These conditions explain DreamSail’s role when helping arrange a yacht charter and the points that must be confirmed before a booking becomes binding.
These conditions are written for DreamSail's intended disclosed-agency/intermediary model. The actual legal position depends on each supplier agreement and on how the services are combined and sold. If a quotation states that DreamSail is acting as organiser or principal, or if package-travel law applies, the statutory duties for that arrangement apply regardless of labels used here.
DreamSail, we and us mean Handley Design Ltd (company number 17308511), trading as DreamSail, with registered office at 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ. You means the person making the booking and, where relevant, the travelling party they are authorised to represent. Supplier means the yacht owner, fleet operator, charter company, organiser or other business identified as providing the booked service.
Before you are asked to commit to a booking, the quotation or booking documentation should identify the supplier and explain the capacity in which DreamSail is acting. Where DreamSail acts as disclosed agent for the supplier, DreamSail arranges the booking but the underlying yacht-charter contract is between you and that supplier. Where DreamSail provides a service in its own name, DreamSail remains responsible for that service.
If supplier terms apply, they should be made available before the booking is concluded in a form you can save or retain. Where a supplier is established outside the UK, its terms may refer to local operating rules or law; mandatory UK consumer protections that apply to DreamSail's own conduct are not excluded.
The lead booker must be at least 18 and must have authority to make the enquiry or booking for the travelling party. You are responsible for ensuring information supplied about the crew is accurate and for bringing relevant booking information and supplier terms to the attention of the other travellers.
A website enquiry, Compass result, search result, availability indication or provisional quotation is not a confirmed booking. A booking becomes binding only when the stated booking process has been completed, the applicable payment has been received or authorised as required, and a booking confirmation has been issued by or on behalf of the supplier.
Until confirmation, availability and price may change. Do not make non-refundable travel arrangements in reliance on an unconfirmed yacht option.
The quotation should state the total charter price and currency, identify what is included and show mandatory charges. Any unavoidable fee, tax or charge that must be paid and can be calculated in advance should be included in the total price shown before you commit. Optional extras and genuinely variable costs — for example fuel, marina charges, provisioning or usage-based utilities — may be identified separately.
If an exchange rate or foreign-currency amount is relevant, the booking documents should identify the payment currency and any known conversion basis. Your bank or card provider may apply its own exchange rate or fees.
The quotation or payment request should state whether payment is made directly to the supplier or to DreamSail in an authorised collection capacity. It should also state the deposit, balance due date and any separate DreamSail service or agency fee. We will not treat an undisclosed mandatory fee as optional.
If a payment schedule is missed, the consequences are governed by the terms disclosed for that booking and applicable law. Where customer money protection or insolvency protection applies, the booking documents should identify the scheme or protection rather than asking you to assume protection from the DreamSail brand alone.
Yacht charters are normally booked for specific dates and are leisure/travel services for a defined period. In those circumstances, the standard 14-day distance-selling cooling-off right will generally not apply. Your cancellation rights and charges will therefore usually depend on the supplier's disclosed cancellation terms and any statutory rights that apply to the booking.
Cancellation charges should be brought to your attention before booking and must be fair under consumer law. If you need to cancel, contact DreamSail and/or the supplier as instructed in your booking confirmation as soon as possible and keep written evidence of the request.
Requests to change dates, yacht, base, crew or charter style are subject to availability and the supplier's terms. Any charge or price difference should be explained before the change is confirmed. A requested change is not effective until confirmed.
A yacht may become unavailable because of damage, technical failure, safety concerns, force majeure or other operational circumstances. The supplier may propose a suitable substitute, alternative dates, a refund or another remedy according to the contract and applicable law. Any substitution should be assessed by reference to material characteristics such as type, size, capacity, age/condition, equipment, base and price — not merely by model name.
Nothing in these conditions removes rights you may have where a supplier makes a significant change, fails to perform the contract or where package-travel rules apply.
For bareboat bookings, the nominated skipper — and any second competent crew member required by local rules or the supplier — must meet the requirements for the specific yacht and cruising area. Certificates, licences, sailing CVs and experience may be checked by the supplier and/or local authority. Possessing a certificate does not guarantee acceptance by every operator.
If the supplier reasonably concludes that the crew does not meet the agreed competence requirements, it may require a professional skipper or decline handover in accordance with the disclosed terms and applicable law.
Where a professional skipper or crew is included or added, the booking documentation should state who employs or supplies them, what services are included, any crew provisioning/cabin requirements, gratuity position and any costs payable locally. The skipper retains responsibility for safe navigation and may alter the itinerary for weather, safety, legal or operational reasons.
