What to know before you sail

A crewed charter is quoted as one all-in price with the captain and crew included. The exact figure depends on the yacht, the season, the region and your group size. Helm shows a live quote for every yacht it suggests, and your manager confirms the final figure plus any extras before you book.

Helm returns live weekly prices in seconds, and a personal manager confirms the yacht and the booking — faster than a traditional broker. You don't wait days for a callback: you get a shortlist with real prices straight away, then a human closes the details.

TrimTeam pairs Helm, your concierge, with a personal manager. You tell Helm what you want; it searches our live catalogue and shortlists matching yachts with live weekly prices and availability. Once you've chosen, your manager confirms the yacht and crew with the operator and handles the booking — one point of contact, no blind markup.

Birthdays, anniversaries, bachelorette and celebration days, corporate and team outings, romantic sunset trips, wellness days, first-time experiences, and event-weeks built around a festival or regatta. Tell Helm the occasion and it tailors the yacht, the route and the crew to match.

You choose. With a crew, a licensed captain runs the yacht — on larger catamarans and sailing yachts a host or cook joins — so you need no licence and no experience: you're a guest aboard your own yacht while the crew handles the sailing, safety and the day's plan. Bareboat, you skipper her yourself, which takes a licence and real experience and costs less. Every boat in the catalogue says which way it comes.

The catalogue covers the Mediterranean — Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey, the Balearics, the French Riviera, Sardinia and Corsica — plus the Canaries, the Azores and the Caribbean beyond it. Croatia and Greece have the deepest choice. Browse by destination, or just tell Helm the kind of coastline and water you want and it suggests where to base your week.

Most boats are catamarans and monohull sailing yachts, plus a few gulets. A catamaran gives more space, stability and shallow-draft anchorages — popular with families and groups; a monohull sails closer to the wind and costs less. Helm matches the type to your group, budget and how much you actually want to sail.

Boats range from compact two-cabin yachts to large catamarans sleeping 10–12 guests. As a rule, plan one cabin per couple and check the berth count Helm shows on each card. Tell it your group size and it only shortlists boats that genuinely fit.

Yes. Crewed catamarans are stable, spacious and family-friendly, the crew handles safety and logistics, and the route can be tailored around children — short hops, calm anchorages and time to swim. Tell Helm your group and it only shortlists yachts that genuinely fit.

The all-in price covers the yacht and its crew — the captain, plus a host or cook on larger boats. On top, expect a refundable security deposit and, depending on the yacht, running costs like fuel, provisioning, the end clean, marina fees and tourist tax. These vary by yacht, so your manager itemises exactly what is and isn’t included, in writing, before you commit.

Earlier widens choice — the best catamarans and the prime summer weeks in Croatia and Greece go first, often months ahead. Because the catalogue is large, good options still appear at shorter notice, especially in the shoulder seasons. The sooner you brief Helm, the stronger the match.

Cancellation and change terms are set by each boat’s operator, so they differ per option. Your manager states the exact rules for any boat before you commit — up front, not buried in fine print — so you can weigh flexibility against price. Travel insurance is worth considering for peace of mind.

You don't book online with a card on the spot. Helm shortlists boats with live prices, then your personal manager confirms the chosen boat's availability with the operator, sends the charter contract, and arranges payment. It keeps a human in the loop for a high-value booking — and the price you see is the price, with no blind markup.

No experience needed — describe what you want to Helm in plain words and it explains the options. Take a yacht with a crew and you need no sailing licence: the captain handles the sailing, the safety and the local knowledge while you enjoy the week as a guest aboard your own yacht.

TrimTeam draws on 9,000+ boats across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Atlantic — 38 countries and territories — from established charter operators, with live weekly prices and availability rather than stale listings. You see the boat, the price and the terms before you commit, your manager confirms everything in writing, and there’s no blind markup on top.