What is a relocation fee on a yacht charter?

A relocation fee on a yacht charter is the charge for moving the yacht from its home base to your preferred start or end port. Every charter yacht has a base (say, Tortola), and pricing assumes guests board and disembark there. Ask that same yacht to start in St. Thomas instead, and the crew must sail it over empty, burn fuel, and lose turnaround time. The fee covers exactly that. In the Virgin Islands, expect roughly $500 to $2,500 depending on distance and season. Longer repositioning (Bahamas to the BVI, or a one-way charter between island groups) can add delivery days billed near the daily rate, plus dockage and fuel. Sometimes the fee vanishes: when a yacht already has a booking ending at your requested port, brokers can pair the trips and negotiate it away.