App · 97 €
Which boat to buy
A guided online app to know which boat truly suits you before contacting a seller.
What it gives you
- Your cruising program and the right hull type
- Crew, mooring and the real cost of ownership
- A personal dossier you keep
Mini-app · one-off purchase
Which boat should you charter?
The right questions before chartering on the French Riviera: the day you have in mind, guests, crew, season, anchorages, contract, APA, weather, extras and the real all-in budget. At the end, you receive a private report to choose and request far more precisely.
Life at sea first: anchorage, lunch, swimming, sunset.
Crewed, skipper only or bareboat: what each changes.
Contract, APA, weather, extras: the details that change the experience.
The advisory app, with a private report to keep
You are buying a guided experience, far deeper than a first-contact request: it turns your wish for a day at sea into a clear decision — right boat format, port, crew, itinerary and all-in budget.
At the end, you receive a private PDF report: suggested format, crew, itinerary, season, contract, APA, weather policy, extras to anticipate, sea comfort and questions to ask before deposit.
Platform tools
You are buying a boat: your tools
Alongside your free request, you can move ahead on your own with our tools, at your own pace.
Ebook · download
The French Riviera by Boat
103 pages: choosing your boat, the right budget and seven curated itineraries.
Need a trusted professional (notaire, tax, renovation…)? The platform connects you.
Get introducedThe library
Every answer, before you decide
Each chapter answers what people usually ask on the phone, in detail, with orders of magnitude and pitfalls. It is yours to keep and return to.
01
The charter families, and who they suit
Four families cover almost every day on this coast. The rest is a matter of taste and budget.
- Open and day boats, 9 to 14 m
- The swimming day, the coves, two to ten guests. Agile, fast, no real cabin. A skipper is strongly advised so you can enjoy rather than drive.
- Flybridge and motor yachts, 14 to 30 m
- Cabins, an inside saloon, a small crew, air conditioning. This is the format for genuinely long days, served lunches and coastal weekends.
- Sailing yachts and catamarans
- Quiet, shade, space at anchor. A slower rhythm, low fuel bills, ideal with children or for an unhurried day.
- Fully crewed yachts
- Above 30 m: permanent service, a chef aboard, water toys. Chartered by the week, with an advance provisioning allowance and a MYBA contract.
02
The real, all-in budget
The advertised rate is almost never the final spend. Here is what sits on top, in the order it surprises people.
- Fuel
- The most underestimated item. On a fast open boat, a spirited day can double the bill; at cruising pace it stays modest. Always ask for an estimate in liters, not a percentage.
- Provisioning and lunch
- Aboard, a considered lunch is prepared the day before. Ashore, the beach club must be booked and its timing accepted. Both work — they are simply different days.
- VAT, moorings and ports
- VAT depends on the itinerary and the contract. Summer stops in Saint-Tropez, Monaco or Villefranche are charged, and some anchorages are regulated to protect seagrass beds.
- Crew
- A gratuity of 10 to 15% is customary when service has been good. On a larger yacht, the APA is 25 to 35% of the rate, covers actual expenses and is reconciled at the end.
03
Season, rates and availability
On this coast the same boat does not cost the same from one week to the next — and the good ones go early.
- July and August
- Peak rates, a busy sea, anchorages full by 11 am. The good boats are booked months ahead. Leaving early changes everything.
- May, June, September
- The best value of the year: same boat, noticeably softer prices, water still lovely in September, remarkable light.
- Event weeks
- Cannes Film Festival, Monaco Grand Prix, Voiles de Saint-Tropez, Yachting Festival: special rates, minimum durations, very early booking.
04
Itineraries that actually work
A good day depends mostly on the wind of the day. Here are the reliable routes, by conditions.
- Cannes → Lérins → Golfe-Juan
- The safest day when the mistral blows: sheltered water, clear sand, short distances, an easy return.
- Antibes → Cap-Ferrat → Villefranche
- The finest water on the coast, deep calm anchorages, lunch possible in Beaulieu or aboard.
- Cannes → Saint-Tropez
- Magnificent, but count the running: two hours each way on a fast boat, more under sail. Keep it for flat-sea days.
- Two to four days
- Lérins, Saint-Tropez, Porquerolles: the short voyage that makes people want to buy. One night at anchor is worth ten boat viewings.
05
The contract, safety, children
What must be clear before a deposit is paid — and what protects your day.
- Passengers and insurance
- The number of people allowed under way is not the number allowed at anchor. Check the policy, the deductible and who carries it.
- Weather and cancellation
- Who decides to cancel for rough seas, and what happens to the deposit? A clear clause beats an endured day.
- Children and pets
- Correctly sized lifejackets, netting, real shade, a usable bathing ladder. Pets are agreed case by case, never on the day.
The questions people really ask
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