing modest. A quiet word with the captain about your appetite for spending lets the crew calibrate. It is about spending on what you value, not frugality.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. To plan a charter, make an enquiry or browse the yachts.