For families, couples and friend groups
Planning a yacht charter is hard. I make it a whole lot easier, more predictable, less stressful, and more fun.
BonusYour Living Itinerary, instantly, right after the assessment
Most brokers send you a 12-yacht PDF and leave you to it. I'd rather hand-select the four yachts that actually fit. Complete the assessment below and I'll send you a brochure of the yachts that best suit your preferences, within the hour. And you won't be left waiting..... your Living Itinerary is waiting for you the moment you finish the assessment. Your week, day by day, in real photos from real trips.
Your brochure and Living Itinerary are yours to keep, whether you book with me or not.
A few quick questions about who's coming, where you'd love to go, the pace you want and your budget. About 3 minutes.
Right after the assessment. Your week, built around your answers, with real photos from real trips of the places you'll go and the things you'll do.
The yacht options that best suit your preferences, with the honest trade-off on each.
I'll text you and we'll set up a call at a time that suits you, to go over the options and answer every question.
The person planning your week
I've worked on yachts across all of these waters. I know what makes a great week on board..... and I only send you the yachts that FIT.
Hey there, Byron here.
If you're thinking about a charter, tap Start my assessment below. It's a few quick questions that help me understand exactly what you're looking for.
From your answers, I'll build you an itinerary around your requirements and preferences, and show you what your week could really look like, with real photos from real trips, of the places you want to go, doing the things you'd love to do.
Then I'll send you a text, and we can keep talking on iMessage, WhatsApp or email, whichever suits you.
I'll find three or four yachts I think fit you perfectly, and we'll set up a call within a day or so. I'll get to know you a little, and you can see why I'm the right broker for you.
Talk soon,
Byron Kriek
P.S. The best yachts go early, especially over the holidays and peak season. The sooner you start, the more choice you'll have.
There are thousands of "luxury" yachts listed online. Glossy photos, five-star promises, and a crew you've never met. Most of the people selling them have never worked a day on board. I have. Eight years working on yachts, from the Med and the Caribbean to the Bahamas, New England, South America and California. So I know what a great week on the water looks like..... and what to RUN from.
Most charter searches end the same way. A spreadsheet, a dozen browser tabs, and no idea who to trust. Every yacht on the charter market is open to me (yes, every one). You answer a few quick questions, I do the digging, and you get three yachts that fit your week, with the honest trade-off on each. Plus an itinerary built from real photos of the places you want to go..... so you can SEE the week before you book it.
Here's the part nobody tells you. My commission is paid by the charter company (not by you), and the price is the same as going direct, often better. I only book boats and operators we know and have inspected. You sign a standard charter contract, and every payment is documented.
Here's the truth nobody in this industry likes to say out loud. The yacht doesn't make or break your week. The crew does. The captain who knows the quiet anchorage, the chef who remembers your kids hate onions, the deckhand who has the toys in the water before you've finished breakfast. And almost every way people book a charter today (the websites, the big brokerages, booking direct) judges everything..... EXCEPT the crew.
Part one
Thousands of yachts, all shot on a perfect day with the decks freshly oiled. The photos are often years old, the "reviews" are hard to verify, and there's nobody on the other end who's ever stepped aboard. You're booking a brochure, not a week.
The fix: someone who's worked these boats reading between the lines for you.
You ask a broker for help and get a 12-yacht PDF of boats that look exactly alike. Spec sheets, cabin counts, a price. Not a word about the crew, the pace of the week, or whether that boat suits your group. So you're left doing the hard part yourself.
The fix: three yachts, chosen for your group, with the honest trade-off on each.
It feels like cutting out the middleman. But nobody's vetting the boat, the operator or the contract for you, and if something goes sideways mid-week, there's nobody in your corner. And you won't save money: our price is the same as booking direct, often better, because the charter company pays our commission, not you.
The fix: a vetted boat, a standard contract, and me on your side, at no fee to you.
Forums, Instagram, old blog posts, late nights comparing tabs. Hours of work, and you still can't answer the one question that matters: what is this week actually going to feel like?
The fix: an itinerary built from real photos, so you can see the week before you book it.
