Articles
Clear answers for people who spend other people's money
Written to be read in ten minutes and used the same day. Every statement here can be traced to a document or to the text of a law.
4 min read
An open letter to everyone who spends other people's money in yachting
We work at the top of the service world. It is time the way we handle our clients' money matched the standing we claim.
4 min read
Commission or kickback? The line, and how to tell which side you are on
The same money can be perfectly lawful or a crime. The difference is almost never the amount, and almost never whether the price went up.
2 min read
Hidden margins cost everyone, including the people who earn them
If owners and guests feel they are paying 'yacht prices', they spend less. That is how the whole industry ends up biting itself in the foot.
2 min read
'Everyone does it' and eight other excuses, answered
The things people tell themselves, and why none of them change the test.
3 min read
How to raise a concern safely: a practical guide
What to write down, what to keep, what not to do, and who can help. You do not need to know the law to start.
5 min read
Gifts and hospitality: where the line is, and how to tell
A practical guide for crew, captains, heads of department and suppliers. Five tests, a green, amber and red list, and the situations that catch people out.
3 min read
If someone asks you for a bribe, or offers you one: what to do
Asking for a bribe, or offering one, is an offence in most countries even if nothing is paid and nothing happens. Here is what to do, step by step, and why you should report it.
3 min read
Why you must report it: the only thing that stops this
Hidden commissions survive because everyone has a reason to stay quiet. Reporting is how it ends.
2 min read
How the APA works, and where hidden commissions come in
A short explainer for anyone outside the charter trade, and a map of the points where money can quietly change direction.
4 min read
Beyond wine: fuel, yards, tenders and new builds
The same line applies wherever a percentage can attach to money spent for someone else. Where to look, and the questions to ask.
5 min read
What the MYBA charter agreement says about the APA, and what MYBA's own rules say about commissions
The words themselves, quoted from published MYBA documents, with the version and source for each. No interpretation beyond what the text says.
2 min read
What crew and captains should do when spending an owner's money
Seven habits that protect the client, your career and your conscience, and what to do when someone offers you something.
2 min read
What charter and sales brokers should do
Your commission belongs in the contract. Anything else you are paid on a client's deal belongs in front of the client.
2 min read
What management companies should do
A policy on paper is not a control. Here is what turns it into one.
2 min read
What owners and guests should ask
Eight questions that show you where your money goes, and a letter that asks them for you.
2 min read
What suppliers and vendors should do
You can win and keep business without paying for it twice. Here is how, and how to say no.