Gratuity comes up at the end of nearly every charter, and it's one of the few things not covered by either the charter fee or the APA. It's technically discretionary, but in practice it's expected — which makes it worth setting the expectation early rather than leaving a client to work it out on the dock.
The Mediterranean range
MYBA (Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association) guidance puts customary Mediterranean crew gratuities at roughly 5-15% of the base charter fee. That's meaningfully lower than the 15-20%-plus often expected on Caribbean or US-based charters, where American tipping culture carries over more directly. Clients used to the US range sometimes over-tip a Mediterranean crew without realizing the norm is different here — worth a quick heads-up either way.
What it doesn't cover, and what it isn't included in
Gratuity is entirely separate from the APA and security deposit — APA is for on-trip operating costs like fuel and provisioning, and it doesn't fold in a tip for the crew. It's also separate from the base charter fee itself. It's an additional, discretionary amount handed over at the end of the trip, not baked into any of the figures a client sees on the contract.
Who it goes to
Standard practice is that gratuity is pooled and split across the full crew rather than given only to the captain — a stewardess, deckhand or chef's work is just as much a part of a good charter as the captain's. Handing the full amount to the captain to distribute afterward, rather than tipping individuals separately, is the customary approach and avoids any awkwardness about relative amounts.
Timing and method
The end of the charter, typically alongside any final APA reconciliation, is the standard moment. Cash is the simplest method and avoids friction — some operators can also work it into final settlement for a client who'd rather not handle cash directly, worth confirming with the specific operator ahead of time rather than assuming.
Setting this up in advance
This is a small thing to mention early rather than let a client discover it as a surprise on the last day — pairing it with the APA and deposit conversation and the practical groundwork covered in our travel advisors guide means nothing about the financial side of the trip catches a client off guard.
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