Yacht Purser Program — xplor School

Independent study. xplor is not an IAMI- or PYA-accredited GUEST training provider and awards no certificate or Certificate of Competency. It is not legal, tax or insurance advice.

Free

PURSER-1 · The Purser Role

3 lessons

PURSER-1.1 What a Purser Is and Where the Role Sits Practice in examiner →

PURSER-1.1.1

The Yacht Purser: The Role, the Yachts and the Four Pillars

A yacht purser is the administrative and financial head of the vessel, typically found on larger and charter-heavy yachts. The role divides into crew administration, financial control, compliance and guest experience.

PURSER-1.1.2

Reporting Lines and Key Relationships

The purser reports to the captain onboard and functionally to the shore management company or owner office. Success depends on clean documentation, early escalation and never bypassing the captain.

PURSER-1.2 The Purser Year and Professional Standards Practice in examiner →

PURSER-1.2.1

The Purser Year, Discretion and Professional Standards

The purser year rotates through off-season, pre-season, charter and yard phases, each with its own administrative load. The role demands discretion, integrity, evidence-based record keeping and clear limits on confidentiality.

PURSER-2 · Financial Control

5 lessons

PURSER-2.1 The Yacht Books Practice in examiner →

PURSER-2.1.1

The Chart of Accounts and the Yacht Books

The chart of accounts is the fixed list of spending categories set by the owner side, applied consistently and combined with a department cost centre. Capital and operating spend are distinguished and the audit trail runs from approval to ledger.

PURSER-2.1.2

Multi-Currency Cash, Cards and Petty Cash

Yacht cash is run as an imprest petty cash float alongside controlled cards, transfers and ring-fenced APA money. Foreign currency is converted into the functional currency using an agreed rate source, with FX differences posted separately.

PURSER-2.2 The Close, the Budget and the Owner Report Practice in examiner →

PURSER-2.2.1

Reconciliation and the Monthly Close

Reconciliation proves the yacht ledger agrees with the bank, card and cash records, with every difference named and explained. The monthly close follows a fixed sequence from cut-off through coding, reconciliation, accruals, reporting and archiving.

PURSER-2.2.2

The Operating Budget, Variance Analysis and CapEx

The operating budget is built by department and becomes the yardstick for actual spend, with variances analysed as timing, price, volume or scope. Capital spend is authorised and reported separately from operating expense.

PURSER-2.3 Procurement and Internal Control Practice in examiner →

PURSER-2.3.1

Procurement, Contracts, Payment Runs and Fraud Controls

Procurement runs requisition, authorisation, purchase order, delivery, invoice and controlled payment, with a three-way match as the core control. Fraud is prevented by segregation of duties, dual authorisation and supplier bank-detail verification by call-back.

PURSER-3 · Charter and Guest Finance

4 lessons

PURSER-3.1 The Charter Agreement and the APA Practice in examiner →

PURSER-3.1.1

The Charter Agreement and the Broker Relationship

The MYBA-style charter agreement sets the parties, dates, cruising area, fee, APA and delivery terms, and the purser extracts the operational facts rather than interpreting the contract. Brokers are the channel for preferences, APA requests and settlement.

PURSER-3.1.2

The APA End to End: Collection, Drawdown and Settlement

The APA is charterer money held on trust to pay charter running costs, collected before embarkation and reconciled to the cent. The purser tracks burn rate, requests top-ups early through the broker, and settles the balance promptly with a full statement.

PURSER-3.2 Guests, Gratuities and Tax Practice in examiner →

PURSER-3.2.1

Delivery, Fuel, Gratuities and Their Distribution

Delivery, redelivery and fuel are recorded with witnessed readings and documented against the charter agreement. Gratuities are discretionary, distributed by a written policy agreed in advance, with signed receipts and tax treatment referred to the management company.

PURSER-3.2.2

Guest Profiles, VAT Exposure and Talking About Money

The guest profile turns a broker preference sheet into a working document that drives service, provisioning and safety, and it is protected personal data. VAT and local tax are jurisdiction-dependent, decided by the manager, broker and accountants, with the purser recording facts and asking.

PURSER-4 · Compliance and Administration

4 lessons

PURSER-4.1 Crew Employment and Certification Practice in examiner →

PURSER-4.1.1

MLC 2006: Agreements, Wages, Rest Hours and Repatriation

MLC 2006 sets the framework for seafarer employment agreements, wages, rest hours, repatriation and complaints, applied through the flag state. The purser maintains the SEA file, payroll records, rest hour records and complaint documentation accurately.

PURSER-4.1.2

Crew Certification, Visas and Seafarer Documents

Crew certification, medicals, visas and passports are tracked in a single expiry register with rolling 90, 60 and 30 day alerts. Expired documents stop a crew member sailing in that capacity, and sea service letters must state tonnage, dates, capacity and sea time accurately.

PURSER-4.2 Ship Compliance and Port Administration Practice in examiner →

PURSER-4.2.1

Flag State, Port State Control, ISM and ISPS

The flag state sets the law and certificates, while port state control inspects foreign yachts and can raise deficiencies or detain. The purser administers the ISM safety management paperwork, document control, ISPS visitor logs and the certificate file.

PURSER-4.2.2

Clearance, Agents, Importation, the Bond and Insurance

Clearance requires a prepared pack of crew and guest lists, ship particulars and stores declarations, usually filed through a ship agent whose disbursement account is reconciled line by line. The bond is customs-controlled stock, importation rules vary by country, and insurance certificates and notification deadlines are held by the purser.

PURSER-5 · Systems, People and Crisis

4 lessons

PURSER-5.1 Systems and Continuity Practice in examiner →

PURSER-5.1.1

Systems, Digital Filing, Backups and Data Protection

Yacht administration runs on management, accounting, payroll and crew-tracking systems supported by a written filing structure, naming convention and tested 3-2-1 backups. Crew and guest personal data is minimised, access-restricted, encrypted, and breaches are reported immediately.

PURSER-5.1.2

The Handover File: What a Good Purser Leaves Behind

The handover file records authority limits, financial position, charter and crew status, compliance dates, suppliers, systems and an honest list of open items. It is written continuously, handed over in person where possible, and closed with a signed cash and bond count.

PURSER-5.2 People and Crisis Practice in examiner →

PURSER-5.2.1

Leading the Team and the Limits of Confidentiality

The purser leads through documented procedures, delegated authority limits and deliberate mentoring, and is often the person crew bring problems to. Confidentiality has limits, which must be stated before a disclosure, with safety, crime and compliance matters escalated to the captain.

PURSER-5.2.2

Crisis Administration: Medevac, Death, Incidents and Detention

In a crisis the captain commands while the purser documents, notifies and supports, following the SMS emergency procedures and starting a contemporaneous log. Medical evacuation, death onboard, guest and security incidents, insurance claims and detentions each have a defined call order and document set.

Aligned to the IAMI GUEST Program framework. Preparatory study only — assessment and certification are carried out by an approved GUEST Training Provider. Official source (GUEST Program).

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