We are deep into the August madness now and the turnaround schedule is relentless. I have three boats running back-to-back charters out of Club de Mar and the window between one crew stepping off and the next arriving is sometimes just four hours.
The checklist never gets shorter — deep clean, engine checks, water tank top-up, gas bottles, linen swap, safety briefing pack, chart plotter waypoints reset, dinghy inspection. Last Saturday one crew came back with a jammed furler and we had a rigger out at 7am Sunday trying to sort it before the next group arrived at noon. Just about managed it.
I have been experimenting with laminated turnaround checklists that the cleaning crew works through item by item, and it has definitely reduced the “oh no we forgot to refill the outboard” moments. But I am curious how other charter operators or even boat owners who lend their boats handle it. Do you have a system that works?
Also — anyone else finding that August clients are less experienced than spring ones? I have had two groups this week who had never sailed in anything above 15 knots and the afternoon Embat gave them a proper surprise.
Katrin, I see your crews coming and going from Club de Mar and honestly I do not know how you manage the pace. I only have one boat to look after and some weeks that feels like enough.
One thing I have noticed with charter returns in August — the holding tanks. I do not want to be indelicate but in the heat, if a returning crew has not pumped out properly and the tank has been sitting in 35 degree heat for a few hours, you know about it. The marine toilets on charter boats take a lot of abuse from people who are not used to them and I have seen more than one blockage caused by someone putting things down there that should never go near a marine head.
Do you have a system for checking the seacocks and through-hulls on turnaround? I always worry about that on boats that get a lot of different crews. On my Bavaria I do a full seacock check every month but if I had strangers aboard every week I think I would want to check more often.
Katrin, reading this honestly makes me appreciate charter skippers so much more. Four hours between crews in this heat sounds brutal. I had no idea how much goes on behind the scenes — I just rocked up to my Day Skipper practical and the boat was immaculate, never even thought about what it took to get it that way!
Katrin, I see the turnaround boats coming and going from Pollença too and it is a different world from single-boat ownership. Hats off to you for keeping that pace up in this heat.
One thing I have noticed from my side of the pontoon — the crews that arrive looking stressed and confused are almost always the ones who get a rushed handover. The good charter operators I have seen take their time with the safety briefing even when they are under pressure, and you can tell because those crews leave the harbour looking relaxed and confident rather than fumbling with the engine controls while drifting sideways past my stern. I had one lot bounce off my fender board last Saturday, which was entertaining for me but probably less so for them.
Katrin, reading your description of turnaround days is exhausting just from the screen. Genuine question — do the charter companies give you enough time between clients to actually do a proper check, or is it always a mad rush? I ask because I chartered a boat in Croatia a couple of years ago (before I could sail properly, just pottering around under motor) and when we picked it up the heads were already blocked and nobody seemed bothered. Made me wonder what the handover process actually looks like from your end.
Sophie, to answer your question — it depends entirely on the company. The ones I work with give me a minimum of four hours which is tight but doable if everything goes right. Some of the bigger outfits on the Paseo Marítimo give their teams as little as two hours, which I honestly think is irresponsible.
The problem is that when you rush a turnaround you miss things. A fraying jib sheet, a slow bilge pump, a cracked fuel filter housing. Nothing that stops the boat leaving the dock but exactly the kind of thing that becomes a problem at sea on day three. I had one boat come back last week with a windlass that was making an awful grinding noise — the previous turnaround team had signed it off because they ran out of time. Took me an hour to strip it down and find a sheared pin.
If you ever charter, ask the company what their turnaround window is. If they say two hours or less for a 40-footer, that tells you something.
Katrin, I had no idea how much work goes into a charter turnaround. Four hours in this heat! When I did my Competent Crew day last week the boat was spotless and I just assumed it was always like that. I will never take a clean deck for granted again.