Nobody likes to run into problems whilst on holiday, but
very nature of a yacht charter holiday does demand that you have to cope with sea - which is always unpredictable (hence "sea" being of feminine gender) - and a vessel, which consists of thousands of parts and bits of equipment, (electrics, electronics, mechanical items, sails, etc) all of which should work together, and in unison. You can ignore all promises that nothing will go wrong - it might just do that.Add to that fact that you have chosen an idyllic setting for your holiday - "away from it all" - for example Ionian Islands in Greece (the Caribbean, Turkey, or any other exotic location would be similar), where you can not expect natives to be as trained and proficient as those in Hamble. A recent TV commercial for a Jamaican rum shows very situation.
Let us look at an example - how you should react - how you should carry out necessary damage limitation steps - and tips as to how you can smooth out resulting aggravation.
Let's say you have chartered a yacht in Ionian Sea, in Greece, for a week. Everything starts off well - until morning of Day 3, when you are in Ithaca and THE ENGINE WILL NOT START. After a few vain attempts at sourcing cause of malfunction you call contact number given to you for such eventualities, and a polite individual listens to your problem and says; "Don't worry, Mr Jones, somebody will come very soon and look at your engine". What they will, or should, do is to contact their man on spot. Soon Vangelis arrives, spends a couple of hours with his head buried in engine compartment, covers all your saloon cushions with oil and grease, and emerges triumphantly holding fuel pump which he says is cause of problem. He states that he will take pump back to his workshop and repair it.
"How long this repair will take, Vangelis?" You ask.
"Hmm, about a couple of hours" is his reply.
Away he goes, with your pump, and as it is already noon on Day 3 of your holiday, you decide to go and have lunch and then wait for return of Vangelis. But, there is no sign of Vangelis, or your pump, and much later, as sun is going down Vangelis's assistant arrives with wonderful news that your pump can not be repaired on Ithaca and that it has to go, by ferry, to Patras, where there is a pump specialist, and that it will be returned next day on ferry. Whilst this part of saga is unfolding your blood pressure has gone sky-high. You have also made three more phone calls to local contact and two back to UK to your yacht charter agency, with whom you booked charter in first place.
WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW was that Vangelis failed to tell you that - since it was noon, he would first have to go for his lunch, then his siesta, then his cup of coffee THEN he would have a look at pump. For him, this is normal behaviour as working in siesta time is "out of question" in a place like Ithaca. After all, you asked him how long it would take to repair pump - NOT when he would come back. He didn't lie - it took him forecast two hours to find out that he couldn't fix your pump.
So, here you are, on morning of Day4 of your holiday, with a vessel broken down, waiting for Vangelis to arrive. Imagine state of your blood pressure when noon arrives and no sign of Vangelis. It is not until late that afternoon that a smiling local arrives and invites you to come and join local Saint's Day celebrations. To work during siesta time is against local customs BUT to work on local Saint's Day is a crime against humanity. Not only does Vangelis not work on a Saint's Day but he does not think it appropriate to inform "infidels" of simple facts of life. For him it is a day to celebrate and anyone who doesn't realise that should be dead.
You have, by now, made another ten phone calls to your yacht charter agent and to local contact, as has charter agency BUT Vangelis doesn't answer phone on a Saint's Day. The only thing you can do is to grin and bear it and join in festivities. Taking more blood pressure pills or blowing up village square will not enamour you to locals, or get your boat fixed - it won't help you a lot, either.
Now it is morning of Day 5. Still yacht is not functioning and nobody has turned up. Now is time to start believing in "God's Will". At around 11 o'clock a smiling Vangelis arrives with your pump - fully functional. He sets to work probably realising that look in your eye is not indicative of your good temper and feelings towards him. Thus, after an unusually reasonable period of time, with saloon cushions sporting another layer of grease and oil, with engine testing and cleaning carried out, your boat is READY. However, it is now 5 p.m and too late to set sail for your next port of call, so your departure has to be put off until tomorrow morning.
