| Nobody likes to run into problems whilst on holiday, | | | | fully functional. He sets to work probably realising |
| but the very nature of a yacht charter holiday does | | | | that the look in your eye is not indicative of your |
| demand that you have to cope with the sea - which | | | | good temper and feelings towards him. Thus, after |
| is always unpredictable (hence "sea" being of the | | | | an unusually reasonable period of time, with the |
| feminine gender) - and a vessel, which consists of | | | | saloon cushions sporting another layer of grease and |
| thousands of parts and bits of equipment, (electrics, | | | | oil, with engine testing and cleaning carried out, your |
| electronics, mechanical items, sails, etc) all of which | | | | boat is READY. However, it is now 5 p.m and too |
| should work together, and in unison. You can ignore | | | | late to set sail for your next port of call, so your |
| all the promises that nothing will go wrong - it might | | | | departure has to be put off until tomorrow morning. |
| just do that. | | | | The morning of Day 6 dawns - and you are ready to |
| Add to that the fact that you have chosen an idyllic | | | | sail, BUT a minor detail now crosses your mind - the |
| setting for your holiday - "away from it all" - for | | | | only destination open to you is back to your original |
| example the Ionian Islands in Greece (the Caribbean, | | | | departure Port or Marina as you only had a week's |
| Turkey, or any other exotic location would be | | | | holiday, your flight home departs tomorrow morning |
| similar), where you can not expect the natives to be | | | | early, and you need to be back in that port that |
| as trained and proficient as those in the Hamble. A | | | | evening !! |
| recent TV commercial for a Jamaican rum shows the | | | | What an we learn from this story? However |
| very situation. | | | | reputable the yacht owner/agency, however new |
| Let us look at an example - how you should react - | | | | the yacht and its equipment, however well |
| how you should carry out the necessary damage | | | | maintained, however careful you may be - this sort |
| limitation steps - and tips as to how you can smooth | | | | of thing can happen to anyone, anywhere. Just |
| out the resulting aggravation. | | | | change the names and places and a similar problem |
| Let's say you have chartered a yacht in the Ionian | | | | can arise. Don't forget also that you can be |
| Sea, in Greece, for a week. Everything starts off well | | | | gale-bound in harbour for days on end. |
| - until the morning of Day 3, when you are in Ithaca | | | | Can you protect yourself against such a happening, |
| and THE ENGINE WILL NOT START. After a few | | | | and what should you do when it arises? |
| vain attempts at sourcing the cause of the | | | | The answer to the first question is NO, and the |
| malfunction you call the contact number given to you | | | | suggested reaction to the second is: - relax (difficult |
| for such eventualities, and a polite individual listens to | | | | though this may at first seem); be patient; try to |
| your problem and says; "Don't worry, Mr Jones, | | | | understand the elements of human nature which will |
| somebody will come very soon and look at your | | | | be displayed by all around you - your crew and the |
| engine". What they will, or should, do is to contact | | | | "outsiders". |
| their man on the spot. Soon Vangelis arrives, spends | | | | You could react like the skipper in our story and |
| a couple of hours with his head buried in the engine | | | | make endless irate phone calls to everyone you can |
| compartment, covers all your saloon cushions with oil | | | | think of or, as we suggest, you can accept the facts |
| and grease, and emerges triumphantly holding the | | | | as they are - the problem has arisen. |
| fuel pump which he says is the cause of the problem. | | | | 1. Try and make the best of a bad job. Explore the |
| He states that he will take the pump back to his | | | | locale where you are "marooned". Make short trips |
| workshop and repair it. | | | | by water-taxi, taxi, hire-car, on foot or by local |
| "How long this repair will take, Vangelis?" You ask. | | | | ferries and keep your crew amused and remaining in |
| "Hmm, about a couple of hours" is his reply. | | | | holiday mood, i.e. shopping, sightseeing, swimming, |
| Away he goes, with your pump, and as it is already | | | | enjoying special lunches and dinners, etc. |
| noon on Day 3 of your holiday, you decide to go and | | | | 2. Remember, you will certainly be compensated by |
| have lunch and then wait for the return of Vangelis. | | | | your charter agent/owner for the lost sailing days, |
| But, there is no sign of Vangelis, or your pump, and | | | | provided you take a few simple steps to ensure that |
