The APA, explained properly. Your money, held by the captain, spent on your instructions.
The advance provisioning allowance is the part of a charter that first-timers find hardest to believe and experienced charterers never think about. It is not a fee, not a deposit and not a mark-up. This is what it actually is.
The idea
An advance, not a fee
On most crewed charters the money splits in two. The charter fee pays for the yacht herself, her crew, her insurance and her own equipment for the period. Everything you actually consume during the week, from the fuel under you to the wine in front of you, is paid for separately and at cost. The advance provisioning allowance, universally shortened to APA, is the float that pays for that second part.
You pay it before the charter, along with the balance of the fee. It goes to the captain, who spends it on your behalf against the preferences you have set out, keeps an account with receipts, and returns whatever is left at the end. If spending runs ahead of the float, the captain asks for a top-up during the week.
It exists because no two charters consume the same amount of anything. A yacht crossing between islands every day burns a great deal more fuel than the same yacht moving gently between two anchorages, and a week with eight guests who like a particular vintage is not a week with a family who mostly swim. Charging a fixed figure for all of that would mean charging everybody for the most expensive version of it. Odyssey arranges yacht charters, so the APA is never ours: it is yours, held by the captain.
Line by line
What the APA does and does not pay for
| Item | From the APA? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel for the yacht and her tenders | Yes | Usually the largest and least predictable item. Itinerary and cruising speed move it more than anything else. |
| Food and drink, including provisioning to your preference sheet | Yes | Specific wines, spirits or brands ordered for you are bought at cost and appear on the account. |
| Berthing, harbour and mooring fees | Yes | Famous ports in event weeks are expensive and scarce, and both facts land in the APA. |
| Port charges, pilotage, customs and agency fees | Yes | Routine on an itinerary that crosses borders. |
| Communications, laundry, flowers and special requests | Yes | Anything the crew buys ashore for you sits here, with a receipt. |
| The yacht, her crew and her insurance | No | Paid by the charter fee. |
| The yacht's own equipment, tenders and water toys | No | Provided with the yacht. The fuel they use is APA. |
| VAT or local tax on the charter fee | No | Charged separately according to where the charter starts and cruises. |
| Crew gratuity | No | Discretionary, given at the end, and entirely separate from the APA. |
| Flights and cars to reach the yacht | No | Arranged alongside the charter and quoted with it. |
The exact list is set out in your charter agreement, and regions differ. Terms outside the Mediterranean sometimes include more in the fee and carry a smaller advance, or none at all. We say which applies before you sign anything.
How much
What the market actually quotes
The APA is quoted as a percentage of the charter fee, and across the industry it runs from about 20 to about 40 per cent. Motor yachts sit at the higher end because they burn more fuel, most commonly between 30 and 35 per cent, and 35 is the single figure you will see most often on current listings. Sailing yachts sit lower, often around 20 to 25 per cent. For planning purposes, allowing between a quarter and two fifths of the charter fee covers almost every case.
The percentage is a starting float rather than a forecast. Two charters on the same yacht at the same rate can consume very different amounts, and the variable is almost always the itinerary. A week spent moving between anchorages a short hop apart may not spend the whole advance. A week of long daily passages, marina berths in high season ports and a great deal of entertaining will spend it and ask for more.
If you have a total figure in mind, say so at the outset. It is much easier to propose a yacht and an itinerary that fit a budget than to explain afterwards why a beautiful fast motor yacht used more fuel than the brochure implied. See what a charter costs for the whole picture including tax and gratuity.
The lifecycle
From preference sheet to final settlement
- 01
Before: the preference sheet
Food, wine, allergies, cabin allocations, celebrations, activities and anything particular you would like aboard. The crew provision against it, so the more specific you are, the less guesswork ends up on the account.
- 02
Before: the advance is paid
The APA is paid with the balance of the charter fee, in line with the agreement, and reaches the captain before you arrive. Provisioning happens in the days before embarkation.
- 03
During: the captain's account
The captain keeps a running account with receipts, and you may ask to see it at any point during the week. If the float is running low, the captain will tell you and ask for a top-up rather than quietly cutting back.
- 04
After: the settlement
On the last morning the captain goes through the account with you. Anything unspent is returned; anything overspent is settled then. Ask for the summary in writing and keep it.
Keeping it sensible
How experienced charterers handle it
None of this is about spending less. It is about there being no surprises on the last morning.
- Ask for the account mid-week, ideally around day three or four. It is entirely normal, the captain expects it, and it is the moment when a course correction is still easy
- Be specific on the preference sheet rather than polite. Naming the wines you actually drink is cheaper than a crew guessing upwards
- Ask what the itinerary does to the fuel before you fix it. A captain will tell you honestly which legs are expensive and which are not
- Peak season berthing in the famous ports is a significant line. If you would rather anchor, say so, and the APA behaves very differently
- Agree how a top-up would be handled before you sail, so that nobody is arranging a transfer from a tender
- Remember the gratuity is separate and is not paid from the APA. Budget for it alongside, not inside
The two things next to it
Tax and gratuity, in general terms
VAT or local tax is charged on the charter fee, not on the APA, and it is governed by where the charter begins and where it cruises. The rate and the rules differ between France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Croatia and elsewhere, and they change often enough that publishing a figure would be a disservice. What matters is that the tax position for your specific itinerary is confirmed in writing before you commit, which is part of a proposal rather than an afterthought.
Gratuity is discretionary and customary. Where the crew have looked after you well, the range generally understood across the industry is 5 to 15 per cent of the charter fee, given to the captain at the end to share among the crew. It is not deducted from the APA and it is not billed by anyone. Nobody will ever raise it with you, which is exactly why it is worth knowing about in advance.
Taken together, the sensible way to budget a charter is the charter fee, plus roughly a quarter to two fifths again for the APA, plus local tax, plus a gratuity. That is the number to start from when you tell us what you have in mind.
The rest of the picture
The full cost guide sits alongside this one
Our charter cost guide sets out every line of the total: the charter fee and how it moves with the season, the APA, VAT and local tax, delivery and redelivery, gratuity, and the travel to reach the yacht. It also explains the standard charter agreement most Mediterranean charters use.
Questions people ask
About the APA
Is the APA a way of adding to the price?
No. It is spent at cost on things you consume, with receipts, and any balance is returned to you. It exists because no two charters use the same amount of fuel, food or berthing.
What happens to money that is not spent?
It is returned to you at the end of the charter, normally at the settlement on the last morning. Ask for the summary in writing.
What if we run out mid-week?
The captain will tell you before it happens and ask for a top-up. It is common on itineraries that change, and it is not a sign that anything has gone wrong.
Can we see what is being spent?
Yes, at any point. The captain keeps the account with receipts and will go through it whenever you ask. Most experienced charterers ask once around the middle of the week.
Is the APA the same on a sailing yacht?
Usually lower, often in the region of 20 to 25 per cent, because fuel consumption is a much smaller part of the picture. See sailing yachts.
Do day charters work the same way?
Usually not. A day charter is often quoted as a single figure including fuel for the planned route, with food and drink agreed in advance.
Do you take a share of the APA?
No. Odyssey arranges the charter. The APA is your money, held by the captain and spent on your instructions, and the account at the end is between you and the yacht.
Request a proposal
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Where, when, how many of you, and the all-in figure you have in mind if you have one. We reply with yachts that fit and the full cost of each, the APA included, so you compare totals rather than headlines. Nothing is booked or charged online.
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