Part two
I've spent eight years on the other side of the guest list, working on yachts from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean to the Bahamas, New England, South America and California. I've seen what separates a great week from a forgettable one, and it's almost never the thing in the brochure. So instead of starting with yachts, I start with you, and then look at every option through the eyes of the crew who'll be looking after you.
Part three
Who's aboard, the pace you want, the food you love, the things you'd hate. The details that decide whether a yacht and crew are right for you.
I build an itinerary around your answers, with real photos from real trips of the places you'll go and the things you'll do. You see the week before you commit to it.
Every yacht on the charter market is open to me. I pick the three that fit, tell you the honest trade-off on each, and we talk it through on a call.
Snapshots from the water
A few real moments from my years on board.
From the AMWAX family
These are reviews of my colleagues at AMWAX Prime Charters, the brokerage I work with, not of me personally. Every one is 5 stars, in the clients’ own words.
What an amazing experience! Ana was so helpful in narrowing down the perfect boat and crew for our ten year anniversary celebration. Answered every question and was super responsive and patient with me while we decided. And it was the most perfect vacation we’ve ever had! We chose Valium 67 and it was so beautiful. The crew was incredible and the absolute best part. Greg the captain built us a dream itinerary and took us to the most magical places we’ve ever been. The chef George was so amazing his food was so yummy. Elli our stewardess was so attentive and kind and made the best aperol spritzes I’ve ever had! We felt so lucky and can’t wait to go back and do it again!
Wonderful experience for our family’s first charter trip. Good clear communication leading to the trip and excellent service helping with transfers and checking in with us during and after. The charter itself was dreamlike. The crew and vessel were amazing and the locations we visited, the food and the overall adventure was above and beyond our hopes and expectations. Word of advice for first timers, trust your skipper and crew. They really know how to make it the best trip for you based on the conditions. We would not hesitate to book again.
Kerri, our captain, was exceptional!!! She anticipated our needs and wants and made everything so memorable for our entire family, 8-year olds through 70-year olds. We all had the time of our lives.
Just back from an amazing week sailing the Lady Lona in Croatia. Everything was perfect and want to give a special thanks to my AMWAX broker Peter Domschke and the Crew of Lady Lona. I am always a little uneasy about chartering a yacht halfway around the world and making international wires. But the reviews on Peter were all spot on. He made the process easy and the communication before and during and even after the charter was incredible. I will be using Peter and AMWAX for next years charter and moving forward. I want to give a special thanks to Captain Rene, Chef Yosip, And Stew Veronica as they really made our trip special!!! Thanks to all.
From the start, Max gave us boat options that varied greatly which allowed us to choose a boat that fit us best. He walked us through the process and was available for any questions and concerns we had. In the end, we charted a boat with a captain and crew that fit our party perfectly. We had an amazing vacation.
This was our first time rental a catamaran. From the first call, to the ongoing process of reserving, understanding what to expect and how to prepare, to arrival at airport, transfer, getting to know our captain, and so on and so on, it was incredible. I would recommend this team 1000 times over.
What a fantastic experience we had planning our Croatian catamaran holiday. From the moment we started our discussions with Lou, we were so impressed with her knowledge, boat selections and help with all the questions we had. She was so responsive throughout the planning process and really assisted us in making the best decision for our family. We really appreciated her help and felt like she really had our best interests at heart.
Our holiday was amazing and we thank Lou and AMWAX PRIME charters for making this happen.
I highly recommend Amwax Prime! Joe was our main point of contact, and he went above and beyond to ensure we had the best possible experience. The yacht was absolutely beautiful, the crew was professional and friendly, and everything was perfectly organized. We had an unforgettable vacation and couldn't have asked for a better experience. We will definitely be back!
Peter was honest and candid from the get go when spending time to explain to a first timer cruising the Aegean. He was patient and figured out what my family needed and matched it to the right boat. No regrets!
A little hiccup when I was making advance payment for the charter but it just involved a little bit more paperwork with the bank.
We had a wonderful week in the Cyclades on the Pearly Gates catamaran and the crew onboard was so sincere in making sure we were 100% taken care of. APA was spot on and had only a little amount left at the end.