| much later, as the sun is going down Vangelis's | | | | your claim will be met. |
| assistant arrives with the wonderful news that your | | | | 3. Contact your charter company immediately, |
| pump can not be repaired on Ithaca and that it has | | | | PREFERABLY IN WRITING, if it is at all possible, e.g. |
| to go, by ferry, to Patras, where there is a pump | | | | by fax or e-mail, and inform them of what has |
| specialist, and that it will be returned the next day on | | | | happened and that you will contact them again. Give |
| the ferry. Whilst this part of the saga is unfolding | | | | them a telephone or fax number where you can be |
| your blood pressure has gone sky-high. You have | | | | contacted. |
| also made three more phone calls to the local contact | | | | 4. NEVER LEAVE THE VESSEL UNATTENDED OR |
| and two back to the UK to your yacht charter | | | | OUT OF SIGHT - Vangelis would love you to give |
| agency, with whom you booked the charter in the | | | | him an excuse or "cover story" for not having come |
| first place. | | | | back to the boat when promised. |
| WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW was that Vangelis | | | | 5. Be understanding of Vangelis's problems - he will do |
| failed to tell you that - since it was noon, he would | | | | his best if you are polite and patient. Tip his assistant |
| first have to go for his lunch, then his siesta, then his | | | | - that will work wonders. |
| cup of coffee THEN he would have a look at the | | | | 6. When all is well again and the boat is repaired - |
| pump. For him, this is normal behaviour as working in | | | | contact your agent again, by fax or e-mail preferably, |
| siesta time is "out of the question" in a place like | | | | tell him that all is well and tell him that a FORMAL |
| Ithaca. After all, you asked him how long it would | | | | CLAIM for compensation for loss of holiday will be |
| take to repair the pump - NOT when he would come | | | | forthcoming. |
| back. He didn't lie - it took him the forecast two | | | | 7. When you finally return home make the formal |
| hours to find out that he couldn't fix your pump. | | | | claim, in writing, detailing the minutes details of the |
| So, here you are, on the morning of Day4 of your | | | | saga as it unfolded - what happened, the actions you |
| holiday, with a vessel broken down, waiting for | | | | took, the reactions of the local agent and his |
| Vangelis to arrive. Imagine the state of your blood | | | | employed contacts. |
| pressure when noon arrives and no sign of Vangelis. | | | | Make sure you have all the paperwork involved, |
| It is not until late that afternoon that a smiling local | | | | especially the contract documents- do not leave |
| arrives and invites you to come and join the local | | | | them on the boat! A sensible thing to have done |
| Saint's Day celebrations. To work during siesta time is | | | | would have been to look back in the Ship's Log Book |
| against local customs BUT to work on the local | | | | (if there is any), to see if previous charterers had run |
| Saint's Day is a crime against humanity. Not only does | | | | into similar problems. |
| Vangelis not work on a Saint's Day but he does not | | | | If an accident was part of the cause of the problem |
| think it appropriate to inform "infidels" of the simple | | | | make sure that other people who may have been |
| facts of life. For him it is a day to celebrate and | | | | involved are brought into the act, and statements |
| anyone who doesn't realise that should be dead. | | | | are taken for witnesses. |
| You have, by now, made another ten phone calls to | | | | We can not really advise you as to whether, or not, |
| your yacht charter agent and to the local contact, as | | | | you will accept any offered compensation - whether |
| has the charter agency BUT Vangelis doesn't answer | | | | it be cash or substitute holidays - THAT CHOICE IS |
| the phone on a Saint's Day. The only thing you can | | | | YOURS. Only you know how you and your crew felt |
| do is to grin and bear it and join in the festivities. | | | | about the happenings, whether you made the best |
| Taking more blood pressure pills or blowing up the | | | | of a bad job at the time, whether everyone did their |
| village square will not enamour you to the locals, or | | | | best to mitigate your losses and disappointments, |
| get your boat fixed - it won't help you a lot, either. | | | | and whether the offered compensation is adequate. |
| Now it is the morning of Day 5. Still the yacht is not | | | | Whether you accept cash or a replacement holiday |
| functioning and nobody has turned up. Now is the | | | | will probably depend on how much holiday time you |
| time to start believing in "God's Will". At around 11 | | | | and your crew have left. |
| o'clock a smiling Vangelis arrives with your pump - | | | | |