The chief stew before you ordered linen by WhatsApp. The supplier delivered the wrong size, there is no written specification to argue from, and the invoice is already with accounts. Meanwhile the interior is 30 percent over its quarterly budget and nobody noticed until the owner representative asked.
Purchase orders
A purchase order (PO) is a written commitment to buy, raised and approved before the supplier delivers. It typically carries: PO number, supplier, exact item specification, quantity, agreed price, delivery place and date, and the budget line it hits.
The PO exists so that three things are impossible: a surprise price, a wrong item you cannot reject, and a spend nobody approved.
- Raise it before the order, not to paper over a purchase already made.
- Match it on delivery: PO → delivery note → invoice. All three must agree before the invoice is approved for payment.
- Reject and record discrepancies at delivery. It is much harder to argue a week later.
Supplier accounts and agents
Established suppliers often hold a yacht account — the boat buys on credit and settles monthly. Accounts are faster, but only if the boat controls who can order against them.
Agents are the local fixers in port: berths, customs, deliveries, provisions, laundry, flowers. A good agent is worth their fee. Working with one:
- Give the agent written specifications and deadlines, never verbal.
- Ask for quotes and check the agent margin — some charge cost plus a percentage, some mark up.
- Every agent disbursement account should be itemised and checked against what you actually received.
Interior budget lines
The interior usually carries its own budget lines within the yacht annual budget, for example:
| Line | Typical content |
|---|---|
| Interior consumables | Cleaning and laundry products, cloths |
| Guest amenities | Bathroom products, robes, slippers, gifts |
| Linen and soft furnishings | Replacement and repair |
| Uniform | Crew uniform issue and replacement |
| Flowers and decor | Trip-by-trip, often the most volatile line |
| Cellar and bar | Owner stock; charter stock handled separately |
Track spend against each line monthly, not annually. A variance found in month two can be managed; one found in month eleven cannot.
The ship bond — the basics
The bond is duty-free or tax-free stores held under customs control — typically spirits, wine, tobacco. Key principles:
- Bonded stores are sealed and controlled by customs, released against declarations and usually only for consumption outside territorial limits.
- Bond stock is recorded separately from ordinary stock and must be accounted for.
- Rules on drawing down, sealing, and consumption in port differ by country and by the vessel status (commercial versus private).
Onboard Notes
- Customs and duty rules are country-specific and change. Never make a bond, import or duty decision on your own reading — the captain, purser and the local agent own that call, and getting it wrong can mean fines or detention of the vessel.
- Do not break a customs seal, and do not move bonded stock, without explicit instruction.
- Never let a supplier persuade you to accept a substitute item without written agreement. "Equivalent" is their word, not yours.
- Keep the paper. POs, delivery notes and invoices may be reviewed by the owner accountant, the charter manager or an auditor long after the season ends.