Just wanted to tell you how wonderful our trip was!!!! The boat and the people were amazing! Jason, the captain, was the perfect fit and we really appreciate him stepping in at last minute! Super knowledgeable about the islands and fun to be around. Sandy, the chef, was amazing as well. And when I say chef she is really a chef! Food was outstanding and healthy!!! We were never in need of anything. So fun to be around also. Plan to keep in touch with everyone! The islands were beautiful and it was really hard to come home. Benita did a wonderful job helping us find just the right boat for our family, and it was wonderful!
We received so much great advice and follow ups from Peter on planning our holiday and then throughout the whole trip. I can highly recommend to use AMWAX and Peter in specific as a planner to make sure its a most memorable holiday. As people who have never been on a yacht, the choice of time and the Ionian sea in specific was well informed and the crew fitted perfectly with our family.
The crew were excellent in taking care of the trip and giving us the attention and help needed. They knew the great points of interest and made sure we had the time to enjoy all.
The crew, that took care of our trip and helped us understand the region. the itinerary that allowed us to visit so many wonderful islands and coves. Certainly eating at the local restaurants and Tavernas.
AMWAX PRIME was excellent, top-tier service. Andrea was highly responsive and professional. I would highly recommend.
The questions people ask me most: what a crewed charter is, what it really costs, and how I find the right yacht and crew for you.
It's a private week on a yacht with its own captain, chef and crew. You choose the water and the pace. The crew does everything else: they cook, tidy, plan the anchorages and have the toys in the water before you've finished breakfast.
Think of it as your own floating hotel, with a new beach every day and nobody else on board.
I spent eight years working on yachts before I became a broker. The yacht doesn't make or break your week. The crew does. So I look at every option the way a crew member would, and I only send you the ones that fit.
Families (with young kids or three generations), couples (honeymoons, anniversaries, big birthdays), friend groups, companies hosting clients or rewarding a team, and people who've chartered before and want this one to be better.
The assessment asks different questions for each, because a honeymoon and a family of eight need very different yachts.
All-in, most weeks run from about $15K for a crewed catamaran to $140K+ for a superyacht. The price has three parts:
That's why I ask for your all-in budget. I work backwards from it, so there are no surprises.
No broker feeThe charter company pays my commission, not you. The price is always the same as booking direct, and sometimes better.
You sign a standard charter contract, and every payment is documented. A deposit of 30–50% of the charter fee confirms your yacht, and the balance is due about six weeks before you sail, by bank transfer.
Your brochure and Living Itinerary are yours to keep, whether you book with me or not.
A private page of your week on a yacht, built instantly from your answers: a route map, a story for each day and real photos of the places you'd go. You get your own link, so you can send it to everyone who's coming.
Most brokers ask you to imagine the week. I'd rather show it to you.
The APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) applies to crewed charters only. It's paid with your final balance and covers the extras you're likely to use during the week, such as food, fuel, drinks and berths. Plan on about 30% of the charter fee.
Before you sail, you fill in a preferences form so the crew can stock the yacht with exactly what you like to eat and drink.
The Bahamas (the Exumas and the Abacos), the Caribbean (the BVI, St Barths and the Grenadines), the Mediterranean (Greece, Croatia, Italy and the Balearics) and New England (Newport and Maine).
Not sure? Tell me your dates and I'll match the water to them. Every area has a best season.
That's not a problem at all. First-timers get the full walkthrough: how a charter works, what the price includes, the contract, and what a day on board actually looks like. Ask me anything, however small.
Yes, and that's exactly what the assessment is for. The chef plans the whole week around how your family eats, some crews are brilliant with young kids, and I check cabins and access when grandparents are coming.
The best yachts go early, especially over the holidays and in peak season. The sooner you start, the more choice you'll have. Taking the assessment doesn't commit you to anything.
I'm Byron Kriek. I worked on yachts for eight years, from the Med and the Caribbean to the Bahamas, New England, South America and California. Now I plan charters at AMWAX Prime, which is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 101 reviews on Trustpilot.
I only book boats and operators we know and have inspected.
Text or call me on +1 954 300 6484, or email byron@amwaxprime.com.
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