You are responsible for supplying accurate crew information by the required deadline and for holding passports, visas, licences and other travel documents required for the itinerary. Entry and immigration requirements can change. Where DreamSail provides information, it is general guidance and does not replace official government or border-authority advice.
Please tell DreamSail about material accessibility or special requirements before booking so that they can be checked with the supplier. A request is not guaranteed until expressly confirmed. We will take reasonable steps to communicate relevant requirements and nothing in these conditions limits rights under applicable equality or consumer law.
Follow the supplier's check-in/check-out times and handover procedure. The skipper should inspect the yacht, record existing damage or missing equipment and raise material issues before departure where reasonably possible. The yacht must be returned in accordance with the agreed time, location, fuel and condition requirements, subject to circumstances outside the crew's reasonable control.
The supplier may require a refundable deposit, card pre-authorisation, damage waiver, reduced-deposit product or other security arrangement. The amount, exclusions, claims process and expected release/refund process should be disclosed before booking or clearly identified as a supplier/base charge where it cannot be taken earlier.
No term in these conditions makes you liable for loss that the law does not permit the supplier or DreamSail to recover. Equally, you remain responsible for loss or damage for which you are legally liable under the applicable charter contract.
You should obtain travel insurance appropriate to yacht chartering, the destination, cancellation risk, medical/repatriation needs and planned activities. Yacht insurance maintained by a supplier is not a substitute for personal travel insurance. Check policy exclusions for sailing distance from shore, bareboat operation, racing, pre-existing medical conditions and valuables where relevant.
Suggested itineraries are inspiration only. The skipper must comply with law, navigation restrictions, port and marine-park rules, the supplier's permitted cruising area and current conditions. Weather, sea state, safety, berth availability and local restrictions may require the route to change. No particular island, bay or passage is guaranteed unless expressly stated in the contract and capable of being guaranteed.
Fuel, water, shore power, marina/berth fees, mooring buoys, tourist or cruising taxes, park permits, transfers, provisioning and crew expenses may vary by destination and usage. The quotation should distinguish unavoidable known charges from optional or usage-based costs so that you can budget realistically.
Whether a booking is a package or linked travel arrangement depends on how travel services are selected, combined, sold and paid for; it is not decided simply by calling DreamSail an agent or by describing the product as “yacht only”. If the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 apply, the statutory pre-contract information, contractual rights, organiser responsibilities and any required insolvency protection apply to that arrangement.
Unless your booking documents expressly say otherwise, do not assume that flights, transfers, accommodation ashore or other separately purchased travel services form part of the yacht-charter contract. DreamSail does not claim ATOL, ABTA or other financial protection unless that protection is specifically identified for the booking.
Weather, natural disasters, war, civil unrest, port closures, government measures, epidemics, strikes and similar events may affect performance. The legal consequences depend on the booking type, supplier contract and applicable law. This clause does not reduce any refund, cancellation, assistance or compensation rights that apply by law, including package-travel rights where relevant.
If a problem arises during the charter, notify the supplier/base as soon as reasonably possible and give them an opportunity to investigate and remedy it. If DreamSail arranged the booking, notify us too using the contact details in your confirmation. Keep photographs, receipts, messages and other relevant evidence.
Use our Complaints procedure and include your booking reference, dates and supporting evidence. Where the complaint concerns the supplier's operational service, DreamSail may need to pass the complaint to the supplier and coordinate a response. If a complaint reaches deadlock, we will provide information about any alternative dispute resolution or other redress arrangement that is available or that we are required to use.
Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. DreamSail remains responsible for its own services, statements and conduct to the extent required by law. Where DreamSail acts only as disclosed agent for an identified supplier, the supplier is responsible for performing the underlying charter service, but this does not exclude DreamSail's liability for its own negligence, misleading practices, breach of agency obligations or other statutory duties.
We process enquiry and booking information in accordance with our Privacy notice. Information may need to be shared with the relevant supplier, inventory platform or authorities to obtain a quote or administer a charter.
DreamSail's own agency/intermediary services are governed by the law of England and Wales, subject to mandatory consumer rights. The supplier contract may specify another governing law relevant to the charter. Nothing in these conditions removes a consumer's mandatory rights or a right to bring proceedings in a court available under applicable law.
Questions about a quotation or booking should be sent to info@dreamsail.co.uk. Formal correspondence may be sent to Handley Design Ltd, 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ. Full operator details are on the Legal information page.
