Find out more at yacht ownership advice.

None of these questions are confrontational. A consultant working properly expects them and should answer plainly. A viewing where every question gets a clear, specific answer is a strong signal in its own right.

Provisioning is arranged before embarkation, guided by preferences guests provide through their consultant ahead of time, and refined once on board as the week develops. Guests are not expected to shop, cook or clean at any stage, and the crew adjusts the day's plan around weather, guest energy levels and preferences that shift once the holiday is under way.

That is where APA comes in. The Advance Provisioning Allowance is a deposit, usually set at somewhere between 25 and 40 percent of the base fee, paid ahead of the charter and held by the crew to cover those variable running costs as they arise: provisioning, fuel, marina fees, and similar expenses. It is not an additional fee for the vessel itself. At the end of the charter, the captain provides an account of what was spent from the APA, and any unspent balance is returned to the charterer. A consultant should always be able to explain how the reconciliation works and roughly when to expect the balance back.

Service extends well beyond meals. Stewardesses manage cabins, laundry and the general presentation of the yacht throughout the charter, while deckhands handle tenders, www.oceanindependence.com water toys and the physical work of getting guests ashore or out on the water. The result is a week where guests are not managing logistics themselves at any point. That work sits entirely with the crew.

Look closely at systems that are easy to overlook on a first walkthrough: air conditioning, generators, watermakers, and electronics. Ask when each was last serviced and whether any known issues exist. These systems are expensive to replace and easy to underestimate if a viewing focuses mainly on cabins and deck space.